(Gen 1:1 NRSV)  In the beginning when God created the heavens and the 
       earth,

       (Gen 1:2 NRSV)  the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the 
       face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the 
       waters.

       (Gen 1:3 NRSV)  Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was 
       light.

       (Gen 1:4 NRSV)  And God saw that the light was good; and God separated 
       the light from the darkness.

       (Gen 1:5 NRSV)  God called the light Day, and the darkness he called 
       Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

       (Gen 1:6 NRSV)  And God said, "Let there be a dome in the midst of the 
       waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."

       (Gen 1:7 NRSV)  So God made the dome and separated the waters that 
       were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it 
       was so.

       (Gen 1:8 NRSV)  God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and 
       there was morning, the second day.

       (Gen 1:9 NRSV)  And God said, "Let the waters under the sky be 
       gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it 
       was so.

       (Gen 1:10 NRSV)  God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that 
       were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

       (Gen 1:11 NRSV)  Then God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation: 
       plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear 
       fruit with the seed in it." And it was so.

       (Gen 1:12 NRSV)  The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding 
       seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the 
       seed in it. And God saw that it was good.

       (Gen 1:13 NRSV)  And there was evening and there was morning, the 
       third day.

       (Gen 1:14 NRSV)  And God said, "Let there be lights in the dome of the 
       sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and 
       for seasons and for days and years,

       (Gen 1:15 NRSV)  and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give 
       light upon the earth." And it was so.

       (Gen 1:16 NRSV)  God made the two great lights--the greater light to 
       rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night--and the stars.

       (Gen 1:17 NRSV)  God set them in the dome of the sky to give light 
       upon the earth,






       (Gen 1:18 NRSV)  to rule over the day and over the night, and to 
       separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

       (Gen 1:19 NRSV)  And there was evening and there was morning, the 
       fourth day.

       (Gen 1:20 NRSV)  And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of 
       living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of 
       the sky."

       (Gen 1:21 NRSV)  So God created the great sea monsters and every 
       living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters 
       swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was 
       good.

       (Gen 1:22 NRSV)  God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply 
       and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."

       (Gen 1:23 NRSV)  And there was evening and there was morning, the 
       fifth day.

       (Gen 1:24 NRSV)  And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living 
       creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals 
       of the earth of every kind." And it was so.

       (Gen 1:25 NRSV)  God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, 
       and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the 
       ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.

       (Gen 1:26 NRSV)  Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, 
       according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of 
       the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over 
       all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that 
       creeps upon the earth."

       (Gen 1:27 NRSV)  So God created humankind in his image, in the image 
       of God he created them; male and female he created them.

       (Gen 1:28 NRSV)  God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful 
       and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over 
       the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every 
       living thing that moves upon the earth."

       (Gen 1:29 NRSV)  God said, "See, I have given you every plant yielding 
       seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed 
       in its fruit; you shall have them for food.

       (Gen 1:30 NRSV)  And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of 
       the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that 
       has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And 
       it was so.

       (Gen 1:31 NRSV)  God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it 
       was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth 
       day.






       (Gen 2:1 NRSV)  Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all 
       their multitude.

       (Gen 2:2 NRSV)  And on the seventh day God finished the work that he 
       had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he 
       had done.

       (Gen 2:3 NRSV)  So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, 
       because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in 
       creation.

       (Gen 2:4 NRSV)  These are the generations of the heavens and the earth 
       when they were created. In the day that the LORD God made the earth 
       and the heavens,

       (Gen 2:5 NRSV)  when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no 
       herb of the field had yet sprung up--for the LORD God had not caused 
       it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground;

       (Gen 2:6 NRSV)  but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the 
       whole face of the ground--

       (Gen 2:7 NRSV)  then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the 
       ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man 
       became a living being.

       (Gen 2:8 NRSV)  And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the 
       east; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

       (Gen 2:9 NRSV)  Out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree 
       that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also 
       in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and 
       evil.

       (Gen 2:10 NRSV)  A river flows out of Eden to water the garden, and 
       from there it divides and becomes four branches.

       (Gen 2:11 NRSV)  The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one that 
       flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;

       (Gen 2:12 NRSV)  and the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx 
       stone are there.

       (Gen 2:13 NRSV)  The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one 
       that flows around the whole land of Cush.

       (Gen 2:14 NRSV)  The name of the third river is Tigris, which flows 
       east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

       (Gen 2:15 NRSV)  The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden 
       of Eden to till it and keep it.

       (Gen 2:16 NRSV)  And the LORD God commanded the man, "You may freely 
       eat of every tree of the garden;





       (Gen 2:17 NRSV)  but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you 
       shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die."

       (Gen 2:18 NRSV)  Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man 
       should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner."

       (Gen 2:19 NRSV)  So out of the ground the LORD God formed every animal 
       of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to 
       see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living 
       creature, that was its name.

       (Gen 2:20 NRSV)  The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of 
       the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was 
       not found a helper as his partner.

       (Gen 2:21 NRSV)  So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the 
       man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its 
       place with flesh.

       (Gen 2:22 NRSV)  And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man 
       he made into a woman and brought her to the man.

       (Gen 2:23 NRSV)  Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones 
       and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man 
       this one was taken."

       (Gen 2:24 NRSV)  Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and 
       clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.

       (Gen 2:25 NRSV)  And the man and his wife were both naked, and were 
       not ashamed.

       (Gen 3:1 NRSV)  Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild 
       animal that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, 
       'You shall not eat from any tree in the garden'?"

       (Gen 3:2 NRSV)  The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the 
       fruit of the trees in the garden;

       (Gen 3:3 NRSV)  but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the 
       tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or 
       you shall die.'"

       (Gen 3:4 NRSV)  But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die;

       (Gen 3:5 NRSV)  for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will 
       be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

       (Gen 3:6 NRSV)  So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, 
       and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be 
       desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also 
       gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate.

       (Gen 3:7 NRSV)  Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that 
       they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made 
       loincloths for themselves.






       (Gen 3:8 NRSV)  They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the 
       garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid 
       themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the 
       garden.

       (Gen 3:9 NRSV)  But the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, 
       "Where are you?"

       (Gen 3:10 NRSV)  He said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and 
       I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself."

       (Gen 3:11 NRSV)  He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you 
       eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"

       (Gen 3:12 NRSV)  The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, 
       she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate."

       (Gen 3:13 NRSV)  Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this 
       that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent tricked me, and I 
       ate."

       (Gen 3:14 NRSV)  The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have 
       done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild 
       creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all 
       the days of your life.

       (Gen 3:15 NRSV)  I will put enmity between you and the woman, and 
       between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you 
       will strike his heel."

       (Gen 3:16 NRSV)  To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your 
       pangs in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet 
       your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you."

       (Gen 3:17 NRSV)  And to the man he said, "Because you have listened to 
       the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree about which I 
       commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because 
       of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

       (Gen 3:18 NRSV)  thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and 
       you shall eat the plants of the field.

       (Gen 3:19 NRSV)  By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until 
       you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, 
       and to dust you shall return."

       (Gen 3:20 NRSV)  The man named his wife Eve, because she was the 
       mother of all living.

       (Gen 3:21 NRSV)  And the LORD God made garments of skins for the man 
       and for his wife, and clothed them.

       (Gen 3:22 NRSV)  Then the LORD God said, "See, the man has become like 
       one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand 
       and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"--






       (Gen 3:23 NRSV)  therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden 
       of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.

       (Gen 3:24 NRSV)  He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden 
       of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a sword flaming and turning to 
       guard the way to the tree of life.

       (Gen 4:1 NRSV)  Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and 
       bore Cain, saying, "I have produced a man with the help of the LORD."

       (Gen 4:2 NRSV)  Next she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper 
       of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground.

       (Gen 4:3 NRSV)  In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an 
       offering of the fruit of the ground,

       (Gen 4:4 NRSV)  and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his 
       flock, their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his 
       offering,

       (Gen 4:5 NRSV)  but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So 
       Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

       (Gen 4:6 NRSV)  The LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has 
       your countenance fallen?

       (Gen 4:7 NRSV)  If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you 
       do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but 
       you must master it."

       (Gen 4:8 NRSV)  Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let us go out to the 
       field." And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his 
       brother Abel, and killed him.

       (Gen 4:9 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother 
       Abel?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?"

       (Gen 4:10 NRSV)  And the LORD said, "What have you done? Listen; your 
       brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground!

       (Gen 4:11 NRSV)  And now you are cursed from the ground, which has 
       opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

       (Gen 4:12 NRSV)  When you till the ground, it will no longer yield to 
       you its strength; you will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth."

       (Gen 4:13 NRSV)  Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is greater than 
       I can bear!

       (Gen 4:14 NRSV)  Today you have driven me away from the soil, and I 
       shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer 
       on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill me."

       (Gen 4:15 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to him, "Not so! Whoever kills 
       Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance." And the LORD put a mark on 





       Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill him.

       (Gen 4:16 NRSV)  Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD, 
       and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

       (Gen 4:17 NRSV)  Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch; 
       and he built a city, and named it Enoch after his son Enoch.

       (Gen 4:18 NRSV)  To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad was the father of 
       Mehujael, and Mehujael the father of Methushael, and Methushael the 
       father of Lamech.

       (Gen 4:19 NRSV)  Lamech took two wives; the name of the one was Adah, 
       and the name of the other Zillah.

       (Gen 4:20 NRSV)  Adah bore Jabal; he was the ancestor of those who 
       live in tents and have livestock.

       (Gen 4:21 NRSV)  His brother's name was Jubal; he was the ancestor of 
       all those who play the lyre and pipe.

       (Gen 4:22 NRSV)  Zillah bore Tubal-cain, who made all kinds of bronze 
       and iron tools. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

       (Gen 4:23 NRSV)  Lamech said to his wives: "Adah and Zillah, hear my 
       voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say: I have killed a man 
       for wounding me, a young man for striking me.

       (Gen 4:24 NRSV)  If Cain is avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech 
       seventy-sevenfold."

       (Gen 4:25 NRSV)  Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and 
       named him Seth, for she said, "God has appointed for me another child 
       instead of Abel, because Cain killed him."

       (Gen 4:26 NRSV)  To Seth also a son was born, and he named him Enosh. 
       At that time people began to invoke the name of the LORD.

       (Gen 5:1 NRSV)  This is the list of the descendants of Adam. When God 
       created humankind, he made them in the likeness of God.

       (Gen 5:2 NRSV)  Male and female he created them, and he blessed them 
       and named them "Humankind" when they were created.

       (Gen 5:3 NRSV)  When Adam had lived one hundred thirty years, he 
       became the father of a son in his likeness, according to his image, 
       and named him Seth.

       (Gen 5:4 NRSV)  The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth 
       were eight hundred years; and he had other sons and daughters.

       (Gen 5:5 NRSV)  Thus all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred 
       thirty years; and he died.

       (Gen 5:6 NRSV)  When Seth had lived one hundred five years, he became 
       the father of Enosh.






       (Gen 5:7 NRSV)  Seth lived after the birth of Enosh eight hundred 
       seven years, and had other sons and daughters.

       (Gen 5:8 NRSV)  Thus all the days of Seth were nine hundred twelve 
       years; and he died.

       (Gen 5:9 NRSV)  When Enosh had lived ninety years, he became the 
       father of Kenan.

       (Gen 5:10 NRSV)  Enosh lived after the birth of Kenan eight hundred 
       fifteen years, and had other sons and daughters.

       (Gen 5:11 NRSV)  Thus all the days of Enosh were nine hundred five 
       years; and he died.

       (Gen 5:12 NRSV)  When Kenan had lived seventy years, he became the 
       father of Mahalalel.

       (Gen 5:13 NRSV)  Kenan lived after the birth of Mahalalel eight 
       hundred and forty years, and had other sons and daughters.

       (Gen 5:14 NRSV)  Thus all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten 
       years; and he died.

       (Gen 5:15 NRSV)  When Mahalalel had lived sixty-five years, he became 
       the father of Jared.

       (Gen 5:16 NRSV)  Mahalalel lived after the birth of Jared eight 
       hundred thirty years, and had other sons and daughters.

       (Gen 5:17 NRSV)  Thus all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred 
       ninety-five years; and he died.

       (Gen 5:18 NRSV)  When Jared had lived one hundred sixty-two years he 
       became the father of Enoch.

       (Gen 5:19 NRSV)  Jared lived after the birth of Enoch eight hundred 
       years, and had other sons and daughters.

       (Gen 5:20 NRSV)  Thus all the days of Jared were nine hundred 
       sixty-two years; and he died.

       (Gen 5:21 NRSV)  When Enoch had lived sixty-five years, he became the 
       father of Methuselah.

       (Gen 5:22 NRSV)  Enoch walked with God after the birth of Methuselah 
       three hundred years, and had other sons and daughters.

       (Gen 5:23 NRSV)  Thus all the days of Enoch were three hundred 
       sixty-five years.

       (Gen 5:24 NRSV)  Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because 
       God took him.

       (Gen 5:25 NRSV)  When Methuselah had lived one hundred eighty-seven 





       years, he became the father of Lamech.

       (Gen 5:26 NRSV)  Methuselah lived after the birth of Lamech seven 
       hundred eighty-two years, and had other sons and daughters.

       (Gen 5:27 NRSV)  Thus all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred 
       sixty-nine years; and he died.

       (Gen 5:28 NRSV)  When Lamech had lived one hundred eighty-two years, 
       he became the father of a son;

       (Gen 5:29 NRSV)  he named him Noah, saying, "Out of the ground that 
       the LORD has cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and 
       from the toil of our hands."

       (Gen 5:30 NRSV)  Lamech lived after the birth of Noah five hundred 
       ninety-five years, and had other sons and daughters.

       (Gen 5:31 NRSV)  Thus all the days of Lamech were seven hundred 
       seventy-seven years; and he died.

       (Gen 5:32 NRSV)  After Noah was five hundred years old, Noah became 
       the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

       (Gen 6:1 NRSV)  When people began to multiply on the face of the 
       ground, and daughters were born to them,

       (Gen 6:2 NRSV)  the sons of God saw that they were fair; and they took 
       wives for themselves of all that they chose.

       (Gen 6:3 NRSV)  Then the LORD said, "My spirit shall not abide in 
       mortals forever, for they are flesh; their days shall be one hundred 
       twenty years."

       (Gen 6:4 NRSV)  The Nephilim were on the earth in those days--and also 
       afterward--when the sons of God went in to the daughters of humans, 
       who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, 
       warriors of renown.

       (Gen 6:5 NRSV)  The LORD saw that the wickedness of humankind was 
       great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of 
       their hearts was only evil continually.

       (Gen 6:6 NRSV)  And the LORD was sorry that he had made humankind on 
       the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.

       (Gen 6:7 NRSV)  So the LORD said, "I will blot out from the earth the 
       human beings I have created--people together with animals and creeping 
       things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them."

       (Gen 6:8 NRSV)  But Noah found favor in the sight of the LORD.

       (Gen 6:9 NRSV)  These are the descendants of Noah. Noah was a 
       righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God.

       (Gen 6:10 NRSV)  And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.






       (Gen 6:11 NRSV)  Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the 
       earth was filled with violence.

       (Gen 6:12 NRSV)  And God saw that the earth was corrupt; for all flesh 
       had corrupted its ways upon the earth.

       (Gen 6:13 NRSV)  And God said to Noah, "I have determined to make an 
       end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of 
       them; now I am going to destroy them along with the earth.

       (Gen 6:14 NRSV)  Make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in 
       the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.

       (Gen 6:15 NRSV)  This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 
       three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty 
       cubits.

       (Gen 6:16 NRSV)  Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit 
       above; and put the door of the ark in its side; make it with lower, 
       second, and third decks.

       (Gen 6:17 NRSV)  For my part, I am going to bring a flood of waters on 
       the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the 
       breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.

       (Gen 6:18 NRSV)  But I will establish my covenant with you; and you 
       shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' 
       wives with you.

       (Gen 6:19 NRSV)  And of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall 
       bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; 
       they shall be male and female.

       (Gen 6:20 NRSV)  Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the 
       animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the 
       ground according to its kind, two of every kind shall come in to you, 
       to keep them alive.

       (Gen 6:21 NRSV)  Also take with you every kind of food that is eaten, 
       and store it up; and it shall serve as food for you and for them."

       (Gen 6:22 NRSV)  Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.

       (Gen 7:1 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and 
       all your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous 
       before me in this generation.

       (Gen 7:2 NRSV)  Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the 
       male and its mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the 
       male and its mate;

       (Gen 7:3 NRSV)  and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and 
       female, to keep their kind alive on the face of all the earth.

       (Gen 7:4 NRSV)  For in seven days I will send rain on the earth for 





       forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made I 
       will blot out from the face of the ground."

       (Gen 7:5 NRSV)  And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him.

       (Gen 7:6 NRSV)  Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of 
       waters came on the earth.

       (Gen 7:7 NRSV)  And Noah with his sons and his wife and his sons' 
       wives went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood.

       (Gen 7:8 NRSV)  Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, 
       and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground,

       (Gen 7:9 NRSV)  two and two, male and female, went into the ark with 
       Noah, as God had commanded Noah.

       (Gen 7:10 NRSV)  And after seven days the waters of the flood came on 
       the earth.

       (Gen 7:11 NRSV)  In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the 
       second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the 
       fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the 
       heavens were opened.

       (Gen 7:12 NRSV)  The rain fell on the earth forty days and forty 
       nights.

       (Gen 7:13 NRSV)  On the very same day Noah with his sons, Shem and Ham 
       and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons entered 
       the ark,

       (Gen 7:14 NRSV)  they and every wild animal of every kind, and all 
       domestic animals of every kind, and every creeping thing that creeps 
       on the earth, and every bird of every kind--every bird, every winged 
       creature.

       (Gen 7:15 NRSV)  They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all 
       flesh in which there was the breath of life.

       (Gen 7:16 NRSV)  And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, 
       went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in.

       (Gen 7:17 NRSV)  The flood continued forty days on the earth; and the 
       waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the 
       earth.

       (Gen 7:18 NRSV)  The waters swelled and increased greatly on the 
       earth; and the ark floated on the face of the waters.

       (Gen 7:19 NRSV)  The waters swelled so mightily on the earth that all 
       the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered;

       (Gen 7:20 NRSV)  the waters swelled above the mountains, covering them 
       fifteen cubits deep.





       (Gen 7:21 NRSV)  And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, 
       domestic animals, wild animals, all swarming creatures that swarm on 
       the earth, and all human beings;

       (Gen 7:22 NRSV)  everything on dry land in whose nostrils was the 
       breath of life died.

       (Gen 7:23 NRSV)  He blotted out every living thing that was on the 
       face of the ground, human beings and animals and creeping things and 
       birds of the air; they were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was 
       left, and those that were with him in the ark.

       (Gen 7:24 NRSV)  And the waters swelled on the earth for one hundred 
       fifty days.

       (Gen 8:1 NRSV)  But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and 
       all the domestic animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a 
       wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided;

       (Gen 8:2 NRSV)  the fountains of the deep and the windows of the 
       heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained,

       (Gen 8:3 NRSV)  and the waters gradually receded from the earth. At 
       the end of one hundred fifty days the waters had abated;

       (Gen 8:4 NRSV)  and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of 
       the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.

       (Gen 8:5 NRSV)  The waters continued to abate until the tenth month; 
       in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the 
       mountains appeared.

       (Gen 8:6 NRSV)  At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the 
       ark that he had made

       (Gen 8:7 NRSV)  and sent out the raven; and it went to and fro until 
       the waters were dried up from the earth.

       (Gen 8:8 NRSV)  Then he sent out the dove from him, to see if the 
       waters had subsided from the face of the ground;

       (Gen 8:9 NRSV)  but the dove found no place to set its foot, and it 
       returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of 
       the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took it and brought it 
       into the ark with him.

       (Gen 8:10 NRSV)  He waited another seven days, and again he sent out 
       the dove from the ark;

       (Gen 8:11 NRSV)  and the dove came back to him in the evening, and 
       there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah knew that 
       the waters had subsided from the earth.

       (Gen 8:12 NRSV)  Then he waited another seven days, and sent out the 
       dove; and it did not return to him any more.





       (Gen 8:13 NRSV)  In the six hundred first year, in the first month, 
       the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth; 
       and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and saw that the 
       face of the ground was drying.

       (Gen 8:14 NRSV)  In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the 
       month, the earth was dry.

       (Gen 8:15 NRSV)  Then God said to Noah,

       (Gen 8:16 NRSV)  "Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons 
       and your sons' wives with you.

       (Gen 8:17 NRSV)  Bring out with you every living thing that is with 
       you of all flesh--birds and animals and every creeping thing that 
       creeps on the earth--so that they may abound on the earth, and be 
       fruitful and multiply on the earth."

       (Gen 8:18 NRSV)  So Noah went out with his sons and his wife and his 
       sons' wives.

       (Gen 8:19 NRSV)  And every animal, every creeping thing, and every 
       bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out of the ark by 
       families.

       (Gen 8:20 NRSV)  Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of 
       every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt 
       offerings on the altar.

       (Gen 8:21 NRSV)  And when the LORD smelled the pleasing odor, the LORD 
       said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of 
       humankind, for the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth; 
       nor will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done.

       (Gen 8:22 NRSV)  As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, 
       cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease."

       (Gen 9:1 NRSV)  God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be 
       fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.

       (Gen 9:2 NRSV)  The fear and dread of you shall rest on every animal 
       of the earth, and on every bird of the air, on everything that creeps 
       on the ground, and on all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are 
       delivered.

       (Gen 9:3 NRSV)  Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; 
       and just as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.

       (Gen 9:4 NRSV)  Only, you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, 
       its blood.

       (Gen 9:5 NRSV)  For your own lifeblood I will surely require a 
       reckoning: from every animal I will require it and from human beings, 
       each one for the blood of another, I will require a reckoning for 
       human life.





       (Gen 9:6 NRSV)  Whoever sheds the blood of a human, by a human shall 
       that person's blood be shed; for in his own image God made humankind.

       (Gen 9:7 NRSV)  And you, be fruitful and multiply, abound on the earth 
       and multiply in it."

       (Gen 9:8 NRSV)  Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him,

       (Gen 9:9 NRSV)  "As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and 
       your descendants after you,

       (Gen 9:10 NRSV)  and with every living creature that is with you, the 
       birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, 
       as many as came out of the ark.

       (Gen 9:11 NRSV)  I establish my covenant with you, that never again 
       shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again 
       shall there be a flood to destroy the earth."

       (Gen 9:12 NRSV)  God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I 
       make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, 
       for all future generations:

       (Gen 9:13 NRSV)  I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a 
       sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

       (Gen 9:14 NRSV)  When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is 
       seen in the clouds,

       (Gen 9:15 NRSV)  I will remember my covenant that is between me and 
       you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never 
       again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

       (Gen 9:16 NRSV)  When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and 
       remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living 
       creature of all flesh that is on the earth."

       (Gen 9:17 NRSV)  God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant 
       that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the 
       earth."

       (Gen 9:18 NRSV)  The sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, 
       Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan.

       (Gen 9:19 NRSV)  These three were the sons of Noah; and from these the 
       whole earth was peopled.

       (Gen 9:20 NRSV)  Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a 
       vineyard.

       (Gen 9:21 NRSV)  He drank some of the wine and became drunk, and he 
       lay uncovered in his tent.

       (Gen 9:22 NRSV)  And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of 
       his father, and told his two brothers outside.





       (Gen 9:23 NRSV)  Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both 
       their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of 
       their father; their faces were turned away, and they did not see their 
       father's nakedness.

       (Gen 9:24 NRSV)  When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his 
       youngest son had done to him,

       (Gen 9:25 NRSV)  he said, "Cursed be Canaan; lowest of slaves shall he 
       be to his brothers."

       (Gen 9:26 NRSV)  He also said, "Blessed by the LORD my God be Shem; 
       and let Canaan be his slave.

       (Gen 9:27 NRSV)  May God make space for Japheth, and let him live in 
       the tents of Shem; and let Canaan be his slave."

       (Gen 9:28 NRSV)  After the flood Noah lived three hundred fifty years.

       (Gen 9:29 NRSV)  All the days of Noah were nine hundred fifty years; 
       and he died.

       (Gen 10:1 NRSV)  These are the descendants of Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, 
       and Japheth; children were born to them after the flood.

       (Gen 10:2 NRSV)  The descendants of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, 
       Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.

       (Gen 10:3 NRSV)  The descendants of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and 
       Togarmah.

       (Gen 10:4 NRSV)  The descendants of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, 
       and Rodanim.

       (Gen 10:5 NRSV)  From these the coastland peoples spread. These are 
       the descendants of Japheth in their lands, with their own language, by 
       their families, in their nations.

       (Gen 10:6 NRSV)  The descendants of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan.

       (Gen 10:7 NRSV)  The descendants of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, 
       Raamah, and Sabteca. The descendants of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.

       (Gen 10:8 NRSV)  Cush became the father of Nimrod; he was the first on 
       earth to become a mighty warrior.

       (Gen 10:9 NRSV)  He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it 
       is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD."

       (Gen 10:10 NRSV)  The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, and 
       Accad, all of them in the land of Shinar.

       (Gen 10:11 NRSV)  From that land he went into Assyria, and built 
       Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, and

       (Gen 10:12 NRSV)  Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great 





       city.

       (Gen 10:13 NRSV)  Egypt became the father of Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, 
       Naphtuhim,

       (Gen 10:14 NRSV)  Pathrusim, Casluhim, and Caphtorim, from which the 
       Philistines come.

       (Gen 10:15 NRSV)  Canaan became the father of Sidon his firstborn, and 
       Heth,

       (Gen 10:16 NRSV)  and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,

       (Gen 10:17 NRSV)  the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites,

       (Gen 10:18 NRSV)  the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. 
       Afterward the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.

       (Gen 10:19 NRSV)  And the territory of the Canaanites extended from 
       Sidon, in the direction of Gerar, as far as Gaza, and in the direction 
       of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.

       (Gen 10:20 NRSV)  These are the descendants of Ham, by their families, 
       their languages, their lands, and their nations.

       (Gen 10:21 NRSV)  To Shem also, the father of all the children of 
       Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, children were born.

       (Gen 10:22 NRSV)  The descendants of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, 
       Lud, and Aram.

       (Gen 10:23 NRSV)  The descendants of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.

       (Gen 10:24 NRSV)  Arpachshad became the father of Shelah; and Shelah 
       became the father of Eber.

       (Gen 10:25 NRSV)  To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was 
       Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother's name 
       was Joktan.

       (Gen 10:26 NRSV)  Joktan became the father of Almodad, Sheleph, 
       Hazarmaveth, Jerah,

       (Gen 10:27 NRSV)  Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,

       (Gen 10:28 NRSV)  Obal, Abimael, Sheba,

       (Gen 10:29 NRSV)  Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the 
       descendants of Joktan.

       (Gen 10:30 NRSV)  The territory in which they lived extended from 
       Mesha in the direction of Sephar, the hill country of the east.

       (Gen 10:31 NRSV)  These are the descendants of Shem, by their 
       families, their languages, their lands, and their nations.





       (Gen 10:32 NRSV)  These are the families of Noah's sons, according to 
       their genealogies, in their nations; and from these the nations spread 
       abroad on the earth after the flood.

       (Gen 11:1 NRSV)  Now the whole earth had one language and the same 
       words.

       (Gen 11:2 NRSV)  And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a 
       plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.

       (Gen 11:3 NRSV)  And they said to one another, "Come, let us make 
       bricks, and burn them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and 
       bitumen for mortar.

       (Gen 11:4 NRSV)  Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, 
       and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for 
       ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the 
       whole earth."

       (Gen 11:5 NRSV)  The LORD came down to see the city and the tower, 
       which mortals had built.

       (Gen 11:6 NRSV)  And the LORD said, "Look, they are one people, and 
       they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what 
       they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible 
       for them.

       (Gen 11:7 NRSV)  Come, let us go down, and confuse their language 
       there, so that they will not understand one another's speech."

       (Gen 11:8 NRSV)  So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the 
       face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.

       (Gen 11:9 NRSV)  Therefore it was called Babel, because there the LORD 
       confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD 
       scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

       (Gen 11:10 NRSV)  These are the descendants of Shem. When Shem was one 
       hundred years old, he became the father of Arpachshad two years after 
       the flood;

       (Gen 11:11 NRSV)  and Shem lived after the birth of Arpachshad five 
       hundred years, and had other sons and daughters.

       (Gen 11:12 NRSV)  When Arpachshad had lived thirty-five years, he 
       became the father of Shelah;

       (Gen 11:13 NRSV)  and Arpachshad lived after the birth of Shelah four 
       hundred three years, and had other sons and daughters.

       (Gen 11:14 NRSV)  When Shelah had lived thirty years, he became the 
       father of Eber;

       (Gen 11:15 NRSV)  and Shelah lived after the birth of Eber four 
       hundred three years, and had other sons and daughters.





       (Gen 11:16 NRSV)  When Eber had lived thirty-four years, he became the 
       father of Peleg;

       (Gen 11:17 NRSV)  and Eber lived after the birth of Peleg four hundred 
       thirty years, and had other sons and daughters.

       (Gen 11:18 NRSV)  When Peleg had lived thirty years, he became the 
       father of Reu;

       (Gen 11:19 NRSV)  and Peleg lived after the birth of Reu two hundred 
       nine years, and had other sons and daughters.

       (Gen 11:20 NRSV)  When Reu had lived thirty-two years, he became the 
       father of Serug;

       (Gen 11:21 NRSV)  and Reu lived after the birth of Serug two hundred 
       seven years, and had other sons and daughters.

       (Gen 11:22 NRSV)  When Serug had lived thirty years, he became the 
       father of Nahor;

       (Gen 11:23 NRSV)  and Serug lived after the birth of Nahor two hundred 
       years, and had other sons and daughters.

       (Gen 11:24 NRSV)  When Nahor had lived twenty-nine years, he became 
       the father of Terah;

       (Gen 11:25 NRSV)  and Nahor lived after the birth of Terah one hundred 
       nineteen years, and had other sons and daughters.

       (Gen 11:26 NRSV)  When Terah had lived seventy years, he became the 
       father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

       (Gen 11:27 NRSV)  Now these are the descendants of Terah. Terah was 
       the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of 
       Lot.

       (Gen 11:28 NRSV)  Haran died before his father Terah in the land of 
       his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans.

       (Gen 11:29 NRSV)  Abram and Nahor took wives; the name of Abram's wife 
       was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah. She was the 
       daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and Iscah.

       (Gen 11:30 NRSV)  Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.

       (Gen 11:31 NRSV)  Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot son of 
       Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram's wife, and they 
       went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of 
       Canaan; but when they came to Haran, they settled there.

       (Gen 11:32 NRSV)  The days of Terah were two hundred five years; and 
       Terah died in Haran.

       (Gen 12:1 NRSV)  Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and 
       your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.






       (Gen 12:2 NRSV)  I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless 
       you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

       (Gen 12:3 NRSV)  I will bless those who bless you, and the one who 
       curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth 
       shall be blessed."

       (Gen 12:4 NRSV)  So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went 
       with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from 
       Haran.

       (Gen 12:5 NRSV)  Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother's son Lot, 
       and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom 
       they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of 
       Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan,

       (Gen 12:6 NRSV)  Abram passed through the land to the place at 
       Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the 
       land.

       (Gen 12:7 NRSV)  Then the LORD appeared to Abram, and said, "To your 
       offspring I will give this land." So he built there an altar to the 
       LORD, who had appeared to him.

       (Gen 12:8 NRSV)  From there he moved on to the hill country on the 
       east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai 
       on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and invoked the 
       name of the LORD.

       (Gen 12:9 NRSV)  And Abram journeyed on by stages toward the Negeb.

       (Gen 12:10 NRSV)  Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went 
       down to Egypt to reside there as an alien, for the famine was severe 
       in the land.

       (Gen 12:11 NRSV)  When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his 
       wife Sarai, "I know well that you are a woman beautiful in appearance;

       (Gen 12:12 NRSV)  and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This 
       is his wife'; then they will kill me, but they will let you live.

       (Gen 12:13 NRSV)  Say you are my sister, so that it may go well with 
       me because of you, and that my life may be spared on your account."

       (Gen 12:14 NRSV)  When Abram entered Egypt the Egyptians saw that the 
       woman was very beautiful.

       (Gen 12:15 NRSV)  When the officials of Pharaoh saw her, they praised 
       her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.

       (Gen 12:16 NRSV)  And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he 
       had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female slaves, female donkeys, 
       and camels.

       (Gen 12:17 NRSV)  But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house with 





       great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.

       (Gen 12:18 NRSV)  So Pharaoh called Abram, and said, "What is this you 
       have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?

       (Gen 12:19 NRSV)  Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took 
       her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her, and be gone."

       (Gen 12:20 NRSV)  And Pharaoh gave his men orders concerning him; and 
       they set him on the way, with his wife and all that he had.

       (Gen 13:1 NRSV)  So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife, and all 
       that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.

       (Gen 13:2 NRSV)  Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and 
       in gold.

       (Gen 13:3 NRSV)  He journeyed on by stages from the Negeb as far as 
       Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between 
       Bethel and Ai,

       (Gen 13:4 NRSV)  to the place where he had made an altar at the first; 
       and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

       (Gen 13:5 NRSV)  Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and 
       herds and tents,

       (Gen 13:6 NRSV)  so that the land could not support both of them 
       living together; for their possessions were so great that they could 
       not live together,

       (Gen 13:7 NRSV)  and there was strife between the herders of Abram's 
       livestock and the herders of Lot's livestock. At that time the 
       Canaanites and the Perizzites lived in the land.

       (Gen 13:8 NRSV)  Then Abram said to Lot, "Let there be no strife 
       between you and me, and between your herders and my herders; for we 
       are kindred.

       (Gen 13:9 NRSV)  Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself 
       from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if 
       you take the right hand, then I will go to the left."

       (Gen 13:10 NRSV)  Lot looked about him, and saw that the plain of the 
       Jordan was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like 
       the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar; this was before the LORD 
       had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

       (Gen 13:11 NRSV)  So Lot chose for himself all the plain of the 
       Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward; thus they separated from each 
       other.

       (Gen 13:12 NRSV)  Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot 
       settled among the cities of the Plain and moved his tent as far as 
       Sodom.





       (Gen 13:13 NRSV)  Now the people of Sodom were wicked, great sinners 
       against the LORD.

       (Gen 13:14 NRSV)  The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from 
       him, "Raise your eyes now, and look from the place where you are, 
       northward and southward and eastward and westward;

       (Gen 13:15 NRSV)  for all the land that you see I will give to you and 
       to your offspring forever.

       (Gen 13:16 NRSV)  I will make your offspring like the dust of the 
       earth; so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring 
       also can be counted.

       (Gen 13:17 NRSV)  Rise up, walk through the length and the breadth of 
       the land, for I will give it to you."

       (Gen 13:18 NRSV)  So Abram moved his tent, and came and settled by the 
       oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron; and there he built an altar to the 
       LORD.

       (Gen 14:1 NRSV)  In the days of King Amraphel of Shinar, King Arioch 
       of Ellasar, King Chedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of Goiim,

       (Gen 14:2 NRSV)  these kings made war with King Bera of Sodom, King 
       Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, 
       and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).

       (Gen 14:3 NRSV)  All these joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that 
       is, the Dead Sea).

       (Gen 14:4 NRSV)  Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in the 
       thirteenth year they rebelled.

       (Gen 14:5 NRSV)  In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who 
       were with him came and subdued the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the 
       Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim,

       (Gen 14:6 NRSV)  and the Horites in the hill country of Seir as far as 
       El-paran on the edge of the wilderness;

       (Gen 14:7 NRSV)  then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that 
       is, Kadesh), and subdued all the country of the Amalekites, and also 
       the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.

       (Gen 14:8 NRSV)  Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the 
       king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, 
       Zoar) went out, and they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim

       (Gen 14:9 NRSV)  with King Chedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, 
       King Amraphel of Shinar, and King Arioch of Ellasar, four kings 
       against five.

       (Gen 14:10 NRSV)  Now the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits; 
       and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and 
       the rest fled to the hill country.






       (Gen 14:11 NRSV)  So the enemy took all the goods of Sodom and 
       Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way;

       (Gen 14:12 NRSV)  they also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother, who 
       lived in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

       (Gen 14:13 NRSV)  Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the 
       Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of 
       Eshcol and of Aner; these were allies of Abram.

       (Gen 14:14 NRSV)  When Abram heard that his nephew had been taken 
       captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, three 
       hundred eighteen of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

       (Gen 14:15 NRSV)  He divided his forces against them by night, he and 
       his servants, and routed them and pursued them to Hobah, north of 
       Damascus.

       (Gen 14:16 NRSV)  Then he brought back all the goods, and also brought 
       back his nephew Lot with his goods, and the women and the people.

       (Gen 14:17 NRSV)  After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and 
       the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at 
       the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).

       (Gen 14:18 NRSV)  And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and 
       wine; he was priest of God Most High.

       (Gen 14:19 NRSV)  He blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram by God 
       Most High, maker of heaven and earth;

       (Gen 14:20 NRSV)  and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your 
       enemies into your hand!" And Abram gave him one tenth of everything.

       (Gen 14:21 NRSV)  Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the 
       persons, but take the goods for yourself."

       (Gen 14:22 NRSV)  But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have sworn 
       to the LORD, God Most High, maker of heaven and earth,

       (Gen 14:23 NRSV)  that I would not take a thread or a sandal-thong or 
       anything that is yours, so that you might not say, 'I have made Abram 
       rich.'

       (Gen 14:24 NRSV)  I will take nothing but what the young men have 
       eaten, and the share of the men who went with me--Aner, Eshcol, and 
       Mamre. Let them take their share."

       (Gen 15:1 NRSV)  After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram 
       in a vision, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward 
       shall be very great."

       (Gen 15:2 NRSV)  But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, 
       for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of 
       Damascus?"






       (Gen 15:3 NRSV)  And Abram said, "You have given me no offspring, and 
       so a slave born in my house is to be my heir."

       (Gen 15:4 NRSV)  But the word of the LORD came to him, "This man shall 
       not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir."

       (Gen 15:5 NRSV)  He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven 
       and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to 
       him, "So shall your descendants be."

       (Gen 15:6 NRSV)  And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to 
       him as righteousness.

       (Gen 15:7 NRSV)  Then he said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you 
       from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess."

       (Gen 15:8 NRSV)  But he said, "O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I 
       shall possess it?"

       (Gen 15:9 NRSV)  He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a 
       female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and 
       a young pigeon."

       (Gen 15:10 NRSV)  He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying 
       each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two.

       (Gen 15:11 NRSV)  And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, 
       Abram drove them away.

       (Gen 15:12 NRSV)  As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon 
       Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.

       (Gen 15:13 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Abram, "Know this for certain, 
       that your offspring shall be aliens in a land that is not theirs, and 
       shall be slaves there, and they shall be oppressed for four hundred 
       years;

       (Gen 15:14 NRSV)  but I will bring judgment on the nation that they 
       serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.

       (Gen 15:15 NRSV)  As for yourself, you shall go to your ancestors in 
       peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.

       (Gen 15:16 NRSV)  And they shall come back here in the fourth 
       generation; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."

       (Gen 15:17 NRSV)  When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a 
       smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.

       (Gen 15:18 NRSV)  On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, 
       saying, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt 
       to the great river, the river Euphrates,

       (Gen 15:19 NRSV)  the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the 
       Kadmonites,






       (Gen 15:20 NRSV)  the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,

       (Gen 15:21 NRSV)  the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and 
       the Jebusites."

       (Gen 16:1 NRSV)  Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children. She 
       had an Egyptian slave-girl whose name was Hagar,

       (Gen 16:2 NRSV)  and Sarai said to Abram, "You see that the LORD has 
       prevented me from bearing children; go in to my slave-girl; it may be 
       that I shall obtain children by her." And Abram listened to the voice 
       of Sarai.

       (Gen 16:3 NRSV)  So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of 
       Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her slave-girl, 
       and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife.

       (Gen 16:4 NRSV)  He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she 
       saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.

       (Gen 16:5 NRSV)  Then Sarai said to Abram, "May the wrong done to me 
       be on you! I gave my slave-girl to your embrace, and when she saw that 
       she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the LORD judge 
       between you and me!"

       (Gen 16:6 NRSV)  But Abram said to Sarai, "Your slave-girl is in your 
       power; do to her as you please." Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, 
       and she ran away from her.

       (Gen 16:7 NRSV)  The angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water 
       in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur.

       (Gen 16:8 NRSV)  And he said, "Hagar, slave-girl of Sarai, where have 
       you come from and where are you going?" She said, "I am running away 
       from my mistress Sarai."

       (Gen 16:9 NRSV)  The angel of the LORD said to her, "Return to your 
       mistress, and submit to her."

       (Gen 16:10 NRSV)  The angel of the LORD also said to her, "I will so 
       greatly multiply your offspring that they cannot be counted for 
       multitude."

       (Gen 16:11 NRSV)  And the angel of the LORD said to her, "Now you have 
       conceived and shall bear a son; you shall call him Ishmael, for the 
       LORD has given heed to your affliction.

       (Gen 16:12 NRSV)  He shall be a wild ass of a man, with his hand 
       against everyone, and everyone's hand against him; and he shall live 
       at odds with all his kin."

       (Gen 16:13 NRSV)  So she named the LORD who spoke to her, "You are 
       El-roi"; for she said, "Have I really seen God and remained alive 
       after seeing him?"





       (Gen 16:14 NRSV)  Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it 
       lies between Kadesh and Bered.

       (Gen 16:15 NRSV)  Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, 
       whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.

       (Gen 16:16 NRSV)  Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him 
       Ishmael.

       (Gen 17:1 NRSV)  When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD 
       appeared to Abram, and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before 
       me, and be blameless.

       (Gen 17:2 NRSV)  And I will make my covenant between me and you, and 
       will make you exceedingly numerous."

       (Gen 17:3 NRSV)  Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him,

       (Gen 17:4 NRSV)  "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall 
       be the ancestor of a multitude of nations.

       (Gen 17:5 NRSV)  No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name 
       shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of 
       nations.

       (Gen 17:6 NRSV)  I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make 
       nations of you, and kings shall come from you.

       (Gen 17:7 NRSV)  I will establish my covenant between me and you, and 
       your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an 
       everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after 
       you.

       (Gen 17:8 NRSV)  And I will give to you, and to your offspring after 
       you, the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for 
       a perpetual holding; and I will be their God."

       (Gen 17:9 NRSV)  God said to Abraham, "As for you, you shall keep my 
       covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their 
       generations.

       (Gen 17:10 NRSV)  This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between 
       me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be 
       circumcised.

       (Gen 17:11 NRSV)  You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskins, 
       and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.

       (Gen 17:12 NRSV)  Throughout your generations every male among you 
       shall be circumcised when he is eight days old, including the slave 
       born in your house and the one bought with your money from any 
       foreigner who is not of your offspring.

       (Gen 17:13 NRSV)  Both the slave born in your house and the one bought 
       with your money must be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your 
       flesh an everlasting covenant.






       (Gen 17:14 NRSV)  Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the 
       flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken 
       my covenant."

       (Gen 17:15 NRSV)  God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you 
       shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.

       (Gen 17:16 NRSV)  I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son 
       by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of 
       peoples shall come from her."

       (Gen 17:17 NRSV)  Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said 
       to himself, "Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? 
       Can Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"

       (Gen 17:18 NRSV)  And Abraham said to God, "O that Ishmael might live 
       in your sight!"

       (Gen 17:19 NRSV)  God said, "No, but your wife Sarah shall bear you a 
       son, and you shall name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with 
       him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.

       (Gen 17:20 NRSV)  As for Ishmael, I have heard you; I will bless him 
       and make him fruitful and exceedingly numerous; he shall be the father 
       of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

       (Gen 17:21 NRSV)  But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom 
       Sarah shall bear to you at this season next year."

       (Gen 17:22 NRSV)  And when he had finished talking with him, God went 
       up from Abraham.

       (Gen 17:23 NRSV)  Then Abraham took his son Ishmael and all the slaves 
       born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men 
       of Abraham's house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins 
       that very day, as God had said to him.

       (Gen 17:24 NRSV)  Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was 
       circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

       (Gen 17:25 NRSV)  And his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when he 
       was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

       (Gen 17:26 NRSV)  That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were 
       circumcised;

       (Gen 17:27 NRSV)  and all the men of his house, slaves born in the 
       house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised 
       with him.

       (Gen 18:1 NRSV)  The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as 
       he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day.

       (Gen 18:2 NRSV)  He looked up and saw three men standing near him. 
       When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and 





       bowed down to the ground.

       (Gen 18:3 NRSV)  He said, "My lord, if I find favor with you, do not 
       pass by your servant.

       (Gen 18:4 NRSV)  Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, 
       and rest yourselves under the tree.

       (Gen 18:5 NRSV)  Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh 
       yourselves, and after that you may pass on--since you have come to 
       your servant." So they said, "Do as you have said."

       (Gen 18:6 NRSV)  And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and 
       said, "Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, 
       and make cakes."

       (Gen 18:7 NRSV)  Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and 
       good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it.

       (Gen 18:8 NRSV)  Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had 
       prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree 
       while they ate.

       (Gen 18:9 NRSV)  They said to him, "Where is your wife Sarah?" And he 
       said, "There, in the tent."

       (Gen 18:10 NRSV)  Then one said, "I will surely return to you in due 
       season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son." And Sarah was listening 
       at the tent entrance behind him.

       (Gen 18:11 NRSV)  Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it 
       had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

       (Gen 18:12 NRSV)  So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I have 
       grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?"

       (Gen 18:13 NRSV)  The LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, and 
       say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?'

       (Gen 18:14 NRSV)  Is anything too wonderful for the LORD? At the set 
       time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son."

       (Gen 18:15 NRSV)  But Sarah denied, saying, "I did not laugh"; for she 
       was afraid. He said, "Oh yes, you did laugh."

       (Gen 18:16 NRSV)  Then the men set out from there, and they looked 
       toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them to set them on their way.

       (Gen 18:17 NRSV)  The LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am 
       about to do,

       (Gen 18:18 NRSV)  seeing that Abraham shall become a great and mighty 
       nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

       (Gen 18:19 NRSV)  No, for I have chosen him, that he may charge his 
       children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by 





       doing righteousness and justice; so that the LORD may bring about for 
       Abraham what he has promised him."

       (Gen 18:20 NRSV)  Then the LORD said, "How great is the outcry against 
       Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin!

       (Gen 18:21 NRSV)  I must go down and see whether they have done 
       altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I 
       will know."

       (Gen 18:22 NRSV)  So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, 
       while Abraham remained standing before the LORD.

       (Gen 18:23 NRSV)  Then Abraham came near and said, "Will you indeed 
       sweep away the righteous with the wicked?

       (Gen 18:24 NRSV)  Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; 
       will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty 
       righteous who are in it?

       (Gen 18:25 NRSV)  Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the 
       righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! 
       Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is 
       just?"

       (Gen 18:26 NRSV)  And the LORD said, "If I find at Sodom fifty 
       righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake."

       (Gen 18:27 NRSV)  Abraham answered, "Let me take it upon myself to 
       speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.

       (Gen 18:28 NRSV)  Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? 
       Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?" And he said, "I 
       will not destroy it if I find forty-five there."

       (Gen 18:29 NRSV)  Again he spoke to him, "Suppose forty are found 
       there." He answered, "For the sake of forty I will not do it."

       (Gen 18:30 NRSV)  Then he said, "Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I 
       speak. Suppose thirty are found there." He answered, "I will not do 
       it, if I find thirty there."

       (Gen 18:31 NRSV)  He said, "Let me take it upon myself to speak to the 
       Lord. Suppose twenty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of 
       twenty I will not destroy it."

       (Gen 18:32 NRSV)  Then he said, "Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I 
       speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there." He answered, "For 
       the sake of ten I will not destroy it."

       (Gen 18:33 NRSV)  And the LORD went his way, when he had finished 
       speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

       (Gen 19:1 NRSV)  The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot 
       was sitting in the gateway of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to 
       meet them, and bowed down with his face to the ground.






       (Gen 19:2 NRSV)  He said, "Please, my lords, turn aside to your 
       servant's house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you can 
       rise early and go on your way." They said, "No; we will spend the 
       night in the square."

       (Gen 19:3 NRSV)  But he urged them strongly; so they turned aside to 
       him and entered his house; and he made them a feast, and baked 
       unleavened bread, and they ate.

       (Gen 19:4 NRSV)  But before they lay down, the men of the city, the 
       men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, 
       surrounded the house;

       (Gen 19:5 NRSV)  and they called to Lot, "Where are the men who came 
       to you tonight? Bring them out to us, so that we may know them."

       (Gen 19:6 NRSV)  Lot went out of the door to the men, shut the door 
       after him,

       (Gen 19:7 NRSV)  and said, "I beg you, my brothers, do not act so 
       wickedly.

       (Gen 19:8 NRSV)  Look, I have two daughters who have not known a man; 
       let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please; only do 
       nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my 
       roof."

       (Gen 19:9 NRSV)  But they replied, "Stand back!" And they said, "This 
       fellow came here as an alien, and he would play the judge! Now we will 
       deal worse with you than with them." Then they pressed hard against 
       the man Lot, and came near the door to break it down.

       (Gen 19:10 NRSV)  But the men inside reached out their hands and 
       brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.

       (Gen 19:11 NRSV)  And they struck with blindness the men who were at 
       the door of the house, both small and great, so that they were unable 
       to find the door.

       (Gen 19:12 NRSV)  Then the men said to Lot, "Have you anyone else 
       here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the 
       city--bring them out of the place.

       (Gen 19:13 NRSV)  For we are about to destroy this place, because the 
       outcry against its people has become great before the LORD, and the 
       LORD has sent us to destroy it."

       (Gen 19:14 NRSV)  So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who 
       were to marry his daughters, "Up, get out of this place; for the LORD 
       is about to destroy the city." But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be 
       jesting.

       (Gen 19:15 NRSV)  When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, 
       "Get up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or else 
       you will be consumed in the punishment of the city."






       (Gen 19:16 NRSV)  But he lingered; so the men seized him and his wife 
       and his two daughters by the hand, the LORD being merciful to him, and 
       they brought him out and left him outside the city.

       (Gen 19:17 NRSV)  When they had brought them outside, they said, "Flee 
       for your life; do not look back or stop anywhere in the Plain; flee to 
       the hills, or else you will be consumed."

       (Gen 19:18 NRSV)  And Lot said to them, "Oh, no, my lords;

       (Gen 19:19 NRSV)  your servant has found favor with you, and you have 
       shown me great kindness in saving my life; but I cannot flee to the 
       hills, for fear the disaster will overtake me and I die.

       (Gen 19:20 NRSV)  Look, that city is near enough to flee to, and it is 
       a little one. Let me escape there--is it not a little one?--and my 
       life will be saved!"

       (Gen 19:21 NRSV)  He said to him, "Very well, I grant you this favor 
       too, and will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken.

       (Gen 19:22 NRSV)  Hurry, escape there, for I can do nothing until you 
       arrive there." Therefore the city was called Zoar.

       (Gen 19:23 NRSV)  The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to 
       Zoar.

       (Gen 19:24 NRSV)  Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur 
       and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

       (Gen 19:25 NRSV)  and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain, 
       and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

       (Gen 19:26 NRSV)  But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she 
       became a pillar of salt.

       (Gen 19:27 NRSV)  Abraham went early in the morning to the place where 
       he had stood before the LORD;

       (Gen 19:28 NRSV)  and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and 
       toward all the land of the Plain and saw the smoke of the land going 
       up like the smoke of a furnace.

       (Gen 19:29 NRSV)  So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the 
       Plain, God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the 
       overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had settled.

       (Gen 19:30 NRSV)  Now Lot went up out of Zoar and settled in the hills 
       with his two daughters, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar; so he lived 
       in a cave with his two daughters.

       (Gen 19:31 NRSV)  And the firstborn said to the younger, "Our father 
       is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the 
       manner of all the world.





       (Gen 19:32 NRSV)  Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will 
       lie with him, so that we may preserve offspring through our father."

       (Gen 19:33 NRSV)  So they made their father drink wine that night; and 
       the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; he did not know when 
       she lay down or when she rose.

       (Gen 19:34 NRSV)  On the next day, the firstborn said to the younger, 
       "Look, I lay last night with my father; let us make him drink wine 
       tonight also; then you go in and lie with him, so that we may preserve 
       offspring through our father."

       (Gen 19:35 NRSV)  So they made their father drink wine that night 
       also; and the younger rose, and lay with him; and he did not know when 
       she lay down or when she rose.

       (Gen 19:36 NRSV)  Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by 
       their father.

       (Gen 19:37 NRSV)  The firstborn bore a son, and named him Moab; he is 
       the ancestor of the Moabites to this day.

       (Gen 19:38 NRSV)  The younger also bore a son and named him Ben-ammi; 
       he is the ancestor of the Ammonites to this day.

       (Gen 20:1 NRSV)  From there Abraham journeyed toward the region of the 
       Negeb, and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While residing in Gerar as 
       an alien,

       (Gen 20:2 NRSV)  Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." 
       And King Abimelech of Gerar sent and took Sarah.

       (Gen 20:3 NRSV)  But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and 
       said to him, "You are about to die because of the woman whom you have 
       taken; for she is a married woman."

       (Gen 20:4 NRSV)  Now Abimelech had not approached her; so he said, 
       "Lord, will you destroy an innocent people?

       (Gen 20:5 NRSV)  Did he not himself say to me, 'She is my sister'? And 
       she herself said, 'He is my brother.' I did this in the integrity of 
       my heart and the innocence of my hands."

       (Gen 20:6 NRSV)  Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know that 
       you did this in the integrity of your heart; furthermore it was I who 
       kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch 
       her.

       (Gen 20:7 NRSV)  Now then, return the man's wife; for he is a prophet, 
       and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore 
       her, know that you shall surely die, you and all that are yours."

       (Gen 20:8 NRSV)  So Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called 
       all his servants and told them all these things; and the men were very 
       much afraid.





       (Gen 20:9 NRSV)  Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said to him, "What 
       have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have 
       brought such great guilt on me and my kingdom? You have done things to 
       me that ought not to be done."

       (Gen 20:10 NRSV)  And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What were you 
       thinking of, that you did this thing?"

       (Gen 20:11 NRSV)  Abraham said, "I did it because I thought, There is 
       no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of 
       my wife.

       (Gen 20:12 NRSV)  Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my 
       father but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.

       (Gen 20:13 NRSV)  And when God caused me to wander from my father's 
       house, I said to her, 'This is the kindness you must do me: at every 
       place to which we come, say of me, He is my brother.'"

       (Gen 20:14 NRSV)  Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male and 
       female slaves, and gave them to Abraham, and restored his wife Sarah 
       to him.

       (Gen 20:15 NRSV)  Abimelech said, "My land is before you; settle where 
       it pleases you."

       (Gen 20:16 NRSV)  To Sarah he said, "Look, I have given your brother a 
       thousand pieces of silver; it is your exoneration before all who are 
       with you; you are completely vindicated."

       (Gen 20:17 NRSV)  Then Abraham prayed to God; and God healed 
       Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they 
       bore children.

       (Gen 20:18 NRSV)  For the LORD had closed fast all the wombs of the 
       house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.

       (Gen 21:1 NRSV)  The LORD dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the 
       LORD did for Sarah as he had promised.

       (Gen 21:2 NRSV)  Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old 
       age, at the time of which God had spoken to him.

       (Gen 21:3 NRSV)  Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah 
       bore him.

       (Gen 21:4 NRSV)  And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was 
       eight days old, as God had commanded him.

       (Gen 21:5 NRSV)  Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac 
       was born to him.

       (Gen 21:6 NRSV)  Now Sarah said, "God has brought laughter for me; 
       everyone who hears will laugh with me."

       (Gen 21:7 NRSV)  And she said, "Who would ever have said to Abraham 





       that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old 
       age."

       (Gen 21:8 NRSV)  The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a 
       great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

       (Gen 21:9 NRSV)  But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she 
       had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac.

       (Gen 21:10 NRSV)  So she said to Abraham, "Cast out this slave woman 
       with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along 
       with my son Isaac."

       (Gen 21:11 NRSV)  The matter was very distressing to Abraham on 
       account of his son.

       (Gen 21:12 NRSV)  But God said to Abraham, "Do not be distressed 
       because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah 
       says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that 
       offspring shall be named for you.

       (Gen 21:13 NRSV)  As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a 
       nation of him also, because he is your offspring."

       (Gen 21:14 NRSV)  So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread 
       and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, 
       along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and 
       wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

       (Gen 21:15 NRSV)  When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the 
       child under one of the bushes.

       (Gen 21:16 NRSV)  Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way 
       off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, "Do not let me 
       look on the death of the child." And as she sat opposite him, she 
       lifted up her voice and wept.

       (Gen 21:17 NRSV)  And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of 
       God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, "What troubles you, 
       Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where 
       he is.

       (Gen 21:18 NRSV)  Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your 
       hand, for I will make a great nation of him."

       (Gen 21:19 NRSV)  Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of 
       water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a 
       drink.

       (Gen 21:20 NRSV)  God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in 
       the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow.

       (Gen 21:21 NRSV)  He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother 
       got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

       (Gen 21:22 NRSV)  At that time Abimelech, with Phicol the commander of 





       his army, said to Abraham, "God is with you in all that you do;

       (Gen 21:23 NRSV)  now therefore swear to me here by God that you will 
       not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, 
       but as I have dealt loyally with you, you will deal with me and with 
       the land where you have resided as an alien."

       (Gen 21:24 NRSV)  And Abraham said, "I swear it."

       (Gen 21:25 NRSV)  When Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well of 
       water that Abimelech's servants had seized,

       (Gen 21:26 NRSV)  Abimelech said, "I do not know who has done this; 
       you did not tell me, and I have not heard of it until today."

       (Gen 21:27 NRSV)  So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to 
       Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant.

       (Gen 21:28 NRSV)  Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs of the flock.

       (Gen 21:29 NRSV)  And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What is the meaning 
       of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?"

       (Gen 21:30 NRSV)  He said, "These seven ewe lambs you shall accept 
       from my hand, in order that you may be a witness for me that I dug 
       this well."

       (Gen 21:31 NRSV)  Therefore that place was called Beer-sheba; because 
       there both of them swore an oath.

       (Gen 21:32 NRSV)  When they had made a covenant at Beer-sheba, 
       Abimelech, with Phicol the commander of his army, left and returned to 
       the land of the Philistines.

       (Gen 21:33 NRSV)  Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and 
       called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.

       (Gen 21:34 NRSV)  And Abraham resided as an alien many days in the 
       land of the Philistines.

       (Gen 22:1 NRSV)  After these things God tested Abraham. He said to 
       him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."

       (Gen 22:2 NRSV)  He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom 
       you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt 
       offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you."

       (Gen 22:3 NRSV)  So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his 
       donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he 
       cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place 
       in the distance that God had shown him.

       (Gen 22:4 NRSV)  On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place 
       far away.

       (Gen 22:5 NRSV)  Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with 





       the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and 
       then we will come back to you."

       (Gen 22:6 NRSV)  Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid 
       it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So 
       the two of them walked on together.

       (Gen 22:7 NRSV)  Isaac said to his father Abraham, "Father!" And he 
       said, "Here I am, my son." He said, "The fire and the wood are here, 
       but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"

       (Gen 22:8 NRSV)  Abraham said, "God himself will provide the lamb for 
       a burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together.

       (Gen 22:9 NRSV)  When they came to the place that God had shown him, 
       Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his 
       son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.

       (Gen 22:10 NRSV)  Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife 
       to kill his son.

       (Gen 22:11 NRSV)  But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, 
       and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."

       (Gen 22:12 NRSV)  He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do 
       anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not 
       withheld your son, your only son, from me."

       (Gen 22:13 NRSV)  And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a 
       thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up 
       as a burnt offering instead of his son.

       (Gen 22:14 NRSV)  So Abraham called that place "The LORD will 
       provide"; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the LORD it 
       shall be provided."

       (Gen 22:15 NRSV)  The angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second 
       time from heaven,

       (Gen 22:16 NRSV)  and said, "By myself I have sworn, says the LORD: 
       Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only 
       son,

       (Gen 22:17 NRSV)  I will indeed bless you, and I will make your 
       offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is 
       on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their 
       enemies,

       (Gen 22:18 NRSV)  and by your offspring shall all the nations of the 
       earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice."

       (Gen 22:19 NRSV)  So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose 
       and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham lived at Beer-sheba.

       (Gen 22:20 NRSV)  Now after these things it was told Abraham, "Milcah 
       also has borne children, to your brother Nahor:






       (Gen 22:21 NRSV)  Uz the firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father 
       of Aram,

       (Gen 22:22 NRSV)  Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel."

       (Gen 22:23 NRSV)  Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These eight 
       Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother.

       (Gen 22:24 NRSV)  Moreover, his concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore 
       Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

       (Gen 23:1 NRSV)  Sarah lived one hundred twenty-seven years; this was 
       the length of Sarah's life.

       (Gen 23:2 NRSV)  And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in 
       the land of Canaan; and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep 
       for her.

       (Gen 23:3 NRSV)  Abraham rose up from beside his dead, and said to the 
       Hittites,

       (Gen 23:4 NRSV)  "I am a stranger and an alien residing among you; 
       give me property among you for a burying place, so that I may bury my 
       dead out of my sight."

       (Gen 23:5 NRSV)  The Hittites answered Abraham,

       (Gen 23:6 NRSV)  "Hear us, my lord; you are a mighty prince among us. 
       Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places; none of us will 
       withhold from you any burial ground for burying your dead."

       (Gen 23:7 NRSV)  Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of 
       the land.

       (Gen 23:8 NRSV)  He said to them, "If you are willing that I should 
       bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me Ephron son 
       of Zohar,

       (Gen 23:9 NRSV)  so that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which 
       he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him 
       give it to me in your presence as a possession for a burying place."

       (Gen 23:10 NRSV)  Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites; and 
       Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of 
       all who went in at the gate of his city,

       (Gen 23:11 NRSV)  "No, my lord, hear me; I give you the field, and I 
       give you the cave that is in it; in the presence of my people I give 
       it to you; bury your dead."

       (Gen 23:12 NRSV)  Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the 
       land.

       (Gen 23:13 NRSV)  He said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of 
       the land, "If you only will listen to me! I will give the price of the 





       field; accept it from me, so that I may bury my dead there."

       (Gen 23:14 NRSV)  Ephron answered Abraham,

       (Gen 23:15 NRSV)  "My lord, listen to me; a piece of land worth four 
       hundred shekels of silver--what is that between you and me? Bury your 
       dead."

       (Gen 23:16 NRSV)  Abraham agreed with Ephron; and Abraham weighed out 
       for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the 
       Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights 
       current among the merchants.

       (Gen 23:17 NRSV)  So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to 
       the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the 
       trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, passed

       (Gen 23:18 NRSV)  to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the 
       Hittites, in the presence of all who went in at the gate of his city.

       (Gen 23:19 NRSV)  After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the 
       cave of the field of Machpelah facing Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the 
       land of Canaan.

       (Gen 23:20 NRSV)  The field and the cave that is in it passed from the 
       Hittites into Abraham's possession as a burying place.

       (Gen 24:1 NRSV)  Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years; and the 
       LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.

       (Gen 24:2 NRSV)  Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his house, 
       who had charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh

       (Gen 24:3 NRSV)  and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of 
       heaven and earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the 
       daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live,

       (Gen 24:4 NRSV)  but will go to my country and to my kindred and get a 
       wife for my son Isaac."

       (Gen 24:5 NRSV)  The servant said to him, "Perhaps the woman may not 
       be willing to follow me to this land; must I then take your son back 
       to the land from which you came?"

       (Gen 24:6 NRSV)  Abraham said to him, "See to it that you do not take 
       my son back there.

       (Gen 24:7 NRSV)  The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my 
       father's house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and 
       swore to me, 'To your offspring I will give this land,' he will send 
       his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.

       (Gen 24:8 NRSV)  But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then 
       you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son 
       back there."





       (Gen 24:9 NRSV)  So the servant put his hand under the thigh of 
       Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.

       (Gen 24:10 NRSV)  Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and 
       departed, taking all kinds of choice gifts from his master; and he set 
       out and went to Aram-naharaim, to the city of Nahor.

       (Gen 24:11 NRSV)  He made the camels kneel down outside the city by 
       the well of water; it was toward evening, the time when women go out 
       to draw water.

       (Gen 24:12 NRSV)  And he said, "O LORD, God of my master Abraham, 
       please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master 
       Abraham.

       (Gen 24:13 NRSV)  I am standing here by the spring of water, and the 
       daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.

       (Gen 24:14 NRSV)  Let the girl to whom I shall say, 'Please offer your 
       jar that I may drink,' and who shall say, 'Drink, and I will water 
       your camels'--let her be the one whom you have appointed for your 
       servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love 
       to my master."

       (Gen 24:15 NRSV)  Before he had finished speaking, there was Rebekah, 
       who was born to Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's 
       brother, coming out with her water jar on her shoulder.

       (Gen 24:16 NRSV)  The girl was very fair to look upon, a virgin, whom 
       no man had known. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and 
       came up.

       (Gen 24:17 NRSV)  Then the servant ran to meet her and said, "Please 
       let me sip a little water from your jar."

       (Gen 24:18 NRSV)  "Drink, my lord," she said, and quickly lowered her 
       jar upon her hand and gave him a drink.

       (Gen 24:19 NRSV)  When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, 
       "I will draw for your camels also, until they have finished drinking."

       (Gen 24:20 NRSV)  So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and 
       ran again to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels.

       (Gen 24:21 NRSV)  The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether or 
       not the LORD had made his journey successful.

       (Gen 24:22 NRSV)  When the camels had finished drinking, the man took 
       a gold nose-ring weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her 
       arms weighing ten gold shekels,

       (Gen 24:23 NRSV)  and said, "Tell me whose daughter you are. Is there 
       room in your father's house for us to spend the night?"

       (Gen 24:24 NRSV)  She said to him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel son 
       of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor."






       (Gen 24:25 NRSV)  She added, "We have plenty of straw and fodder and a 
       place to spend the night."

       (Gen 24:26 NRSV)  The man bowed his head and worshiped the LORD

       (Gen 24:27 NRSV)  and said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master 
       Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness 
       toward my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the way to the 
       house of my master's kin."

       (Gen 24:28 NRSV)  Then the girl ran and told her mother's household 
       about these things.

       (Gen 24:29 NRSV)  Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban; and 
       Laban ran out to the man, to the spring.

       (Gen 24:30 NRSV)  As soon as he had seen the nose-ring, and the 
       bracelets on his sister's arms, and when he heard the words of his 
       sister Rebekah, "Thus the man spoke to me," he went to the man; and 
       there he was, standing by the camels at the spring.

       (Gen 24:31 NRSV)  He said, "Come in, O blessed of the LORD. Why do you 
       stand outside when I have prepared the house and a place for the 
       camels?"

       (Gen 24:32 NRSV)  So the man came into the house; and Laban unloaded 
       the camels, and gave him straw and fodder for the camels, and water to 
       wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.

       (Gen 24:33 NRSV)  Then food was set before him to eat; but he said, "I 
       will not eat until I have told my errand." He said, "Speak on."

       (Gen 24:34 NRSV)  So he said, "I am Abraham's servant.

       (Gen 24:35 NRSV)  The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has 
       become wealthy; he has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, 
       male and female slaves, camels and donkeys.

       (Gen 24:36 NRSV)  And Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master 
       when she was old; and he has given him all that he has.

       (Gen 24:37 NRSV)  My master made me swear, saying, 'You shall not take 
       a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land 
       I live;

       (Gen 24:38 NRSV)  but you shall go to my father's house, to my 
       kindred, and get a wife for my son.'

       (Gen 24:39 NRSV)  I said to my master, 'Perhaps the woman will not 
       follow me.'

       (Gen 24:40 NRSV)  But he said to me, 'The LORD, before whom I walk, 
       will send his angel with you and make your way successful. You shall 
       get a wife for my son from my kindred, from my father's house.





       (Gen 24:41 NRSV)  Then you will be free from my oath, when you come to 
       my kindred; even if they will not give her to you, you will be free 
       from my oath.'

       (Gen 24:42 NRSV)  "I came today to the spring, and said, 'O LORD, the 
       God of my master Abraham, if now you will only make successful the way 
       I am going!

       (Gen 24:43 NRSV)  I am standing here by the spring of water; let the 
       young woman who comes out to draw, to whom I shall say, "Please give 
       me a little water from your jar to drink,"

       (Gen 24:44 NRSV)  and who will say to me, "Drink, and I will draw for 
       your camels also"--let her be the woman whom the LORD has appointed 
       for my master's son.'

       (Gen 24:45 NRSV)  "Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there 
       was Rebekah coming out with her water jar on her shoulder; and she 
       went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, 'Please let me 
       drink.'

       (Gen 24:46 NRSV)  She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder, and 
       said, 'Drink, and I will also water your camels.' So I drank, and she 
       also watered the camels.

       (Gen 24:47 NRSV)  Then I asked her, 'Whose daughter are you?' She 
       said, 'The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.' 
       So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her arms.

       (Gen 24:48 NRSV)  Then I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD, and 
       blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the 
       right way to obtain the daughter of my master's kinsman for his son.

       (Gen 24:49 NRSV)  Now then, if you will deal loyally and truly with my 
       master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so that I may turn either to the 
       right hand or to the left."

       (Gen 24:50 NRSV)  Then Laban and Bethuel answered, "The thing comes 
       from the LORD; we cannot speak to you anything bad or good.

       (Gen 24:51 NRSV)  Look, Rebekah is before you, take her and go, and 
       let her be the wife of your master's son, as the LORD has spoken."

       (Gen 24:52 NRSV)  When Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed 
       himself to the ground before the LORD.

       (Gen 24:53 NRSV)  And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of 
       gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave to her 
       brother and to her mother costly ornaments.

       (Gen 24:54 NRSV)  Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank, 
       and they spent the night there. When they rose in the morning, he 
       said, "Send me back to my master."

       (Gen 24:55 NRSV)  Her brother and her mother said, "Let the girl 
       remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go."






       (Gen 24:56 NRSV)  But he said to them, "Do not delay me, since the 
       LORD has made my journey successful; let me go that I may go to my 
       master."

       (Gen 24:57 NRSV)  They said, "We will call the girl, and ask her."

       (Gen 24:58 NRSV)  And they called Rebekah, and said to her, "Will you 
       go with this man?" She said, "I will."

       (Gen 24:59 NRSV)  So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse 
       along with Abraham's servant and his men.

       (Gen 24:60 NRSV)  And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, "May you, 
       our sister, become thousands of myriads; may your offspring gain 
       possession of the gates of their foes."

       (Gen 24:61 NRSV)  Then Rebekah and her maids rose up, mounted the 
       camels, and followed the man; thus the servant took Rebekah, and went 
       his way.

       (Gen 24:62 NRSV)  Now Isaac had come from Beer-lahai-roi, and was 
       settled in the Negeb.

       (Gen 24:63 NRSV)  Isaac went out in the evening to walk in the field; 
       and looking up, he saw camels coming.

       (Gen 24:64 NRSV)  And Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she 
       slipped quickly from the camel,

       (Gen 24:65 NRSV)  and said to the servant, "Who is the man over there, 
       walking in the field to meet us?" The servant said, "It is my master." 
       So she took her veil and covered herself.

       (Gen 24:66 NRSV)  And the servant told Isaac all the things that he 
       had done.

       (Gen 24:67 NRSV)  Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent. 
       He took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. So Isaac 
       was comforted after his mother's death.

       (Gen 25:1 NRSV)  Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah.

       (Gen 25:2 NRSV)  She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, 
       and Shuah.

       (Gen 25:3 NRSV)  Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan. The sons 
       of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.

       (Gen 25:4 NRSV)  The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, 
       and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

       (Gen 25:5 NRSV)  Abraham gave all he had to Isaac.

       (Gen 25:6 NRSV)  But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, 
       while he was still living, and he sent them away from his son Isaac, 





       eastward to the east country.

       (Gen 25:7 NRSV)  This is the length of Abraham's life, one hundred 
       seventy-five years.

       (Gen 25:8 NRSV)  Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, 
       an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.

       (Gen 25:9 NRSV)  His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of 
       Machpelah, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, east of 
       Mamre,

       (Gen 25:10 NRSV)  the field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites. 
       There Abraham was buried, with his wife Sarah.

       (Gen 25:11 NRSV)  After the death of Abraham God blessed his son 
       Isaac. And Isaac settled at Beer-lahai-roi.

       (Gen 25:12 NRSV)  These are the descendants of Ishmael, Abraham's son, 
       whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's slave-girl, bore to Abraham.

       (Gen 25:13 NRSV)  These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, named in 
       the order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael; and 
       Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

       (Gen 25:14 NRSV)  Mishma, Dumah, Massa,

       (Gen 25:15 NRSV)  Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.

       (Gen 25:16 NRSV)  These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their 
       names, by their villages and by their encampments, twelve princes 
       according to their tribes.

       (Gen 25:17 NRSV)  (This is the length of the life of Ishmael, one 
       hundred thirty-seven years; he breathed his last and died, and was 
       gathered to his people.)

       (Gen 25:18 NRSV)  They settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite 
       Egypt in the direction of Assyria; he settled down alongside of all 
       his people.

       (Gen 25:19 NRSV)  These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham's son: 
       Abraham was the father of Isaac,

       (Gen 25:20 NRSV)  and Isaac was forty years old when he married 
       Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of 
       Laban the Aramean.

       (Gen 25:21 NRSV)  Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she 
       was barren; and the LORD granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah 
       conceived.

       (Gen 25:22 NRSV)  The children struggled together within her; and she 
       said, "If it is to be this way, why do I live?" So she went to inquire 
       of the LORD.





       (Gen 25:23 NRSV)  And the LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your 
       womb, and two peoples born of you shall be divided; the one shall be 
       stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger."

       (Gen 25:24 NRSV)  When her time to give birth was at hand, there were 
       twins in her womb.

       (Gen 25:25 NRSV)  The first came out red, all his body like a hairy 
       mantle; so they named him Esau.

       (Gen 25:26 NRSV)  Afterward his brother came out, with his hand 
       gripping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old 
       when she bore them.

       (Gen 25:27 NRSV)  When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a 
       man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents.

       (Gen 25:28 NRSV)  Isaac loved Esau, because he was fond of game; but 
       Rebekah loved Jacob.

       (Gen 25:29 NRSV)  Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in 
       from the field, and he was famished.

       (Gen 25:30 NRSV)  Esau said to Jacob, "Let me eat some of that red 
       stuff, for I am famished!" (Therefore he was called Edom.)

       (Gen 25:31 NRSV)  Jacob said, "First sell me your birthright."

       (Gen 25:32 NRSV)  Esau said, "I am about to die; of what use is a 
       birthright to me?"

       (Gen 25:33 NRSV)  Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore to him, 
       and sold his birthright to Jacob.

       (Gen 25:34 NRSV)  Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he 
       ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his 
       birthright.

       (Gen 26:1 NRSV)  Now there was a famine in the land, besides the 
       former famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went 
       to Gerar, to King Abimelech of the Philistines.

       (Gen 26:2 NRSV)  The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down 
       to Egypt; settle in the land that I shall show you.

       (Gen 26:3 NRSV)  Reside in this land as an alien, and I will be with 
       you, and will bless you; for to you and to your descendants I will 
       give all these lands, and I will fulfill the oath that I swore to your 
       father Abraham.

       (Gen 26:4 NRSV)  I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars 
       of heaven, and will give to your offspring all these lands; and all 
       the nations of the earth shall gain blessing for themselves through 
       your offspring,

       (Gen 26:5 NRSV)  because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, 





       my commandments, my statutes, and my laws."

       (Gen 26:6 NRSV)  So Isaac settled in Gerar.

       (Gen 26:7 NRSV)  When the men of the place asked him about his wife, 
       he said, "She is my sister"; for he was afraid to say, "My wife," 
       thinking, "or else the men of the place might kill me for the sake of 
       Rebekah, because she is attractive in appearance."

       (Gen 26:8 NRSV)  When Isaac had been there a long time, King Abimelech 
       of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw him fondling his 
       wife Rebekah.

       (Gen 26:9 NRSV)  So Abimelech called for Isaac, and said, "So she is 
       your wife! Why then did you say, 'She is my sister'?" Isaac said to 
       him, "Because I thought I might die because of her."

       (Gen 26:10 NRSV)  Abimelech said, "What is this you have done to us? 
       One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would 
       have brought guilt upon us."

       (Gen 26:11 NRSV)  So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, "Whoever 
       touches this man or his wife shall be put to death."

       (Gen 26:12 NRSV)  Isaac sowed seed in that land, and in the same year 
       reaped a hundredfold. The LORD blessed him,

       (Gen 26:13 NRSV)  and the man became rich; he prospered more and more 
       until he became very wealthy.

       (Gen 26:14 NRSV)  He had possessions of flocks and herds, and a great 
       household, so that the Philistines envied him.

       (Gen 26:15 NRSV)  (Now the Philistines had stopped up and filled with 
       earth all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the days of 
       his father Abraham.)

       (Gen 26:16 NRSV)  And Abimelech said to Isaac, "Go away from us; you 
       have become too powerful for us."

       (Gen 26:17 NRSV)  So Isaac departed from there and camped in the 
       valley of Gerar and settled there.

       (Gen 26:18 NRSV)  Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug 
       in the days of his father Abraham; for the Philistines had stopped 
       them up after the death of Abraham; and he gave them the names that 
       his father had given them.

       (Gen 26:19 NRSV)  But when Isaac's servants dug in the valley and 
       found there a well of spring water,

       (Gen 26:20 NRSV)  the herders of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herders, 
       saying, "The water is ours." So he called the well Esek, because they 
       contended with him.

       (Gen 26:21 NRSV)  Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over 





       that one also; so he called it Sitnah.

       (Gen 26:22 NRSV)  He moved from there and dug another well, and they 
       did not quarrel over it; so he called it Rehoboth, saying, "Now the 
       LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land."

       (Gen 26:23 NRSV)  From there he went up to Beer-sheba.

       (Gen 26:24 NRSV)  And that very night the LORD appeared to him and 
       said, "I am the God of your father Abraham; do not be afraid, for I am 
       with you and will bless you and make your offspring numerous for my 
       servant Abraham's sake."

       (Gen 26:25 NRSV)  So he built an altar there, called on the name of 
       the LORD, and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac's servants dug a 
       well.

       (Gen 26:26 NRSV)  Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath 
       his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army.

       (Gen 26:27 NRSV)  Isaac said to them, "Why have you come to me, seeing 
       that you hate me and have sent me away from you?"

       (Gen 26:28 NRSV)  They said, "We see plainly that the LORD has been 
       with you; so we say, let there be an oath between you and us, and let 
       us make a covenant with you

       (Gen 26:29 NRSV)  so that you will do us no harm, just as we have not 
       touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you 
       away in peace. You are now the blessed of the LORD."

       (Gen 26:30 NRSV)  So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank.

       (Gen 26:31 NRSV)  In the morning they rose early and exchanged oaths; 
       and Isaac set them on their way, and they departed from him in peace.

       (Gen 26:32 NRSV)  That same day Isaac's servants came and told him 
       about the well that they had dug, and said to him, "We have found 
       water!"

       (Gen 26:33 NRSV)  He called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city 
       is Beer-sheba to this day.

       (Gen 26:34 NRSV)  When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith 
       daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath daughter of Elon the 
       Hittite;

       (Gen 26:35 NRSV)  and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.

       (Gen 27:1 NRSV)  When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he 
       could not see, he called his elder son Esau and said to him, "My son"; 
       and he answered, "Here I am."

       (Gen 27:2 NRSV)  He said, "See, I am old; I do not know the day of my 
       death.





       (Gen 27:3 NRSV)  Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your 
       bow, and go out to the field, and hunt game for me.

       (Gen 27:4 NRSV)  Then prepare for me savory food, such as I like, and 
       bring it to me to eat, so that I may bless you before I die."

       (Gen 27:5 NRSV)  Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son 
       Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it,

       (Gen 27:6 NRSV)  Rebekah said to her son Jacob, "I heard your father 
       say to your brother Esau,

       (Gen 27:7 NRSV)  'Bring me game, and prepare for me savory food to 
       eat, that I may bless you before the LORD before I die.'

       (Gen 27:8 NRSV)  Now therefore, my son, obey my word as I command you.

       (Gen 27:9 NRSV)  Go to the flock, and get me two choice kids, so that 
       I may prepare from them savory food for your father, such as he likes;

       (Gen 27:10 NRSV)  and you shall take it to your father to eat, so that 
       he may bless you before he dies."

       (Gen 27:11 NRSV)  But Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, "Look, my 
       brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a man of smooth skin.

       (Gen 27:12 NRSV)  Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to 
       be mocking him, and bring a curse on myself and not a blessing."

       (Gen 27:13 NRSV)  His mother said to him, "Let your curse be on me, my 
       son; only obey my word, and go, get them for me."

       (Gen 27:14 NRSV)  So he went and got them and brought them to his 
       mother; and his mother prepared savory food, such as his father loved.

       (Gen 27:15 NRSV)  Then Rebekah took the best garments of her elder son 
       Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on her younger 
       son Jacob;

       (Gen 27:16 NRSV)  and she put the skins of the kids on his hands and 
       on the smooth part of his neck.

       (Gen 27:17 NRSV)  Then she handed the savory food, and the bread that 
       she had prepared, to her son Jacob.

       (Gen 27:18 NRSV)  So he went in to his father, and said, "My father"; 
       and he said, "Here I am; who are you, my son?"

       (Gen 27:19 NRSV)  Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn. 
       I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, so that you 
       may bless me."

       (Gen 27:20 NRSV)  But Isaac said to his son, "How is it that you have 
       found it so quickly, my son?" He answered, "Because the LORD your God 
       granted me success."





       (Gen 27:21 NRSV)  Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Come near, that I may 
       feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not."

       (Gen 27:22 NRSV)  So Jacob went up to his father Isaac, who felt him 
       and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of 
       Esau."

       (Gen 27:23 NRSV)  He did not recognize him, because his hands were 
       hairy like his brother Esau's hands; so he blessed him.

       (Gen 27:24 NRSV)  He said, "Are you really my son Esau?" He answered, 
       "I am."

       (Gen 27:25 NRSV)  Then he said, "Bring it to me, that I may eat of my 
       son's game and bless you." So he brought it to him, and he ate; and he 
       brought him wine, and he drank.

       (Gen 27:26 NRSV)  Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come near and 
       kiss me, my son."

       (Gen 27:27 NRSV)  So he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the 
       smell of his garments, and blessed him, and said, "Ah, the smell of my 
       son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed.

       (Gen 27:28 NRSV)  May God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the 
       fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine.

       (Gen 27:29 NRSV)  Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. 
       Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to 
       you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who 
       blesses you!"

       (Gen 27:30 NRSV)  As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when 
       Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of his father Isaac, his 
       brother Esau came in from his hunting.

       (Gen 27:31 NRSV)  He also prepared savory food, and brought it to his 
       father. And he said to his father, "Let my father sit up and eat of 
       his son's game, so that you may bless me."

       (Gen 27:32 NRSV)  His father Isaac said to him, "Who are you?" He 
       answered, "I am your firstborn son, Esau."

       (Gen 27:33 NRSV)  Then Isaac trembled violently, and said, "Who was it 
       then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before 
       you came, and I have blessed him?--yes, and blessed he shall be!"

       (Gen 27:34 NRSV)  When Esau heard his father's words, he cried out 
       with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, 
       "Bless me, me also, father!"

       (Gen 27:35 NRSV)  But he said, "Your brother came deceitfully, and he 
       has taken away your blessing."

       (Gen 27:36 NRSV)  Esau said, "Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he 
       has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright; and 





       look, now he has taken away my blessing." Then he said, "Have you not 
       reserved a blessing for me?"

       (Gen 27:37 NRSV)  Isaac answered Esau, "I have already made him your 
       lord, and I have given him all his brothers as servants, and with 
       grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my 
       son?"

       (Gen 27:38 NRSV)  Esau said to his father, "Have you only one 
       blessing, father? Bless me, me also, father!" And Esau lifted up his 
       voice and wept.

       (Gen 27:39 NRSV)  Then his father Isaac answered him: "See, away from 
       the fatness of the earth shall your home be, and away from the dew of 
       heaven on high.

       (Gen 27:40 NRSV)  By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve 
       your brother; but when you break loose, you shall break his yoke from 
       your neck."

       (Gen 27:41 NRSV)  Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with 
       which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, "The days 
       of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother 
       Jacob."

       (Gen 27:42 NRSV)  But the words of her elder son Esau were told to 
       Rebekah; so she sent and called her younger son Jacob and said to him, 
       "Your brother Esau is consoling himself by planning to kill you.

       (Gen 27:43 NRSV)  Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; flee at once 
       to my brother Laban in Haran,

       (Gen 27:44 NRSV)  and stay with him a while, until your brother's fury 
       turns away--

       (Gen 27:45 NRSV)  until your brother's anger against you turns away, 
       and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send, and bring 
       you back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?"

       (Gen 27:46 NRSV)  Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am weary of my life 
       because of the Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of the Hittite 
       women such as these, one of the women of the land, what good will my 
       life be to me?"

       (Gen 28:1 NRSV)  Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged 
       him, "You shall not marry one of the Canaanite women.

       (Gen 28:2 NRSV)  Go at once to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel, 
       your mother's father; and take as wife from there one of the daughters 
       of Laban, your mother's brother.

       (Gen 28:3 NRSV)  May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and 
       numerous, that you may become a company of peoples.

       (Gen 28:4 NRSV)  May he give to you the blessing of Abraham, to you 
       and to your offspring with you, so that you may take possession of the 





       land where you now live as an alien--land that God gave to Abraham."

       (Gen 28:5 NRSV)  Thus Isaac sent Jacob away; and he went to 
       Paddan-aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of 
       Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.

       (Gen 28:6 NRSV)  Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent 
       him away to Paddan-aram to take a wife from there, and that as he 
       blessed him he charged him, "You shall not marry one of the Canaanite 
       women,"

       (Gen 28:7 NRSV)  and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother 
       and gone to Paddan-aram.

       (Gen 28:8 NRSV)  So when Esau saw that the Canaanite women did not 
       please his father Isaac,

       (Gen 28:9 NRSV)  Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath daughter of 
       Abraham's son Ishmael, and sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife in 
       addition to the wives he had.

       (Gen 28:10 NRSV)  Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran.

       (Gen 28:11 NRSV)  He came to a certain place and stayed there for the 
       night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, 
       he put it under his head and lay down in that place.

       (Gen 28:12 NRSV)  And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the 
       earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were 
       ascending and descending on it.

       (Gen 28:13 NRSV)  And the LORD stood beside him and said, "I am the 
       LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on 
       which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring;

       (Gen 28:14 NRSV)  and your offspring shall be like the dust of the 
       earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to 
       the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be 
       blessed in you and in your offspring.

       (Gen 28:15 NRSV)  Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever 
       you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you 
       until I have done what I have promised you."

       (Gen 28:16 NRSV)  Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, "Surely the 
       LORD is in this place--and I did not know it!"

       (Gen 28:17 NRSV)  And he was afraid, and said, "How awesome is this 
       place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate 
       of heaven."

       (Gen 28:18 NRSV)  So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the 
       stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and 
       poured oil on the top of it.

       (Gen 28:19 NRSV)  He called that place Bethel; but the name of the 





       city was Luz at the first.

       (Gen 28:20 NRSV)  Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with 
       me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to 
       eat and clothing to wear,

       (Gen 28:21 NRSV)  so that I come again to my father's house in peace, 
       then the LORD shall be my God,

       (Gen 28:22 NRSV)  and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, 
       shall be God's house; and of all that you give me I will surely give 
       one tenth to you."

       (Gen 29:1 NRSV)  Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land 
       of the people of the east.

       (Gen 29:2 NRSV)  As he looked, he saw a well in the field and three 
       flocks of sheep lying there beside it; for out of that well the flocks 
       were watered. The stone on the well's mouth was large,

       (Gen 29:3 NRSV)  and when all the flocks were gathered there, the 
       shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well, and water 
       the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the mouth of the 
       well.

       (Gen 29:4 NRSV)  Jacob said to them, "My brothers, where do you come 
       from?" They said, "We are from Haran."

       (Gen 29:5 NRSV)  He said to them, "Do you know Laban son of Nahor?" 
       They said, "We do."

       (Gen 29:6 NRSV)  He said to them, "Is it well with him?" "Yes," they 
       replied, "and here is his daughter Rachel, coming with the sheep."

       (Gen 29:7 NRSV)  He said, "Look, it is still broad daylight; it is not 
       time for the animals to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go, 
       pasture them."

       (Gen 29:8 NRSV)  But they said, "We cannot until all the flocks are 
       gathered together, and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well; 
       then we water the sheep."

       (Gen 29:9 NRSV)  While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came 
       with her father's sheep; for she kept them.

       (Gen 29:10 NRSV)  Now when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his 
       mother's brother Laban, and the sheep of his mother's brother Laban, 
       Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered 
       the flock of his mother's brother Laban.

       (Gen 29:11 NRSV)  Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and wept aloud.

       (Gen 29:12 NRSV)  And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's 
       kinsman, and that he was Rebekah's son; and she ran and told her 
       father.





       (Gen 29:13 NRSV)  When Laban heard the news about his sister's son 
       Jacob, he ran to meet him; he embraced him and kissed him, and brought 
       him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things,

       (Gen 29:14 NRSV)  and Laban said to him, "Surely you are my bone and 
       my flesh!" And he stayed with him a month.

       (Gen 29:15 NRSV)  Then Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my 
       kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what 
       shall your wages be?"

       (Gen 29:16 NRSV)  Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder 
       was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

       (Gen 29:17 NRSV)  Leah's eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and 
       beautiful.

       (Gen 29:18 NRSV)  Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, "I will serve you 
       seven years for your younger daughter Rachel."

       (Gen 29:19 NRSV)  Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you 
       than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me."

       (Gen 29:20 NRSV)  So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they 
       seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.

       (Gen 29:21 NRSV)  Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife that I 
       may go in to her, for my time is completed."

       (Gen 29:22 NRSV)  So Laban gathered together all the people of the 
       place, and made a feast.

       (Gen 29:23 NRSV)  But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and 
       brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her.

       (Gen 29:24 NRSV)  (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to 
       be her maid.)

       (Gen 29:25 NRSV)  When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to 
       Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for 
       Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?"

       (Gen 29:26 NRSV)  Laban said, "This is not done in our country--giving 
       the younger before the firstborn.

       (Gen 29:27 NRSV)  Complete the week of this one, and we will give you 
       the other also in return for serving me another seven years."

       (Gen 29:28 NRSV)  Jacob did so, and completed her week; then Laban 
       gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife.

       (Gen 29:29 NRSV)  (Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel 
       to be her maid.)

       (Gen 29:30 NRSV)  So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel 
       more than Leah. He served Laban for another seven years.






       (Gen 29:31 NRSV)  When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, he opened 
       her womb; but Rachel was barren.

       (Gen 29:32 NRSV)  Leah conceived and bore a son, and she named him 
       Reuben; for she said, "Because the LORD has looked on my affliction; 
       surely now my husband will love me."

       (Gen 29:33 NRSV)  She conceived again and bore a son, and said, 
       "Because the LORD has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son 
       also"; and she named him Simeon.

       (Gen 29:34 NRSV)  Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, "Now 
       this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him 
       three sons"; therefore he was named Levi.

       (Gen 29:35 NRSV)  She conceived again and bore a son, and said, "This 
       time I will praise the LORD"; therefore she named him Judah; then she 
       ceased bearing.

       (Gen 30:1 NRSV)  When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she 
       envied her sister; and she said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I 
       shall die!"

       (Gen 30:2 NRSV)  Jacob became very angry with Rachel and said, "Am I 
       in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"

       (Gen 30:3 NRSV)  Then she said, "Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, 
       that she may bear upon my knees and that I too may have children 
       through her."

       (Gen 30:4 NRSV)  So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife; and Jacob 
       went in to her.

       (Gen 30:5 NRSV)  And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

       (Gen 30:6 NRSV)  Then Rachel said, "God has judged me, and has also 
       heard my voice and given me a son"; therefore she named him Dan.

       (Gen 30:7 NRSV)  Rachel's maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a 
       second son.

       (Gen 30:8 NRSV)  Then Rachel said, "With mighty wrestlings I have 
       wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed"; so she named him 
       Naphtali.

       (Gen 30:9 NRSV)  When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, 
       she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

       (Gen 30:10 NRSV)  Then Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

       (Gen 30:11 NRSV)  And Leah said, "Good fortune!" so she named him Gad.

       (Gen 30:12 NRSV)  Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.

       (Gen 30:13 NRSV)  And Leah said, "Happy am I! For the women will call 





       me happy"; so she named him Asher.

       (Gen 30:14 NRSV)  In the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found 
       mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then 
       Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."

       (Gen 30:15 NRSV)  But she said to her, "Is it a small matter that you 
       have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes 
       also?" Rachel said, "Then he may lie with you tonight for your son's 
       mandrakes."

       (Gen 30:16 NRSV)  When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah 
       went out to meet him, and said, "You must come in to me; for I have 
       hired you with my son's mandrakes." So he lay with her that night.

       (Gen 30:17 NRSV)  And God heeded Leah, and she conceived and bore 
       Jacob a fifth son.

       (Gen 30:18 NRSV)  Leah said, "God has given me my hire because I gave 
       my maid to my husband"; so she named him Issachar.

       (Gen 30:19 NRSV)  And Leah conceived again, and she bore Jacob a sixth 
       son.

       (Gen 30:20 NRSV)  Then Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good 
       dowry; now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six 
       sons"; so she named him Zebulun.

       (Gen 30:21 NRSV)  Afterwards she bore a daughter, and named her Dinah.

       (Gen 30:22 NRSV)  Then God remembered Rachel, and God heeded her and 
       opened her womb.

       (Gen 30:23 NRSV)  She conceived and bore a son, and said, "God has 
       taken away my reproach";

       (Gen 30:24 NRSV)  and she named him Joseph, saying, "May the LORD add 
       to me another son!"

       (Gen 30:25 NRSV)  When Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, 
       "Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country.

       (Gen 30:26 NRSV)  Give me my wives and my children for whom I have 
       served you, and let me go; for you know very well the service I have 
       given you."

       (Gen 30:27 NRSV)  But Laban said to him, "If you will allow me to say 
       so, I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because 
       of you;

       (Gen 30:28 NRSV)  name your wages, and I will give it."

       (Gen 30:29 NRSV)  Jacob said to him, "You yourself know how I have 
       served you, and how your cattle have fared with me.

       (Gen 30:30 NRSV)  For you had little before I came, and it has 





       increased abundantly; and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. 
       But now when shall I provide for my own household also?"

       (Gen 30:31 NRSV)  He said, "What shall I give you?" Jacob said, "You 
       shall not give me anything; if you will do this for me, I will again 
       feed your flock and keep it:

       (Gen 30:32 NRSV)  let me pass through all your flock today, removing 
       from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb, and the 
       spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages.

       (Gen 30:33 NRSV)  So my honesty will answer for me later, when you 
       come to look into my wages with you. Every one that is not speckled 
       and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with 
       me, shall be counted stolen."

       (Gen 30:34 NRSV)  Laban said, "Good! Let it be as you have said."

       (Gen 30:35 NRSV)  But that day Laban removed the male goats that were 
       striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and 
       spotted, every one that had white on it, and every lamb that was 
       black, and put them in charge of his sons;

       (Gen 30:36 NRSV)  and he set a distance of three days' journey between 
       himself and Jacob, while Jacob was pasturing the rest of Laban's 
       flock.

       (Gen 30:37 NRSV)  Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and 
       plane, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the 
       rods.

       (Gen 30:38 NRSV)  He set the rods that he had peeled in front of the 
       flocks in the troughs, that is, the watering places, where the flocks 
       came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink,

       (Gen 30:39 NRSV)  the flocks bred in front of the rods, and so the 
       flocks produced young that were striped, speckled, and spotted.

       (Gen 30:40 NRSV)  Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the 
       flocks toward the striped and the completely black animals in the 
       flock of Laban; and he put his own droves apart, and did not put them 
       with Laban's flock.

       (Gen 30:41 NRSV)  Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, 
       Jacob laid the rods in the troughs before the eyes of the flock, that 
       they might breed among the rods,

       (Gen 30:42 NRSV)  but for the feebler of the flock he did not lay them 
       there; so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.

       (Gen 30:43 NRSV)  Thus the man grew exceedingly rich, and had large 
       flocks, and male and female slaves, and camels and donkeys.

       (Gen 31:1 NRSV)  Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, 
       "Jacob has taken all that was our father's; he has gained all this 
       wealth from what belonged to our father."






       (Gen 31:2 NRSV)  And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him as 
       favorably as he did before.

       (Gen 31:3 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of 
       your ancestors and to your kindred, and I will be with you."

       (Gen 31:4 NRSV)  So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the 
       field where his flock was,

       (Gen 31:5 NRSV)  and said to them, "I see that your father does not 
       regard me as favorably as he did before. But the God of my father has 
       been with me.

       (Gen 31:6 NRSV)  You know that I have served your father with all my 
       strength;

       (Gen 31:7 NRSV)  yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages 
       ten times, but God did not permit him to harm me.

       (Gen 31:8 NRSV)  If he said, 'The speckled shall be your wages,' then 
       all the flock bore speckled; and if he said, 'The striped shall be 
       your wages,' then all the flock bore striped.

       (Gen 31:9 NRSV)  Thus God has taken away the livestock of your father, 
       and given them to me.

       (Gen 31:10 NRSV)  During the mating of the flock I once had a dream in 
       which I looked up and saw that the male goats that leaped upon the 
       flock were striped, speckled, and mottled.

       (Gen 31:11 NRSV)  Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, 
       'Jacob,' and I said, 'Here I am!'

       (Gen 31:12 NRSV)  And he said, 'Look up and see that all the goats 
       that leap on the flock are striped, speckled, and mottled; for I have 
       seen all that Laban is doing to you.

       (Gen 31:13 NRSV)  I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar 
       and made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and return to the 
       land of your birth.'"

       (Gen 31:14 NRSV)  Then Rachel and Leah answered him, "Is there any 
       portion or inheritance left to us in our father's house?

       (Gen 31:15 NRSV)  Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has 
       sold us, and he has been using up the money given for us.

       (Gen 31:16 NRSV)  All the property that God has taken away from our 
       father belongs to us and to our children; now then, do whatever God 
       has said to you."

       (Gen 31:17 NRSV)  So Jacob arose, and set his children and his wives 
       on camels;

       (Gen 31:18 NRSV)  and he drove away all his livestock, all the 





       property that he had gained, the livestock in his possession that he 
       had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of 
       Canaan.

       (Gen 31:19 NRSV)  Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel 
       stole her father's household gods.

       (Gen 31:20 NRSV)  And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean, in that he did 
       not tell him that he intended to flee.

       (Gen 31:21 NRSV)  So he fled with all that he had; starting out he 
       crossed the Euphrates, and set his face toward the hill country of 
       Gilead.

       (Gen 31:22 NRSV)  On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled.

       (Gen 31:23 NRSV)  So he took his kinsfolk with him and pursued him for 
       seven days until he caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead.

       (Gen 31:24 NRSV)  But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by 
       night, and said to him, "Take heed that you say not a word to Jacob, 
       either good or bad."

       (Gen 31:25 NRSV)  Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent 
       in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsfolk camped in the hill 
       country of Gilead.

       (Gen 31:26 NRSV)  Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done? You have 
       deceived me, and carried away my daughters like captives of the sword.

       (Gen 31:27 NRSV)  Why did you flee secretly and deceive me and not 
       tell me? I would have sent you away with mirth and songs, with 
       tambourine and lyre.

       (Gen 31:28 NRSV)  And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my 
       daughters farewell? What you have done is foolish.

       (Gen 31:29 NRSV)  It is in my power to do you harm; but the God of 
       your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Take heed that you speak 
       to Jacob neither good nor bad.'

       (Gen 31:30 NRSV)  Even though you had to go because you longed greatly 
       for your father's house, why did you steal my gods?"

       (Gen 31:31 NRSV)  Jacob answered Laban, "Because I was afraid, for I 
       thought that you would take your daughters from me by force.

       (Gen 31:32 NRSV)  But anyone with whom you find your gods shall not 
       live. In the presence of our kinsfolk, point out what I have that is 
       yours, and take it." Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the 
       gods.

       (Gen 31:33 NRSV)  So Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's 
       tent, and into the tent of the two maids, but he did not find them. 
       And he went out of Leah's tent, and entered Rachel's.





       (Gen 31:34 NRSV)  Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them 
       in the camel's saddle, and sat on them. Laban felt all about in the 
       tent, but did not find them.

       (Gen 31:35 NRSV)  And she said to her father, "Let not my lord be 
       angry that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me." 
       So he searched, but did not find the household gods.

       (Gen 31:36 NRSV)  Then Jacob became angry, and upbraided Laban. Jacob 
       said to Laban, "What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have 
       hotly pursued me?

       (Gen 31:37 NRSV)  Although you have felt about through all my goods, 
       what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my 
       kinsfolk and your kinsfolk, so that they may decide between us two.

       (Gen 31:38 NRSV)  These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes 
       and your female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the 
       rams of your flocks.

       (Gen 31:39 NRSV)  That which was torn by wild beasts I did not bring 
       to you; I bore the loss of it myself; of my hand you required it, 
       whether stolen by day or stolen by night.

       (Gen 31:40 NRSV)  It was like this with me: by day the heat consumed 
       me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.

       (Gen 31:41 NRSV)  These twenty years I have been in your house; I 
       served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for 
       your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times.

       (Gen 31:42 NRSV)  If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the 
       Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent 
       me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands, 
       and rebuked you last night."

       (Gen 31:43 NRSV)  Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, "The 
       daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks 
       are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do today 
       about these daughters of mine, or about their children whom they have 
       borne?

       (Gen 31:44 NRSV)  Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I; and let 
       it be a witness between you and me."

       (Gen 31:45 NRSV)  So Jacob took a stone, and set it up as a pillar.

       (Gen 31:46 NRSV)  And Jacob said to his kinsfolk, "Gather stones," and 
       they took stones, and made a heap; and they ate there by the heap.

       (Gen 31:47 NRSV)  Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha: but Jacob called it 
       Galeed.

       (Gen 31:48 NRSV)  Laban said, "This heap is a witness between you and 
       me today." Therefore he called it Galeed,





       (Gen 31:49 NRSV)  and the pillar Mizpah, for he said, "The LORD watch 
       between you and me, when we are absent one from the other.

       (Gen 31:50 NRSV)  If you ill-treat my daughters, or if you take wives 
       in addition to my daughters, though no one else is with us, remember 
       that God is witness between you and me."

       (Gen 31:51 NRSV)  Then Laban said to Jacob, "See this heap and see the 
       pillar, which I have set between you and me.

       (Gen 31:52 NRSV)  This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, 
       that I will not pass beyond this heap to you, and you will not pass 
       beyond this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.

       (Gen 31:53 NRSV)  May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor"--the 
       God of their father--" judge between us." So Jacob swore by the Fear 
       of his father Isaac,

       (Gen 31:54 NRSV)  and Jacob offered a sacrifice on the height and 
       called his kinsfolk to eat bread; and they ate bread and tarried all 
       night in the hill country.

       (Gen 31:55 NRSV)  Early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his 
       grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them; then he departed and 
       returned home.

       (Gen 32:1 NRSV)  Jacob went on his way and the angels of God met him;

       (Gen 32:2 NRSV)  and when Jacob saw them he said, "This is God's 
       camp!" So he called that place Mahanaim.

       (Gen 32:3 NRSV)  Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau 
       in the land of Seir, the country of Edom,

       (Gen 32:4 NRSV)  instructing them, "Thus you shall say to my lord 
       Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, 'I have lived with Laban as an 
       alien, and stayed until now;

       (Gen 32:5 NRSV)  and I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male and female 
       slaves; and I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find 
       favor in your sight.'"

       (Gen 32:6 NRSV)  The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, "We came to 
       your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men 
       are with him."

       (Gen 32:7 NRSV)  Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he 
       divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and 
       camels, into two companies,

       (Gen 32:8 NRSV)  thinking, "If Esau comes to the one company and 
       destroys it, then the company that is left will escape."

       (Gen 32:9 NRSV)  And Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God 
       of my father Isaac, O LORD who said to me, 'Return to your country and 
       to your kindred, and I will do you good,'






       (Gen 32:10 NRSV)  I am not worthy of the least of all the steadfast 
       love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for 
       with only my staff I crossed this Jordan; and now I have become two 
       companies.

       (Gen 32:11 NRSV)  Deliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, 
       from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him; he may come and kill us 
       all, the mothers with the children.

       (Gen 32:12 NRSV)  Yet you have said, 'I will surely do you good, and 
       make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted 
       because of their number.'"

       (Gen 32:13 NRSV)  So he spent that night there, and from what he had 
       with him he took a present for his brother Esau,

       (Gen 32:14 NRSV)  two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two 
       hundred ewes and twenty rams,

       (Gen 32:15 NRSV)  thirty milch camels and their colts, forty cows and 
       ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.

       (Gen 32:16 NRSV)  These he delivered into the hand of his servants, 
       every drove by itself, and said to his servants, "Pass on ahead of me, 
       and put a space between drove and drove."

       (Gen 32:17 NRSV)  He instructed the foremost, "When Esau my brother 
       meets you, and asks you, 'To whom do you belong? Where are you going? 
       And whose are these ahead of you?'

       (Gen 32:18 NRSV)  then you shall say, 'They belong to your servant 
       Jacob; they are a present sent to my lord Esau; and moreover he is 
       behind us.'"

       (Gen 32:19 NRSV)  He likewise instructed the second and the third and 
       all who followed the droves, "You shall say the same thing to Esau 
       when you meet him,

       (Gen 32:20 NRSV)  and you shall say, 'Moreover your servant Jacob is 
       behind us.'" For he thought, "I may appease him with the present that 
       goes ahead of me, and afterwards I shall see his face; perhaps he will 
       accept me."

       (Gen 32:21 NRSV)  So the present passed on ahead of him; and he 
       himself spent that night in the camp.

       (Gen 32:22 NRSV)  The same night he got up and took his two wives, his 
       two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the 
       Jabbok.

       (Gen 32:23 NRSV)  He took them and sent them across the stream, and 
       likewise everything that he had.

       (Gen 32:24 NRSV)  Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him 
       until daybreak.






       (Gen 32:25 NRSV)  When the man saw that he did not prevail against 
       Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of 
       joint as he wrestled with him.

       (Gen 32:26 NRSV)  Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." 
       But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me."

       (Gen 32:27 NRSV)  So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, 
       "Jacob."

       (Gen 32:28 NRSV)  Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called 
       Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and 
       have prevailed."

       (Gen 32:29 NRSV)  Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." 
       But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed 
       him.

       (Gen 32:30 NRSV)  So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "For I 
       have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved."

       (Gen 32:31 NRSV)  The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping 
       because of his hip.

       (Gen 32:32 NRSV)  Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the 
       thigh muscle that is on the hip socket, because he struck Jacob on the 
       hip socket at the thigh muscle.

       (Gen 33:1 NRSV)  Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming, and four 
       hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel 
       and the two maids.

       (Gen 33:2 NRSV)  He put the maids with their children in front, then 
       Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all.

       (Gen 33:3 NRSV)  He himself went on ahead of them, bowing himself to 
       the ground seven times, until he came near his brother.

       (Gen 33:4 NRSV)  But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell 
       on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.

       (Gen 33:5 NRSV)  When Esau looked up and saw the women and children, 
       he said, "Who are these with you?" Jacob said, "The children whom God 
       has graciously given your servant."

       (Gen 33:6 NRSV)  Then the maids drew near, they and their children, 
       and bowed down;

       (Gen 33:7 NRSV)  Leah likewise and her children drew near and bowed 
       down; and finally Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed down.

       (Gen 33:8 NRSV)  Esau said, "What do you mean by all this company that 
       I met?" Jacob answered, "To find favor with my lord."

       (Gen 33:9 NRSV)  But Esau said, "I have enough, my brother; keep what 





       you have for yourself."

       (Gen 33:10 NRSV)  Jacob said, "No, please; if I find favor with you, 
       then accept my present from my hand; for truly to see your face is 
       like seeing the face of God--since you have received me with such 
       favor.

       (Gen 33:11 NRSV)  Please accept my gift that is brought to you, 
       because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have 
       everything I want." So he urged him, and he took it.

       (Gen 33:12 NRSV)  Then Esau said, "Let us journey on our way, and I 
       will go alongside you."

       (Gen 33:13 NRSV)  But Jacob said to him, "My lord knows that the 
       children are frail and that the flocks and herds, which are nursing, 
       are a care to me; and if they are overdriven for one day, all the 
       flocks will die.

       (Gen 33:14 NRSV)  Let my lord pass on ahead of his servant, and I will 
       lead on slowly, according to the pace of the cattle that are before me 
       and according to the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in 
       Seir."

       (Gen 33:15 NRSV)  So Esau said, "Let me leave with you some of the 
       people who are with me." But he said, "Why should my lord be so kind 
       to me?"

       (Gen 33:16 NRSV)  So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

       (Gen 33:17 NRSV)  But Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built himself a 
       house, and made booths for his cattle; therefore the place is called 
       Succoth.

       (Gen 33:18 NRSV)  Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is 
       in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-aram; and he camped 
       before the city.

       (Gen 33:19 NRSV)  And from the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, he 
       bought for one hundred pieces of money the plot of land on which he 
       had pitched his tent.

       (Gen 33:20 NRSV)  There he erected an altar and called it 
       El-Elohe-Israel.

       (Gen 34:1 NRSV)  Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to 
       Jacob, went out to visit the women of the region.

       (Gen 34:2 NRSV)  When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the 
       region, saw her, he seized her and lay with her by force.

       (Gen 34:3 NRSV)  And his soul was drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob; he 
       loved the girl, and spoke tenderly to her.

       (Gen 34:4 NRSV)  So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, "Get me 
       this girl to be my wife."






       (Gen 34:5 NRSV)  Now Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter 
       Dinah; but his sons were with his cattle in the field, so Jacob held 
       his peace until they came.

       (Gen 34:6 NRSV)  And Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to 
       speak with him,

       (Gen 34:7 NRSV)  just as the sons of Jacob came in from the field. 
       When they heard of it, the men were indignant and very angry, because 
       he had committed an outrage in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter, 
       for such a thing ought not to be done.

       (Gen 34:8 NRSV)  But Hamor spoke with them, saying, "The heart of my 
       son Shechem longs for your daughter; please give her to him in 
       marriage.

       (Gen 34:9 NRSV)  Make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, 
       and take our daughters for yourselves.

       (Gen 34:10 NRSV)  You shall live with us; and the land shall be open 
       to you; live and trade in it, and get property in it."

       (Gen 34:11 NRSV)  Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, 
       "Let me find favor with you, and whatever you say to me I will give.

       (Gen 34:12 NRSV)  Put the marriage present and gift as high as you 
       like, and I will give whatever you ask me; only give me the girl to be 
       my wife."

       (Gen 34:13 NRSV)  The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father 
       Hamor deceitfully, because he had defiled their sister Dinah.

       (Gen 34:14 NRSV)  They said to them, "We cannot do this thing, to give 
       our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace 
       to us.

       (Gen 34:15 NRSV)  Only on this condition will we consent to you: that 
       you will become as we are and every male among you be circumcised.

       (Gen 34:16 NRSV)  Then we will give our daughters to you, and we will 
       take your daughters for ourselves, and we will live among you and 
       become one people.

       (Gen 34:17 NRSV)  But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, 
       then we will take our daughter and be gone."

       (Gen 34:18 NRSV)  Their words pleased Hamor and Hamor's son Shechem.

       (Gen 34:19 NRSV)  And the young man did not delay to do the thing, 
       because he was delighted with Jacob's daughter. Now he was the most 
       honored of all his family.

       (Gen 34:20 NRSV)  So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of 
       their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying,





       (Gen 34:21 NRSV)  "These people are friendly with us; let them live in 
       the land and trade in it, for the land is large enough for them; let 
       us take their daughters in marriage, and let us give them our 
       daughters.

       (Gen 34:22 NRSV)  Only on this condition will they agree to live among 
       us, to become one people: that every male among us be circumcised as 
       they are circumcised.

       (Gen 34:23 NRSV)  Will not their livestock, their property, and all 
       their animals be ours? Only let us agree with them, and they will live 
       among us."

       (Gen 34:24 NRSV)  And all who went out of the city gate heeded Hamor 
       and his son Shechem; and every male was circumcised, all who went out 
       of the gate of his city.

       (Gen 34:25 NRSV)  On the third day, when they were still in pain, two 
       of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their 
       swords and came against the city unawares, and killed all the males.

       (Gen 34:26 NRSV)  They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the 
       sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went away.

       (Gen 34:27 NRSV)  And the other sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and 
       plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled.

       (Gen 34:28 NRSV)  They took their flocks and their herds, their 
       donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field.

       (Gen 34:29 NRSV)  All their wealth, all their little ones and their 
       wives, all that was in the houses, they captured and made their prey.

       (Gen 34:30 NRSV)  Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have 
       brought trouble on me by making me odious to the inhabitants of the 
       land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites; my numbers are few, and if 
       they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, 
       both I and my household."

       (Gen 34:31 NRSV)  But they said, "Should our sister be treated like a 
       whore?"

       (Gen 35:1 NRSV)  God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel, and 
       settle there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when 
       you fled from your brother Esau."

       (Gen 35:2 NRSV)  So Jacob said to his household and to all who were 
       with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and purify 
       yourselves, and change your clothes;

       (Gen 35:3 NRSV)  then come, let us go up to Bethel, that I may make an 
       altar there to the God who answered me in the day of my distress and 
       has been with me wherever I have gone."

       (Gen 35:4 NRSV)  So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they 
       had, and the rings that were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under 





       the oak that was near Shechem.

       (Gen 35:5 NRSV)  As they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the 
       cities all around them, so that no one pursued them.

       (Gen 35:6 NRSV)  Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the 
       land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him,

       (Gen 35:7 NRSV)  and there he built an altar and called the place 
       El-bethel, because it was there that God had revealed himself to him 
       when he fled from his brother.

       (Gen 35:8 NRSV)  And Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was 
       buried under an oak below Bethel. So it was called Allon-bacuth.

       (Gen 35:9 NRSV)  God appeared to Jacob again when he came from 
       Paddan-aram, and he blessed him.

       (Gen 35:10 NRSV)  God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; no longer 
       shall you be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name." So he was 
       called Israel.

       (Gen 35:11 NRSV)  God said to him, "I am God Almighty: be fruitful and 
       multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and 
       kings shall spring from you.

       (Gen 35:12 NRSV)  The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will 
       give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you."

       (Gen 35:13 NRSV)  Then God went up from him at the place where he had 
       spoken with him.

       (Gen 35:14 NRSV)  Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had 
       spoken with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured out a drink offering 
       on it, and poured oil on it.

       (Gen 35:15 NRSV)  So Jacob called the place where God had spoken with 
       him Bethel.

       (Gen 35:16 NRSV)  Then they journeyed from Bethel; and when they were 
       still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel was in childbirth, and she 
       had hard labor.

       (Gen 35:17 NRSV)  When she was in her hard labor, the midwife said to 
       her, "Do not be afraid; for now you will have another son."

       (Gen 35:18 NRSV)  As her soul was departing (for she died), she named 
       him Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.

       (Gen 35:19 NRSV)  So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to 
       Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem),

       (Gen 35:20 NRSV)  and Jacob set up a pillar at her grave; it is the 
       pillar of Rachel's tomb, which is there to this day.

       (Gen 35:21 NRSV)  Israel journeyed on, and pitched his tent beyond the 





       tower of Eder.

       (Gen 35:22 NRSV)  While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay 
       with Bilhah his father's concubine; and Israel heard of it. Now the 
       sons of Jacob were twelve.

       (Gen 35:23 NRSV)  The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob's firstborn), 
       Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

       (Gen 35:24 NRSV)  The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.

       (Gen 35:25 NRSV)  The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's maid: Dan and Naphtali.

       (Gen 35:26 NRSV)  The sons of Zilpah, Leah's maid: Gad and Asher. 
       These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

       (Gen 35:27 NRSV)  Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or 
       Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had resided as 
       aliens.

       (Gen 35:28 NRSV)  Now the days of Isaac were one hundred eighty years.

       (Gen 35:29 NRSV)  And Isaac breathed his last; he died and was 
       gathered to his people, old and full of days; and his sons Esau and 
       Jacob buried him.

       (Gen 36:1 NRSV)  These are the descendants of Esau (that is, Edom).

       (Gen 36:2 NRSV)  Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: Adah 
       daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah daughter of Anah son of 
       Zibeon the Hivite,

       (Gen 36:3 NRSV)  and Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebaioth.

       (Gen 36:4 NRSV)  Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau; Basemath bore Reuel;

       (Gen 36:5 NRSV)  and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These 
       are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

       (Gen 36:6 NRSV)  Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, 
       and all the members of his household, his cattle, all his livestock, 
       and all the property he had acquired in the land of Canaan; and he 
       moved to a land some distance from his brother Jacob.

       (Gen 36:7 NRSV)  For their possessions were too great for them to live 
       together; the land where they were staying could not support them 
       because of their livestock.

       (Gen 36:8 NRSV)  So Esau settled in the hill country of Seir; Esau is 
       Edom.

       (Gen 36:9 NRSV)  These are the descendants of Esau, ancestor of the 
       Edomites, in the hill country of Seir.

       (Gen 36:10 NRSV)  These are the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz son of 
       Adah the wife of Esau; Reuel, the son of Esau's wife Basemath.






       (Gen 36:11 NRSV)  The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, 
       and Kenaz.

       (Gen 36:12 NRSV)  (Timna was a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau's son; she 
       bore Amalek to Eliphaz.) These were the sons of Adah, Esau's wife.

       (Gen 36:13 NRSV)  These were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, 
       Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons of Esau's wife, Basemath.

       (Gen 36:14 NRSV)  These were the sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah, 
       daughter of Anah son of Zibeon: she bore to Esau Jeush, Jalam, and 
       Korah.

       (Gen 36:15 NRSV)  These are the clans of the sons of Esau. The sons of 
       Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: the clans Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,

       (Gen 36:16 NRSV)  Korah, Gatam, and Amalek; these are the clans of 
       Eliphaz in the land of Edom; they are the sons of Adah.

       (Gen 36:17 NRSV)  These are the sons of Esau's son Reuel: the clans 
       Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah; these are the clans of Reuel in 
       the land of Edom; they are the sons of Esau's wife Basemath.

       (Gen 36:18 NRSV)  These are the sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah: the 
       clans Jeush, Jalam, and Korah; these are the clans born of Esau's wife 
       Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.

       (Gen 36:19 NRSV)  These are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and 
       these are their clans.

       (Gen 36:20 NRSV)  These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the 
       inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,

       (Gen 36:21 NRSV)  Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; these are the clans of the 
       Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom.

       (Gen 36:22 NRSV)  The sons of Lotan were Hori and Heman; and Lotan's 
       sister was Timna.

       (Gen 36:23 NRSV)  These are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, 
       Shepho, and Onam.

       (Gen 36:24 NRSV)  These are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah; he is 
       the Anah who found the springs in the wilderness, as he pastured the 
       donkeys of his father Zibeon.

       (Gen 36:25 NRSV)  These are the children of Anah: Dishon and 
       Oholibamah daughter of Anah.

       (Gen 36:26 NRSV)  These are the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, 
       Ithran, and Cheran.

       (Gen 36:27 NRSV)  These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and 
       Akan.





       (Gen 36:28 NRSV)  These are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

       (Gen 36:29 NRSV)  These are the clans of the Horites: the clans Lotan, 
       Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,

       (Gen 36:30 NRSV)  Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; these are the clans of the 
       Horites, clan by clan in the land of Seir.

       (Gen 36:31 NRSV)  These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, 
       before any king reigned over the Israelites.

       (Gen 36:32 NRSV)  Bela son of Beor reigned in Edom, the name of his 
       city being Dinhabah.

       (Gen 36:33 NRSV)  Bela died, and Jobab son of Zerah of Bozrah 
       succeeded him as king.

       (Gen 36:34 NRSV)  Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites 
       succeeded him as king.

       (Gen 36:35 NRSV)  Husham died, and Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated 
       Midian in the country of Moab, succeeded him as king, the name of his 
       city being Avith.

       (Gen 36:36 NRSV)  Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah succeeded him as 
       king.

       (Gen 36:37 NRSV)  Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth on the Euphrates 
       succeeded him as king.

       (Gen 36:38 NRSV)  Shaul died, and Baal-hanan son of Achbor succeeded 
       him as king.

       (Gen 36:39 NRSV)  Baal-hanan son of Achbor died, and Hadar succeeded 
       him as king, the name of his city being Pau; his wife's name was 
       Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, daughter of Me-zahab.

       (Gen 36:40 NRSV)  These are the names of the clans of Esau, according 
       to their families and their localities by their names: the clans 
       Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,

       (Gen 36:41 NRSV)  Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,

       (Gen 36:42 NRSV)  Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,

       (Gen 36:43 NRSV)  Magdiel, and Iram; these are the clans of Edom (that 
       is, Esau, the father of Edom), according to their settlements in the 
       land that they held.

       (Gen 37:1 NRSV)  Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived 
       as an alien, the land of Canaan.

       (Gen 37:2 NRSV)  This is the story of the family of Jacob. Joseph, 
       being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his 
       brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his 
       father's wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their 





       father.

       (Gen 37:3 NRSV)  Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his 
       children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a 
       long robe with sleeves.

       (Gen 37:4 NRSV)  But when his brothers saw that their father loved him 
       more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak 
       peaceably to him.

       (Gen 37:5 NRSV)  Once Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his 
       brothers, they hated him even more.

       (Gen 37:6 NRSV)  He said to them, "Listen to this dream that I 
       dreamed.

       (Gen 37:7 NRSV)  There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Suddenly 
       my sheaf rose and stood upright; then your sheaves gathered around it, 
       and bowed down to my sheaf."

       (Gen 37:8 NRSV)  His brothers said to him, "Are you indeed to reign 
       over us? Are you indeed to have dominion over us?" So they hated him 
       even more because of his dreams and his words.

       (Gen 37:9 NRSV)  He had another dream, and told it to his brothers, 
       saying, "Look, I have had another dream: the sun, the moon, and eleven 
       stars were bowing down to me."

       (Gen 37:10 NRSV)  But when he told it to his father and to his 
       brothers, his father rebuked him, and said to him, "What kind of dream 
       is this that you have had? Shall we indeed come, I and your mother and 
       your brothers, and bow to the ground before you?"

       (Gen 37:11 NRSV)  So his brothers were jealous of him, but his father 
       kept the matter in mind.

       (Gen 37:12 NRSV)  Now his brothers went to pasture their father's 
       flock near Shechem.

       (Gen 37:13 NRSV)  And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers 
       pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them." He 
       answered, "Here I am."

       (Gen 37:14 NRSV)  So he said to him, "Go now, see if it is well with 
       your brothers and with the flock; and bring word back to me." So he 
       sent him from the valley of Hebron. He came to Shechem,

       (Gen 37:15 NRSV)  and a man found him wandering in the fields; the man 
       asked him, "What are you seeking?"

       (Gen 37:16 NRSV)  "I am seeking my brothers," he said; "tell me, 
       please, where they are pasturing the flock."

       (Gen 37:17 NRSV)  The man said, "They have gone away, for I heard them 
       say, 'Let us go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers, and 
       found them at Dothan.






       (Gen 37:18 NRSV)  They saw him from a distance, and before he came 
       near to them, they conspired to kill him.

       (Gen 37:19 NRSV)  They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer.

       (Gen 37:20 NRSV)  Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of 
       the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and 
       we shall see what will become of his dreams."

       (Gen 37:21 NRSV)  But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of 
       their hands, saying, "Let us not take his life."

       (Gen 37:22 NRSV)  Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood; throw him into 
       this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him"--that he 
       might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father.

       (Gen 37:23 NRSV)  So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped 
       him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore;

       (Gen 37:24 NRSV)  and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit 
       was empty; there was no water in it.

       (Gen 37:25 NRSV)  Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a 
       caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying 
       gum, balm, and resin, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.

       (Gen 37:26 NRSV)  Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it 
       if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?

       (Gen 37:27 NRSV)  Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not 
       lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh." And his 
       brothers agreed.

       (Gen 37:28 NRSV)  When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew 
       Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites 
       for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

       (Gen 37:29 NRSV)  When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph 
       was not in the pit, he tore his clothes.

       (Gen 37:30 NRSV)  He returned to his brothers, and said, "The boy is 
       gone; and I, where can I turn?"

       (Gen 37:31 NRSV)  Then they took Joseph's robe, slaughtered a goat, 
       and dipped the robe in the blood.

       (Gen 37:32 NRSV)  They had the long robe with sleeves taken to their 
       father, and they said, "This we have found; see now whether it is your 
       son's robe or not."

       (Gen 37:33 NRSV)  He recognized it, and said, "It is my son's robe! A 
       wild animal has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces."

       (Gen 37:34 NRSV)  Then Jacob tore his garments, and put sackcloth on 
       his loins, and mourned for his son many days.






       (Gen 37:35 NRSV)  All his sons and all his daughters sought to comfort 
       him; but he refused to be comforted, and said, "No, I shall go down to 
       Sheol to my son, mourning." Thus his father bewailed him.

       (Gen 37:36 NRSV)  Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to 
       Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard.

       (Gen 38:1 NRSV)  It happened at that time that Judah went down from 
       his brothers and settled near a certain Adullamite whose name was 
       Hirah.

       (Gen 38:2 NRSV)  There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite 
       whose name was Shua; he married her and went in to her.

       (Gen 38:3 NRSV)  She conceived and bore a son; and he named him Er.

       (Gen 38:4 NRSV)  Again she conceived and bore a son whom she named 
       Onan.

       (Gen 38:5 NRSV)  Yet again she bore a son, and she named him Shelah. 
       She was in Chezib when she bore him.

       (Gen 38:6 NRSV)  Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn; her name was 
       Tamar.

       (Gen 38:7 NRSV)  But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of 
       the LORD, and the LORD put him to death.

       (Gen 38:8 NRSV)  Then Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's 
       wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her; raise up 
       offspring for your brother."

       (Gen 38:9 NRSV)  But since Onan knew that the offspring would not be 
       his, he spilled his semen on the ground whenever he went in to his 
       brother's wife, so that he would not give offspring to his brother.

       (Gen 38:10 NRSV)  What he did was displeasing in the sight of the 
       LORD, and he put him to death also.

       (Gen 38:11 NRSV)  Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, 
       "Remain a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows 
       up"--for he feared that he too would die, like his brothers. So Tamar 
       went to live in her father's house.

       (Gen 38:12 NRSV)  In course of time the wife of Judah, Shua's 
       daughter, died; when Judah's time of mourning was over, he went up to 
       Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

       (Gen 38:13 NRSV)  When Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is going up 
       to Timnah to shear his sheep,"

       (Gen 38:14 NRSV)  she put off her widow's garments, put on a veil, 
       wrapped herself up, and sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on 
       the road to Timnah. She saw that Shelah was grown up, yet she had not 
       been given to him in marriage.






       (Gen 38:15 NRSV)  When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a 
       prostitute, for she had covered her face.

       (Gen 38:16 NRSV)  He went over to her at the road side, and said, 
       "Come, let me come in to you," for he did not know that she was his 
       daughter-in-law. She said, "What will you give me, that you may come 
       in to me?"

       (Gen 38:17 NRSV)  He answered, "I will send you a kid from the flock." 
       And she said, "Only if you give me a pledge, until you send it."

       (Gen 38:18 NRSV)  He said, "What pledge shall I give you?" She 
       replied, "Your signet and your cord, and the staff that is in your 
       hand." So he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived 
       by him.

       (Gen 38:19 NRSV)  Then she got up and went away, and taking off her 
       veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.

       (Gen 38:20 NRSV)  When Judah sent the kid by his friend the 
       Adullamite, to recover the pledge from the woman, he could not find 
       her.

       (Gen 38:21 NRSV)  He asked the townspeople, "Where is the temple 
       prostitute who was at Enaim by the wayside?" But they said, "No 
       prostitute has been here."

       (Gen 38:22 NRSV)  So he returned to Judah, and said, "I have not found 
       her; moreover the townspeople said, 'No prostitute has been here.'"

       (Gen 38:23 NRSV)  Judah replied, "Let her keep the things as her own, 
       otherwise we will be laughed at; you see, I sent this kid, and you 
       could not find her."

       (Gen 38:24 NRSV)  About three months later Judah was told, "Your 
       daughter-in-law Tamar has played the whore; moreover she is pregnant 
       as a result of whoredom." And Judah said, "Bring her out, and let her 
       be burned."

       (Gen 38:25 NRSV)  As she was being brought out, she sent word to her 
       father-in-law, "It was the owner of these who made me pregnant." And 
       she said, "Take note, please, whose these are, the signet and the cord 
       and the staff."

       (Gen 38:26 NRSV)  Then Judah acknowledged them and said, "She is more 
       in the right than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah." And 
       he did not lie with her again.

       (Gen 38:27 NRSV)  When the time of her delivery came, there were twins 
       in her womb.

       (Gen 38:28 NRSV)  While she was in labor, one put out a hand; and the 
       midwife took and bound on his hand a crimson thread, saying, "This one 
       came out first."





       (Gen 38:29 NRSV)  But just then he drew back his hand, and out came 
       his brother; and she said, "What a breach you have made for yourself!" 
       Therefore he was named Perez.

       (Gen 38:30 NRSV)  Afterward his brother came out with the crimson 
       thread on his hand; and he was named Zerah.

       (Gen 39:1 NRSV)  Now Joseph was taken down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an 
       officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him 
       from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.

       (Gen 39:2 NRSV)  The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful 
       man; he was in the house of his Egyptian master.

       (Gen 39:3 NRSV)  His master saw that the LORD was with him, and that 
       the LORD caused all that he did to prosper in his hands.

       (Gen 39:4 NRSV)  So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him; 
       he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he 
       had.

       (Gen 39:5 NRSV)  From the time that he made him overseer in his house 
       and over all that he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for 
       Joseph's sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had, in 
       house and field.

       (Gen 39:6 NRSV)  So he left all that he had in Joseph's charge; and, 
       with him there, he had no concern for anything but the food that he 
       ate. Now Joseph was handsome and good-looking.

       (Gen 39:7 NRSV)  And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on 
       Joseph and said, "Lie with me."

       (Gen 39:8 NRSV)  But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, 
       with me here, my master has no concern about anything in the house, 
       and he has put everything that he has in my hand.

       (Gen 39:9 NRSV)  He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he 
       kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. 
       How then could I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"

       (Gen 39:10 NRSV)  And although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he 
       would not consent to lie beside her or to be with her.

       (Gen 39:11 NRSV)  One day, however, when he went into the house to do 
       his work, and while no one else was in the house,

       (Gen 39:12 NRSV)  she caught hold of his garment, saying, "Lie with 
       me!" But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.

       (Gen 39:13 NRSV)  When she saw that he had left his garment in her 
       hand and had fled outside,

       (Gen 39:14 NRSV)  she called out to the members of her household and 
       said to them, "See, my husband has brought among us a Hebrew to insult 
       us! He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud 





       voice;

       (Gen 39:15 NRSV)  and when he heard me raise my voice and cry out, he 
       left his garment beside me, and fled outside."

       (Gen 39:16 NRSV)  Then she kept his garment by her until his master 
       came home,

       (Gen 39:17 NRSV)  and she told him the same story, saying, "The Hebrew 
       servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to insult me;

       (Gen 39:18 NRSV)  but as soon as I raised my voice and cried out, he 
       left his garment beside me, and fled outside."

       (Gen 39:19 NRSV)  When his master heard the words that his wife spoke 
       to him, saying, "This is the way your servant treated me," he became 
       enraged.

       (Gen 39:20 NRSV)  And Joseph's master took him and put him into the 
       prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined; he 
       remained there in prison.

       (Gen 39:21 NRSV)  But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him 
       steadfast love; he gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer.

       (Gen 39:22 NRSV)  The chief jailer committed to Joseph's care all the 
       prisoners who were in the prison, and whatever was done there, he was 
       the one who did it.

       (Gen 39:23 NRSV)  The chief jailer paid no heed to anything that was 
       in Joseph's care, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, 
       the LORD made it prosper.

       (Gen 40:1 NRSV)  Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of 
       Egypt and his baker offended their lord the king of Egypt.

       (Gen 40:2 NRSV)  Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief 
       cupbearer and the chief baker,

       (Gen 40:3 NRSV)  and he put them in custody in the house of the 
       captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined.

       (Gen 40:4 NRSV)  The captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, 
       and he waited on them; and they continued for some time in custody.

       (Gen 40:5 NRSV)  One night they both dreamed--the cupbearer and the 
       baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison--each his 
       own dream, and each dream with its own meaning.

       (Gen 40:6 NRSV)  When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that 
       they were troubled.

       (Gen 40:7 NRSV)  So he asked Pharaoh's officers, who were with him in 
       custody in his master's house, "Why are your faces downcast today?"

       (Gen 40:8 NRSV)  They said to him, "We have had dreams, and there is 





       no one to interpret them." And Joseph said to them, "Do not 
       interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me."

       (Gen 40:9 NRSV)  So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and 
       said to him, "In my dream there was a vine before me,

       (Gen 40:10 NRSV)  and on the vine there were three branches. As soon 
       as it budded, its blossoms came out and the clusters ripened into 
       grapes.

       (Gen 40:11 NRSV)  Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes 
       and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh's 
       hand."

       (Gen 40:12 NRSV)  Then Joseph said to him, "This is its 
       interpretation: the three branches are three days;

       (Gen 40:13 NRSV)  within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and 
       restore you to your office; and you shall place Pharaoh's cup in his 
       hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer.

       (Gen 40:14 NRSV)  But remember me when it is well with you; please do 
       me the kindness to make mention of me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of 
       this place.

       (Gen 40:15 NRSV)  For in fact I was stolen out of the land of the 
       Hebrews; and here also I have done nothing that they should have put 
       me into the dungeon."

       (Gen 40:16 NRSV)  When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was 
       favorable, he said to Joseph, "I also had a dream: there were three 
       cake baskets on my head,

       (Gen 40:17 NRSV)  and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of 
       baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket 
       on my head."

       (Gen 40:18 NRSV)  And Joseph answered, "This is its interpretation: 
       the three baskets are three days;

       (Gen 40:19 NRSV)  within three days Pharaoh will lift up your 
       head--from you!--and hang you on a pole; and the birds will eat the 
       flesh from you."

       (Gen 40:20 NRSV)  On the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, he 
       made a feast for all his servants, and lifted up the head of the chief 
       cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants.

       (Gen 40:21 NRSV)  He restored the chief cupbearer to his cupbearing, 
       and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand;

       (Gen 40:22 NRSV)  but the chief baker he hanged, just as Joseph had 
       interpreted to them.

       (Gen 40:23 NRSV)  Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but 
       forgot him.






       (Gen 41:1 NRSV)  After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was 
       standing by the Nile,

       (Gen 41:2 NRSV)  and there came up out of the Nile seven sleek and fat 
       cows, and they grazed in the reed grass.

       (Gen 41:3 NRSV)  Then seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of 
       the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the 
       Nile.

       (Gen 41:4 NRSV)  The ugly and thin cows ate up the seven sleek and fat 
       cows. And Pharaoh awoke.

       (Gen 41:5 NRSV)  Then he fell asleep and dreamed a second time; seven 
       ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk.

       (Gen 41:6 NRSV)  Then seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind, 
       sprouted after them.

       (Gen 41:7 NRSV)  The thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full 
       ears. Pharaoh awoke, and it was a dream.

       (Gen 41:8 NRSV)  In the morning his spirit was troubled; so he sent 
       and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. 
       Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret 
       them to Pharaoh.

       (Gen 41:9 NRSV)  Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "I remember 
       my faults today.

       (Gen 41:10 NRSV)  Once Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me 
       and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the 
       guard.

       (Gen 41:11 NRSV)  We dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having 
       a dream with its own meaning.

       (Gen 41:12 NRSV)  A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the 
       captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to 
       us, giving an interpretation to each according to his dream.

       (Gen 41:13 NRSV)  As he interpreted to us, so it turned out; I was 
       restored to my office, and the baker was hanged."

       (Gen 41:14 NRSV)  Then Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was hurriedly 
       brought out of the dungeon. When he had shaved himself and changed his 
       clothes, he came in before Pharaoh.

       (Gen 41:15 NRSV)  And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, and 
       there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that 
       when you hear a dream you can interpret it."

       (Gen 41:16 NRSV)  Joseph answered Pharaoh, "It is not I; God will give 
       Pharaoh a favorable answer."





       (Gen 41:17 NRSV)  Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream I was 
       standing on the banks of the Nile;

       (Gen 41:18 NRSV)  and seven cows, fat and sleek, came up out of the 
       Nile and fed in the reed grass.

       (Gen 41:19 NRSV)  Then seven other cows came up after them, poor, very 
       ugly, and thin. Never had I seen such ugly ones in all the land of 
       Egypt.

       (Gen 41:20 NRSV)  The thin and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat 
       cows,

       (Gen 41:21 NRSV)  but when they had eaten them no one would have known 
       that they had done so, for they were still as ugly as before. Then I 
       awoke.

       (Gen 41:22 NRSV)  I fell asleep a second time and I saw in my dream 
       seven ears of grain, full and good, growing on one stalk,

       (Gen 41:23 NRSV)  and seven ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the 
       east wind, sprouting after them;

       (Gen 41:24 NRSV)  and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. 
       But when I told it to the magicians, there was no one who could 
       explain it to me."

       (Gen 41:25 NRSV)  Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "Pharaoh's dreams are 
       one and the same; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.

       (Gen 41:26 NRSV)  The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven 
       good ears are seven years; the dreams are one.

       (Gen 41:27 NRSV)  The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them 
       are seven years, as are the seven empty ears blighted by the east 
       wind. They are seven years of famine.

       (Gen 41:28 NRSV)  It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh 
       what he is about to do.

       (Gen 41:29 NRSV)  There will come seven years of great plenty 
       throughout all the land of Egypt.

       (Gen 41:30 NRSV)  After them there will arise seven years of famine, 
       and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; the famine 
       will consume the land.

       (Gen 41:31 NRSV)  The plenty will no longer be known in the land 
       because of the famine that will follow, for it will be very grievous.

       (Gen 41:32 NRSV)  And the doubling of Pharaoh's dream means that the 
       thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.

       (Gen 41:33 NRSV)  Now therefore let Pharaoh select a man who is 
       discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.





       (Gen 41:34 NRSV)  Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the 
       land, and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during 
       the seven plenteous years.

       (Gen 41:35 NRSV)  Let them gather all the food of these good years 
       that are coming, and lay up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for 
       food in the cities, and let them keep it.

       (Gen 41:36 NRSV)  That food shall be a reserve for the land against 
       the seven years of famine that are to befall the land of Egypt, so 
       that the land may not perish through the famine."

       (Gen 41:37 NRSV)  The proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants.

       (Gen 41:38 NRSV)  Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find anyone 
       else like this--one in whom is the spirit of God?"

       (Gen 41:39 NRSV)  So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has shown you 
       all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you.

       (Gen 41:40 NRSV)  You shall be over my house, and all my people shall 
       order themselves as you command; only with regard to the throne will I 
       be greater than you."

       (Gen 41:41 NRSV)  And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you 
       over all the land of Egypt."

       (Gen 41:42 NRSV)  Removing his signet ring from his hand, Pharaoh put 
       it on Joseph's hand; he arrayed him in garments of fine linen, and put 
       a gold chain around his neck.

       (Gen 41:43 NRSV)  He had him ride in the chariot of his 
       second-in-command; and they cried out in front of him, "Bow the knee!" 
       Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt.

       (Gen 41:44 NRSV)  Moreover Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and 
       without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land 
       of Egypt."

       (Gen 41:45 NRSV)  Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah; and 
       he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as his wife. 
       Thus Joseph gained authority over the land of Egypt.

       (Gen 41:46 NRSV)  Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the 
       service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the 
       presence of Pharaoh, and went through all the land of Egypt.

       (Gen 41:47 NRSV)  During the seven plenteous years the earth produced 
       abundantly.

       (Gen 41:48 NRSV)  He gathered up all the food of the seven years when 
       there was plenty in the land of Egypt, and stored up food in the 
       cities; he stored up in every city the food from the fields around it.

       (Gen 41:49 NRSV)  So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance--like 
       the sand of the sea--that he stopped measuring it; it was beyond 





       measure.

       (Gen 41:50 NRSV)  Before the years of famine came, Joseph had two 
       sons, whom Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to him.

       (Gen 41:51 NRSV)  Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, "For," he said, 
       "God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house."

       (Gen 41:52 NRSV)  The second he named Ephraim, "For God has made me 
       fruitful in the land of my misfortunes."

       (Gen 41:53 NRSV)  The seven years of plenty that prevailed in the land 
       of Egypt came to an end;

       (Gen 41:54 NRSV)  and the seven years of famine began to come, just as 
       Joseph had said. There was famine in every country, but throughout the 
       land of Egypt there was bread.

       (Gen 41:55 NRSV)  When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people 
       cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to 
       Joseph; what he says to you, do."

       (Gen 41:56 NRSV)  And since the famine had spread over all the land, 
       Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians, for the 
       famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

       (Gen 41:57 NRSV)  Moreover, all the world came to Joseph in Egypt to 
       buy grain, because the famine became severe throughout the world.

       (Gen 42:1 NRSV)  When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he 
       said to his sons, "Why do you keep looking at one another?

       (Gen 42:2 NRSV)  I have heard," he said, "that there is grain in 
       Egypt; go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not 
       die."

       (Gen 42:3 NRSV)  So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain in 
       Egypt.

       (Gen 42:4 NRSV)  But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with 
       his brothers, for he feared that harm might come to him.

       (Gen 42:5 NRSV)  Thus the sons of Israel were among the other people 
       who came to buy grain, for the famine had reached the land of Canaan.

       (Gen 42:6 NRSV)  Now Joseph was governor over the land; it was he who 
       sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and 
       bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground.

       (Gen 42:7 NRSV)  When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but 
       he treated them like strangers and spoke harshly to them. "Where do 
       you come from?" he said. They said, "From the land of Canaan, to buy 
       food."

       (Gen 42:8 NRSV)  Although Joseph had recognized his brothers, they did 
       not recognize him.






       (Gen 42:9 NRSV)  Joseph also remembered the dreams that he had dreamed 
       about them. He said to them, "You are spies; you have come to see the 
       nakedness of the land!"

       (Gen 42:10 NRSV)  They said to him, "No, my lord; your servants have 
       come to buy food.

       (Gen 42:11 NRSV)  We are all sons of one man; we are honest men; your 
       servants have never been spies."

       (Gen 42:12 NRSV)  But he said to them, "No, you have come to see the 
       nakedness of the land!"

       (Gen 42:13 NRSV)  They said, "We, your servants, are twelve brothers, 
       the sons of a certain man in the land of Canaan; the youngest, 
       however, is now with our father, and one is no more."

       (Gen 42:14 NRSV)  But Joseph said to them, "It is just as I have said 
       to you; you are spies!

       (Gen 42:15 NRSV)  Here is how you shall be tested: as Pharaoh lives, 
       you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes 
       here!

       (Gen 42:16 NRSV)  Let one of you go and bring your brother, while the 
       rest of you remain in prison, in order that your words may be tested, 
       whether there is truth in you; or else, as Pharaoh lives, surely you 
       are spies."

       (Gen 42:17 NRSV)  And he put them all together in prison for three 
       days.

       (Gen 42:18 NRSV)  On the third day Joseph said to them, "Do this and 
       you will live, for I fear God:

       (Gen 42:19 NRSV)  if you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay 
       here where you are imprisoned. The rest of you shall go and carry 
       grain for the famine of your households,

       (Gen 42:20 NRSV)  and bring your youngest brother to me. Thus your 
       words will be verified, and you shall not die." And they agreed to do 
       so.

       (Gen 42:21 NRSV)  They said to one another, "Alas, we are paying the 
       penalty for what we did to our brother; we saw his anguish when he 
       pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this anguish has 
       come upon us."

       (Gen 42:22 NRSV)  Then Reuben answered them, "Did I not tell you not 
       to wrong the boy? But you would not listen. So now there comes a 
       reckoning for his blood."

       (Gen 42:23 NRSV)  They did not know that Joseph understood them, since 
       he spoke with them through an interpreter.





       (Gen 42:24 NRSV)  He turned away from them and wept; then he returned 
       and spoke to them. And he picked out Simeon and had him bound before 
       their eyes.

       (Gen 42:25 NRSV)  Joseph then gave orders to fill their bags with 
       grain, to return every man's money to his sack, and to give them 
       provisions for their journey. This was done for them.

       (Gen 42:26 NRSV)  They loaded their donkeys with their grain, and 
       departed.

       (Gen 42:27 NRSV)  When one of them opened his sack to give his donkey 
       fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money at the top of the sack.

       (Gen 42:28 NRSV)  He said to his brothers, "My money has been put 
       back; here it is in my sack!" At this they lost heart and turned 
       trembling to one another, saying, "What is this that God has done to 
       us?"

       (Gen 42:29 NRSV)  When they came to their father Jacob in the land of 
       Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying,

       (Gen 42:30 NRSV)  "The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly to us, 
       and charged us with spying on the land.

       (Gen 42:31 NRSV)  But we said to him, 'We are honest men, we are not 
       spies.

       (Gen 42:32 NRSV)  We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is 
       no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of 
       Canaan.'

       (Gen 42:33 NRSV)  Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, 'By 
       this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers 
       with me, take grain for the famine of your households, and go your 
       way.

       (Gen 42:34 NRSV)  Bring your youngest brother to me, and I shall know 
       that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will release your 
       brother to you, and you may trade in the land.'"

       (Gen 42:35 NRSV)  As they were emptying their sacks, there in each 
       one's sack was his bag of money. When they and their father saw their 
       bundles of money, they were dismayed.

       (Gen 42:36 NRSV)  And their father Jacob said to them, "I am the one 
       you have bereaved of children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no 
       more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has happened to me!"

       (Gen 42:37 NRSV)  Then Reuben said to his father, "You may kill my two 
       sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I 
       will bring him back to you."

       (Gen 42:38 NRSV)  But he said, "My son shall not go down with you, for 
       his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm should come to him 
       on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray 





       hairs with sorrow to Sheol."

       (Gen 43:1 NRSV)  Now the famine was severe in the land.

       (Gen 43:2 NRSV)  And when they had eaten up the grain that they had 
       brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go again, buy us a 
       little more food."

       (Gen 43:3 NRSV)  But Judah said to him, "The man solemnly warned us, 
       saying, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.'

       (Gen 43:4 NRSV)  If you will send our brother with us, we will go down 
       and buy you food;

       (Gen 43:5 NRSV)  but if you will not send him, we will not go down, 
       for the man said to us, 'You shall not see my face, unless your 
       brother is with you.'"

       (Gen 43:6 NRSV)  Israel said, "Why did you treat me so badly as to 
       tell the man that you had another brother?"

       (Gen 43:7 NRSV)  They replied, "The man questioned us carefully about 
       ourselves and our kindred, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Have 
       you another brother?' What we told him was in answer to these 
       questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, 'Bring your 
       brother down'?"

       (Gen 43:8 NRSV)  Then Judah said to his father Israel, "Send the boy 
       with me, and let us be on our way, so that we may live and not 
       die--you and we and also our little ones.

       (Gen 43:9 NRSV)  I myself will be surety for him; you can hold me 
       accountable for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him 
       before you, then let me bear the blame forever.

       (Gen 43:10 NRSV)  If we had not delayed, we would now have returned 
       twice."

       (Gen 43:11 NRSV)  Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must 
       be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in 
       your bags, and carry them down as a present to the man--a little balm 
       and a little honey, gum, resin, pistachio nuts, and almonds.

       (Gen 43:12 NRSV)  Take double the money with you. Carry back with you 
       the money that was returned in the top of your sacks; perhaps it was 
       an oversight.

       (Gen 43:13 NRSV)  Take your brother also, and be on your way again to 
       the man;

       (Gen 43:14 NRSV)  may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, so 
       that he may send back your other brother and Benjamin. As for me, if I 
       am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved."

       (Gen 43:15 NRSV)  So the men took the present, and they took double 
       the money with them, as well as Benjamin. Then they went on their way 





       down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.

       (Gen 43:16 NRSV)  When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the 
       steward of his house, "Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an 
       animal and make ready, for the men are to dine with me at noon."

       (Gen 43:17 NRSV)  The man did as Joseph said, and brought the men to 
       Joseph's house.

       (Gen 43:18 NRSV)  Now the men were afraid because they were brought to 
       Joseph's house, and they said, "It is because of the money, replaced 
       in our sacks the first time, that we have been brought in, so that he 
       may have an opportunity to fall upon us, to make slaves of us and take 
       our donkeys."

       (Gen 43:19 NRSV)  So they went up to the steward of Joseph's house and 
       spoke with him at the entrance to the house.

       (Gen 43:20 NRSV)  They said, "Oh, my lord, we came down the first time 
       to buy food;

       (Gen 43:21 NRSV)  and when we came to the lodging place we opened our 
       sacks, and there was each one's money in the top of his sack, our 
       money in full weight. So we have brought it back with us.

       (Gen 43:22 NRSV)  Moreover we have brought down with us additional 
       money to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks."

       (Gen 43:23 NRSV)  He replied, "Rest assured, do not be afraid; your 
       God and the God of your father must have put treasure in your sacks 
       for you; I received your money." Then he brought Simeon out to them.

       (Gen 43:24 NRSV)  When the steward had brought the men into Joseph's 
       house, and given them water, and they had washed their feet, and when 
       he had given their donkeys fodder,

       (Gen 43:25 NRSV)  they made the present ready for Joseph's coming at 
       noon, for they had heard that they would dine there.

       (Gen 43:26 NRSV)  When Joseph came home, they brought him the present 
       that they had carried into the house, and bowed to the ground before 
       him.

       (Gen 43:27 NRSV)  He inquired about their welfare, and said, "Is your 
       father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?"

       (Gen 43:28 NRSV)  They said, "Your servant our father is well; he is 
       still alive." And they bowed their heads and did obeisance.

       (Gen 43:29 NRSV)  Then he looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his 
       mother's son, and said, "Is this your youngest brother, of whom you 
       spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!"

       (Gen 43:30 NRSV)  With that, Joseph hurried out, because he was 
       overcome with affection for his brother, and he was about to weep. So 
       he went into a private room and wept there.






       (Gen 43:31 NRSV)  Then he washed his face and came out; and 
       controlling himself he said, "Serve the meal."

       (Gen 43:32 NRSV)  They served him by himself, and them by themselves, 
       and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the 
       Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination 
       to the Egyptians.

       (Gen 43:33 NRSV)  When they were seated before him, the firstborn 
       according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth, 
       the men looked at one another in amazement.

       (Gen 43:34 NRSV)  Portions were taken to them from Joseph's table, but 
       Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So they 
       drank and were merry with him.

       (Gen 44:1 NRSV)  Then he commanded the steward of his house, "Fill the 
       men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's 
       money in the top of his sack.

       (Gen 44:2 NRSV)  Put my cup, the silver cup, in the top of the sack of 
       the youngest, with his money for the grain." And he did as Joseph told 
       him.

       (Gen 44:3 NRSV)  As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent 
       away with their donkeys.

       (Gen 44:4 NRSV)  When they had gone only a short distance from the 
       city, Joseph said to his steward, "Go, follow after the men; and when 
       you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you returned evil for good? 
       Why have you stolen my silver cup?

       (Gen 44:5 NRSV)  Is it not from this that my lord drinks? Does he not 
       indeed use it for divination? You have done wrong in doing this.'"

       (Gen 44:6 NRSV)  When he overtook them, he repeated these words to 
       them.

       (Gen 44:7 NRSV)  They said to him, "Why does my lord speak such words 
       as these? Far be it from your servants that they should do such a 
       thing!

       (Gen 44:8 NRSV)  Look, the money that we found at the top of our 
       sacks, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan; why then would 
       we steal silver or gold from your lord's house?

       (Gen 44:9 NRSV)  Should it be found with any one of your servants, let 
       him die; moreover the rest of us will become my lord's slaves."

       (Gen 44:10 NRSV)  He said, "Even so; in accordance with your words, 
       let it be: he with whom it is found shall become my slave, but the 
       rest of you shall go free."

       (Gen 44:11 NRSV)  Then each one quickly lowered his sack to the 
       ground, and each opened his sack.






       (Gen 44:12 NRSV)  He searched, beginning with the eldest and ending 
       with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

       (Gen 44:13 NRSV)  At this they tore their clothes. Then each one 
       loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.

       (Gen 44:14 NRSV)  Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house while 
       he was still there; and they fell to the ground before him.

       (Gen 44:15 NRSV)  Joseph said to them, "What deed is this that you 
       have done? Do you not know that one such as I can practice 
       divination?"

       (Gen 44:16 NRSV)  And Judah said, "What can we say to my lord? What 
       can we speak? How can we clear ourselves? God has found out the guilt 
       of your servants; here we are then, my lord's slaves, both we and also 
       the one in whose possession the cup has been found."

       (Gen 44:17 NRSV)  But he said, "Far be it from me that I should do so! 
       Only the one in whose possession the cup was found shall be my slave; 
       but as for you, go up in peace to your father."

       (Gen 44:18 NRSV)  Then Judah stepped up to him and said, "O my lord, 
       let your servant please speak a word in my lord's ears, and do not be 
       angry with your servant; for you are like Pharaoh himself.

       (Gen 44:19 NRSV)  My lord asked his servants, saying, 'Have you a 
       father or a brother?'

       (Gen 44:20 NRSV)  And we said to my lord, 'We have a father, an old 
       man, and a young brother, the child of his old age. His brother is 
       dead; he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves 
       him.'

       (Gen 44:21 NRSV)  Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to 
       me, so that I may set my eyes on him.'

       (Gen 44:22 NRSV)  We said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his 
       father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'

       (Gen 44:23 NRSV)  Then you said to your servants, 'Unless your 
       youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.'

       (Gen 44:24 NRSV)  When we went back to your servant my father we told 
       him the words of my lord.

       (Gen 44:25 NRSV)  And when our father said, 'Go again, buy us a little 
       food,'

       (Gen 44:26 NRSV)  we said, 'We cannot go down. Only if our youngest 
       brother goes with us, will we go down; for we cannot see the man's 
       face unless our youngest brother is with us.'

       (Gen 44:27 NRSV)  Then your servant my father said to us, 'You know 
       that my wife bore me two sons;






       (Gen 44:28 NRSV)  one left me, and I said, Surely he has been torn to 
       pieces; and I have never seen him since.

       (Gen 44:29 NRSV)  If you take this one also from me, and harm comes to 
       him, you will bring down my gray hairs in sorrow to Sheol.'

       (Gen 44:30 NRSV)  Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father 
       and the boy is not with us, then, as his life is bound up in the boy's 
       life,

       (Gen 44:31 NRSV)  when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will 
       die; and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant 
       our father with sorrow to Sheol.

       (Gen 44:32 NRSV)  For your servant became surety for the boy to my 
       father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then I will bear 
       the blame in the sight of my father all my life.'

       (Gen 44:33 NRSV)  Now therefore, please let your servant remain as a 
       slave to my lord in place of the boy; and let the boy go back with his 
       brothers.

       (Gen 44:34 NRSV)  For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not 
       with me? I fear to see the suffering that would come upon my father."

       (Gen 45:1 NRSV)  Then Joseph could no longer control himself before 
       all those who stood by him, and he cried out, "Send everyone away from 
       me." So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his 
       brothers.

       (Gen 45:2 NRSV)  And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, 
       and the household of Pharaoh heard it.

       (Gen 45:3 NRSV)  Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph. Is my 
       father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him, so 
       dismayed were they at his presence.

       (Gen 45:4 NRSV)  Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come closer to 
       me." And they came closer. He said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom 
       you sold into Egypt.

       (Gen 45:5 NRSV)  And now do not be distressed, or angry with 
       yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to 
       preserve life.

       (Gen 45:6 NRSV)  For the famine has been in the land these two years; 
       and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing 
       nor harvest.

       (Gen 45:7 NRSV)  God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant 
       on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.

       (Gen 45:8 NRSV)  So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has 
       made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over 
       all the land of Egypt.






       (Gen 45:9 NRSV)  Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, 'Thus 
       says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to 
       me, do not delay.

       (Gen 45:10 NRSV)  You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you 
       shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, 
       as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have.

       (Gen 45:11 NRSV)  I will provide for you there--since there are five 
       more years of famine to come--so that you and your household, and all 
       that you have, will not come to poverty.'

       (Gen 45:12 NRSV)  And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother 
       Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you.

       (Gen 45:13 NRSV)  You must tell my father how greatly I am honored in 
       Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down 
       here."

       (Gen 45:14 NRSV)  Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and 
       wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck.

       (Gen 45:15 NRSV)  And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; 
       and after that his brothers talked with him.

       (Gen 45:16 NRSV)  When the report was heard in Pharaoh's house, 
       "Joseph's brothers have come," Pharaoh and his servants were pleased.

       (Gen 45:17 NRSV)  Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Say to your brothers, 'Do 
       this: load your animals and go back to the land of Canaan.

       (Gen 45:18 NRSV)  Take your father and your households and come to me, 
       so that I may give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you may 
       enjoy the fat of the land.'

       (Gen 45:19 NRSV)  You are further charged to say, 'Do this: take 
       wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, 
       and bring your father, and come.

       (Gen 45:20 NRSV)  Give no thought to your possessions, for the best of 
       all the land of Egypt is yours.'"

       (Gen 45:21 NRSV)  The sons of Israel did so. Joseph gave them wagons 
       according to the instruction of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions 
       for the journey.

       (Gen 45:22 NRSV)  To each one of them he gave a set of garments; but 
       to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five sets of 
       garments.

       (Gen 45:23 NRSV)  To his father he sent the following: ten donkeys 
       loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded 
       with grain, bread, and provision for his father on the journey.

       (Gen 45:24 NRSV)  Then he sent his brothers on their way, and as they 





       were leaving he said to them, "Do not quarrel along the way."

       (Gen 45:25 NRSV)  So they went up out of Egypt and came to their 
       father Jacob in the land of Canaan.

       (Gen 45:26 NRSV)  And they told him, "Joseph is still alive! He is 
       even ruler over all the land of Egypt." He was stunned; he could not 
       believe them.

       (Gen 45:27 NRSV)  But when they told him all the words of Joseph that 
       he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent 
       to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.

       (Gen 45:28 NRSV)  Israel said, "Enough! My son Joseph is still alive. 
       I must go and see him before I die."

       (Gen 46:1 NRSV)  When Israel set out on his journey with all that he 
       had and came to Beer-sheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his 
       father Isaac.

       (Gen 46:2 NRSV)  God spoke to Israel in visions of the night, and 
       said, "Jacob, Jacob." And he said, "Here I am."

       (Gen 46:3 NRSV)  Then he said, "I am God, the God of your father; do 
       not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great 
       nation there.

       (Gen 46:4 NRSV)  I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will 
       also bring you up again; and Joseph's own hand shall close your eyes."

       (Gen 46:5 NRSV)  Then Jacob set out from Beer-sheba; and the sons of 
       Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, 
       in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

       (Gen 46:6 NRSV)  They also took their livestock and the goods that 
       they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and they came into Egypt, 
       Jacob and all his offspring with him,

       (Gen 46:7 NRSV)  his sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, 
       and his sons' daughters; all his offspring he brought with him into 
       Egypt.

       (Gen 46:8 NRSV)  Now these are the names of the Israelites, Jacob and 
       his offspring, who came to Egypt. Reuben, Jacob's firstborn,

       (Gen 46:9 NRSV)  and the children of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, 
       and Carmi.

       (Gen 46:10 NRSV)  The children of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, 
       Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.

       (Gen 46:11 NRSV)  The children of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

       (Gen 46:12 NRSV)  The children of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and 
       Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan); and the children 
       of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.






       (Gen 46:13 NRSV)  The children of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, Jashub, and 
       Shimron.

       (Gen 46:14 NRSV)  The children of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel

       (Gen 46:15 NRSV)  (these are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob 
       in Paddan-aram, together with his daughter Dinah; in all his sons and 
       his daughters numbered thirty-three).

       (Gen 46:16 NRSV)  The children of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, 
       Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

       (Gen 46:17 NRSV)  The children of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, 
       and their sister Serah. The children of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel

       (Gen 46:18 NRSV)  (these are the children of Zilpah, whom Laban gave 
       to his daughter Leah; and these she bore to Jacob--sixteen persons).

       (Gen 46:19 NRSV)  The children of Jacob's wife Rachel: Joseph and 
       Benjamin.

       (Gen 46:20 NRSV)  To Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh 
       and Ephraim, whom Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to 
       him.

       (Gen 46:21 NRSV)  The children of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, 
       Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard

       (Gen 46:22 NRSV)  (these are the children of Rachel, who were born to 
       Jacob--fourteen persons in all).

       (Gen 46:23 NRSV)  The children of Dan: Hashum.

       (Gen 46:24 NRSV)  The children of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and 
       Shillem

       (Gen 46:25 NRSV)  (these are the children of Bilhah, whom Laban gave 
       to his daughter Rachel, and these she bore to Jacob--seven persons in 
       all).

       (Gen 46:26 NRSV)  All the persons belonging to Jacob who came into 
       Egypt, who were his own offspring, not including the wives of his 
       sons, were sixty-six persons in all.

       (Gen 46:27 NRSV)  The children of Joseph, who were born to him in 
       Egypt, were two; all the persons of the house of Jacob who came into 
       Egypt were seventy.

       (Gen 46:28 NRSV)  Israel sent Judah ahead to Joseph to lead the way 
       before him into Goshen. When they came to the land of Goshen,

       (Gen 46:29 NRSV)  Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to meet 
       his father Israel in Goshen. He presented himself to him, fell on his 
       neck, and wept on his neck a good while.





       (Gen 46:30 NRSV)  Israel said to Joseph, "I can die now, having seen 
       for myself that you are still alive."

       (Gen 46:31 NRSV)  Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's 
       household, "I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and will say to him, 'My 
       brothers and my father's household, who were in the land of Canaan, 
       have come to me.

       (Gen 46:32 NRSV)  The men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of 
       livestock; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and 
       all that they have.'

       (Gen 46:33 NRSV)  When Pharaoh calls you, and says, 'What is your 
       occupation?'

       (Gen 46:34 NRSV)  you shall say, 'Your servants have been keepers of 
       livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our 
       ancestors'--in order that you may settle in the land of Goshen, 
       because all shepherds are abhorrent to the Egyptians."

       (Gen 47:1 NRSV)  So Joseph went and told Pharaoh, "My father and my 
       brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have 
       come from the land of Canaan; they are now in the land of Goshen."

       (Gen 47:2 NRSV)  From among his brothers he took five men and 
       presented them to Pharaoh.

       (Gen 47:3 NRSV)  Pharaoh said to his brothers, "What is your 
       occupation?" And they said to Pharaoh, "Your servants are shepherds, 
       as our ancestors were."

       (Gen 47:4 NRSV)  They said to Pharaoh, "We have come to reside as 
       aliens in the land; for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks 
       because the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now, we ask you, 
       let your servants settle in the land of Goshen."

       (Gen 47:5 NRSV)  Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Your father and your 
       brothers have come to you.

       (Gen 47:6 NRSV)  The land of Egypt is before you; settle your father 
       and your brothers in the best part of the land; let them live in the 
       land of Goshen; and if you know that there are capable men among them, 
       put them in charge of my livestock."

       (Gen 47:7 NRSV)  Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob, and 
       presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

       (Gen 47:8 NRSV)  Pharaoh said to Jacob, "How many are the years of 
       your life?"

       (Gen 47:9 NRSV)  Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The years of my earthly 
       sojourn are one hundred thirty; few and hard have been the years of my 
       life. They do not compare with the years of the life of my ancestors 
       during their long sojourn."

       (Gen 47:10 NRSV)  Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the 





       presence of Pharaoh.

       (Gen 47:11 NRSV)  Joseph settled his father and his brothers, and 
       granted them a holding in the land of Egypt, in the best part of the 
       land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had instructed.

       (Gen 47:12 NRSV)  And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and 
       all his father's household with food, according to the number of their 
       dependents.

       (Gen 47:13 NRSV)  Now there was no food in all the land, for the 
       famine was very severe. The land of Egypt and the land of Canaan 
       languished because of the famine.

       (Gen 47:14 NRSV)  Joseph collected all the money to be found in the 
       land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, in exchange for the grain 
       that they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.

       (Gen 47:15 NRSV)  When the money from the land of Egypt and from the 
       land of Canaan was spent, all the Egyptians came to Joseph, and said, 
       "Give us food! Why should we die before your eyes? For our money is 
       gone."

       (Gen 47:16 NRSV)  And Joseph answered, "Give me your livestock, and I 
       will give you food in exchange for your livestock, if your money is 
       gone."

       (Gen 47:17 NRSV)  So they brought their livestock to Joseph; and 
       Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the 
       herds, and the donkeys. That year he supplied them with food in 
       exchange for all their livestock.

       (Gen 47:18 NRSV)  When that year was ended, they came to him the 
       following year, and said to him, "We can not hide from my lord that 
       our money is all spent; and the herds of cattle are my lord's. There 
       is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands.

       (Gen 47:19 NRSV)  Shall we die before your eyes, both we and our land? 
       Buy us and our land in exchange for food. We with our land will become 
       slaves to Pharaoh; just give us seed, so that we may live and not die, 
       and that the land may not become desolate."

       (Gen 47:20 NRSV)  So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. 
       All the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine was severe 
       upon them; and the land became Pharaoh's.

       (Gen 47:21 NRSV)  As for the people, he made slaves of them from one 
       end of Egypt to the other.

       (Gen 47:22 NRSV)  Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the 
       priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh, and lived on the allowance 
       that Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their land.

       (Gen 47:23 NRSV)  Then Joseph said to the people, "Now that I have 
       this day bought you and your land for Pharaoh, here is seed for you; 
       sow the land.






       (Gen 47:24 NRSV)  And at the harvests you shall give one-fifth to 
       Pharaoh, and four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and 
       as food for yourselves and your households, and as food for your 
       little ones."

       (Gen 47:25 NRSV)  They said, "You have saved our lives; may it please 
       my lord, we will be slaves to Pharaoh."

       (Gen 47:26 NRSV)  So Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of 
       Egypt, and it stands to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth. 
       The land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh's.

       (Gen 47:27 NRSV)  Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the 
       region of Goshen; and they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful 
       and multiplied exceedingly.

       (Gen 47:28 NRSV)  Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so 
       the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were one hundred forty-seven 
       years.

       (Gen 47:29 NRSV)  When the time of Israel's death drew near, he called 
       his son Joseph and said to him, "If I have found favor with you, put 
       your hand under my thigh and promise to deal loyally and truly with 
       me. Do not bury me in Egypt.

       (Gen 47:30 NRSV)  When I lie down with my ancestors, carry me out of 
       Egypt and bury me in their burial place." He answered, "I will do as 
       you have said."

       (Gen 47:31 NRSV)  And he said, "Swear to me"; and he swore to him. 
       Then Israel bowed himself on the head of his bed.

       (Gen 48:1 NRSV)  After this Joseph was told, "Your father is ill." So 
       he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

       (Gen 48:2 NRSV)  When Jacob was told, "Your son Joseph has come to 
       you," he summoned his strength and sat up in bed.

       (Gen 48:3 NRSV)  And Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to 
       me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and he blessed me,

       (Gen 48:4 NRSV)  and said to me, 'I am going to make you fruitful and 
       increase your numbers; I will make of you a company of peoples, and 
       will give this land to your offspring after you for a perpetual 
       holding.'

       (Gen 48:5 NRSV)  Therefore your two sons, who were born to you in the 
       land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are now mine; Ephraim and 
       Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are.

       (Gen 48:6 NRSV)  As for the offspring born to you after them, they 
       shall be yours. They shall be recorded under the names of their 
       brothers with regard to their inheritance.

       (Gen 48:7 NRSV)  For when I came from Paddan, Rachel, alas, died in 





       the land of Canaan on the way, while there was still some distance to 
       go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath" (that is, 
       Bethlehem).

       (Gen 48:8 NRSV)  When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, "Who are 
       these?"

       (Gen 48:9 NRSV)  Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom 
       God has given me here." And he said, "Bring them to me, please, that I 
       may bless them."

       (Gen 48:10 NRSV)  Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, and he 
       could not see well. So Joseph brought them near him; and he kissed 
       them and embraced them.

       (Gen 48:11 NRSV)  Israel said to Joseph, "I did not expect to see your 
       face; and here God has let me see your children also."

       (Gen 48:12 NRSV)  Then Joseph removed them from his father's knees, 
       and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.

       (Gen 48:13 NRSV)  Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand 
       toward Israel's left, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's 
       right, and brought them near him.

       (Gen 48:14 NRSV)  But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it 
       on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the 
       head of Manasseh, crossing his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn.

       (Gen 48:15 NRSV)  He blessed Joseph, and said, "The God before whom my 
       ancestors Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd 
       all my life to this day,

       (Gen 48:16 NRSV)  the angel who has redeemed me from all harm, bless 
       the boys; and in them let my name be perpetuated, and the name of my 
       ancestors Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude on the 
       earth."

       (Gen 48:17 NRSV)  When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand 
       on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took his father's 
       hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.

       (Gen 48:18 NRSV)  Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father! Since 
       this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head."

       (Gen 48:19 NRSV)  But his father refused, and said, "I know, my son, I 
       know; he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. 
       Nevertheless his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his 
       offspring shall become a multitude of nations."

       (Gen 48:20 NRSV)  So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel 
       will invoke blessings, saying, 'God make you like Ephraim and like 
       Manasseh.'" So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

       (Gen 48:21 NRSV)  Then Israel said to Joseph, "I am about to die, but 
       God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your 





       ancestors.

       (Gen 48:22 NRSV)  I now give to you one portion more than to your 
       brothers, the portion that I took from the hand of the Amorites with 
       my sword and with my bow."

       (Gen 49:1 NRSV)  Then Jacob called his sons, and said: "Gather around, 
       that I may tell you what will happen to you in days to come.

       (Gen 49:2 NRSV)  Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob; listen to Israel 
       your father.

       (Gen 49:3 NRSV)  Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the first 
       fruits of my vigor, excelling in rank and excelling in power.

       (Gen 49:4 NRSV)  Unstable as water, you shall no longer excel because 
       you went up onto your father's bed; then you defiled it--you went up 
       onto my couch!

       (Gen 49:5 NRSV)  Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are 
       their swords.

       (Gen 49:6 NRSV)  May I never come into their council; may I not be 
       joined to their company-- for in their anger they killed men, and at 
       their whim they hamstrung oxen.

       (Gen 49:7 NRSV)  Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their 
       wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them 
       in Israel.

       (Gen 49:8 NRSV)  Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand 
       shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons shall bow 
       down before you.

       (Gen 49:9 NRSV)  Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, you 
       have gone up. He crouches down, he stretches out like a lion, like a 
       lioness--who dares rouse him up?

       (Gen 49:10 NRSV)  The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the 
       ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and 
       the obedience of the peoples is his.

       (Gen 49:11 NRSV)  Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey's colt 
       to the choice vine, he washes his garments in wine and his robe in the 
       blood of grapes;

       (Gen 49:12 NRSV)  his eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter 
       than milk.

       (Gen 49:13 NRSV)  Zebulun shall settle at the shore of the sea; he 
       shall be a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.

       (Gen 49:14 NRSV)  Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the 
       sheepfolds;

       (Gen 49:15 NRSV)  he saw that a resting place was good, and that the 





       land was pleasant; so he bowed his shoulder to the burden, and became 
       a slave at forced labor.

       (Gen 49:16 NRSV)  Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of 
       Israel.

       (Gen 49:17 NRSV)  Dan shall be a snake by the roadside, a viper along 
       the path, that bites the horse's heels so that its rider falls 
       backward.

       (Gen 49:18 NRSV)  I wait for your salvation, O LORD.

       (Gen 49:19 NRSV)  Gad shall be raided by raiders, but he shall raid at 
       their heels.

       (Gen 49:20 NRSV)  Asher's food shall be rich, and he shall provide 
       royal delicacies.

       (Gen 49:21 NRSV)  Naphtali is a doe let loose that bears lovely fawns.

       (Gen 49:22 NRSV)  Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a 
       spring; his branches run over the wall.

       (Gen 49:23 NRSV)  The archers fiercely attacked him; they shot at him 
       and pressed him hard.

       (Gen 49:24 NRSV)  Yet his bow remained taut, and his arms were made 
       agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the name of the 
       Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

       (Gen 49:25 NRSV)  by the God of your father, who will help you, by the 
       Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings 
       of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the 
       womb.

       (Gen 49:26 NRSV)  The blessings of your father are stronger than the 
       blessings of the eternal mountains, the bounties of the everlasting 
       hills; may they be on the head of Joseph, on the brow of him who was 
       set apart from his brothers.

       (Gen 49:27 NRSV)  Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning 
       devouring the prey, and at evening dividing the spoil."

       (Gen 49:28 NRSV)  All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this 
       is what their father said to them when he blessed them, blessing each 
       one of them with a suitable blessing.

       (Gen 49:29 NRSV)  Then he charged them, saying to them, "I am about to 
       be gathered to my people. Bury me with my ancestors--in the cave in 
       the field of Ephron the Hittite,

       (Gen 49:30 NRSV)  in the cave in the field at Machpelah, near Mamre, 
       in the land of Canaan, in the field that Abraham bought from Ephron 
       the Hittite as a burial site.

       (Gen 49:31 NRSV)  There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried; there 





       Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried; and there I buried Leah--

       (Gen 49:32 NRSV)  the field and the cave that is in it were purchased 
       from the Hittites."

       (Gen 49:33 NRSV)  When Jacob ended his charge to his sons, he drew up 
       his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his 
       people.

       (Gen 50:1 NRSV)  Then Joseph threw himself on his father's face and 
       wept over him and kissed him.

       (Gen 50:2 NRSV)  Joseph commanded the physicians in his service to 
       embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel;

       (Gen 50:3 NRSV)  they spent forty days in doing this, for that is the 
       time required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy 
       days.

       (Gen 50:4 NRSV)  When the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph 
       addressed the household of Pharaoh, "If now I have found favor with 
       you, please speak to Pharaoh as follows:

       (Gen 50:5 NRSV)  My father made me swear an oath; he said, 'I am about 
       to die. In the tomb that I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, 
       there you shall bury me.' Now therefore let me go up, so that I may 
       bury my father; then I will return."

       (Gen 50:6 NRSV)  Pharaoh answered, "Go up, and bury your father, as he 
       made you swear to do."

       (Gen 50:7 NRSV)  So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went 
       up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all 
       the elders of the land of Egypt,

       (Gen 50:8 NRSV)  as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, 
       and his father's household. Only their children, their flocks, and 
       their herds were left in the land of Goshen.

       (Gen 50:9 NRSV)  Both chariots and charioteers went up with him. It 
       was a very great company.

       (Gen 50:10 NRSV)  When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which 
       is beyond the Jordan, they held there a very great and sorrowful 
       lamentation; and he observed a time of mourning for his father seven 
       days.

       (Gen 50:11 NRSV)  When the Canaanite inhabitants of the land saw the 
       mourning on the threshing floor of Atad, they said, "This is a 
       grievous mourning on the part of the Egyptians." Therefore the place 
       was named Abel-mizraim; it is beyond the Jordan.

       (Gen 50:12 NRSV)  Thus his sons did for him as he had instructed them.

       (Gen 50:13 NRSV)  They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried 
       him in the cave of the field at Machpelah, the field near Mamre, which 





       Abraham bought as a burial site from Ephron the Hittite.

       (Gen 50:14 NRSV)  After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to 
       Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his 
       father.

       (Gen 50:15 NRSV)  Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph's 
       brothers said, "What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and 
       pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?"

       (Gen 50:16 NRSV)  So they approached Joseph, saying, "Your father gave 
       this instruction before he died,

       (Gen 50:17 NRSV)  'Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your 
       brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.' Now therefore please 
       forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father." Joseph 
       wept when they spoke to him.

       (Gen 50:18 NRSV)  Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, 
       and said, "We are here as your slaves."

       (Gen 50:19 NRSV)  But Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid! Am I in 
       the place of God?

       (Gen 50:20 NRSV)  Even though you intended to do harm to me, God 
       intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is 
       doing today.

       (Gen 50:21 NRSV)  So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and 
       your little ones." In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to 
       them.

       (Gen 50:22 NRSV)  So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father's 
       household; and Joseph lived one hundred ten years.

       (Gen 50:23 NRSV)  Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third 
       generation; the children of Machir son of Manasseh were also born on 
       Joseph's knees.

       (Gen 50:24 NRSV)  Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to 
       die; but God will surely come to you, and bring you up out of this 
       land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob."

       (Gen 50:25 NRSV)  So Joseph made the Israelites swear, saying, "When 
       God comes to you, you shall carry up my bones from here."

       (Gen 50:26 NRSV)  And Joseph died, being one hundred ten years old; he 
       was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.

       (Exo 1:1 NRSV)  These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to 
       Egypt with Jacob, each with his household:

       (Exo 1:2 NRSV)  Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

       (Exo 1:3 NRSV)  Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,





       (Exo 1:4 NRSV)  Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

       (Exo 1:5 NRSV)  The total number of people born to Jacob was seventy. 
       Joseph was already in Egypt.

       (Exo 1:6 NRSV)  Then Joseph died, and all his brothers, and that whole 
       generation.

       (Exo 1:7 NRSV)  But the Israelites were fruitful and prolific; they 
       multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled 
       with them.

       (Exo 1:8 NRSV)  Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know 
       Joseph.

       (Exo 1:9 NRSV)  He said to his people, "Look, the Israelite people are 
       more numerous and more powerful than we.

       (Exo 1:10 NRSV)  Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will 
       increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against 
       us and escape from the land."

       (Exo 1:11 NRSV)  Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress 
       them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, 
       for Pharaoh.

       (Exo 1:12 NRSV)  But the more they were oppressed, the more they 
       multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the 
       Israelites.

       (Exo 1:13 NRSV)  The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on 
       the Israelites,

       (Exo 1:14 NRSV)  and made their lives bitter with hard service in 
       mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless 
       in all the tasks that they imposed on them.

       (Exo 1:15 NRSV)  The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of 
       whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah,

       (Exo 1:16 NRSV)  "When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and 
       see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a 
       girl, she shall live."

       (Exo 1:17 NRSV)  But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the 
       king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live.

       (Exo 1:18 NRSV)  So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said 
       to them, "Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?"

       (Exo 1:19 NRSV)  The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew 
       women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give 
       birth before the midwife comes to them."

       (Exo 1:20 NRSV)  So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people 
       multiplied and became very strong.






       (Exo 1:21 NRSV)  And because the midwives feared God, he gave them 
       families.

       (Exo 1:22 NRSV)  Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, "Every boy 
       that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you 
       shall let every girl live."

       (Exo 2:1 NRSV)  Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a 
       Levite woman.

       (Exo 2:2 NRSV)  The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw 
       that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months.

       (Exo 2:3 NRSV)  When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus 
       basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the 
       child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river.

       (Exo 2:4 NRSV)  His sister stood at a distance, to see what would 
       happen to him.

       (Exo 2:5 NRSV)  The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the 
       river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the 
       basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it.

       (Exo 2:6 NRSV)  When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, 
       and she took pity on him, "This must be one of the Hebrews' children," 
       she said.

       (Exo 2:7 NRSV)  Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I 
       go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for 
       you?"

       (Exo 2:8 NRSV)  Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Yes." So the girl 
       went and called the child's mother.

       (Exo 2:9 NRSV)  Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child and 
       nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took 
       the child and nursed it.

       (Exo 2:10 NRSV)  When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's 
       daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, "because," 
       she said, "I drew him out of the water."

       (Exo 2:11 NRSV)  One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his 
       people and saw their forced labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a 
       Hebrew, one of his kinsfolk.

       (Exo 2:12 NRSV)  He looked this way and that, and seeing no one he 
       killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

       (Exo 2:13 NRSV)  When he went out the next day, he saw two Hebrews 
       fighting; and he said to the one who was in the wrong, "Why do you 
       strike your fellow Hebrew?"

       (Exo 2:14 NRSV)  He answered, "Who made you a ruler and judge over us? 





       Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was 
       afraid and thought, "Surely the thing is known."

       (Exo 2:15 NRSV)  When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. 
       But Moses fled from Pharaoh. He settled in the land of Midian, and sat 
       down by a well.

       (Exo 2:16 NRSV)  The priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came 
       to draw water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.

       (Exo 2:17 NRSV)  But some shepherds came and drove them away. Moses 
       got up and came to their defense and watered their flock.

       (Exo 2:18 NRSV)  When they returned to their father Reuel, he said, 
       "How is it that you have come back so soon today?"

       (Exo 2:19 NRSV)  They said, "An Egyptian helped us against the 
       shepherds; he even drew water for us and watered the flock."

       (Exo 2:20 NRSV)  He said to his daughters, "Where is he? Why did you 
       leave the man? Invite him to break bread."

       (Exo 2:21 NRSV)  Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave Moses 
       his daughter Zipporah in marriage.

       (Exo 2:22 NRSV)  She bore a son, and he named him Gershom; for he 
       said, "I have been an alien residing in a foreign land."

       (Exo 2:23 NRSV)  After a long time the king of Egypt died. The 
       Israelites groaned under their slavery, and cried out. Out of the 
       slavery their cry for help rose up to God.

       (Exo 2:24 NRSV)  God heard their groaning, and God remembered his 
       covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

       (Exo 2:25 NRSV)  God looked upon the Israelites, and God took notice 
       of them.

       (Exo 3:1 NRSV)  Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law 
       Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, 
       and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

       (Exo 3:2 NRSV)  There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame 
       of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was 
       not consumed.

       (Exo 3:3 NRSV)  Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this 
       great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up."

       (Exo 3:4 NRSV)  When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God 
       called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I 
       am."

       (Exo 3:5 NRSV)  Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from 
       your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground."





       (Exo 3:6 NRSV)  He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God 
       of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his 
       face, for he was afraid to look at God.

       (Exo 3:7 NRSV)  Then the LORD said, "I have observed the misery of my 
       people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their 
       taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings,

       (Exo 3:8 NRSV)  and I have come down to deliver them from the 
       Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad 
       land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the 
       Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, 
       and the Jebusites.

       (Exo 3:9 NRSV)  The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have 
       also seen how the Egyptians oppress them.

       (Exo 3:10 NRSV)  So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my 
       people, the Israelites, out of Egypt."

       (Exo 3:11 NRSV)  But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to 
       Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"

       (Exo 3:12 NRSV)  He said, "I will be with you; and this shall be the 
       sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the 
       people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain."

       (Exo 3:13 NRSV)  But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites 
       and say to them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and 
       they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?"

       (Exo 3:14 NRSV)  God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." He said further, 
       "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"

       (Exo 3:15 NRSV)  God also said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the 
       Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, 
       the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you': This is 
       my name forever, and this my title for all generations.

       (Exo 3:16 NRSV)  Go and assemble the elders of Israel, and say to 
       them, 'The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, of 
       Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying: I have given heed to 
       you and to what has been done to you in Egypt.

       (Exo 3:17 NRSV)  I declare that I will bring you up out of the misery 
       of Egypt, to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, 
       the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with 
       milk and honey.'

       (Exo 3:18 NRSV)  They will listen to your voice; and you and the 
       elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The 
       LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; let us now go a three 
       days' journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the 
       LORD our God.'

       (Exo 3:19 NRSV)  I know, however, that the king of Egypt will not let 





       you go unless compelled by a mighty hand.

       (Exo 3:20 NRSV)  So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with 
       all my wonders that I will perform in it; after that he will let you 
       go.

       (Exo 3:21 NRSV)  I will bring this people into such favor with the 
       Egyptians that, when you go, you will not go empty-handed;

       (Exo 3:22 NRSV)  each woman shall ask her neighbor and any woman 
       living in the neighbor's house for jewelry of silver and of gold, and 
       clothing, and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters; 
       and so you shall plunder the Egyptians."

       (Exo 4:1 NRSV)  Then Moses answered, "But suppose they do not believe 
       me or listen to me, but say, 'The LORD did not appear to you.'"

       (Exo 4:2 NRSV)  The LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He 
       said, "A staff."

       (Exo 4:3 NRSV)  And he said, "Throw it on the ground." So he threw the 
       staff on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moses drew back from 
       it.

       (Exo 4:4 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Reach out your hand, and 
       seize it by the tail"--so he reached out his hand and grasped it, and 
       it became a staff in his hand--

       (Exo 4:5 NRSV)  "so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of 
       their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of 
       Jacob, has appeared to you."

       (Exo 4:6 NRSV)  Again, the LORD said to him, "Put your hand inside 
       your cloak." He put his hand into his cloak; and when he took it out, 
       his hand was leprous, as white as snow.

       (Exo 4:7 NRSV)  Then God said, "Put your hand back into your 
       cloak"--so he put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it 
       out, it was restored like the rest of his body--

       (Exo 4:8 NRSV)  "If they will not believe you or heed the first sign, 
       they may believe the second sign.

       (Exo 4:9 NRSV)  If they will not believe even these two signs or heed 
       you, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry 
       ground; and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become 
       blood on the dry ground."

       (Exo 4:10 NRSV)  But Moses said to the LORD, "O my Lord, I have never 
       been eloquent, neither in the past nor even now that you have spoken 
       to your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue."

       (Exo 4:11 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to him, "Who gives speech to 
       mortals? Who makes them mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, 
       the LORD?





       (Exo 4:12 NRSV)  Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you 
       what you are to speak."

       (Exo 4:13 NRSV)  But he said, "O my Lord, please send someone else."

       (Exo 4:14 NRSV)  Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses 
       and he said, "What of your brother Aaron, the Levite? I know that he 
       can speak fluently; even now he is coming out to meet you, and when he 
       sees you his heart will be glad.

       (Exo 4:15 NRSV)  You shall speak to him and put the words in his 
       mouth; and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and will 
       teach you what you shall do.

       (Exo 4:16 NRSV)  He indeed shall speak for you to the people; he shall 
       serve as a mouth for you, and you shall serve as God for him.

       (Exo 4:17 NRSV)  Take in your hand this staff, with which you shall 
       perform the signs."

       (Exo 4:18 NRSV)  Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said 
       to him, "Please let me go back to my kindred in Egypt and see whether 
       they are still living." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."

       (Exo 4:19 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt; 
       for all those who were seeking your life are dead."

       (Exo 4:20 NRSV)  So Moses took his wife and his sons, put them on a 
       donkey and went back to the land of Egypt; and Moses carried the staff 
       of God in his hand.

       (Exo 4:21 NRSV)  And the LORD said to Moses, "When you go back to 
       Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have 
       put in your power; but I will harden his heart, so that he will not 
       let the people go.

       (Exo 4:22 NRSV)  Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD: 
       Israel is my firstborn son.

       (Exo 4:23 NRSV)  I said to you, "Let my son go that he may worship 
       me." But you refused to let him go; now I will kill your firstborn 
       son.'"

       (Exo 4:24 NRSV)  On the way, at a place where they spent the night, 
       the LORD met him and tried to kill him.

       (Exo 4:25 NRSV)  But Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's 
       foreskin, and touched Moses' feet with it, and said, "Truly you are a 
       bridegroom of blood to me!"

       (Exo 4:26 NRSV)  So he let him alone. It was then she said, "A 
       bridegroom of blood by circumcision."

       (Exo 4:27 NRSV)  The LORD said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to 
       meet Moses." So he went; and he met him at the mountain of God and 
       kissed him.






       (Exo 4:28 NRSV)  Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD with which 
       he had sent him, and all the signs with which he had charged him.

       (Exo 4:29 NRSV)  Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the 
       elders of the Israelites.

       (Exo 4:30 NRSV)  Aaron spoke all the words that the LORD had spoken to 
       Moses, and performed the signs in the sight of the people.

       (Exo 4:31 NRSV)  The people believed; and when they heard that the 
       LORD had given heed to the Israelites and that he had seen their 
       misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

       (Exo 5:1 NRSV)  Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, 
       "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Let my people go, so that 
       they may celebrate a festival to me in the wilderness.'"

       (Exo 5:2 NRSV)  But Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should heed 
       him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let 
       Israel go."

       (Exo 5:3 NRSV)  Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has revealed 
       himself to us; let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness to 
       sacrifice to the LORD our God, or he will fall upon us with pestilence 
       or sword."

       (Exo 5:4 NRSV)  But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, 
       why are you taking the people away from their work? Get to your 
       labors!"

       (Exo 5:5 NRSV)  Pharaoh continued, "Now they are more numerous than 
       the people of the land and yet you want them to stop working!"

       (Exo 5:6 NRSV)  That same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the 
       people, as well as their supervisors,

       (Exo 5:7 NRSV)  "You shall no longer give the people straw to make 
       bricks, as before; let them go and gather straw for themselves.

       (Exo 5:8 NRSV)  But you shall require of them the same quantity of 
       bricks as they have made previously; do not diminish it, for they are 
       lazy; that is why they cry, 'Let us go and offer sacrifice to our 
       God.'

       (Exo 5:9 NRSV)  Let heavier work be laid on them; then they will labor 
       at it and pay no attention to deceptive words."

       (Exo 5:10 NRSV)  So the taskmasters and the supervisors of the people 
       went out and said to the people, "Thus says Pharaoh, 'I will not give 
       you straw.

       (Exo 5:11 NRSV)  Go and get straw yourselves, wherever you can find 
       it; but your work will not be lessened in the least.'"

       (Exo 5:12 NRSV)  So the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt, 





       to gather stubble for straw.

       (Exo 5:13 NRSV)  The taskmasters were urgent, saying, "Complete your 
       work, the same daily assignment as when you were given straw."

       (Exo 5:14 NRSV)  And the supervisors of the Israelites, whom Pharaoh's 
       taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and were asked, "Why did 
       you not finish the required quantity of bricks yesterday and today, as 
       you did before?"

       (Exo 5:15 NRSV)  Then the Israelite supervisors came to Pharaoh and 
       cried, "Why do you treat your servants like this?

       (Exo 5:16 NRSV)  No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to 
       us, 'Make bricks!' Look how your servants are beaten! You are unjust 
       to your own people."

       (Exo 5:17 NRSV)  He said, "You are lazy, lazy; that is why you say, 
       'Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.'

       (Exo 5:18 NRSV)  Go now, and work; for no straw shall be given you, 
       but you shall still deliver the same number of bricks."

       (Exo 5:19 NRSV)  The Israelite supervisors saw that they were in 
       trouble when they were told, "You shall not lessen your daily number 
       of bricks."

       (Exo 5:20 NRSV)  As they left Pharaoh, they came upon Moses and Aaron 
       who were waiting to meet them.

       (Exo 5:21 NRSV)  They said to them, "The LORD look upon you and judge! 
       You have brought us into bad odor with Pharaoh and his officials, and 
       have put a sword in their hand to kill us."

       (Exo 5:22 NRSV)  Then Moses turned again to the LORD and said, "O 
       LORD, why have you mistreated this people? Why did you ever send me?

       (Exo 5:23 NRSV)  Since I first came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, 
       he has mistreated this people, and you have done nothing at all to 
       deliver your people."

       (Exo 6:1 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you shall see what I 
       will do to Pharaoh: Indeed, by a mighty hand he will let them go; by a 
       mighty hand he will drive them out of his land."

       (Exo 6:2 NRSV)  God also spoke to Moses and said to him: "I am the 
       LORD.

       (Exo 6:3 NRSV)  I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God 
       Almighty, but by my name 'The LORD' I did not make myself known to 
       them.

       (Exo 6:4 NRSV)  I also established my covenant with them, to give them 
       the land of Canaan, the land in which they resided as aliens.

       (Exo 6:5 NRSV)  I have also heard the groaning of the Israelites whom 





       the Egyptians are holding as slaves, and I have remembered my 
       covenant.

       (Exo 6:6 NRSV)  Say therefore to the Israelites, 'I am the LORD, and I 
       will free you from the burdens of the Egyptians and deliver you from 
       slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with 
       mighty acts of judgment.

       (Exo 6:7 NRSV)  I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. 
       You shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has freed you from the 
       burdens of the Egyptians.

       (Exo 6:8 NRSV)  I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to 
       Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; I will give it to you for a possession. I 
       am the LORD.'"

       (Exo 6:9 NRSV)  Moses told this to the Israelites; but they would not 
       listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and their cruel 
       slavery.

       (Exo 6:10 NRSV)  Then the LORD spoke to Moses,

       (Exo 6:11 NRSV)  "Go and tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the 
       Israelites go out of his land."

       (Exo 6:12 NRSV)  But Moses spoke to the LORD, "The Israelites have not 
       listened to me; how then shall Pharaoh listen to me, poor speaker that 
       I am?"

       (Exo 6:13 NRSV)  Thus the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them 
       orders regarding the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, charging 
       them to free the Israelites from the land of Egypt.

       (Exo 6:14 NRSV)  The following are the heads of their ancestral 
       houses: the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, 
       Hezron, and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben.

       (Exo 6:15 NRSV)  The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, 
       Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families 
       of Simeon.

       (Exo 6:16 NRSV)  The following are the names of the sons of Levi 
       according to their genealogies: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, and the 
       length of Levi's life was one hundred thirty-seven years.

       (Exo 6:17 NRSV)  The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, by their 
       families.

       (Exo 6:18 NRSV)  The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, 
       and the length of Kohath's life was one hundred thirty-three years.

       (Exo 6:19 NRSV)  The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the 
       families of the Levites according to their genealogies.

       (Exo 6:20 NRSV)  Amram married Jochebed his father's sister and she 
       bore him Aaron and Moses, and the length of Amram's life was one 





       hundred thirty-seven years.

       (Exo 6:21 NRSV)  The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.

       (Exo 6:22 NRSV)  The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.

       (Exo 6:23 NRSV)  Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab and 
       sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and 
       Ithamar.

       (Exo 6:24 NRSV)  The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph; 
       these are the families of the Korahites.

       (Exo 6:25 NRSV)  Aaron's son Eleazar married one of the daughters of 
       Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the 
       ancestral houses of the Levites by their families.

       (Exo 6:26 NRSV)  It was this same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD 
       said, "Bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, company by 
       company."

       (Exo 6:27 NRSV)  It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt to 
       bring the Israelites out of Egypt, the same Moses and Aaron.

       (Exo 6:28 NRSV)  On the day when the LORD spoke to Moses in the land 
       of Egypt,

       (Exo 6:29 NRSV)  he said to him, "I am the LORD; tell Pharaoh king of 
       Egypt all that I am speaking to you."

       (Exo 6:30 NRSV)  But Moses said in the Lord's presence, "Since I am a 
       poor speaker, why would Pharaoh listen to me?"

       (Exo 7:1 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses, "See, I have made you like God 
       to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.

       (Exo 7:2 NRSV)  You shall speak all that I command you, and your 
       brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his 
       land.

       (Exo 7:3 NRSV)  But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and I will multiply 
       my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.

       (Exo 7:4 NRSV)  When Pharaoh does not listen to you, I will lay my 
       hand upon Egypt and bring my people the Israelites, company by 
       company, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.

       (Exo 7:5 NRSV)  The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I 
       stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out from 
       among them."

       (Exo 7:6 NRSV)  Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the LORD 
       commanded them.

       (Exo 7:7 NRSV)  Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when 
       they spoke to Pharaoh.






       (Exo 7:8 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,

       (Exo 7:9 NRSV)  "When Pharaoh says to you, 'Perform a wonder,' then 
       you shall say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and throw it down before 
       Pharaoh, and it will become a snake.'"

       (Exo 7:10 NRSV)  So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did as the 
       LORD had commanded; Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his 
       officials, and it became a snake.

       (Exo 7:11 NRSV)  Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers; 
       and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same by their secret 
       arts.

       (Exo 7:12 NRSV)  Each one threw down his staff, and they became 
       snakes; but Aaron's staff swallowed up theirs.

       (Exo 7:13 NRSV)  Still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not 
       listen to them, as the LORD had said.

       (Exo 7:14 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Pharaoh's heart is 
       hardened; he refuses to let the people go.

       (Exo 7:15 NRSV)  Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to 
       the water; stand by at the river bank to meet him, and take in your 
       hand the staff that was turned into a snake.

       (Exo 7:16 NRSV)  Say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent 
       me to you to say, "Let my people go, so that they may worship me in 
       the wilderness." But until now you have not listened.'

       (Exo 7:17 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD, "By this you shall know that I am 
       the LORD." See, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the 
       water that is in the Nile, and it shall be turned to blood.

       (Exo 7:18 NRSV)  The fish in the river shall die, the river itself 
       shall stink, and the Egyptians shall be unable to drink water from the 
       Nile.'"

       (Exo 7:19 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Take your 
       staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt--over its 
       rivers, its canals, and its ponds, and all its pools of water--so that 
       they may become blood; and there shall be blood throughout the whole 
       land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.'"

       (Exo 7:20 NRSV)  Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD commanded. In 
       the sight of Pharaoh and of his officials he lifted up the staff and 
       struck the water in the river, and all the water in the river was 
       turned into blood,

       (Exo 7:21 NRSV)  and the fish in the river died. The river stank so 
       that the Egyptians could not drink its water, and there was blood 
       throughout the whole land of Egypt.

       (Exo 7:22 NRSV)  But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their 





       secret arts; so Pharaoh's heart remained hardened, and he would not 
       listen to them; as the LORD had said.

       (Exo 7:23 NRSV)  Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did 
       not take even this to heart.

       (Exo 7:24 NRSV)  And all the Egyptians had to dig along the Nile for 
       water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the river.

       (Exo 7:25 NRSV)  Seven days passed after the LORD had struck the Nile.

       (Exo 8:1 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to 
       him, 'Thus says the LORD: Let my people go, so that they may worship 
       me.

       (Exo 8:2 NRSV)  If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole 
       country with frogs.

       (Exo 8:3 NRSV)  The river shall swarm with frogs; they shall come up 
       into your palace, into your bedchamber and your bed, and into the 
       houses of your officials and of your people, and into your ovens and 
       your kneading bowls.

       (Exo 8:4 NRSV)  The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and 
       on all your officials.'"

       (Exo 8:5 NRSV)  And the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch 
       out your hand with your staff over the rivers, the canals, and the 
       pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.'"

       (Exo 8:6 NRSV)  So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of 
       Egypt; and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

       (Exo 8:7 NRSV)  But the magicians did the same by their secret arts, 
       and brought frogs up on the land of Egypt.

       (Exo 8:8 NRSV)  Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and said, "Pray 
       to the LORD to take away the frogs from me and my people, and I will 
       let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD."

       (Exo 8:9 NRSV)  Moses said to Pharaoh, "Kindly tell me when I am to 
       pray for you and for your officials and for your people, that the 
       frogs may be removed from you and your houses and be left only in the 
       Nile."

       (Exo 8:10 NRSV)  And he said, "Tomorrow." Moses said, "As you say! So 
       that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God,

       (Exo 8:11 NRSV)  the frogs shall leave you and your houses and your 
       officials and your people; they shall be left only in the Nile."

       (Exo 8:12 NRSV)  Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh; and Moses 
       cried out to the LORD concerning the frogs that he had brought upon 
       Pharaoh.

       (Exo 8:13 NRSV)  And the LORD did as Moses requested: the frogs died 





       in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields.

       (Exo 8:14 NRSV)  And they gathered them together in heaps, and the 
       land stank.

       (Exo 8:15 NRSV)  But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he 
       hardened his heart, and would not listen to them, just as the LORD had 
       said.

       (Exo 8:16 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch 
       out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become 
       gnats throughout the whole land of Egypt.'"

       (Exo 8:17 NRSV)  And they did so; Aaron stretched out his hand with 
       his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and gnats came on humans 
       and animals alike; all the dust of the earth turned into gnats 
       throughout the whole land of Egypt.

       (Exo 8:18 NRSV)  The magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret 
       arts, but they could not. There were gnats on both humans and animals.

       (Exo 8:19 NRSV)  And the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the 
       finger of God!" But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not 
       listen to them, just as the LORD had said.

       (Exo 8:20 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Rise early in the 
       morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, as he goes out to the 
       water, and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: Let my people go, so that 
       they may worship me.

       (Exo 8:21 NRSV)  For if you will not let my people go, I will send 
       swarms of flies on you, your officials, and your people, and into your 
       houses; and the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of 
       flies; so also the land where they live.

       (Exo 8:22 NRSV)  But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, 
       where my people live, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that 
       you may know that I the LORD am in this land.

       (Exo 8:23 NRSV)  Thus I will make a distinction between my people and 
       your people. This sign shall appear tomorrow.'"

       (Exo 8:24 NRSV)  The LORD did so, and great swarms of flies came into 
       the house of Pharaoh and into his officials' houses; in all of Egypt 
       the land was ruined because of the flies.

       (Exo 8:25 NRSV)  Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron, and said, "Go, 
       sacrifice to your God within the land."

       (Exo 8:26 NRSV)  But Moses said, "It would not be right to do so; for 
       the sacrifices that we offer to the LORD our God are offensive to the 
       Egyptians. If we offer in the sight of the Egyptians sacrifices that 
       are offensive to them, will they not stone us?

       (Exo 8:27 NRSV)  We must go a three days' journey into the wilderness 
       and sacrifice to the LORD our God as he commands us."






       (Exo 8:28 NRSV)  So Pharaoh said, "I will let you go to sacrifice to 
       the LORD your God in the wilderness, provided you do not go very far 
       away. Pray for me."

       (Exo 8:29 NRSV)  Then Moses said, "As soon as I leave you, I will pray 
       to the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, 
       from his officials, and from his people; only do not let Pharaoh again 
       deal falsely by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD."

       (Exo 8:30 NRSV)  So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the 
       LORD.

       (Exo 8:31 NRSV)  And the LORD did as Moses asked: he removed the 
       swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his officials, and from his people; 
       not one remained.

       (Exo 8:32 NRSV)  But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and 
       would not let the people go.

       (Exo 9:1 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh, and say 
       to him, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go, 
       so that they may worship me.

       (Exo 9:2 NRSV)  For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them,

       (Exo 9:3 NRSV)  the hand of the LORD will strike with a deadly 
       pestilence your livestock in the field: the horses, the donkeys, the 
       camels, the herds, and the flocks.

       (Exo 9:4 NRSV)  But the LORD will make a distinction between the 
       livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing shall 
       die of all that belongs to the Israelites.'"

       (Exo 9:5 NRSV)  The LORD set a time, saying, "Tomorrow the LORD will 
       do this thing in the land."

       (Exo 9:6 NRSV)  And on the next day the LORD did so; all the livestock 
       of the Egyptians died, but of the livestock of the Israelites not one 
       died.

       (Exo 9:7 NRSV)  Pharaoh inquired and found that not one of the 
       livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was 
       hardened, and he would not let the people go.

       (Exo 9:8 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls 
       of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw it in the air in the sight 
       of Pharaoh.

       (Exo 9:9 NRSV)  It shall become fine dust all over the land of Egypt, 
       and shall cause festering boils on humans and animals throughout the 
       whole land of Egypt."

       (Exo 9:10 NRSV)  So they took soot from the kiln, and stood before 
       Pharaoh, and Moses threw it in the air, and it caused festering boils 
       on humans and animals.






       (Exo 9:11 NRSV)  The magicians could not stand before Moses because of 
       the boils, for the boils afflicted the magicians as well as all the 
       Egyptians.

       (Exo 9:12 NRSV)  But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he 
       would not listen to them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses.

       (Exo 9:13 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Rise up early in the 
       morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, and say to him, 'Thus 
       says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go, so that they 
       may worship me.

       (Exo 9:14 NRSV)  For this time I will send all my plagues upon you 
       yourself, and upon your officials, and upon your people, so that you 
       may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.

       (Exo 9:15 NRSV)  For by now I could have stretched out my hand and 
       struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been 
       cut off from the earth.

       (Exo 9:16 NRSV)  But this is why I have let you live: to show you my 
       power, and to make my name resound through all the earth.

       (Exo 9:17 NRSV)  You are still exalting yourself against my people, 
       and will not let them go.

       (Exo 9:18 NRSV)  Tomorrow at this time I will cause the heaviest hail 
       to fall that has ever fallen in Egypt from the day it was founded 
       until now.

       (Exo 9:19 NRSV)  Send, therefore, and have your livestock and 
       everything that you have in the open field brought to a secure place; 
       every human or animal that is in the open field and is not brought 
       under shelter will die when the hail comes down upon them.'"

       (Exo 9:20 NRSV)  Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the 
       LORD hurried their slaves and livestock off to a secure place.

       (Exo 9:21 NRSV)  Those who did not regard the word of the LORD left 
       their slaves and livestock in the open field.

       (Exo 9:22 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward 
       heaven so that hail may fall on the whole land of Egypt, on humans and 
       animals and all the plants of the field in the land of Egypt."

       (Exo 9:23 NRSV)  Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and 
       the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire came down on the earth. And 
       the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt;

       (Exo 9:24 NRSV)  there was hail with fire flashing continually in the 
       midst of it, such heavy hail as had never fallen in all the land of 
       Egypt since it became a nation.

       (Exo 9:25 NRSV)  The hail struck down everything that was in the open 
       field throughout all the land of Egypt, both human and animal; the 





       hail also struck down all the plants of the field, and shattered every 
       tree in the field.

       (Exo 9:26 NRSV)  Only in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites 
       were, there was no hail.

       (Exo 9:27 NRSV)  Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron, and said to 
       them, "This time I have sinned; the LORD is in the right, and I and my 
       people are in the wrong.

       (Exo 9:28 NRSV)  Pray to the LORD! Enough of God's thunder and hail! I 
       will let you go; you need stay no longer."

       (Exo 9:29 NRSV)  Moses said to him, "As soon as I have gone out of the 
       city, I will stretch out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease, 
       and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is 
       the Lord's.

       (Exo 9:30 NRSV)  But as for you and your officials, I know that you do 
       not yet fear the LORD God."

       (Exo 9:31 NRSV)  (Now the flax and the barley were ruined, for the 
       barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud.

       (Exo 9:32 NRSV)  But the wheat and the spelt were not ruined, for they 
       are late in coming up.)

       (Exo 9:33 NRSV)  So Moses left Pharaoh, went out of the city, and 
       stretched out his hands to the LORD; then the thunder and the hail 
       ceased, and the rain no longer poured down on the earth.

       (Exo 9:34 NRSV)  But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and 
       the thunder had ceased, he sinned once more and hardened his heart, he 
       and his officials.

       (Exo 9:35 NRSV)  So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he would 
       not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.

       (Exo 10:1 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh; for I 
       have hardened his heart and the heart of his officials, in order that 
       I may show these signs of mine among them,

       (Exo 10:2 NRSV)  and that you may tell your children and grandchildren 
       how I have made fools of the Egyptians and what signs I have done 
       among them--so that you may know that I am the LORD."

       (Exo 10:3 NRSV)  So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, and said to him, 
       "Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, 'How long will you refuse 
       to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may 
       worship me.

       (Exo 10:4 NRSV)  For if you refuse to let my people go, tomorrow I 
       will bring locusts into your country.

       (Exo 10:5 NRSV)  They shall cover the surface of the land, so that no 
       one will be able to see the land. They shall devour the last remnant 





       left you after the hail, and they shall devour every tree of yours 
       that grows in the field.

       (Exo 10:6 NRSV)  They shall fill your houses, and the houses of all 
       your officials and of all the Egyptians--something that neither your 
       parents nor your grandparents have seen, from the day they came on 
       earth to this day.'" Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh.

       (Exo 10:7 NRSV)  Pharaoh's officials said to him, "How long shall this 
       fellow be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship 
       the LORD their God; do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?"

       (Exo 10:8 NRSV)  So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and 
       he said to them, "Go, worship the LORD your God! But which ones are to 
       go?"

       (Exo 10:9 NRSV)  Moses said, "We will go with our young and our old; 
       we will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, 
       because we have the Lord's festival to celebrate."

       (Exo 10:10 NRSV)  He said to them, "The LORD indeed will be with you, 
       if ever I let your little ones go with you! Plainly, you have some 
       evil purpose in mind.

       (Exo 10:11 NRSV)  No, never! Your men may go and worship the LORD, for 
       that is what you are asking." And they were driven out from Pharaoh's 
       presence.

       (Exo 10:12 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand 
       over the land of Egypt, so that the locusts may come upon it and eat 
       every plant in the land, all that the hail has left."

       (Exo 10:13 NRSV)  So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of 
       Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day 
       and all that night; when morning came, the east wind had brought the 
       locusts.

       (Exo 10:14 NRSV)  The locusts came upon all the land of Egypt and 
       settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts 
       as had never been before, nor ever shall be again.

       (Exo 10:15 NRSV)  They covered the surface of the whole land, so that 
       the land was black; and they ate all the plants in the land and all 
       the fruit of the trees that the hail had left; nothing green was left, 
       no tree, no plant in the field, in all the land of Egypt.

       (Exo 10:16 NRSV)  Pharaoh hurriedly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, 
       "I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you.

       (Exo 10:17 NRSV)  Do forgive my sin just this once, and pray to the 
       LORD your God that at the least he remove this deadly thing from me."

       (Exo 10:18 NRSV)  So he went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD.

       (Exo 10:19 NRSV)  The LORD changed the wind into a very strong west 
       wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea; not a 





       single locust was left in all the country of Egypt.

       (Exo 10:20 NRSV)  But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would 
       not let the Israelites go.

       (Exo 10:21 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand 
       toward heaven so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a 
       darkness that can be felt."

       (Exo 10:22 NRSV)  So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and 
       there was dense darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.

       (Exo 10:23 NRSV)  People could not see one another, and for three days 
       they could not move from where they were; but all the Israelites had 
       light where they lived.

       (Exo 10:24 NRSV)  Then Pharaoh summoned Moses, and said, "Go, worship 
       the LORD. Only your flocks and your herds shall remain behind. Even 
       your children may go with you."

       (Exo 10:25 NRSV)  But Moses said, "You must also let us have 
       sacrifices and burnt offerings to sacrifice to the LORD our God.

       (Exo 10:26 NRSV)  Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall 
       be left behind, for we must choose some of them for the worship of the 
       LORD our God, and we will not know what to use to worship the LORD 
       until we arrive there."

       (Exo 10:27 NRSV)  But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he was 
       unwilling to let them go.

       (Exo 10:28 NRSV)  Then Pharaoh said to him, "Get away from me! Take 
       care that you do not see my face again, for on the day you see my face 
       you shall die."

       (Exo 10:29 NRSV)  Moses said, "Just as you say! I will never see your 
       face again."

       (Exo 11:1 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses, "I will bring one more plague 
       upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go from here; 
       indeed, when he lets you go, he will drive you away.

       (Exo 11:2 NRSV)  Tell the people that every man is to ask his neighbor 
       and every woman is to ask her neighbor for objects of silver and 
       gold."

       (Exo 11:3 NRSV)  The LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the 
       Egyptians. Moreover, Moses himself was a man of great importance in 
       the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's officials and in the 
       sight of the people.

       (Exo 11:4 NRSV)  Moses said, "Thus says the LORD: About midnight I 
       will go out through Egypt.

       (Exo 11:5 NRSV)  Every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from 
       the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the firstborn of 





       the female slave who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of 
       the livestock.

       (Exo 11:6 NRSV)  Then there will be a loud cry throughout the whole 
       land of Egypt, such as has never been or will ever be again.

       (Exo 11:7 NRSV)  But not a dog shall growl at any of the 
       Israelites--not at people, not at animals--so that you may know that 
       the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.

       (Exo 11:8 NRSV)  Then all these officials of yours shall come down to 
       me, and bow low to me, saying, 'Leave us, you and all the people who 
       follow you.' After that I will leave." And in hot anger he left 
       Pharaoh.

       (Exo 11:9 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses, "Pharaoh will not listen to 
       you, in order that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt."

       (Exo 11:10 NRSV)  Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before 
       Pharaoh; but the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the 
       people of Israel go out of his land.

       (Exo 12:1 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of 
       Egypt:

       (Exo 12:2 NRSV)  This month shall mark for you the beginning of 
       months; it shall be the first month of the year for you.

       (Exo 12:3 NRSV)  Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the 
       tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb 
       for each household.

       (Exo 12:4 NRSV)  If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it 
       shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be 
       divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it.

       (Exo 12:5 NRSV)  Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; 
       you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.

       (Exo 12:6 NRSV)  You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this 
       month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter 
       it at twilight.

       (Exo 12:7 NRSV)  They shall take some of the blood and put it on the 
       two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.

       (Exo 12:8 NRSV)  They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall 
       eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

       (Exo 12:9 NRSV)  Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but 
       roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs.

       (Exo 12:10 NRSV)  You shall let none of it remain until the morning; 
       anything that remains until the morning you shall burn.

       (Exo 12:11 NRSV)  This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, 





       your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall 
       eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the LORD.

       (Exo 12:12 NRSV)  For I will pass through the land of Egypt that 
       night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, 
       both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute 
       judgments: I am the LORD.

       (Exo 12:13 NRSV)  The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses 
       where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no 
       plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

       (Exo 12:14 NRSV)  This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You 
       shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD; throughout your 
       generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.

       (Exo 12:15 NRSV)  Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; on the 
       first day you shall remove leaven from your houses, for whoever eats 
       leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day shall be cut 
       off from Israel.

       (Exo 12:16 NRSV)  On the first day you shall hold a solemn assembly, 
       and on the seventh day a solemn assembly; no work shall be done on 
       those days; only what everyone must eat, that alone may be prepared by 
       you.

       (Exo 12:17 NRSV)  You shall observe the festival of unleavened bread, 
       for on this very day I brought your companies out of the land of 
       Egypt: you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a 
       perpetual ordinance.

       (Exo 12:18 NRSV)  In the first month, from the evening of the 
       fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day, you shall 
       eat unleavened bread.

       (Exo 12:19 NRSV)  For seven days no leaven shall be found in your 
       houses; for whoever eats what is leavened shall be cut off from the 
       congregation of Israel, whether an alien or a native of the land.

       (Exo 12:20 NRSV)  You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your 
       settlements you shall eat unleavened bread.

       (Exo 12:21 NRSV)  Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said 
       to them, "Go, select lambs for your families, and slaughter the 
       passover lamb.

       (Exo 12:22 NRSV)  Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is 
       in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the 
       blood in the basin. None of you shall go outside the door of your 
       house until morning.

       (Exo 12:23 NRSV)  For the LORD will pass through to strike down the 
       Egyptians; when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two 
       doorposts, the LORD will pass over that door and will not allow the 
       destroyer to enter your houses to strike you down.





       (Exo 12:24 NRSV)  You shall observe this rite as a perpetual ordinance 
       for you and your children.

       (Exo 12:25 NRSV)  When you come to the land that the LORD will give 
       you, as he has promised, you shall keep this observance.

       (Exo 12:26 NRSV)  And when your children ask you, 'What do you mean by 
       this observance?'

       (Exo 12:27 NRSV)  you shall say, 'It is the passover sacrifice to the 
       LORD, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, when 
       he struck down the Egyptians but spared our houses.'" And the people 
       bowed down and worshiped.

       (Exo 12:28 NRSV)  The Israelites went and did just as the LORD had 
       commanded Moses and Aaron.

       (Exo 12:29 NRSV)  At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn 
       in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his 
       throne to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in the dungeon, and 
       all the firstborn of the livestock.

       (Exo 12:30 NRSV)  Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his officials 
       and all the Egyptians; and there was a loud cry in Egypt, for there 
       was not a house without someone dead.

       (Exo 12:31 NRSV)  Then he summoned Moses and Aaron in the night, and 
       said, "Rise up, go away from my people, both you and the Israelites! 
       Go, worship the LORD, as you said.

       (Exo 12:32 NRSV)  Take your flocks and your herds, as you said, and be 
       gone. And bring a blessing on me too!"

       (Exo 12:33 NRSV)  The Egyptians urged the people to hasten their 
       departure from the land, for they said, "We shall all be dead."

       (Exo 12:34 NRSV)  So the people took their dough before it was 
       leavened, with their kneading bowls wrapped up in their cloaks on 
       their shoulders.

       (Exo 12:35 NRSV)  The Israelites had done as Moses told them; they had 
       asked the Egyptians for jewelry of silver and gold, and for clothing,

       (Exo 12:36 NRSV)  and the LORD had given the people favor in the sight 
       of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. And so 
       they plundered the Egyptians.

       (Exo 12:37 NRSV)  The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, 
       about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children.

       (Exo 12:38 NRSV)  A mixed crowd also went up with them, and livestock 
       in great numbers, both flocks and herds.

       (Exo 12:39 NRSV)  They baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they 
       had brought out of Egypt; it was not leavened, because they were 
       driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any 





       provisions for themselves.

       (Exo 12:40 NRSV)  The time that the Israelites had lived in Egypt was 
       four hundred thirty years.

       (Exo 12:41 NRSV)  At the end of four hundred thirty years, on that 
       very day, all the companies of the LORD went out from the land of 
       Egypt.

       (Exo 12:42 NRSV)  That was for the LORD a night of vigil, to bring 
       them out of the land of Egypt. That same night is a vigil to be kept 
       for the LORD by all the Israelites throughout their generations.

       (Exo 12:43 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: This is the 
       ordinance for the passover: no foreigner shall eat of it,

       (Exo 12:44 NRSV)  but any slave who has been purchased may eat of it 
       after he has been circumcised;

       (Exo 12:45 NRSV)  no bound or hired servant may eat of it.

       (Exo 12:46 NRSV)  It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take 
       any of the animal outside the house, and you shall not break any of 
       its bones.

       (Exo 12:47 NRSV)  The whole congregation of Israel shall celebrate it.

       (Exo 12:48 NRSV)  If an alien who resides with you wants to celebrate 
       the passover to the LORD, all his males shall be circumcised; then he 
       may draw near to celebrate it; he shall be regarded as a native of the 
       land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it;

       (Exo 12:49 NRSV)  there shall be one law for the native and for the 
       alien who resides among you.

       (Exo 12:50 NRSV)  All the Israelites did just as the LORD had 
       commanded Moses and Aaron.

       (Exo 12:51 NRSV)  That very day the LORD brought the Israelites out of 
       the land of Egypt, company by company.

       (Exo 13:1 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses:

       (Exo 13:2 NRSV)  Consecrate to me all the firstborn; whatever is the 
       first to open the womb among the Israelites, of human beings and 
       animals, is mine.

       (Exo 13:3 NRSV)  Moses said to the people, "Remember this day on which 
       you came out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, because the LORD 
       brought you out from there by strength of hand; no leavened bread 
       shall be eaten.

       (Exo 13:4 NRSV)  Today, in the month of Abib, you are going out.

       (Exo 13:5 NRSV)  When the LORD brings you into the land of the 
       Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the 





       Jebusites, which he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land 
       flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this observance in this 
       month.

       (Exo 13:6 NRSV)  Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the 
       seventh day there shall be a festival to the LORD.

       (Exo 13:7 NRSV)  Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; no 
       leavened bread shall be seen in your possession, and no leaven shall 
       be seen among you in all your territory.

       (Exo 13:8 NRSV)  You shall tell your child on that day, 'It is because 
       of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.'

       (Exo 13:9 NRSV)  It shall serve for you as a sign on your hand and as 
       a reminder on your forehead, so that the teaching of the LORD may be 
       on your lips; for with a strong hand the LORD brought you out of 
       Egypt.

       (Exo 13:10 NRSV)  You shall keep this ordinance at its proper time 
       from year to year.

       (Exo 13:11 NRSV)  "When the LORD has brought you into the land of the 
       Canaanites, as he swore to you and your ancestors, and has given it to 
       you,

       (Exo 13:12 NRSV)  you shall set apart to the LORD all that first opens 
       the womb. All the firstborn of your livestock that are males shall be 
       the Lord's.

       (Exo 13:13 NRSV)  But every firstborn donkey you shall redeem with a 
       sheep; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. Every 
       firstborn male among your children you shall redeem.

       (Exo 13:14 NRSV)  When in the future your child asks you, 'What does 
       this mean?' you shall answer, 'By strength of hand the LORD brought us 
       out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.

       (Exo 13:15 NRSV)  When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the 
       LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from human 
       firstborn to the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the 
       LORD every male that first opens the womb, but every firstborn of my 
       sons I redeem.'

       (Exo 13:16 NRSV)  It shall serve as a sign on your hand and as an 
       emblem on your forehead that by strength of hand the LORD brought us 
       out of Egypt."

       (Exo 13:17 NRSV)  When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead 
       them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was nearer; 
       for God thought, "If the people face war, they may change their minds 
       and return to Egypt."

       (Exo 13:18 NRSV)  So God led the people by the roundabout way of the 
       wilderness toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of the land 
       of Egypt prepared for battle.






       (Exo 13:19 NRSV)  And Moses took with him the bones of Joseph who had 
       required a solemn oath of the Israelites, saying, "God will surely 
       take notice of you, and then you must carry my bones with you from 
       here."

       (Exo 13:20 NRSV)  They set out from Succoth, and camped at Etham, on 
       the edge of the wilderness.

       (Exo 13:21 NRSV)  The LORD went in front of them in a pillar of cloud 
       by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, 
       to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night.

       (Exo 13:22 NRSV)  Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of 
       fire by night left its place in front of the people.

       (Exo 14:1 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses:

       (Exo 14:2 NRSV)  Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of 
       Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you 
       shall camp opposite it, by the sea.

       (Exo 14:3 NRSV)  Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, 'They are 
       wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has closed in on 
       them.'

       (Exo 14:4 NRSV)  I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue 
       them, so that I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his 
       army; and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD. And they did 
       so.

       (Exo 14:5 NRSV)  When the king of Egypt was told that the people had 
       fled, the minds of Pharaoh and his officials were changed toward the 
       people, and they said, "What have we done, letting Israel leave our 
       service?"

       (Exo 14:6 NRSV)  So he had his chariot made ready, and took his army 
       with him;

       (Exo 14:7 NRSV)  he took six hundred picked chariots and all the other 
       chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them.

       (Exo 14:8 NRSV)  The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt 
       and he pursued the Israelites, who were going out boldly.

       (Exo 14:9 NRSV)  The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and 
       chariots, his chariot drivers and his army; they overtook them camped 
       by the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

       (Exo 14:10 NRSV)  As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites looked back, 
       and there were the Egyptians advancing on them. In great fear the 
       Israelites cried out to the LORD.

       (Exo 14:11 NRSV)  They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no 
       graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? 
       What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt?






       (Exo 14:12 NRSV)  Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, 
       'Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been 
       better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness."

       (Exo 14:13 NRSV)  But Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid, 
       stand firm, and see the deliverance that the LORD will accomplish for 
       you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see 
       again.

       (Exo 14:14 NRSV)  The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to 
       keep still."

       (Exo 14:15 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why do you cry out to 
       me? Tell the Israelites to go forward.

       (Exo 14:16 NRSV)  But you lift up your staff, and stretch out your 
       hand over the sea and divide it, that the Israelites may go into the 
       sea on dry ground.

       (Exo 14:17 NRSV)  Then I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so 
       that they will go in after them; and so I will gain glory for myself 
       over Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots, and his chariot drivers.

       (Exo 14:18 NRSV)  And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, 
       when I have gained glory for myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and 
       his chariot drivers."

       (Exo 14:19 NRSV)  The angel of God who was going before the Israelite 
       army moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in 
       front of them and took its place behind them.

       (Exo 14:20 NRSV)  It came between the army of Egypt and the army of 
       Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up 
       the night; one did not come near the other all night.

       (Exo 14:21 NRSV)  Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The 
       LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned 
       the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided.

       (Exo 14:22 NRSV)  The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the 
       waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.

       (Exo 14:23 NRSV)  The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after 
       them, all of Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and chariot drivers.

       (Exo 14:24 NRSV)  At the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire 
       and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian 
       army into panic.

       (Exo 14:25 NRSV)  He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned 
       with difficulty. The Egyptians said, "Let us flee from the Israelites, 
       for the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt."

       (Exo 14:26 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand 
       over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon 





       their chariots and chariot drivers."

       (Exo 14:27 NRSV)  So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at 
       dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled 
       before it, the LORD tossed the Egyptians into the sea.

       (Exo 14:28 NRSV)  The waters returned and covered the chariots and the 
       chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them 
       into the sea; not one of them remained.

       (Exo 14:29 NRSV)  But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the 
       sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their 
       left.

       (Exo 14:30 NRSV)  Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the 
       Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.

       (Exo 14:31 NRSV)  Israel saw the great work that the LORD did against 
       the Egyptians. So the people feared the LORD and believed in the LORD 
       and in his servant Moses.

       (Exo 15:1 NRSV)  Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the 
       LORD: "I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse 
       and rider he has thrown into the sea.

       (Exo 15:2 NRSV)  The LORD is my strength and my might, and he has 
       become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my 
       father's God, and I will exalt him.

       (Exo 15:3 NRSV)  The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name.

       (Exo 15:4 NRSV)  "Pharaoh's chariots and his army he cast into the 
       sea; his picked officers were sunk in the Red Sea.

       (Exo 15:5 NRSV)  The floods covered them; they went down into the 
       depths like a stone.

       (Exo 15:6 NRSV)  Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power-- your 
       right hand, O LORD, shattered the enemy.

       (Exo 15:7 NRSV)  In the greatness of your majesty you overthrew your 
       adversaries; you sent out your fury, it consumed them like stubble.

       (Exo 15:8 NRSV)  At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up, 
       the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the 
       sea.

       (Exo 15:9 NRSV)  The enemy said, 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I 
       will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will 
       draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.'

       (Exo 15:10 NRSV)  You blew with your wind, the sea covered them; they 
       sank like lead in the mighty waters.

       (Exo 15:11 NRSV)  "Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is 
       like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in splendor, doing wonders?






       (Exo 15:12 NRSV)  You stretched out your right hand, the earth 
       swallowed them.

       (Exo 15:13 NRSV)  "In your steadfast love you led the people whom you 
       redeemed; you guided them by your strength to your holy abode.

       (Exo 15:14 NRSV)  The peoples heard, they trembled; pangs seized the 
       inhabitants of Philistia.

       (Exo 15:15 NRSV)  Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed; trembling 
       seized the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.

       (Exo 15:16 NRSV)  Terror and dread fell upon them; by the might of 
       your arm, they became still as a stone until your people, O LORD, 
       passed by, until the people whom you acquired passed by.

       (Exo 15:17 NRSV)  You brought them in and planted them on the mountain 
       of your own possession, the place, O LORD, that you made your abode, 
       the sanctuary, O LORD, that your hands have established.

       (Exo 15:18 NRSV)  The LORD will reign forever and ever."

       (Exo 15:19 NRSV)  When the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his 
       chariot drivers went into the sea, the LORD brought back the waters of 
       the sea upon them; but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry 
       ground.

       (Exo 15:20 NRSV)  Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron's sister, took a 
       tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with 
       tambourines and with dancing.

       (Exo 15:21 NRSV)  And Miriam sang to them: "Sing to the LORD, for he 
       has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea."

       (Exo 15:22 NRSV)  Then Moses ordered Israel to set out from the Red 
       Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days 
       in the wilderness and found no water.

       (Exo 15:23 NRSV)  When they came to Marah, they could not drink the 
       water of Marah because it was bitter. That is why it was called Marah.

       (Exo 15:24 NRSV)  And the people complained against Moses, saying, 
       "What shall we drink?"

       (Exo 15:25 NRSV)  He cried out to the LORD; and the LORD showed him a 
       piece of wood; he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. 
       There the LORD made for them a statute and an ordinance and there he 
       put them to the test.

       (Exo 15:26 NRSV)  He said, "If you will listen carefully to the voice 
       of the LORD your God, and do what is right in his sight, and give heed 
       to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not bring upon 
       you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians; for I am 
       the LORD who heals you."





       (Exo 15:27 NRSV)  Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve 
       springs of water and seventy palm trees; and they camped there by the 
       water.

       (Exo 16:1 NRSV)  The whole congregation of the Israelites set out from 
       Elim; and Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim 
       and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had 
       departed from the land of Egypt.

       (Exo 16:2 NRSV)  The whole congregation of the Israelites complained 
       against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

       (Exo 16:3 NRSV)  The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by 
       the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the 
       fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into 
       this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."

       (Exo 16:4 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses, "I am going to rain 
       bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and 
       gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they 
       will follow my instruction or not.

       (Exo 16:5 NRSV)  On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring 
       in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days."

       (Exo 16:6 NRSV)  So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, "In 
       the evening you shall know that it was the LORD who brought you out of 
       the land of Egypt,

       (Exo 16:7 NRSV)  and in the morning you shall see the glory of the 
       LORD, because he has heard your complaining against the LORD. For what 
       are we, that you complain against us?"

       (Exo 16:8 NRSV)  And Moses said, "When the LORD gives you meat to eat 
       in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the LORD 
       has heard the complaining that you utter against him--what are we? 
       Your complaining is not against us but against the LORD."

       (Exo 16:9 NRSV)  Then Moses said to Aaron, "Say to the whole 
       congregation of the Israelites, 'Draw near to the LORD, for he has 
       heard your complaining.'"

       (Exo 16:10 NRSV)  And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the 
       Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the 
       LORD appeared in the cloud.

       (Exo 16:11 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses and said,

       (Exo 16:12 NRSV)  "I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say 
       to them, 'At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall 
       have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the LORD your 
       God.'"

       (Exo 16:13 NRSV)  In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; 
       and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.





       (Exo 16:14 NRSV)  When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface 
       of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the 
       ground.

       (Exo 16:15 NRSV)  When the Israelites saw it, they said to one 
       another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said 
       to them, "It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.

       (Exo 16:16 NRSV)  This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Gather as much 
       of it as each of you needs, an omer to a person according to the 
       number of persons, all providing for those in their own tents.'"

       (Exo 16:17 NRSV)  The Israelites did so, some gathering more, some 
       less.

       (Exo 16:18 NRSV)  But when they measured it with an omer, those who 
       gathered much had nothing over, and those who gathered little had no 
       shortage; they gathered as much as each of them needed.

       (Exo 16:19 NRSV)  And Moses said to them, "Let no one leave any of it 
       over until morning."

       (Exo 16:20 NRSV)  But they did not listen to Moses; some left part of 
       it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul. And Moses was 
       angry with them.

       (Exo 16:21 NRSV)  Morning by morning they gathered it, as much as each 
       needed; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.

       (Exo 16:22 NRSV)  On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, 
       two omers apiece. When all the leaders of the congregation came and 
       told Moses,

       (Exo 16:23 NRSV)  he said to them, "This is what the LORD has 
       commanded: 'Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy sabbath to the 
       LORD; bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil, and 
       all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.'"

       (Exo 16:24 NRSV)  So they put it aside until morning, as Moses 
       commanded them; and it did not become foul, and there were no worms in 
       it.

       (Exo 16:25 NRSV)  Moses said, "Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to 
       the LORD; today you will not find it in the field.

       (Exo 16:26 NRSV)  Six days you shall gather it; but on the seventh 
       day, which is a sabbath, there will be none."

       (Exo 16:27 NRSV)  On the seventh day some of the people went out to 
       gather, and they found none.

       (Exo 16:28 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses, "How long will you refuse to 
       keep my commandments and instructions?

       (Exo 16:29 NRSV)  See! The LORD has given you the sabbath, therefore 
       on the sixth day he gives you food for two days; each of you stay 





       where you are; do not leave your place on the seventh day."

       (Exo 16:30 NRSV)  So the people rested on the seventh day.

       (Exo 16:31 NRSV)  The house of Israel called it manna; it was like 
       coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with 
       honey.

       (Exo 16:32 NRSV)  Moses said, "This is what the LORD has commanded: 
       'Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, in order that 
       they may see the food with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I 
       brought you out of the land of Egypt.'"

       (Exo 16:33 NRSV)  And Moses said to Aaron, "Take a jar, and put an 
       omer of manna in it, and place it before the LORD, to be kept 
       throughout your generations."

       (Exo 16:34 NRSV)  As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it 
       before the covenant, for safekeeping.

       (Exo 16:35 NRSV)  The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they 
       came to a habitable land; they ate manna, until they came to the 
       border of the land of Canaan.

       (Exo 16:36 NRSV)  An omer is a tenth of an ephah.

       (Exo 17:1 NRSV)  From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of 
       the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the LORD commanded. They camped 
       at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.

       (Exo 17:2 NRSV)  The people quarreled with Moses, and said, "Give us 
       water to drink." Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why 
       do you test the LORD?"

       (Exo 17:3 NRSV)  But the people thirsted there for water; and the 
       people complained against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us out of 
       Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?"

       (Exo 17:4 NRSV)  So Moses cried out to the LORD, "What shall I do with 
       this people? They are almost ready to stone me."

       (Exo 17:5 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses, "Go on ahead of the people, 
       and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the 
       staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.

       (Exo 17:6 NRSV)  I will be standing there in front of you on the rock 
       at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the 
       people may drink." Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.

       (Exo 17:7 NRSV)  He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the 
       Israelites quarreled and tested the LORD, saying, "Is the LORD among 
       us or not?"

       (Exo 17:8 NRSV)  Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim.

       (Exo 17:9 NRSV)  Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some men for us and go 





       out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill 
       with the staff of God in my hand."

       (Exo 17:10 NRSV)  So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with 
       Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

       (Exo 17:11 NRSV)  Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; 
       and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.

       (Exo 17:12 NRSV)  But Moses' hands grew weary; so they took a stone 
       and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his 
       hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; so his hands 
       were steady until the sun set.

       (Exo 17:13 NRSV)  And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the 
       sword.

       (Exo 17:14 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this as a 
       reminder in a book and recite it in the hearing of Joshua: I will 
       utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven."

       (Exo 17:15 NRSV)  And Moses built an altar and called it, The LORD is 
       my banner.

       (Exo 17:16 NRSV)  He said, "A hand upon the banner of the LORD! The 
       LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation."

       (Exo 18:1 NRSV)  Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, 
       heard of all that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, 
       how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.

       (Exo 18:2 NRSV)  After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his 
       father-in-law Jethro took her back,

       (Exo 18:3 NRSV)  along with her two sons. The name of the one was 
       Gershom (for he said, "I have been an alien in a foreign land"),

       (Exo 18:4 NRSV)  and the name of the other, Eliezer (for he said, "The 
       God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of 
       Pharaoh").

       (Exo 18:5 NRSV)  Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came into the 
       wilderness where Moses was encamped at the mountain of God, bringing 
       Moses' sons and wife to him.

       (Exo 18:6 NRSV)  He sent word to Moses, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, 
       am coming to you, with your wife and her two sons."

       (Exo 18:7 NRSV)  Moses went out to meet his father-in-law; he bowed 
       down and kissed him; each asked after the other's welfare, and they 
       went into the tent.

       (Exo 18:8 NRSV)  Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD 
       had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the 
       hardship that had beset them on the way, and how the LORD had 
       delivered them.






       (Exo 18:9 NRSV)  Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the LORD had 
       done to Israel, in delivering them from the Egyptians.

       (Exo 18:10 NRSV)  Jethro said, "Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered 
       you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh.

       (Exo 18:11 NRSV)  Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, 
       because he delivered the people from the Egyptians, when they dealt 
       arrogantly with them."

       (Exo 18:12 NRSV)  And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt 
       offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of 
       Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law in the presence of God.

       (Exo 18:13 NRSV)  The next day Moses sat as judge for the people, 
       while the people stood around him from morning until evening.

       (Exo 18:14 NRSV)  When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing 
       for the people, he said, "What is this that you are doing for the 
       people? Why do you sit alone, while all the people stand around you 
       from morning until evening?"

       (Exo 18:15 NRSV)  Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people 
       come to me to inquire of God.

       (Exo 18:16 NRSV)  When they have a dispute, they come to me and I 
       decide between one person and another, and I make known to them the 
       statutes and instructions of God."

       (Exo 18:17 NRSV)  Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are 
       doing is not good.

       (Exo 18:18 NRSV)  You will surely wear yourself out, both you and 
       these people with you. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot 
       do it alone.

       (Exo 18:19 NRSV)  Now listen to me. I will give you counsel, and God 
       be with you! You should represent the people before God, and you 
       should bring their cases before God;

       (Exo 18:20 NRSV)  teach them the statutes and instructions and make 
       known to them the way they are to go and the things they are to do.

       (Exo 18:21 NRSV)  You should also look for able men among all the 
       people, men who fear God, are trustworthy, and hate dishonest gain; 
       set such men over them as officers over thousands, hundreds, fifties 
       and tens.

       (Exo 18:22 NRSV)  Let them sit as judges for the people at all times; 
       let them bring every important case to you, but decide every minor 
       case themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the 
       burden with you.

       (Exo 18:23 NRSV)  If you do this, and God so commands you, then you 
       will be able to endure, and all these people will go to their home in 





       peace."

       (Exo 18:24 NRSV)  So Moses listened to his father-in-law and did all 
       that he had said.

       (Exo 18:25 NRSV)  Moses chose able men from all Israel and appointed 
       them as heads over the people, as officers over thousands, hundreds, 
       fifties, and tens.

       (Exo 18:26 NRSV)  And they judged the people at all times; hard cases 
       they brought to Moses, but any minor case they decided themselves.

       (Exo 18:27 NRSV)  Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went 
       off to his own country.

       (Exo 19:1 NRSV)  On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone 
       out of the land of Egypt, on that very day, they came into the 
       wilderness of Sinai.

       (Exo 19:2 NRSV)  They had journeyed from Rephidim, entered the 
       wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness; Israel camped there 
       in front of the mountain.

       (Exo 19:3 NRSV)  Then Moses went up to God; the LORD called to him 
       from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, 
       and tell the Israelites:

       (Exo 19:4 NRSV)  You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I 
       bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.

       (Exo 19:5 NRSV)  Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my 
       covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. 
       Indeed, the whole earth is mine,

       (Exo 19:6 NRSV)  but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy 
       nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites."

       (Exo 19:7 NRSV)  So Moses came, summoned the elders of the people, and 
       set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him.

       (Exo 19:8 NRSV)  The people all answered as one: "Everything that the 
       LORD has spoken we will do." Moses reported the words of the people to 
       the LORD.

       (Exo 19:9 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses, "I am going to come to 
       you in a dense cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak 
       with you and so trust you ever after." When Moses had told the words 
       of the people to the LORD,

       (Exo 19:10 NRSV)  the LORD said to Moses: "Go to the people and 
       consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes

       (Exo 19:11 NRSV)  and prepare for the third day, because on the third 
       day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the 
       people.





       (Exo 19:12 NRSV)  You shall set limits for the people all around, 
       saying, 'Be careful not to go up the mountain or to touch the edge of 
       it. Any who touch the mountain shall be put to death.

       (Exo 19:13 NRSV)  No hand shall touch them, but they shall be stoned 
       or shot with arrows; whether animal or human being, they shall not 
       live.' When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they may go up on the 
       mountain."

       (Exo 19:14 NRSV)  So Moses went down from the mountain to the people. 
       He consecrated the people, and they washed their clothes.

       (Exo 19:15 NRSV)  And he said to the people, "Prepare for the third 
       day; do not go near a woman."

       (Exo 19:16 NRSV)  On the morning of the third day there was thunder 
       and lightning, as well as a thick cloud on the mountain, and a blast 
       of a trumpet so loud that all the people who were in the camp 
       trembled.

       (Exo 19:17 NRSV)  Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet 
       God. They took their stand at the foot of the mountain.

       (Exo 19:18 NRSV)  Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the 
       LORD had descended upon it in fire; the smoke went up like the smoke 
       of a kiln, while the whole mountain shook violently.

       (Exo 19:19 NRSV)  As the blast of the trumpet grew louder and louder, 
       Moses would speak and God would answer him in thunder.

       (Exo 19:20 NRSV)  When the LORD descended upon Mount Sinai, to the top 
       of the mountain, the LORD summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, 
       and Moses went up.

       (Exo 19:21 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go down and warn the 
       people not to break through to the LORD to look; otherwise many of 
       them will perish.

       (Exo 19:22 NRSV)  Even the priests who approach the LORD must 
       consecrate themselves or the LORD will break out against them."

       (Exo 19:23 NRSV)  Moses said to the LORD, "The people are not 
       permitted to come up to Mount Sinai; for you yourself warned us, 
       saying, 'Set limits around the mountain and keep it holy.'"

       (Exo 19:24 NRSV)  The LORD said to him, "Go down, and come up bringing 
       Aaron with you; but do not let either the priests or the people break 
       through to come up to the LORD; otherwise he will break out against 
       them."

       (Exo 19:25 NRSV)  So Moses went down to the people and told them.

       (Exo 20:1 NRSV)  Then God spoke all these words:

       (Exo 20:2 NRSV)  I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the 
       land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;






       (Exo 20:3 NRSV)  you shall have no other gods before me.

       (Exo 20:4 NRSV)  You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in 
       the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth 
       beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

       (Exo 20:5 NRSV)  You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I 
       the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the 
       iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those 
       who reject me,

       (Exo 20:6 NRSV)  but showing steadfast love to the thousandth 
       generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

       (Exo 20:7 NRSV)  You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the 
       LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his 
       name.

       (Exo 20:8 NRSV)  Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy.

       (Exo 20:9 NRSV)  Six days you shall labor and do all your work.

       (Exo 20:10 NRSV)  But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your 
       God; you shall not do any work--you, your son or your daughter, your 
       male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your 
       towns.

       (Exo 20:11 NRSV)  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the 
       sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore 
       the LORD blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.

       (Exo 20:12 NRSV)  Honor your father and your mother, so that your days 
       may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

       (Exo 20:13 NRSV)  You shall not murder.

       (Exo 20:14 NRSV)  You shall not commit adultery.

       (Exo 20:15 NRSV)  You shall not steal.

       (Exo 20:16 NRSV)  You shall not bear false witness against your 
       neighbor.

       (Exo 20:17 NRSV)  You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall 
       not covet your neighbor's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or 
       donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

       (Exo 20:18 NRSV)  When all the people witnessed the thunder and 
       lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they 
       were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance,

       (Exo 20:19 NRSV)  and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will 
       listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die."

       (Exo 20:20 NRSV)  Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for God 





       has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that 
       you do not sin."

       (Exo 20:21 NRSV)  Then the people stood at a distance, while Moses 
       drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

       (Exo 20:22 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses: Thus you shall say to the 
       Israelites: "You have seen for yourselves that I spoke with you from 
       heaven.

       (Exo 20:23 NRSV)  You shall not make gods of silver alongside me, nor 
       shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.

       (Exo 20:24 NRSV)  You need make for me only an altar of earth and 
       sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your offerings of well-being, 
       your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause my name to be 
       remembered I will come to you and bless you.

       (Exo 20:25 NRSV)  But if you make for me an altar of stone, do not 
       build it of hewn stones; for if you use a chisel upon it you profane 
       it.

       (Exo 20:26 NRSV)  You shall not go up by steps to my altar, so that 
       your nakedness may not be exposed on it."

       (Exo 21:1 NRSV)  These are the ordinances that you shall set before 
       them:

       (Exo 21:2 NRSV)  When you buy a male Hebrew slave, he shall serve six 
       years, but in the seventh he shall go out a free person, without debt.

       (Exo 21:3 NRSV)  If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he 
       comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him.

       (Exo 21:4 NRSV)  If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons 
       or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's and he 
       shall go out alone.

       (Exo 21:5 NRSV)  But if the slave declares, "I love my master, my 
       wife, and my children; I will not go out a free person,"

       (Exo 21:6 NRSV)  then his master shall bring him before God. He shall 
       be brought to the door or the doorpost; and his master shall pierce 
       his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him for life.

       (Exo 21:7 NRSV)  When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall 
       not go out as the male slaves do.

       (Exo 21:8 NRSV)  If she does not please her master, who designated her 
       for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed; he shall have no right 
       to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt unfairly with her.

       (Exo 21:9 NRSV)  If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with 
       her as with a daughter.

       (Exo 21:10 NRSV)  If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not 





       diminish the food, clothing, or marital rights of the first wife.

       (Exo 21:11 NRSV)  And if he does not do these three things for her, 
       she shall go out without debt, without payment of money.

       (Exo 21:12 NRSV)  Whoever strikes a person mortally shall be put to 
       death.

       (Exo 21:13 NRSV)  If it was not premeditated, but came about by an act 
       of God, then I will appoint for you a place to which the killer may 
       flee.

       (Exo 21:14 NRSV)  But if someone willfully attacks and kills another 
       by treachery, you shall take the killer from my altar for execution.

       (Exo 21:15 NRSV)  Whoever strikes father or mother shall be put to 
       death.

       (Exo 21:16 NRSV)  Whoever kidnaps a person, whether that person has 
       been sold or is still held in possession, shall be put to death.

       (Exo 21:17 NRSV)  Whoever curses father or mother shall be put to 
       death.

       (Exo 21:18 NRSV)  When individuals quarrel and one strikes the other 
       with a stone or fist so that the injured party, though not dead, is 
       confined to bed,

       (Exo 21:19 NRSV)  but recovers and walks around outside with the help 
       of a staff, then the assailant shall be free of liability, except to 
       pay for the loss of time, and to arrange for full recovery.

       (Exo 21:20 NRSV)  When a slaveowner strikes a male or female slave 
       with a rod and the slave dies immediately, the owner shall be 
       punished.

       (Exo 21:21 NRSV)  But if the slave survives a day or two, there is no 
       punishment; for the slave is the owner's property.

       (Exo 21:22 NRSV)  When people who are fighting injure a pregnant woman 
       so that there is a miscarriage, and yet no further harm follows, the 
       one responsible shall be fined what the woman's husband demands, 
       paying as much as the judges determine.

       (Exo 21:23 NRSV)  If any harm follows, then you shall give life for 
       life,

       (Exo 21:24 NRSV)  eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot 
       for foot,

       (Exo 21:25 NRSV)  burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

       (Exo 21:26 NRSV)  When a slaveowner strikes the eye of a male or 
       female slave, destroying it, the owner shall let the slave go, a free 
       person, to compensate for the eye.





       (Exo 21:27 NRSV)  If the owner knocks out a tooth of a male or female 
       slave, the slave shall be let go, a free person, to compensate for the 
       tooth.

       (Exo 21:28 NRSV)  When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox 
       shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of 
       the ox shall not be liable.

       (Exo 21:29 NRSV)  If the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, 
       and its owner has been warned but has not restrained it, and it kills 
       a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be 
       put to death.

       (Exo 21:30 NRSV)  If a ransom is imposed on the owner, then the owner 
       shall pay whatever is imposed for the redemption of the victim's life.

       (Exo 21:31 NRSV)  If it gores a boy or a girl, the owner shall be 
       dealt with according to this same rule.

       (Exo 21:32 NRSV)  If the ox gores a male or female slave, the owner 
       shall pay to the slaveowner thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall 
       be stoned.

       (Exo 21:33 NRSV)  If someone leaves a pit open, or digs a pit and does 
       not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,

       (Exo 21:34 NRSV)  the owner of the pit shall make restitution, giving 
       money to its owner, but keeping the dead animal.

       (Exo 21:35 NRSV)  If someone's ox hurts the ox of another, so that it 
       dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide the price of it; and 
       the dead animal they shall also divide.

       (Exo 21:36 NRSV)  But if it was known that the ox was accustomed to 
       gore in the past, and its owner has not restrained it, the owner shall 
       restore ox for ox, but keep the dead animal.

       (Exo 22:1 NRSV)  When someone steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters 
       it or sells it, the thief shall pay five oxen for an ox, and four 
       sheep for a sheep. The thief shall make restitution, but if unable to 
       do so, shall be sold for the theft.

       (Exo 22:2 NRSV)  If a thief is found breaking in, and is beaten to 
       death, no bloodguilt is incurred;

       (Exo 22:3 NRSV)  but if it happens after sunrise, bloodguilt is 
       incurred.

       (Exo 22:4 NRSV)  When the animal, whether ox or donkey or sheep, is 
       found alive in the thief's possession, the thief shall pay double.

       (Exo 22:5 NRSV)  When someone causes a field or vineyard to be grazed 
       over, or lets livestock loose to graze in someone else's field, 
       restitution shall be made from the best in the owner's field or 
       vineyard.





       (Exo 22:6 NRSV)  When fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that 
       the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, the 
       one who started the fire shall make full restitution.

       (Exo 22:7 NRSV)  When someone delivers to a neighbor money or goods 
       for safekeeping, and they are stolen from the neighbor's house, then 
       the thief, if caught, shall pay double.

       (Exo 22:8 NRSV)  If the thief is not caught, the owner of the house 
       shall be brought before God, to determine whether or not the owner had 
       laid hands on the neighbor's goods.

       (Exo 22:9 NRSV)  In any case of disputed ownership involving ox, 
       donkey, sheep, clothing, or any other loss, of which one party says, 
       "This is mine," the case of both parties shall come before God; the 
       one whom God condemns shall pay double to the other.

       (Exo 22:10 NRSV)  When someone delivers to another a donkey, ox, 
       sheep, or any other animal for safekeeping, and it dies or is injured 
       or is carried off, without anyone seeing it,

       (Exo 22:11 NRSV)  an oath before the LORD shall decide between the two 
       of them that the one has not laid hands on the property of the other; 
       the owner shall accept the oath, and no restitution shall be made.

       (Exo 22:12 NRSV)  But if it was stolen, restitution shall be made to 
       its owner.

       (Exo 22:13 NRSV)  If it was mangled by beasts, let it be brought as 
       evidence; restitution shall not be made for the mangled remains.

       (Exo 22:14 NRSV)  When someone borrows an animal from another and it 
       is injured or dies, the owner not being present, full restitution 
       shall be made.

       (Exo 22:15 NRSV)  If the owner was present, there shall be no 
       restitution; if it was hired, only the hiring fee is due.

       (Exo 22:16 NRSV)  When a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to be 
       married, and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price for her and 
       make her his wife.

       (Exo 22:17 NRSV)  But if her father refuses to give her to him, he 
       shall pay an amount equal to the bride-price for virgins.

       (Exo 22:18 NRSV)  You shall not permit a female sorcerer to live.

       (Exo 22:19 NRSV)  Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death.

       (Exo 22:20 NRSV)  Whoever sacrifices to any god, other than the LORD 
       alone, shall be devoted to destruction.

       (Exo 22:21 NRSV)  You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for 
       you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

       (Exo 22:22 NRSV)  You shall not abuse any widow or orphan.






       (Exo 22:23 NRSV)  If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I 
       will surely heed their cry;

       (Exo 22:24 NRSV)  my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the 
       sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children orphans.

       (Exo 22:25 NRSV)  If you lend money to my people, to the poor among 
       you, you shall not deal with them as a creditor; you shall not exact 
       interest from them.

       (Exo 22:26 NRSV)  If you take your neighbor's cloak in pawn, you shall 
       restore it before the sun goes down;

       (Exo 22:27 NRSV)  for it may be your neighbor's only clothing to use 
       as cover; in what else shall that person sleep? And if your neighbor 
       cries out to me, I will listen, for I am compassionate.

       (Exo 22:28 NRSV)  You shall not revile God, or curse a leader of your 
       people.

       (Exo 22:29 NRSV)  You shall not delay to make offerings from the 
       fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. The 
       firstborn of your sons you shall give to me.

       (Exo 22:30 NRSV)  You shall do the same with your oxen and with your 
       sheep: seven days it shall remain with its mother; on the eighth day 
       you shall give it to me.

       (Exo 22:31 NRSV)  You shall be people consecrated to me; therefore you 
       shall not eat any meat that is mangled by beasts in the field; you 
       shall throw it to the dogs.

       (Exo 23:1 NRSV)  You shall not spread a false report. You shall not 
       join hands with the wicked to act as a malicious witness.

       (Exo 23:2 NRSV)  You shall not follow a majority in wrongdoing; when 
       you bear witness in a lawsuit, you shall not side with the majority so 
       as to pervert justice;

       (Exo 23:3 NRSV)  nor shall you be partial to the poor in a lawsuit.

       (Exo 23:4 NRSV)  When you come upon your enemy's ox or donkey going 
       astray, you shall bring it back.

       (Exo 23:5 NRSV)  When you see the donkey of one who hates you lying 
       under its burden and you would hold back from setting it free, you 
       must help to set it free.

       (Exo 23:6 NRSV)  You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in 
       their lawsuits.

       (Exo 23:7 NRSV)  Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the 
       innocent and those in the right, for I will not acquit the guilty.

       (Exo 23:8 NRSV)  You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the 





       officials, and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.

       (Exo 23:9 NRSV)  You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the 
       heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

       (Exo 23:10 NRSV)  For six years you shall sow your land and gather in 
       its yield;

       (Exo 23:11 NRSV)  but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie 
       fallow, so that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave 
       the wild animals may eat. You shall do the same with your vineyard, 
       and with your olive orchard.

       (Exo 23:12 NRSV)  Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh 
       day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may have relief, 
       and your homeborn slave and the resident alien may be refreshed.

       (Exo 23:13 NRSV)  Be attentive to all that I have said to you. Do not 
       invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips.

       (Exo 23:14 NRSV)  Three times in the year you shall hold a festival 
       for me.

       (Exo 23:15 NRSV)  You shall observe the festival of unleavened bread; 
       as I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at 
       the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of 
       Egypt. No one shall appear before me empty-handed.

       (Exo 23:16 NRSV)  You shall observe the festival of harvest, of the 
       first fruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall 
       observe the festival of ingathering at the end of the year, when you 
       gather in from the field the fruit of your labor.

       (Exo 23:17 NRSV)  Three times in the year all your males shall appear 
       before the Lord GOD.

       (Exo 23:18 NRSV)  You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with 
       anything leavened, or let the fat of my festival remain until the 
       morning.

       (Exo 23:19 NRSV)  The choicest of the first fruits of your ground you 
       shall bring into the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a 
       kid in its mother's milk.

       (Exo 23:20 NRSV)  I am going to send an angel in front of you, to 
       guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have 
       prepared.

       (Exo 23:21 NRSV)  Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not 
       rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression; for my 
       name is in him.

       (Exo 23:22 NRSV)  But if you listen attentively to his voice and do 
       all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to 
       your foes.





       (Exo 23:23 NRSV)  When my angel goes in front of you, and brings you 
       to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the 
       Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I blot them out,

       (Exo 23:24 NRSV)  you shall not bow down to their gods, or worship 
       them, or follow their practices, but you shall utterly demolish them 
       and break their pillars in pieces.

       (Exo 23:25 NRSV)  You shall worship the LORD your God, and I will 
       bless your bread and your water; and I will take sickness away from 
       among you.

       (Exo 23:26 NRSV)  No one shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I 
       will fulfill the number of your days.

       (Exo 23:27 NRSV)  I will send my terror in front of you, and will 
       throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I 
       will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.

       (Exo 23:28 NRSV)  And I will send the pestilence in front of you, 
       which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites 
       from before you.

       (Exo 23:29 NRSV)  I will not drive them out from before you in one 
       year, or the land would become desolate and the wild animals would 
       multiply against you.

       (Exo 23:30 NRSV)  Little by little I will drive them out from before 
       you, until you have increased and possess the land.

       (Exo 23:31 NRSV)  I will set your borders from the Red Sea to the sea 
       of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates; for I 
       will hand over to you the inhabitants of the land, and you shall drive 
       them out before you.

       (Exo 23:32 NRSV)  You shall make no covenant with them and their gods.

       (Exo 23:33 NRSV)  They shall not live in your land, or they will make 
       you sin against me; for if you worship their gods, it will surely be a 
       snare to you.

       (Exo 24:1 NRSV)  Then he said to Moses, "Come up to the LORD, you and 
       Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and 
       worship at a distance.

       (Exo 24:2 NRSV)  Moses alone shall come near the LORD; but the others 
       shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him."

       (Exo 24:3 NRSV)  Moses came and told the people all the words of the 
       LORD and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one 
       voice, and said, "All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do."

       (Exo 24:4 NRSV)  And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. He 
       rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the 
       mountain, and set up twelve pillars, corresponding to the twelve 
       tribes of Israel.






       (Exo 24:5 NRSV)  He sent young men of the people of Israel, who 
       offered burnt offerings and sacrificed oxen as offerings of well-being 
       to the LORD.

       (Exo 24:6 NRSV)  Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, 
       and half of the blood he dashed against the altar.

       (Exo 24:7 NRSV)  Then he took the book of the covenant, and read it in 
       the hearing of the people; and they said, "All that the LORD has 
       spoken we will do, and we will be obedient."

       (Exo 24:8 NRSV)  Moses took the blood and dashed it on the people, and 
       said, "See the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you 
       in accordance with all these words."

       (Exo 24:9 NRSV)  Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy 
       of the elders of Israel went up,

       (Exo 24:10 NRSV)  and they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there 
       was something like a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven 
       for clearness.

       (Exo 24:11 NRSV)  God did not lay his hand on the chief men of the 
       people of Israel; also they beheld God, and they ate and drank.

       (Exo 24:12 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the 
       mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, 
       with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their 
       instruction."

       (Exo 24:13 NRSV)  So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and 
       Moses went up into the mountain of God.

       (Exo 24:14 NRSV)  To the elders he had said, "Wait here for us, until 
       we come to you again; for Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a 
       dispute may go to them."

       (Exo 24:15 NRSV)  Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud 
       covered the mountain.

       (Exo 24:16 NRSV)  The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and 
       the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to 
       Moses out of the cloud.

       (Exo 24:17 NRSV)  Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like 
       a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people 
       of Israel.

       (Exo 24:18 NRSV)  Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the 
       mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

       (Exo 25:1 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses:

       (Exo 25:2 NRSV)  Tell the Israelites to take for me an offering; from 
       all whose hearts prompt them to give you shall receive the offering 





       for me.

       (Exo 25:3 NRSV)  This is the offering that you shall receive from 
       them: gold, silver, and bronze,

       (Exo 25:4 NRSV)  blue, purple, and crimson yarns and fine linen, 
       goats' hair,

       (Exo 25:5 NRSV)  tanned rams' skins, fine leather, acacia wood,

       (Exo 25:6 NRSV)  oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and 
       for the fragrant incense,

       (Exo 25:7 NRSV)  onyx stones and gems to be set in the ephod and for 
       the breastpiece.

       (Exo 25:8 NRSV)  And have them make me a sanctuary, so that I may 
       dwell among them.

       (Exo 25:9 NRSV)  In accordance with all that I show you concerning the 
       pattern of the tabernacle and of all its furniture, so you shall make 
       it.

       (Exo 25:10 NRSV)  They shall make an ark of acacia wood; it shall be 
       two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a 
       half high.

       (Exo 25:11 NRSV)  You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and 
       outside you shall overlay it, and you shall make a molding of gold 
       upon it all around.

       (Exo 25:12 NRSV)  You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put 
       them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings 
       on the other side.

       (Exo 25:13 NRSV)  You shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay 
       them with gold.

       (Exo 25:14 NRSV)  And you shall put the poles into the rings on the 
       sides of the ark, by which to carry the ark.

       (Exo 25:15 NRSV)  The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they 
       shall not be taken from it.

       (Exo 25:16 NRSV)  You shall put into the ark the covenant that I shall 
       give you.

       (Exo 25:17 NRSV)  Then you shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two 
       cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its 
       width.

       (Exo 25:18 NRSV)  You shall make two cherubim of gold; you shall make 
       them of hammered work, at the two ends of the mercy seat.

       (Exo 25:19 NRSV)  Make one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at 
       the other; of one piece with the mercy seat you shall make the 





       cherubim at its two ends.

       (Exo 25:20 NRSV)  The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, 
       overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings. They shall face one to 
       another; the faces of the cherubim shall be turned toward the mercy 
       seat.

       (Exo 25:21 NRSV)  You shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark; 
       and in the ark you shall put the covenant that I shall give you.

       (Exo 25:22 NRSV)  There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy 
       seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the 
       covenant, I will deliver to you all my commands for the Israelites.

       (Exo 25:23 NRSV)  You shall make a table of acacia wood, two cubits 
       long, one cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high.

       (Exo 25:24 NRSV)  You shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a 
       molding of gold around it.

       (Exo 25:25 NRSV)  You shall make around it a rim a handbreadth wide, 
       and a molding of gold around the rim.

       (Exo 25:26 NRSV)  You shall make for it four rings of gold, and fasten 
       the rings to the four corners at its four legs.

       (Exo 25:27 NRSV)  The rings that hold the poles used for carrying the 
       table shall be close to the rim.

       (Exo 25:28 NRSV)  You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay 
       them with gold, and the table shall be carried with these.

       (Exo 25:29 NRSV)  You shall make its plates and dishes for incense, 
       and its flagons and bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you 
       shall make them of pure gold.

       (Exo 25:30 NRSV)  And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the 
       table before me always.

       (Exo 25:31 NRSV)  You shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The base 
       and the shaft of the lampstand shall be made of hammered work; its 
       cups, its calyxes, and its petals shall be of one piece with it;

       (Exo 25:32 NRSV)  and there shall be six branches going out of its 
       sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three 
       branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it;

       (Exo 25:33 NRSV)  three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with 
       calyx and petals, on one branch, and three cups shaped like almond 
       blossoms, each with calyx and petals, on the other branch--so for the 
       six branches going out of the lampstand.

       (Exo 25:34 NRSV)  On the lampstand itself there shall be four cups 
       shaped like almond blossoms, each with its calyxes and petals.

       (Exo 25:35 NRSV)  There shall be a calyx of one piece with it under 





       the first pair of branches, a calyx of one piece with it under the 
       next pair of branches, and a calyx of one piece with it under the last 
       pair of branches--so for the six branches that go out of the 
       lampstand.

       (Exo 25:36 NRSV)  Their calyxes and their branches shall be of one 
       piece with it, the whole of it one hammered piece of pure gold.

       (Exo 25:37 NRSV)  You shall make the seven lamps for it; and the lamps 
       shall be set up so as to give light on the space in front of it.

       (Exo 25:38 NRSV)  Its snuffers and trays shall be of pure gold.

       (Exo 25:39 NRSV)  It, and all these utensils, shall be made from a 
       talent of pure gold.

       (Exo 25:40 NRSV)  And see that you make them according to the pattern 
       for them, which is being shown you on the mountain.

       (Exo 26:1 NRSV)  Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten 
       curtains of fine twisted linen, and blue, purple, and crimson yarns; 
       you shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them.

       (Exo 26:2 NRSV)  The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight 
       cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains 
       shall be of the same size.

       (Exo 26:3 NRSV)  Five curtains shall be joined to one another; and the 
       other five curtains shall be joined to one another.

       (Exo 26:4 NRSV)  You shall make loops of blue on the edge of the 
       outermost curtain in the first set; and likewise you shall make loops 
       on the edge of the outermost curtain in the second set.

       (Exo 26:5 NRSV)  You shall make fifty loops on the one curtain, and 
       you shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is in the 
       second set; the loops shall be opposite one another.

       (Exo 26:6 NRSV)  You shall make fifty clasps of gold, and join the 
       curtains to one another with the clasps, so that the tabernacle may be 
       one whole.

       (Exo 26:7 NRSV)  You shall also make curtains of goats' hair for a 
       tent over the tabernacle; you shall make eleven curtains.

       (Exo 26:8 NRSV)  The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, 
       and the width of each curtain four cubits; the eleven curtains shall 
       be of the same size.

       (Exo 26:9 NRSV)  You shall join five curtains by themselves, and six 
       curtains by themselves, and the sixth curtain you shall double over at 
       the front of the tent.

       (Exo 26:10 NRSV)  You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the 
       curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of 
       the curtain that is outermost in the second set.






       (Exo 26:11 NRSV)  You shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and put the 
       clasps into the loops, and join the tent together, so that it may be 
       one whole.

       (Exo 26:12 NRSV)  The part that remains of the curtains of the tent, 
       the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the 
       tabernacle.

       (Exo 26:13 NRSV)  The cubit on the one side, and the cubit on the 
       other side, of what remains in the length of the curtains of the tent, 
       shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and that 
       side, to cover it.

       (Exo 26:14 NRSV)  You shall make for the tent a covering of tanned 
       rams' skins and an outer covering of fine leather.

       (Exo 26:15 NRSV)  You shall make upright frames of acacia wood for the 
       tabernacle.

       (Exo 26:16 NRSV)  Ten cubits shall be the length of a frame, and a 
       cubit and a half the width of each frame.

       (Exo 26:17 NRSV)  There shall be two pegs in each frame to fit the 
       frames together; you shall make these for all the frames of the 
       tabernacle.

       (Exo 26:18 NRSV)  You shall make the frames for the tabernacle: twenty 
       frames for the south side;

       (Exo 26:19 NRSV)  and you shall make forty bases of silver under the 
       twenty frames, two bases under the first frame for its two pegs, and 
       two bases under the next frame for its two pegs;

       (Exo 26:20 NRSV)  and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the 
       north side twenty frames,

       (Exo 26:21 NRSV)  and their forty bases of silver, two bases under the 
       first frame, and two bases under the next frame;

       (Exo 26:22 NRSV)  and for the rear of the tabernacle westward you 
       shall make six frames.

       (Exo 26:23 NRSV)  You shall make two frames for corners of the 
       tabernacle in the rear;

       (Exo 26:24 NRSV)  they shall be separate beneath, but joined at the 
       top, at the first ring; it shall be the same with both of them; they 
       shall form the two corners.

       (Exo 26:25 NRSV)  And so there shall be eight frames, with their bases 
       of silver, sixteen bases; two bases under the first frame, and two 
       bases under the next frame.

       (Exo 26:26 NRSV)  You shall make bars of acacia wood, five for the 
       frames of the one side of the tabernacle,






       (Exo 26:27 NRSV)  and five bars for the frames of the other side of 
       the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the side of the 
       tabernacle at the rear westward.

       (Exo 26:28 NRSV)  The middle bar, halfway up the frames, shall pass 
       through from end to end.

       (Exo 26:29 NRSV)  You shall overlay the frames with gold, and shall 
       make their rings of gold to hold the bars; and you shall overlay the 
       bars with gold.

       (Exo 26:30 NRSV)  Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to the 
       plan for it that you were shown on the mountain.

       (Exo 26:31 NRSV)  You shall make a curtain of blue, purple, and 
       crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen; it shall be made with 
       cherubim skillfully worked into it.

       (Exo 26:32 NRSV)  You shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid 
       with gold, which have hooks of gold and rest on four bases of silver.

       (Exo 26:33 NRSV)  You shall hang the curtain under the clasps, and 
       bring the ark of the covenant in there, within the curtain; and the 
       curtain shall separate for you the holy place from the most holy.

       (Exo 26:34 NRSV)  You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the 
       covenant in the most holy place.

       (Exo 26:35 NRSV)  You shall set the table outside the curtain, and the 
       lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle opposite the table; and 
       you shall put the table on the north side.

       (Exo 26:36 NRSV)  You shall make a screen for the entrance of the 
       tent, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen, 
       embroidered with needlework.

       (Exo 26:37 NRSV)  You shall make for the screen five pillars of 
       acacia, and overlay them with gold; their hooks shall be of gold, and 
       you shall cast five bases of bronze for them.

       (Exo 27:1 NRSV)  You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits 
       long and five cubits wide; the altar shall be square, and it shall be 
       three cubits high.

       (Exo 27:2 NRSV)  You shall make horns for it on its four corners; its 
       horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with 
       bronze.

       (Exo 27:3 NRSV)  You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes, and 
       shovels and basins and forks and firepans; you shall make all its 
       utensils of bronze.

       (Exo 27:4 NRSV)  You shall also make for it a grating, a network of 
       bronze; and on the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four 
       corners.






       (Exo 27:5 NRSV)  You shall set it under the ledge of the altar so that 
       the net shall extend halfway down the altar.

       (Exo 27:6 NRSV)  You shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia 
       wood, and overlay them with bronze;

       (Exo 27:7 NRSV)  the poles shall be put through the rings, so that the 
       poles shall be on the two sides of the altar when it is carried.

       (Exo 27:8 NRSV)  You shall make it hollow, with boards. They shall be 
       made just as you were shown on the mountain.

       (Exo 27:9 NRSV)  You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the 
       south side the court shall have hangings of fine twisted linen one 
       hundred cubits long for that side;

       (Exo 27:10 NRSV)  its twenty pillars and their twenty bases shall be 
       of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be of 
       silver.

       (Exo 27:11 NRSV)  Likewise for its length on the north side there 
       shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, their pillars twenty and 
       their bases twenty, of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their 
       bands shall be of silver.

       (Exo 27:12 NRSV)  For the width of the court on the west side there 
       shall be fifty cubits of hangings, with ten pillars and ten bases.

       (Exo 27:13 NRSV)  The width of the court on the front to the east 
       shall be fifty cubits.

       (Exo 27:14 NRSV)  There shall be fifteen cubits of hangings on the one 
       side, with three pillars and three bases.

       (Exo 27:15 NRSV)  There shall be fifteen cubits of hangings on the 
       other side, with three pillars and three bases.

       (Exo 27:16 NRSV)  For the gate of the court there shall be a screen 
       twenty cubits long, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine 
       twisted linen, embroidered with needlework; it shall have four pillars 
       and with them four bases.

       (Exo 27:17 NRSV)  All the pillars around the court shall be banded 
       with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their bases of 
       bronze.

       (Exo 27:18 NRSV)  The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits, 
       the width fifty, and the height five cubits, with hangings of fine 
       twisted linen and bases of bronze.

       (Exo 27:19 NRSV)  All the utensils of the tabernacle for every use, 
       and all its pegs and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.

       (Exo 27:20 NRSV)  You shall further command the Israelites to bring 
       you pure oil of beaten olives for the light, so that a lamp may be set 





       up to burn regularly.

       (Exo 27:21 NRSV)  In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that is 
       before the covenant, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to 
       morning before the LORD. It shall be a perpetual ordinance to be 
       observed throughout their generations by the Israelites.

       (Exo 28:1 NRSV)  Then bring near to you your brother Aaron, and his 
       sons with him, from among the Israelites, to serve me as 
       priests--Aaron and Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

       (Exo 28:2 NRSV)  You shall make sacred vestments for the glorious 
       adornment of your brother Aaron.

       (Exo 28:3 NRSV)  And you shall speak to all who have ability, whom I 
       have endowed with skill, that they make Aaron's vestments to 
       consecrate him for my priesthood.

       (Exo 28:4 NRSV)  These are the vestments that they shall make: a 
       breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a checkered tunic, a turban, and a 
       sash. When they make these sacred vestments for your brother Aaron and 
       his sons to serve me as priests,

       (Exo 28:5 NRSV)  they shall use gold, blue, purple, and crimson yarns, 
       and fine linen.

       (Exo 28:6 NRSV)  They shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, purple, 
       and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen, skillfully worked.

       (Exo 28:7 NRSV)  It shall have two shoulder-pieces attached to its two 
       edges, so that it may be joined together.

       (Exo 28:8 NRSV)  The decorated band on it shall be of the same 
       workmanship and materials, of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson 
       yarns, and of fine twisted linen.

       (Exo 28:9 NRSV)  You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them 
       the names of the sons of Israel,

       (Exo 28:10 NRSV)  six of their names on the one stone, and the names 
       of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth.

       (Exo 28:11 NRSV)  As a gem-cutter engraves signets, so you shall 
       engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel; you shall 
       mount them in settings of gold filigree.

       (Exo 28:12 NRSV)  You shall set the two stones on the shoulder-pieces 
       of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel; and 
       Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for 
       remembrance.

       (Exo 28:13 NRSV)  You shall make settings of gold filigree,

       (Exo 28:14 NRSV)  and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and 
       you shall attach the corded chains to the settings.





       (Exo 28:15 NRSV)  You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, in skilled 
       work; you shall make it in the style of the ephod; of gold, of blue 
       and purple and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen you shall make 
       it.

       (Exo 28:16 NRSV)  It shall be square and doubled, a span in length and 
       a span in width.

       (Exo 28:17 NRSV)  You shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of 
       carnelian, chrysolite, and emerald shall be the first row;

       (Exo 28:18 NRSV)  and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and a 
       moonstone;

       (Exo 28:19 NRSV)  and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an 
       amethyst;

       (Exo 28:20 NRSV)  and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper; 
       they shall be set in gold filigree.

       (Exo 28:21 NRSV)  There shall be twelve stones with names 
       corresponding to the names of the sons of Israel; they shall be like 
       signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes.

       (Exo 28:22 NRSV)  You shall make for the breastpiece chains of pure 
       gold, twisted like cords;

       (Exo 28:23 NRSV)  and you shall make for the breastpiece two rings of 
       gold, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece.

       (Exo 28:24 NRSV)  You shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings 
       at the edges of the breastpiece;

       (Exo 28:25 NRSV)  the two ends of the two cords you shall attach to 
       the two settings, and so attach it in front to the shoulder-pieces of 
       the ephod.

       (Exo 28:26 NRSV)  You shall make two rings of gold, and put them at 
       the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod.

       (Exo 28:27 NRSV)  You shall make two rings of gold, and attach them in 
       front to the lower part of the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod, at 
       its joining above the decorated band of the ephod.

       (Exo 28:28 NRSV)  The breastpiece shall be bound by its rings to the 
       rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that it may lie on the 
       decorated band of the ephod, and so that the breastpiece shall not 
       come loose from the ephod.

       (Exo 28:29 NRSV)  So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel 
       in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart when he goes into the holy 
       place, for a continual remembrance before the LORD.

       (Exo 28:30 NRSV)  In the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the 
       Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron's heart when he goes 
       in before the LORD; thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the 





       Israelites on his heart before the LORD continually.

       (Exo 28:31 NRSV)  You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue.

       (Exo 28:32 NRSV)  It shall have an opening for the head in the middle 
       of it, with a woven binding around the opening, like the opening in a 
       coat of mail, so that it may not be torn.

       (Exo 28:33 NRSV)  On its lower hem you shall make pomegranates of 
       blue, purple, and crimson yarns, all around the lower hem, with bells 
       of gold between them all around--

       (Exo 28:34 NRSV)  a golden bell and a pomegranate alternating all 
       around the lower hem of the robe.

       (Exo 28:35 NRSV)  Aaron shall wear it when he ministers, and its sound 
       shall be heard when he goes into the holy place before the LORD, and 
       when he comes out, so that he may not die.

       (Exo 28:36 NRSV)  You shall make a rosette of pure gold, and engrave 
       on it, like the engraving of a signet, "Holy to the LORD."

       (Exo 28:37 NRSV)  You shall fasten it on the turban with a blue cord; 
       it shall be on the front of the turban.

       (Exo 28:38 NRSV)  It shall be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall 
       take on himself any guilt incurred in the holy offering that the 
       Israelites consecrate as their sacred donations; it shall always be on 
       his forehead, in order that they may find favor before the LORD.

       (Exo 28:39 NRSV)  You shall make the checkered tunic of fine linen, 
       and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash 
       embroidered with needlework.

       (Exo 28:40 NRSV)  For Aaron's sons you shall make tunics and sashes 
       and headdresses; you shall make them for their glorious adornment.

       (Exo 28:41 NRSV)  You shall put them on your brother Aaron, and on his 
       sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate 
       them, so that they may serve me as priests.

       (Exo 28:42 NRSV)  You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover 
       their naked flesh; they shall reach from the hips to the thighs;

       (Exo 28:43 NRSV)  Aaron and his sons shall wear them when they go into 
       the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister in 
       the holy place; or they will bring guilt on themselves and die. This 
       shall be a perpetual ordinance for him and for his descendants after 
       him.

       (Exo 29:1 NRSV)  Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate 
       them, so that they may serve me as priests. Take one young bull and 
       two rams without blemish,

       (Exo 29:2 NRSV)  and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with 
       oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil. You shall make them of 





       choice wheat flour.

       (Exo 29:3 NRSV)  You shall put them in one basket and bring them in 
       the basket, and bring the bull and the two rams.

       (Exo 29:4 NRSV)  You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of 
       the tent of meeting, and wash them with water.

       (Exo 29:5 NRSV)  Then you shall take the vestments, and put on Aaron 
       the tunic and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the 
       breastpiece, and gird him with the decorated band of the ephod;

       (Exo 29:6 NRSV)  and you shall set the turban on his head, and put the 
       holy diadem on the turban.

       (Exo 29:7 NRSV)  You shall take the anointing oil, and pour it on his 
       head and anoint him.

       (Exo 29:8 NRSV)  Then you shall bring his sons, and put tunics on 
       them,

       (Exo 29:9 NRSV)  and you shall gird them with sashes and tie 
       headdresses on them; and the priesthood shall be theirs by a perpetual 
       ordinance. You shall then ordain Aaron and his sons.

       (Exo 29:10 NRSV)  You shall bring the bull in front of the tent of 
       meeting. Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the 
       bull,

       (Exo 29:11 NRSV)  and you shall slaughter the bull before the LORD, at 
       the entrance of the tent of meeting,

       (Exo 29:12 NRSV)  and shall take some of the blood of the bull and put 
       it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and all the rest of the 
       blood you shall pour out at the base of the altar.

       (Exo 29:13 NRSV)  You shall take all the fat that covers the entrails, 
       and the appendage of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat that 
       is on them, and turn them into smoke on the altar.

       (Exo 29:14 NRSV)  But the flesh of the bull, and its skin, and its 
       dung, you shall burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.

       (Exo 29:15 NRSV)  Then you shall take one of the rams, and Aaron and 
       his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram,

       (Exo 29:16 NRSV)  and you shall slaughter the ram, and shall take its 
       blood and dash it against all sides of the altar.

       (Exo 29:17 NRSV)  Then you shall cut the ram into its parts, and wash 
       its entrails and its legs, and put them with its parts and its head,

       (Exo 29:18 NRSV)  and turn the whole ram into smoke on the altar; it 
       is a burnt offering to the LORD; it is a pleasing odor, an offering by 
       fire to the LORD.





       (Exo 29:19 NRSV)  You shall take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons 
       shall lay their hands on the head of the ram,

       (Exo 29:20 NRSV)  and you shall slaughter the ram, and take some of 
       its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron's right ear and on the lobes 
       of the right ears of his sons, and on the thumbs of their right hands, 
       and on the big toes of their right feet, and dash the rest of the 
       blood against all sides of the altar.

       (Exo 29:21 NRSV)  Then you shall take some of the blood that is on the 
       altar, and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his 
       vestments and on his sons and his sons' vestments with him; then he 
       and his vestments shall be holy, as well as his sons and his sons' 
       vestments.

       (Exo 29:22 NRSV)  You shall also take the fat of the ram, the fat 
       tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the appendage of the liver, 
       the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for 
       it is a ram of ordination),

       (Exo 29:23 NRSV)  and one loaf of bread, one cake of bread made with 
       oil, and one wafer, out of the basket of unleavened bread that is 
       before the LORD;

       (Exo 29:24 NRSV)  and you shall place all these on the palms of Aaron 
       and on the palms of his sons, and raise them as an elevation offering 
       before the LORD.

       (Exo 29:25 NRSV)  Then you shall take them from their hands, and turn 
       them into smoke on the altar on top of the burnt offering of pleasing 
       odor before the LORD; it is an offering by fire to the LORD.

       (Exo 29:26 NRSV)  You shall take the breast of the ram of Aaron's 
       ordination and raise it as an elevation offering before the LORD; and 
       it shall be your portion.

       (Exo 29:27 NRSV)  You shall consecrate the breast that was raised as 
       an elevation offering and the thigh that was raised as an elevation 
       offering from the ram of ordination, from that which belonged to Aaron 
       and his sons.

       (Exo 29:28 NRSV)  These things shall be a perpetual ordinance for 
       Aaron and his sons from the Israelites, for this is an offering; and 
       it shall be an offering by the Israelites from their sacrifice of 
       offerings of well-being, their offering to the LORD.

       (Exo 29:29 NRSV)  The sacred vestments of Aaron shall be passed on to 
       his sons after him; they shall be anointed in them and ordained in 
       them.

       (Exo 29:30 NRSV)  The son who is priest in his place shall wear them 
       seven days, when he comes into the tent of meeting to minister in the 
       holy place.

       (Exo 29:31 NRSV)  You shall take the ram of ordination, and boil its 
       flesh in a holy place;






       (Exo 29:32 NRSV)  and Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the 
       ram and the bread that is in the basket, at the entrance of the tent 
       of meeting.

       (Exo 29:33 NRSV)  They themselves shall eat the food by which 
       atonement is made, to ordain and consecrate them, but no one else 
       shall eat of them, because they are holy.

       (Exo 29:34 NRSV)  If any of the flesh for the ordination, or of the 
       bread, remains until the morning, then you shall burn the remainder 
       with fire; it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

       (Exo 29:35 NRSV)  Thus you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, just as 
       I have commanded you; through seven days you shall ordain them.

       (Exo 29:36 NRSV)  Also every day you shall offer a bull as a sin 
       offering for atonement. Also you shall offer a sin offering for the 
       altar, when you make atonement for it, and shall anoint it, to 
       consecrate it.

       (Exo 29:37 NRSV)  Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar, 
       and consecrate it, and the altar shall be most holy; whatever touches 
       the altar shall become holy.

       (Exo 29:38 NRSV)  Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two 
       lambs a year old regularly each day.

       (Exo 29:39 NRSV)  One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the 
       other lamb you shall offer in the evening;

       (Exo 29:40 NRSV)  and with the first lamb one-tenth of a measure of 
       choice flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and 
       one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering.

       (Exo 29:41 NRSV)  And the other lamb you shall offer in the evening, 
       and shall offer with it a grain offering and its drink offering, as in 
       the morning, for a pleasing odor, an offering by fire to the LORD.

       (Exo 29:42 NRSV)  It shall be a regular burnt offering throughout your 
       generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD, 
       where I will meet with you, to speak to you there.

       (Exo 29:43 NRSV)  I will meet with the Israelites there, and it shall 
       be sanctified by my glory;

       (Exo 29:44 NRSV)  I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; 
       Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate, to serve me as priests.

       (Exo 29:45 NRSV)  I will dwell among the Israelites, and I will be 
       their God.

       (Exo 29:46 NRSV)  And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, 
       who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among 
       them; I am the LORD their God.





       (Exo 30:1 NRSV)  You shall make an altar on which to offer incense; 
       you shall make it of acacia wood.

       (Exo 30:2 NRSV)  It shall be one cubit long, and one cubit wide; it 
       shall be square, and shall be two cubits high; its horns shall be of 
       one piece with it.

       (Exo 30:3 NRSV)  You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top, and its 
       sides all around and its horns; and you shall make for it a molding of 
       gold all around.

       (Exo 30:4 NRSV)  And you shall make two golden rings for it; under its 
       molding on two opposite sides of it you shall make them, and they 
       shall hold the poles with which to carry it.

       (Exo 30:5 NRSV)  You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay 
       them with gold.

       (Exo 30:6 NRSV)  You shall place it in front of the curtain that is 
       above the ark of the covenant, in front of the mercy seat that is over 
       the covenant, where I will meet with you.

       (Exo 30:7 NRSV)  Aaron shall offer fragrant incense on it; every 
       morning when he dresses the lamps he shall offer it,

       (Exo 30:8 NRSV)  and when Aaron sets up the lamps in the evening, he 
       shall offer it, a regular incense offering before the LORD throughout 
       your generations.

       (Exo 30:9 NRSV)  You shall not offer unholy incense on it, or a burnt 
       offering, or a grain offering; and you shall not pour a drink offering 
       on it.

       (Exo 30:10 NRSV)  Once a year Aaron shall perform the rite of 
       atonement on its horns. Throughout your generations he shall perform 
       the atonement for it once a year with the blood of the atoning sin 
       offering. It is most holy to the LORD.

       (Exo 30:11 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses:

       (Exo 30:12 NRSV)  When you take a census of the Israelites to register 
       them, at registration all of them shall give a ransom for their lives 
       to the LORD, so that no plague may come upon them for being 
       registered.

       (Exo 30:13 NRSV)  This is what each one who is registered shall give: 
       half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is 
       twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to the LORD.

       (Exo 30:14 NRSV)  Each one who is registered, from twenty years old 
       and upward, shall give the Lord's offering.

       (Exo 30:15 NRSV)  The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not 
       give less, than the half shekel, when you bring this offering to the 
       LORD to make atonement for your lives.





       (Exo 30:16 NRSV)  You shall take the atonement money from the 
       Israelites and shall designate it for the service of the tent of 
       meeting; before the LORD it will be a reminder to the Israelites of 
       the ransom given for your lives.

       (Exo 30:17 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses:

       (Exo 30:18 NRSV)  You shall make a bronze basin with a bronze stand 
       for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the 
       altar, and you shall put water in it;

       (Exo 30:19 NRSV)  with the water Aaron and his sons shall wash their 
       hands and their feet.

       (Exo 30:20 NRSV)  When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they 
       come near the altar to minister, to make an offering by fire to the 
       LORD, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die.

       (Exo 30:21 NRSV)  They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that 
       they may not die: it shall be a perpetual ordinance for them, for him 
       and for his descendants throughout their generations.

       (Exo 30:22 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses:

       (Exo 30:23 NRSV)  Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh five hundred 
       shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, two 
       hundred fifty, and two hundred fifty of aromatic cane,

       (Exo 30:24 NRSV)  and five hundred of cassia--measured by the 
       sanctuary shekel--and a hin of olive oil;

       (Exo 30:25 NRSV)  and you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil 
       blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil.

       (Exo 30:26 NRSV)  With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the 
       ark of the covenant,

       (Exo 30:27 NRSV)  and the table and all its utensils, and the 
       lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense,

       (Exo 30:28 NRSV)  and the altar of burnt offering with all its 
       utensils, and the basin with its stand;

       (Exo 30:29 NRSV)  you shall consecrate them, so that they may be most 
       holy; whatever touches them will become holy.

       (Exo 30:30 NRSV)  You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate 
       them, in order that they may serve me as priests.

       (Exo 30:31 NRSV)  You shall say to the Israelites, "This shall be my 
       holy anointing oil throughout your generations.

       (Exo 30:32 NRSV)  It shall not be used in any ordinary anointing of 
       the body, and you shall make no other like it in composition; it is 
       holy, and it shall be holy to you.





       (Exo 30:33 NRSV)  Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of 
       it on an unqualified person shall be cut off from the people."

       (Exo 30:34 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses: Take sweet spices, stacte, 
       and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (an 
       equal part of each),

       (Exo 30:35 NRSV)  and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, 
       seasoned with salt, pure and holy;

       (Exo 30:36 NRSV)  and you shall beat some of it into powder, and put 
       part of it before the covenant in the tent of meeting where I shall 
       meet with you; it shall be for you most holy.

       (Exo 30:37 NRSV)  When you make incense according to this composition, 
       you shall not make it for yourselves; it shall be regarded by you as 
       holy to the LORD.

       (Exo 30:38 NRSV)  Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be 
       cut off from the people.

       (Exo 31:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses:

       (Exo 31:2 NRSV)  See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of 
       Hur, of the tribe of Judah:

       (Exo 31:3 NRSV)  and I have filled him with divine spirit, with 
       ability, intelligence, and knowledge in every kind of craft,

       (Exo 31:4 NRSV)  to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, 
       and bronze,

       (Exo 31:5 NRSV)  in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, 
       in every kind of craft.

       (Exo 31:6 NRSV)  Moreover, I have appointed with him Oholiab son of 
       Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have given skill to all the 
       skillful, so that they may make all that I have commanded you:

       (Exo 31:7 NRSV)  the tent of meeting, and the ark of the covenant, and 
       the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent,

       (Exo 31:8 NRSV)  the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand 
       with all its utensils, and the altar of incense,

       (Exo 31:9 NRSV)  and the altar of burnt offering with all its 
       utensils, and the basin with its stand,

       (Exo 31:10 NRSV)  and the finely worked vestments, the holy vestments 
       for the priest Aaron and the vestments of his sons, for their service 
       as priests,

       (Exo 31:11 NRSV)  and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for 
       the holy place. They shall do just as I have commanded you.

       (Exo 31:12 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses:






       (Exo 31:13 NRSV)  You yourself are to speak to the Israelites: "You 
       shall keep my sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you 
       throughout your generations, given in order that you may know that I, 
       the LORD, sanctify you.

       (Exo 31:14 NRSV)  You shall keep the sabbath, because it is holy for 
       you; everyone who profanes it shall be put to death; whoever does any 
       work on it shall be cut off from among the people.

       (Exo 31:15 NRSV)  Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is 
       a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on 
       the sabbath day shall be put to death.

       (Exo 31:16 NRSV)  Therefore the Israelites shall keep the sabbath, 
       observing the sabbath throughout their generations, as a perpetual 
       covenant.

       (Exo 31:17 NRSV)  It is a sign forever between me and the people of 
       Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the 
       seventh day he rested, and was refreshed."

       (Exo 31:18 NRSV)  When God finished speaking with Moses on Mount 
       Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant, tablets of stone, 
       written with the finger of God.

       (Exo 32:1 NRSV)  When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down 
       from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron, and said to him, 
       "Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, 
       the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know 
       what has become of him."

       (Exo 32:2 NRSV)  Aaron said to them, "Take off the gold rings that are 
       on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring 
       them to me."

       (Exo 32:3 NRSV)  So all the people took off the gold rings from their 
       ears, and brought them to Aaron.

       (Exo 32:4 NRSV)  He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold, and 
       cast an image of a calf; and they said, "These are your gods, O 
       Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!"

       (Exo 32:5 NRSV)  When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and 
       Aaron made proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be a festival to the 
       LORD."

       (Exo 32:6 NRSV)  They rose early the next day, and offered burnt 
       offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being; and the people sat 
       down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel.

       (Exo 32:7 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses, "Go down at once! Your 
       people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted 
       perversely;

       (Exo 32:8 NRSV)  they have been quick to turn aside from the way that 





       I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, 
       and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, 'These are your 
       gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'"

       (Exo 32:9 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, how 
       stiff-necked they are.

       (Exo 32:10 NRSV)  Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot 
       against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great 
       nation."

       (Exo 32:11 NRSV)  But Moses implored the LORD his God, and said, "O 
       LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you 
       brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty 
       hand?

       (Exo 32:12 NRSV)  Why should the Egyptians say, 'It was with evil 
       intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to 
       consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your fierce wrath; 
       change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people.

       (Exo 32:13 NRSV)  Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, 
       how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, 'I will 
       multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land 
       that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall 
       inherit it forever.'"

       (Exo 32:14 NRSV)  And the LORD changed his mind about the disaster 
       that he planned to bring on his people.

       (Exo 32:15 NRSV)  Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain, 
       carrying the two tablets of the covenant in his hands, tablets that 
       were written on both sides, written on the front and on the back.

       (Exo 32:16 NRSV)  The tablets were the work of God, and the writing 
       was the writing of God, engraved upon the tablets.

       (Exo 32:17 NRSV)  When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they 
       shouted, he said to Moses, "There is a noise of war in the camp."

       (Exo 32:18 NRSV)  But he said, "It is not the sound made by victors, 
       or the sound made by losers; it is the sound of revelers that I hear."

       (Exo 32:19 NRSV)  As soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf 
       and the dancing, Moses' anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets 
       from his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.

       (Exo 32:20 NRSV)  He took the calf that they had made, burned it with 
       fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the 
       Israelites drink it.

       (Exo 32:21 NRSV)  Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you 
       that you have brought so great a sin upon them?"

       (Exo 32:22 NRSV)  And Aaron said, "Do not let the anger of my lord 
       burn hot; you know the people, that they are bent on evil.






       (Exo 32:23 NRSV)  They said to me, 'Make us gods, who shall go before 
       us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of 
       Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.'

       (Exo 32:24 NRSV)  So I said to them, 'Whoever has gold, take it off'; 
       so they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this 
       calf!"

       (Exo 32:25 NRSV)  When Moses saw that the people were running wild 
       (for Aaron had let them run wild, to the derision of their enemies),

       (Exo 32:26 NRSV)  then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, 
       "Who is on the Lord's side? Come to me!" And all the sons of Levi 
       gathered around him.

       (Exo 32:27 NRSV)  He said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of 
       Israel, 'Put your sword on your side, each of you! Go back and forth 
       from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill your 
       brother, your friend, and your neighbor.'"

       (Exo 32:28 NRSV)  The sons of Levi did as Moses commanded, and about 
       three thousand of the people fell on that day.

       (Exo 32:29 NRSV)  Moses said, "Today you have ordained yourselves for 
       the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of a son or a brother, 
       and so have brought a blessing on yourselves this day."

       (Exo 32:30 NRSV)  On the next day Moses said to the people, "You have 
       sinned a great sin. But now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can 
       make atonement for your sin."

       (Exo 32:31 NRSV)  So Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Alas, this 
       people has sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of 
       gold.

       (Exo 32:32 NRSV)  But now, if you will only forgive their sin--but if 
       not, blot me out of the book that you have written."

       (Exo 32:33 NRSV)  But the LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned 
       against me I will blot out of my book.

       (Exo 32:34 NRSV)  But now go, lead the people to the place about which 
       I have spoken to you; see, my angel shall go in front of you. 
       Nevertheless, when the day comes for punishment, I will punish them 
       for their sin."

       (Exo 32:35 NRSV)  Then the LORD sent a plague on the people, because 
       they made the calf--the one that Aaron made.

       (Exo 33:1 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses, "Go, leave this place, you 
       and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, and 
       go to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, 
       'To your descendants I will give it.'

       (Exo 33:2 NRSV)  I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out 





       the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the 
       Hivites, and the Jebusites.

       (Exo 33:3 NRSV)  Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I 
       will not go up among you, or I would consume you on the way, for you 
       are a stiff-necked people."

       (Exo 33:4 NRSV)  When the people heard these harsh words, they 
       mourned, and no one put on ornaments.

       (Exo 33:5 NRSV)  For the LORD had said to Moses, "Say to the 
       Israelites, 'You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I 
       should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your 
       ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.'"

       (Exo 33:6 NRSV)  Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their 
       ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.

       (Exo 33:7 NRSV)  Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside 
       the camp, far off from the camp; he called it the tent of meeting. And 
       everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting, 
       which was outside the camp.

       (Exo 33:8 NRSV)  Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people 
       would rise and stand, each of them, at the entrance of their tents and 
       watch Moses until he had gone into the tent.

       (Exo 33:9 NRSV)  When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud 
       would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the LORD 
       would speak with Moses.

       (Exo 33:10 NRSV)  When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing 
       at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise and bow down, 
       all of them, at the entrance of their tent.

       (Exo 33:11 NRSV)  Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, 
       as one speaks to a friend. Then he would return to the camp; but his 
       young assistant, Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the tent.

       (Exo 33:12 NRSV)  Moses said to the LORD, "See, you have said to me, 
       'Bring up this people'; but you have not let me know whom you will 
       send with me. Yet you have said, 'I know you by name, and you have 
       also found favor in my sight.'

       (Exo 33:13 NRSV)  Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me 
       your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. 
       Consider too that this nation is your people."

       (Exo 33:14 NRSV)  He said, "My presence will go with you, and I will 
       give you rest."

       (Exo 33:15 NRSV)  And he said to him, "If your presence will not go, 
       do not carry us up from here.

       (Exo 33:16 NRSV)  For how shall it be known that I have found favor in 
       your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we 





       shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of 
       the earth."

       (Exo 33:17 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing 
       that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know 
       you by name."

       (Exo 33:18 NRSV)  Moses said, "Show me your glory, I pray."

       (Exo 33:19 NRSV)  And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass 
       before you, and will proclaim before you the name, 'The LORD'; and I 
       will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on 
       whom I will show mercy.

       (Exo 33:20 NRSV)  But," he said, "you cannot see my face; for no one 
       shall see me and live."

       (Exo 33:21 NRSV)  And the LORD continued, "See, there is a place by me 
       where you shall stand on the rock;

       (Exo 33:22 NRSV)  and while my glory passes by I will put you in a 
       cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have 
       passed by;

       (Exo 33:23 NRSV)  then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my 
       back; but my face shall not be seen."

       (Exo 34:1 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses, "Cut two tablets of stone 
       like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that 
       were on the former tablets, which you broke.

       (Exo 34:2 NRSV)  Be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning 
       to Mount Sinai and present yourself there to me, on the top of the 
       mountain.

       (Exo 34:3 NRSV)  No one shall come up with you, and do not let anyone 
       be seen throughout all the mountain; and do not let flocks or herds 
       graze in front of that mountain."

       (Exo 34:4 NRSV)  So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the former 
       ones; and he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as 
       the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tablets of 
       stone.

       (Exo 34:5 NRSV)  The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him 
       there, and proclaimed the name, "The LORD."

       (Exo 34:6 NRSV)  The LORD passed before him, and proclaimed, "The 
       LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and 
       abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

       (Exo 34:7 NRSV)  keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, 
       forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, yet by no means clearing 
       the guilty, but visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children 
       and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation."





       (Exo 34:8 NRSV)  And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth, 
       and worshiped.

       (Exo 34:9 NRSV)  He said, "If now I have found favor in your sight, O 
       Lord, I pray, let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked 
       people, pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your 
       inheritance."

       (Exo 34:10 NRSV)  He said: I hereby make a covenant. Before all your 
       people I will perform marvels, such as have not been performed in all 
       the earth or in any nation; and all the people among whom you live 
       shall see the work of the LORD; for it is an awesome thing that I will 
       do with you.

       (Exo 34:11 NRSV)  Observe what I command you today. See, I will drive 
       out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the 
       Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

       (Exo 34:12 NRSV)  Take care not to make a covenant with the 
       inhabitants of the land to which you are going, or it will become a 
       snare among you.

       (Exo 34:13 NRSV)  You shall tear down their altars, break their 
       pillars, and cut down their sacred poles

       (Exo 34:14 NRSV)  (for you shall worship no other god, because the 
       LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God).

       (Exo 34:15 NRSV)  You shall not make a covenant with the inhabitants 
       of the land, for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and 
       sacrifice to their gods, someone among them will invite you, and you 
       will eat of the sacrifice.

       (Exo 34:16 NRSV)  And you will take wives from among their daughters 
       for your sons, and their daughters who prostitute themselves to their 
       gods will make your sons also prostitute themselves to their gods.

       (Exo 34:17 NRSV)  You shall not make cast idols.

       (Exo 34:18 NRSV)  You shall keep the festival of unleavened bread. 
       Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the 
       time appointed in the month of Abib; for in the month of Abib you came 
       out from Egypt.

       (Exo 34:19 NRSV)  All that first opens the womb is mine, all your male 
       livestock, the firstborn of cow and sheep.

       (Exo 34:20 NRSV)  The firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a 
       lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. All the 
       firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. No one shall appear before me 
       empty-handed.

       (Exo 34:21 NRSV)  Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you 
       shall rest; even in plowing time and in harvest time you shall rest.

       (Exo 34:22 NRSV)  You shall observe the festival of weeks, the first 





       fruits of wheat harvest, and the festival of ingathering at the turn 
       of the year.

       (Exo 34:23 NRSV)  Three times in the year all your males shall appear 
       before the LORD God, the God of Israel.

       (Exo 34:24 NRSV)  For I will cast out nations before you, and enlarge 
       your borders; no one shall covet your land when you go up to appear 
       before the LORD your God three times in the year.

       (Exo 34:25 NRSV)  You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with 
       leaven, and the sacrifice of the festival of the passover shall not be 
       left until the morning.

       (Exo 34:26 NRSV)  The best of the first fruits of your ground you 
       shall bring to the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a 
       kid in its mother's milk.

       (Exo 34:27 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses: Write these words; in 
       accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with 
       Israel.

       (Exo 34:28 NRSV)  He was there with the LORD forty days and forty 
       nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the 
       tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

       (Exo 34:29 NRSV)  Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down 
       from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, 
       Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been 
       talking with God.

       (Exo 34:30 NRSV)  When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the 
       skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him.

       (Exo 34:31 NRSV)  But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the 
       leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with 
       them.

       (Exo 34:32 NRSV)  Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave 
       them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount 
       Sinai.

       (Exo 34:33 NRSV)  When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a 
       veil on his face;

       (Exo 34:34 NRSV)  but whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak 
       with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he 
       came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded,

       (Exo 34:35 NRSV)  the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the 
       skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face 
       again, until he went in to speak with him.

       (Exo 35:1 NRSV)  Moses assembled all the congregation of the 
       Israelites and said to them: These are the things that the LORD has 
       commanded you to do:






       (Exo 35:2 NRSV)  Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day 
       you shall have a holy sabbath of solemn rest to the LORD; whoever does 
       any work on it shall be put to death.

       (Exo 35:3 NRSV)  You shall kindle no fire in all your dwellings on the 
       sabbath day.

       (Exo 35:4 NRSV)  Moses said to all the congregation of the Israelites: 
       This is the thing that the LORD has commanded:

       (Exo 35:5 NRSV)  Take from among you an offering to the LORD; let 
       whoever is of a generous heart bring the Lord's offering: gold, 
       silver, and bronze;

       (Exo 35:6 NRSV)  blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine linen; 
       goats' hair,

       (Exo 35:7 NRSV)  tanned rams' skins, and fine leather; acacia wood,

       (Exo 35:8 NRSV)  oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and 
       for the fragrant incense,

       (Exo 35:9 NRSV)  and onyx stones and gems to be set in the ephod and 
       the breastpiece.

       (Exo 35:10 NRSV)  All who are skillful among you shall come and make 
       all that the LORD has commanded: the tabernacle,

       (Exo 35:11 NRSV)  its tent and its covering, its clasps and its 
       frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases;

       (Exo 35:12 NRSV)  the ark with its poles, the mercy seat, and the 
       curtain for the screen;

       (Exo 35:13 NRSV)  the table with its poles and all its utensils, and 
       the bread of the Presence;

       (Exo 35:14 NRSV)  the lampstand also for the light, with its utensils 
       and its lamps, and the oil for the light;

       (Exo 35:15 NRSV)  and the altar of incense, with its poles, and the 
       anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the 
       entrance, the entrance of the tabernacle;

       (Exo 35:16 NRSV)  the altar of burnt offering, with its grating of 
       bronze, its poles, and all its utensils, the basin with its stand;

       (Exo 35:17 NRSV)  the hangings of the court, its pillars and its 
       bases, and the screen for the gate of the court;

       (Exo 35:18 NRSV)  the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the 
       court, and their cords;

       (Exo 35:19 NRSV)  the finely worked vestments for ministering in the 
       holy place, the holy vestments for the priest Aaron, and the vestments 





       of his sons, for their service as priests.

       (Exo 35:20 NRSV)  Then all the congregation of the Israelites withdrew 
       from the presence of Moses.

       (Exo 35:21 NRSV)  And they came, everyone whose heart was stirred, and 
       everyone whose spirit was willing, and brought the Lord's offering to 
       be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the 
       sacred vestments.

       (Exo 35:22 NRSV)  So they came, both men and women; all who were of a 
       willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and 
       pendants, all sorts of gold objects, everyone bringing an offering of 
       gold to the LORD.

       (Exo 35:23 NRSV)  And everyone who possessed blue or purple or crimson 
       yarn or fine linen or goats' hair or tanned rams' skins or fine 
       leather, brought them.

       (Exo 35:24 NRSV)  Everyone who could make an offering of silver or 
       bronze brought it as the Lord's offering; and everyone who possessed 
       acacia wood of any use in the work, brought it.

       (Exo 35:25 NRSV)  All the skillful women spun with their hands, and 
       brought what they had spun in blue and purple and crimson yarns and 
       fine linen;

       (Exo 35:26 NRSV)  all the women whose hearts moved them to use their 
       skill spun the goats' hair.

       (Exo 35:27 NRSV)  And the leaders brought onyx stones and gems to be 
       set in the ephod and the breastpiece,

       (Exo 35:28 NRSV)  and spices and oil for the light, and for the 
       anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense.

       (Exo 35:29 NRSV)  All the Israelite men and women whose hearts made 
       them willing to bring anything for the work that the LORD had 
       commanded by Moses to be done, brought it as a freewill offering to 
       the LORD.

       (Exo 35:30 NRSV)  Then Moses said to the Israelites: See, the LORD has 
       called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah;

       (Exo 35:31 NRSV)  he has filled him with divine spirit, with skill, 
       intelligence, and knowledge in every kind of craft,

       (Exo 35:32 NRSV)  to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, 
       and bronze,

       (Exo 35:33 NRSV)  in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, 
       in every kind of craft.

       (Exo 35:34 NRSV)  And he has inspired him to teach, both him and 
       Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.





       (Exo 35:35 NRSV)  He has filled them with skill to do every kind of 
       work done by an artisan or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue, 
       purple, and crimson yarns, and in fine linen, or by a weaver--by any 
       sort of artisan or skilled designer.

       (Exo 36:1 NRSV)  Bezalel and Oholiab and every skillful one to whom 
       the LORD has given skill and understanding to know how to do any work 
       in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all 
       that the LORD has commanded.

       (Exo 36:2 NRSV)  Moses then called Bezalel and Oholiab and every 
       skillful one to whom the LORD had given skill, everyone whose heart 
       was stirred to come to do the work;

       (Exo 36:3 NRSV)  and they received from Moses all the freewill 
       offerings that the Israelites had brought for doing the work on the 
       sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every 
       morning,

       (Exo 36:4 NRSV)  so that all the artisans who were doing every sort of 
       task on the sanctuary came, each from the task being performed,

       (Exo 36:5 NRSV)  and said to Moses, "The people are bringing much more 
       than enough for doing the work that the LORD has commanded us to do."

       (Exo 36:6 NRSV)  So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed 
       throughout the camp: "No man or woman is to make anything else as an 
       offering for the sanctuary." So the people were restrained from 
       bringing;

       (Exo 36:7 NRSV)  for what they had already brought was more than 
       enough to do all the work.

       (Exo 36:8 NRSV)  All those with skill among the workers made the 
       tabernacle with ten curtains; they were made of fine twisted linen, 
       and blue, purple, and crimson yarns, with cherubim skillfully worked 
       into them.

       (Exo 36:9 NRSV)  The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, 
       and the width of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains were of 
       the same size.

       (Exo 36:10 NRSV)  He joined five curtains to one another, and the 
       other five curtains he joined to one another.

       (Exo 36:11 NRSV)  He made loops of blue on the edge of the outermost 
       curtain of the first set; likewise he made them on the edge of the 
       outermost curtain of the second set;

       (Exo 36:12 NRSV)  he made fifty loops on the one curtain, and he made 
       fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was in the second set; the 
       loops were opposite one another.

       (Exo 36:13 NRSV)  And he made fifty clasps of gold, and joined the 
       curtains one to the other with clasps; so the tabernacle was one 
       whole.






       (Exo 36:14 NRSV)  He also made curtains of goats' hair for a tent over 
       the tabernacle; he made eleven curtains.

       (Exo 36:15 NRSV)  The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and 
       the width of each curtain four cubits; the eleven curtains were of the 
       same size.

       (Exo 36:16 NRSV)  He joined five curtains by themselves, and six 
       curtains by themselves.

       (Exo 36:17 NRSV)  He made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost 
       curtain of the one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the other 
       connecting curtain.

       (Exo 36:18 NRSV)  He made fifty clasps of bronze to join the tent 
       together so that it might be one whole.

       (Exo 36:19 NRSV)  And he made for the tent a covering of tanned rams' 
       skins and an outer covering of fine leather.

       (Exo 36:20 NRSV)  Then he made the upright frames for the tabernacle 
       of acacia wood.

       (Exo 36:21 NRSV)  Ten cubits was the length of a frame, and a cubit 
       and a half the width of each frame.

       (Exo 36:22 NRSV)  Each frame had two pegs for fitting together; he did 
       this for all the frames of the tabernacle.

       (Exo 36:23 NRSV)  The frames for the tabernacle he made in this way: 
       twenty frames for the south side;

       (Exo 36:24 NRSV)  and he made forty bases of silver under the twenty 
       frames, two bases under the first frame for its two pegs, and two 
       bases under the next frame for its two pegs.

       (Exo 36:25 NRSV)  For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north 
       side, he made twenty frames

       (Exo 36:26 NRSV)  and their forty bases of silver, two bases under the 
       first frame and two bases under the next frame.

       (Exo 36:27 NRSV)  For the rear of the tabernacle westward he made six 
       frames.

       (Exo 36:28 NRSV)  He made two frames for corners of the tabernacle in 
       the rear.

       (Exo 36:29 NRSV)  They were separate beneath, but joined at the top, 
       at the first ring; he made two of them in this way, for the two 
       corners.

       (Exo 36:30 NRSV)  There were eight frames with their bases of silver: 
       sixteen bases, under every frame two bases.





       (Exo 36:31 NRSV)  He made bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of 
       the one side of the tabernacle,

       (Exo 36:32 NRSV)  and five bars for the frames of the other side of 
       the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the tabernacle at the 
       rear westward.

       (Exo 36:33 NRSV)  He made the middle bar to pass through from end to 
       end halfway up the frames.

       (Exo 36:34 NRSV)  And he overlaid the frames with gold, and made rings 
       of gold for them to hold the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.

       (Exo 36:35 NRSV)  He made the curtain of blue, purple, and crimson 
       yarns, and fine twisted linen, with cherubim skillfully worked into 
       it.

       (Exo 36:36 NRSV)  For it he made four pillars of acacia, and overlaid 
       them with gold; their hooks were of gold, and he cast for them four 
       bases of silver.

       (Exo 36:37 NRSV)  He also made a screen for the entrance to the tent, 
       of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen, 
       embroidered with needlework;

       (Exo 36:38 NRSV)  and its five pillars with their hooks. He overlaid 
       their capitals and their bases with gold, but their five bases were of 
       bronze.

       (Exo 37:1 NRSV)  Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; it was two and a 
       half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half 
       high.

       (Exo 37:2 NRSV)  He overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and 
       made a molding of gold around it.

       (Exo 37:3 NRSV)  He cast for it four rings of gold for its four feet, 
       two rings on its one side and two rings on its other side.

       (Exo 37:4 NRSV)  He made poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with 
       gold,

       (Exo 37:5 NRSV)  and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the 
       ark, to carry the ark.

       (Exo 37:6 NRSV)  He made a mercy seat of pure gold; two cubits and a 
       half was its length, and a cubit and a half its width.

       (Exo 37:7 NRSV)  He made two cherubim of hammered gold; at the two 
       ends of the mercy seat he made them,

       (Exo 37:8 NRSV)  one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the 
       other end; of one piece with the mercy seat he made the cherubim at 
       its two ends.

       (Exo 37:9 NRSV)  The cherubim spread out their wings above, 





       overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings. They faced one another; 
       the faces of the cherubim were turned toward the mercy seat.

       (Exo 37:10 NRSV)  He also made the table of acacia wood, two cubits 
       long, one cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high.

       (Exo 37:11 NRSV)  He overlaid it with pure gold, and made a molding of 
       gold around it.

       (Exo 37:12 NRSV)  He made around it a rim a handbreadth wide, and made 
       a molding of gold around the rim.

       (Exo 37:13 NRSV)  He cast for it four rings of gold, and fastened the 
       rings to the four corners at its four legs.

       (Exo 37:14 NRSV)  The rings that held the poles used for carrying the 
       table were close to the rim.

       (Exo 37:15 NRSV)  He made the poles of acacia wood to carry the table, 
       and overlaid them with gold.

       (Exo 37:16 NRSV)  And he made the vessels of pure gold that were to be 
       on the table, its plates and dishes for incense, and its bowls and 
       flagons with which to pour drink offerings.

       (Exo 37:17 NRSV)  He also made the lampstand of pure gold. The base 
       and the shaft of the lampstand were made of hammered work; its cups, 
       its calyxes, and its petals were of one piece with it.

       (Exo 37:18 NRSV)  There were six branches going out of its sides, 
       three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three 
       branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it;

       (Exo 37:19 NRSV)  three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with 
       calyx and petals, on one branch, and three cups shaped like almond 
       blossoms, each with calyx and petals, on the other branch--so for the 
       six branches going out of the lampstand.

       (Exo 37:20 NRSV)  On the lampstand itself there were four cups shaped 
       like almond blossoms, each with its calyxes and petals.

       (Exo 37:21 NRSV)  There was a calyx of one piece with it under the 
       first pair of branches, a calyx of one piece with it under the next 
       pair of branches, and a calyx of one piece with it under the last pair 
       of branches.

       (Exo 37:22 NRSV)  Their calyxes and their branches were of one piece 
       with it, the whole of it one hammered piece of pure gold.

       (Exo 37:23 NRSV)  He made its seven lamps and its snuffers and its 
       trays of pure gold.

       (Exo 37:24 NRSV)  He made it and all its utensils of a talent of pure 
       gold.

       (Exo 37:25 NRSV)  He made the altar of incense of acacia wood, one 





       cubit long, and one cubit wide; it was square, and was two cubits 
       high; its horns were of one piece with it.

       (Exo 37:26 NRSV)  He overlaid it with pure gold, its top, and its 
       sides all around, and its horns; and he made for it a molding of gold 
       all around,

       (Exo 37:27 NRSV)  and made two golden rings for it under its molding, 
       on two opposite sides of it, to hold the poles with which to carry it.

       (Exo 37:28 NRSV)  And he made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid 
       them with gold.

       (Exo 37:29 NRSV)  He made the holy anointing oil also, and the pure 
       fragrant incense, blended as by the perfumer.

       (Exo 38:1 NRSV)  He made the altar of burnt offering also of acacia 
       wood; it was five cubits long, and five cubits wide; it was square, 
       and three cubits high.

       (Exo 38:2 NRSV)  He made horns for it on its four corners; its horns 
       were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze.

       (Exo 38:3 NRSV)  He made all the utensils of the altar, the pots, the 
       shovels, the basins, the forks, and the firepans: all its utensils he 
       made of bronze.

       (Exo 38:4 NRSV)  He made for the altar a grating, a network of bronze, 
       under its ledge, extending halfway down.

       (Exo 38:5 NRSV)  He cast four rings on the four corners of the bronze 
       grating to hold the poles;

       (Exo 38:6 NRSV)  he made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them 
       with bronze.

       (Exo 38:7 NRSV)  And he put the poles through the rings on the sides 
       of the altar, to carry it with them; he made it hollow, with boards.

       (Exo 38:8 NRSV)  He made the basin of bronze with its stand of bronze, 
       from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the tent 
       of meeting.

       (Exo 38:9 NRSV)  He made the court; for the south side the hangings of 
       the court were of fine twisted linen, one hundred cubits long;

       (Exo 38:10 NRSV)  its twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of 
       bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver.

       (Exo 38:11 NRSV)  For the north side there were hangings one hundred 
       cubits long; its twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze, 
       but the hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver.

       (Exo 38:12 NRSV)  For the west side there were hangings fifty cubits 
       long, with ten pillars and ten bases; the hooks of the pillars and 
       their bands were of silver.






       (Exo 38:13 NRSV)  And for the front to the east, fifty cubits.

       (Exo 38:14 NRSV)  The hangings for one side of the gate were fifteen 
       cubits, with three pillars and three bases.

       (Exo 38:15 NRSV)  And so for the other side; on each side of the gate 
       of the court were hangings of fifteen cubits, with three pillars and 
       three bases.

       (Exo 38:16 NRSV)  All the hangings around the court were of fine 
       twisted linen.

       (Exo 38:17 NRSV)  The bases for the pillars were of bronze, but the 
       hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver; the overlaying of 
       their capitals was also of silver, and all the pillars of the court 
       were banded with silver.

       (Exo 38:18 NRSV)  The screen for the entrance to the court was 
       embroidered with needlework in blue, purple, and crimson yarns and 
       fine twisted linen. It was twenty cubits long and, along the width of 
       it, five cubits high, corresponding to the hangings of the court.

       (Exo 38:19 NRSV)  There were four pillars; their four bases were of 
       bronze, their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals 
       and their bands of silver.

       (Exo 38:20 NRSV)  All the pegs for the tabernacle and for the court 
       all around were of bronze.

       (Exo 38:21 NRSV)  These are the records of the tabernacle, the 
       tabernacle of the covenant, which were drawn up at the commandment of 
       Moses, the work of the Levites being under the direction of Ithamar 
       son of the priest Aaron.

       (Exo 38:22 NRSV)  Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of 
       Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses;

       (Exo 38:23 NRSV)  and with him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the 
       tribe of Dan, engraver, designer, and embroiderer in blue, purple, and 
       crimson yarns, and in fine linen.

       (Exo 38:24 NRSV)  All the gold that was used for the work, in all the 
       construction of the sanctuary, the gold from the offering, was 
       twenty-nine talents and seven hundred thirty shekels, measured by the 
       sanctuary shekel.

       (Exo 38:25 NRSV)  The silver from those of the congregation who were 
       counted was one hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred 
       seventy-five shekels, measured by the sanctuary shekel;

       (Exo 38:26 NRSV)  a beka a head (that is, half a shekel, measured by 
       the sanctuary shekel), for everyone who was counted in the census, 
       from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred three thousand, five 
       hundred fifty men.





       (Exo 38:27 NRSV)  The hundred talents of silver were for casting the 
       bases of the sanctuary, and the bases of the curtain; one hundred 
       bases for the hundred talents, a talent for a base.

       (Exo 38:28 NRSV)  Of the thousand seven hundred seventy-five shekels 
       he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their capitals and made 
       bands for them.

       (Exo 38:29 NRSV)  The bronze that was contributed was seventy talents, 
       and two thousand four hundred shekels;

       (Exo 38:30 NRSV)  with it he made the bases for the entrance of the 
       tent of meeting, the bronze altar and the bronze grating for it and 
       all the utensils of the altar,

       (Exo 38:31 NRSV)  the bases all around the court, and the bases of the 
       gate of the court, all the pegs of the tabernacle, and all the pegs 
       around the court.

       (Exo 39:1 NRSV)  Of the blue, purple, and crimson yarns they made 
       finely worked vestments, for ministering in the holy place; they made 
       the sacred vestments for Aaron; as the LORD had commanded Moses.

       (Exo 39:2 NRSV)  He made the ephod of gold, of blue, purple, and 
       crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen.

       (Exo 39:3 NRSV)  Gold leaf was hammered out and cut into threads to 
       work into the blue, purple, and crimson yarns and into the fine 
       twisted linen, in skilled design.

       (Exo 39:4 NRSV)  They made for the ephod shoulder-pieces, joined to it 
       at its two edges.

       (Exo 39:5 NRSV)  The decorated band on it was of the same materials 
       and workmanship, of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of 
       fine twisted linen; as the LORD had commanded Moses.

       (Exo 39:6 NRSV)  The onyx stones were prepared, enclosed in settings 
       of gold filigree and engraved like the engravings of a signet, 
       according to the names of the sons of Israel.

       (Exo 39:7 NRSV)  He set them on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, to 
       be stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel; as the LORD had 
       commanded Moses.

       (Exo 39:8 NRSV)  He made the breastpiece, in skilled work, like the 
       work of the ephod, of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of 
       fine twisted linen.

       (Exo 39:9 NRSV)  It was square; the breastpiece was made double, a 
       span in length and a span in width when doubled.

       (Exo 39:10 NRSV)  They set in it four rows of stones. A row of 
       carnelian, chrysolite, and emerald was the first row;

       (Exo 39:11 NRSV)  and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and a 





       moonstone;

       (Exo 39:12 NRSV)  and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an 
       amethyst;

       (Exo 39:13 NRSV)  and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper; 
       they were enclosed in settings of gold filigree.

       (Exo 39:14 NRSV)  There were twelve stones with names corresponding to 
       the names of the sons of Israel; they were like signets, each engraved 
       with its name, for the twelve tribes.

       (Exo 39:15 NRSV)  They made on the breastpiece chains of pure gold, 
       twisted like cords;

       (Exo 39:16 NRSV)  and they made two settings of gold filigree and two 
       gold rings, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece;

       (Exo 39:17 NRSV)  and they put the two cords of gold in the two rings 
       at the edges of the breastpiece.

       (Exo 39:18 NRSV)  Two ends of the two cords they had attached to the 
       two settings of filigree; in this way they attached it in front to the 
       shoulder-pieces of the ephod.

       (Exo 39:19 NRSV)  Then they made two rings of gold, and put them at 
       the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod.

       (Exo 39:20 NRSV)  They made two rings of gold, and attached them in 
       front to the lower part of the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod, at 
       its joining above the decorated band of the ephod.

       (Exo 39:21 NRSV)  They bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings 
       of the ephod with a blue cord, so that it should lie on the decorated 
       band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece should not come loose from 
       the ephod; as the LORD had commanded Moses.

       (Exo 39:22 NRSV)  He also made the robe of the ephod woven all of blue 
       yarn;

       (Exo 39:23 NRSV)  and the opening of the robe in the middle of it was 
       like the opening in a coat of mail, with a binding around the opening, 
       so that it might not be torn.

       (Exo 39:24 NRSV)  On the lower hem of the robe they made pomegranates 
       of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen.

       (Exo 39:25 NRSV)  They also made bells of pure gold, and put the bells 
       between the pomegranates on the lower hem of the robe all around, 
       between the pomegranates;

       (Exo 39:26 NRSV)  a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate 
       all around on the lower hem of the robe for ministering; as the LORD 
       had commanded Moses.

       (Exo 39:27 NRSV)  They also made the tunics, woven of fine linen, for 





       Aaron and his sons,

       (Exo 39:28 NRSV)  and the turban of fine linen, and the headdresses of 
       fine linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twisted linen,

       (Exo 39:29 NRSV)  and the sash of fine twisted linen, and of blue, 
       purple, and crimson yarns, embroidered with needlework; as the LORD 
       had commanded Moses.

       (Exo 39:30 NRSV)  They made the rosette of the holy diadem of pure 
       gold, and wrote on it an inscription, like the engraving of a signet, 
       "Holy to the LORD."

       (Exo 39:31 NRSV)  They tied to it a blue cord, to fasten it on the 
       turban above; as the LORD had commanded Moses.

       (Exo 39:32 NRSV)  In this way all the work of the tabernacle of the 
       tent of meeting was finished; the Israelites had done everything just 
       as the LORD had commanded Moses.

       (Exo 39:33 NRSV)  Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent 
       and all its utensils, its hooks, its frames, its bars, its pillars, 
       and its bases;

       (Exo 39:34 NRSV)  the covering of tanned rams' skins and the covering 
       of fine leather, and the curtain for the screen;

       (Exo 39:35 NRSV)  the ark of the covenant with its poles and the mercy 
       seat;

       (Exo 39:36 NRSV)  the table with all its utensils, and the bread of 
       the Presence;

       (Exo 39:37 NRSV)  the pure lampstand with its lamps set on it and all 
       its utensils, and the oil for the light;

       (Exo 39:38 NRSV)  the golden altar, the anointing oil and the fragrant 
       incense, and the screen for the entrance of the tent;

       (Exo 39:39 NRSV)  the bronze altar, and its grating of bronze, its 
       poles, and all its utensils; the basin with its stand;

       (Exo 39:40 NRSV)  the hangings of the court, its pillars, and its 
       bases, and the screen for the gate of the court, its cords, and its 
       pegs; and all the utensils for the service of the tabernacle, for the 
       tent of meeting;

       (Exo 39:41 NRSV)  the finely worked vestments for ministering in the 
       holy place, the sacred vestments for the priest Aaron, and the 
       vestments of his sons to serve as priests.

       (Exo 39:42 NRSV)  The Israelites had done all of the work just as the 
       LORD had commanded Moses.

       (Exo 39:43 NRSV)  When Moses saw that they had done all the work just 
       as the LORD had commanded, he blessed them.






       (Exo 40:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses:

       (Exo 40:2 NRSV)  On the first day of the first month you shall set up 
       the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.

       (Exo 40:3 NRSV)  You shall put in it the ark of the covenant, and you 
       shall screen the ark with the curtain.

       (Exo 40:4 NRSV)  You shall bring in the table, and arrange its 
       setting; and you shall bring in the lampstand, and set up its lamps.

       (Exo 40:5 NRSV)  You shall put the golden altar for incense before the 
       ark of the covenant, and set up the screen for the entrance of the 
       tabernacle.

       (Exo 40:6 NRSV)  You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the 
       entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting,

       (Exo 40:7 NRSV)  and place the basin between the tent of meeting and 
       the altar, and put water in it.

       (Exo 40:8 NRSV)  You shall set up the court all around, and hang up 
       the screen for the gate of the court.

       (Exo 40:9 NRSV)  Then you shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the 
       tabernacle and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its 
       furniture, so that it shall become holy.

       (Exo 40:10 NRSV)  You shall also anoint the altar of burnt offering 
       and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, so that the altar 
       shall be most holy.

       (Exo 40:11 NRSV)  You shall also anoint the basin with its stand, and 
       consecrate it.

       (Exo 40:12 NRSV)  Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the 
       entrance of the tent of meeting, and shall wash them with water,

       (Exo 40:13 NRSV)  and put on Aaron the sacred vestments, and you shall 
       anoint him and consecrate him, so that he may serve me as priest.

       (Exo 40:14 NRSV)  You shall bring his sons also and put tunics on 
       them,

       (Exo 40:15 NRSV)  and anoint them, as you anointed their father, that 
       they may serve me as priests: and their anointing shall admit them to 
       a perpetual priesthood throughout all generations to come.

       (Exo 40:16 NRSV)  Moses did everything just as the LORD had commanded 
       him.

       (Exo 40:17 NRSV)  In the first month in the second year, on the first 
       day of the month, the tabernacle was set up.

       (Exo 40:18 NRSV)  Moses set up the tabernacle; he laid its bases, and 





       set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars;

       (Exo 40:19 NRSV)  and he spread the tent over the tabernacle, and put 
       the covering of the tent over it; as the LORD had commanded Moses.

       (Exo 40:20 NRSV)  He took the covenant and put it into the ark, and 
       put the poles on the ark, and set the mercy seat above the ark;

       (Exo 40:21 NRSV)  and he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set 
       up the curtain for screening, and screened the ark of the covenant; as 
       the LORD had commanded Moses.

       (Exo 40:22 NRSV)  He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the 
       north side of the tabernacle, outside the curtain,

       (Exo 40:23 NRSV)  and set the bread in order on it before the LORD; as 
       the LORD had commanded Moses.

       (Exo 40:24 NRSV)  He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, 
       opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle,

       (Exo 40:25 NRSV)  and set up the lamps before the LORD; as the LORD 
       had commanded Moses.

       (Exo 40:26 NRSV)  He put the golden altar in the tent of meeting 
       before the curtain,

       (Exo 40:27 NRSV)  and offered fragrant incense on it; as the LORD had 
       commanded Moses.

       (Exo 40:28 NRSV)  He also put in place the screen for the entrance of 
       the tabernacle.

       (Exo 40:29 NRSV)  He set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance 
       of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt 
       offering and the grain offering as the LORD had commanded Moses.

       (Exo 40:30 NRSV)  He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the 
       altar, and put water in it for washing,

       (Exo 40:31 NRSV)  with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their 
       hands and their feet.

       (Exo 40:32 NRSV)  When they went into the tent of meeting, and when 
       they approached the altar, they washed; as the LORD had commanded 
       Moses.

       (Exo 40:33 NRSV)  He set up the court around the tabernacle and the 
       altar, and put up the screen at the gate of the court. So Moses 
       finished the work.

       (Exo 40:34 NRSV)  Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the 
       glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

       (Exo 40:35 NRSV)  Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting 
       because the cloud settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled 





       the tabernacle.

       (Exo 40:36 NRSV)  Whenever the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, 
       the Israelites would set out on each stage of their journey;

       (Exo 40:37 NRSV)  but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not 
       set out until the day that it was taken up.

       (Exo 40:38 NRSV)  For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by 
       day, and fire was in the cloud by night, before the eyes of all the 
       house of Israel at each stage of their journey.

       (Lev 1:1 NRSV)  The LORD summoned Moses and spoke to him from the tent 
       of meeting, saying:

       (Lev 1:2 NRSV)  Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: When 
       any of you bring an offering of livestock to the LORD, you shall bring 
       your offering from the herd or from the flock.

       (Lev 1:3 NRSV)  If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, you 
       shall offer a male without blemish; you shall bring it to the entrance 
       of the tent of meeting, for acceptance in your behalf before the LORD.

       (Lev 1:4 NRSV)  You shall lay your hand on the head of the burnt 
       offering, and it shall be acceptable in your behalf as atonement for 
       you.

       (Lev 1:5 NRSV)  The bull shall be slaughtered before the LORD; and 
       Aaron's sons the priests shall offer the blood, dashing the blood 
       against all sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of 
       meeting.

       (Lev 1:6 NRSV)  The burnt offering shall be flayed and cut up into its 
       parts.

       (Lev 1:7 NRSV)  The sons of the priest Aaron shall put fire on the 
       altar and arrange wood on the fire.

       (Lev 1:8 NRSV)  Aaron's sons the priests shall arrange the parts, with 
       the head and the suet, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar;

       (Lev 1:9 NRSV)  but its entrails and its legs shall be washed with 
       water. Then the priest shall turn the whole into smoke on the altar as 
       a burnt offering, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to the LORD.

       (Lev 1:10 NRSV)  If your gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, 
       from the sheep or goats, your offering shall be a male without 
       blemish.

       (Lev 1:11 NRSV)  It shall be slaughtered on the north side of the 
       altar before the LORD, and Aaron's sons the priests shall dash its 
       blood against all sides of the altar.

       (Lev 1:12 NRSV)  It shall be cut up into its parts, with its head and 
       its suet, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood that is on the 
       fire on the altar;






       (Lev 1:13 NRSV)  but the entrails and the legs shall be washed with 
       water. Then the priest shall offer the whole and turn it into smoke on 
       the altar; it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire of pleasing 
       odor to the LORD.

       (Lev 1:14 NRSV)  If your offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of 
       birds, you shall choose your offering from turtledoves or pigeons.

       (Lev 1:15 NRSV)  The priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off 
       its head, and turn it into smoke on the altar; and its blood shall be 
       drained out against the side of the altar.

       (Lev 1:16 NRSV)  He shall remove its crop with its contents and throw 
       it at the east side of the altar, in the place for ashes.

       (Lev 1:17 NRSV)  He shall tear it open by its wings without severing 
       it. Then the priest shall turn it into smoke on the altar, on the wood 
       that is on the fire; it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire of 
       pleasing odor to the LORD.

       (Lev 2:1 NRSV)  When anyone presents a grain offering to the LORD, the 
       offering shall be of choice flour; the worshiper shall pour oil on it, 
       and put frankincense on it,

       (Lev 2:2 NRSV)  and bring it to Aaron's sons the priests. After taking 
       from it a handful of the choice flour and oil, with all its 
       frankincense, the priest shall turn this token portion into smoke on 
       the altar, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to the LORD.

       (Lev 2:3 NRSV)  And what is left of the grain offering shall be for 
       Aaron and his sons, a most holy part of the offerings by fire to the 
       LORD.

       (Lev 2:4 NRSV)  When you present a grain offering baked in the oven, 
       it shall be of choice flour: unleavened cakes mixed with oil, or 
       unleavened wafers spread with oil.

       (Lev 2:5 NRSV)  If your offering is grain prepared on a griddle, it 
       shall be of choice flour mixed with oil, unleavened;

       (Lev 2:6 NRSV)  break it in pieces, and pour oil on it; it is a grain 
       offering.

       (Lev 2:7 NRSV)  If your offering is grain prepared in a pan, it shall 
       be made of choice flour in oil.

       (Lev 2:8 NRSV)  You shall bring to the LORD the grain offering that is 
       prepared in any of these ways; and when it is presented to the priest, 
       he shall take it to the altar.

       (Lev 2:9 NRSV)  The priest shall remove from the grain offering its 
       token portion and turn this into smoke on the altar, an offering by 
       fire of pleasing odor to the LORD.

       (Lev 2:10 NRSV)  And what is left of the grain offering shall be for 





       Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings by fire to 
       the LORD.

       (Lev 2:11 NRSV)  No grain offering that you bring to the LORD shall be 
       made with leaven, for you must not turn any leaven or honey into smoke 
       as an offering by fire to the LORD.

       (Lev 2:12 NRSV)  You may bring them to the LORD as an offering of 
       choice products, but they shall not be offered on the altar for a 
       pleasing odor.

       (Lev 2:13 NRSV)  You shall not omit from your grain offerings the salt 
       of the covenant with your God; with all your offerings you shall offer 
       salt.

       (Lev 2:14 NRSV)  If you bring a grain offering of first fruits to the 
       LORD, you shall bring as the grain offering of your first fruits 
       coarse new grain from fresh ears, parched with fire.

       (Lev 2:15 NRSV)  You shall add oil to it and lay frankincense on it; 
       it is a grain offering.

       (Lev 2:16 NRSV)  And the priest shall turn a token portion of it into 
       smoke--some of the coarse grain and oil with all its frankincense; it 
       is an offering by fire to the LORD.

       (Lev 3:1 NRSV)  If the offering is a sacrifice of well-being, if you 
       offer an animal of the herd, whether male or female, you shall offer 
       one without blemish before the LORD.

       (Lev 3:2 NRSV)  You shall lay your hand on the head of the offering 
       and slaughter it at the entrance of the tent of meeting; and Aaron's 
       sons the priests shall dash the blood against all sides of the altar.

       (Lev 3:3 NRSV)  You shall offer from the sacrifice of well-being, as 
       an offering by fire to the LORD, the fat that covers the entrails and 
       all the fat that is around the entrails;

       (Lev 3:4 NRSV)  the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the 
       loins, and the appendage of the liver, which he shall remove with the 
       kidneys.

       (Lev 3:5 NRSV)  Then Aaron's sons shall turn these into smoke on the 
       altar, with the burnt offering that is on the wood on the fire, as an 
       offering by fire of pleasing odor to the LORD.

       (Lev 3:6 NRSV)  If your offering for a sacrifice of well-being to the 
       LORD is from the flock, male or female, you shall offer one without 
       blemish.

       (Lev 3:7 NRSV)  If you present a sheep as your offering, you shall 
       bring it before the LORD

       (Lev 3:8 NRSV)  and lay your hand on the head of the offering. It 
       shall be slaughtered before the tent of meeting, and Aaron's sons 
       shall dash its blood against all sides of the altar.






       (Lev 3:9 NRSV)  You shall present its fat from the sacrifice of 
       well-being, as an offering by fire to the LORD: the whole broad tail, 
       which shall be removed close to the backbone, the fat that covers the 
       entrails, and all the fat that is around the entrails;

       (Lev 3:10 NRSV)  the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the 
       loins, and the appendage of the liver, which you shall remove with the 
       kidneys.

       (Lev 3:11 NRSV)  Then the priest shall turn these into smoke on the 
       altar as a food offering by fire to the LORD.

       (Lev 3:12 NRSV)  If your offering is a goat, you shall bring it before 
       the LORD

       (Lev 3:13 NRSV)  and lay your hand on its head; it shall be 
       slaughtered before the tent of meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall 
       dash its blood against all sides of the altar.

       (Lev 3:14 NRSV)  You shall present as your offering from it, as an 
       offering by fire to the LORD, the fat that covers the entrails, and 
       all the fat that is around the entrails;

       (Lev 3:15 NRSV)  the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the 
       loins, and the appendage of the liver, which you shall remove with the 
       kidneys.

       (Lev 3:16 NRSV)  Then the priest shall turn these into smoke on the 
       altar as a food offering by fire for a pleasing odor. All fat is the 
       Lord's.

       (Lev 3:17 NRSV)  It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your 
       generations, in all your settlements: you must not eat any fat or any 
       blood.

       (Lev 4:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

       (Lev 4:2 NRSV)  Speak to the people of Israel, saying: When anyone 
       sins unintentionally in any of the Lord's commandments about things 
       not to be done, and does any one of them:

       (Lev 4:3 NRSV)  If it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing 
       guilt on the people, he shall offer for the sin that he has committed 
       a bull of the herd without blemish as a sin offering to the LORD.

       (Lev 4:4 NRSV)  He shall bring the bull to the entrance of the tent of 
       meeting before the LORD and lay his hand on the head of the bull; the 
       bull shall be slaughtered before the LORD.

       (Lev 4:5 NRSV)  The anointed priest shall take some of the blood of 
       the bull and bring it into the tent of meeting.

       (Lev 4:6 NRSV)  The priest shall dip his finger in the blood and 
       sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the LORD in front of the 
       curtain of the sanctuary.






       (Lev 4:7 NRSV)  The priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of 
       the altar of fragrant incense that is in the tent of meeting before 
       the LORD; and the rest of the blood of the bull he shall pour out at 
       the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the entrance of 
       the tent of meeting.

       (Lev 4:8 NRSV)  He shall remove all the fat from the bull of sin 
       offering: the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is 
       around the entrails;

       (Lev 4:9 NRSV)  the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the 
       loins; and the appendage of the liver, which he shall remove with the 
       kidneys,

       (Lev 4:10 NRSV)  just as these are removed from the ox of the 
       sacrifice of well-being. The priest shall turn them into smoke upon 
       the altar of burnt offering.

       (Lev 4:11 NRSV)  But the skin of the bull and all its flesh, as well 
       as its head, its legs, its entrails, and its dung--

       (Lev 4:12 NRSV)  all the rest of the bull--he shall carry out to a 
       clean place outside the camp, to the ash heap, and shall burn it on a 
       wood fire; at the ash heap it shall be burned.

       (Lev 4:13 NRSV)  If the whole congregation of Israel errs 
       unintentionally and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly, and 
       they do any one of the things that by the Lord's commandments ought 
       not to be done and incur guilt;

       (Lev 4:14 NRSV)  when the sin that they have committed becomes known, 
       the assembly shall offer a bull of the herd for a sin offering and 
       bring it before the tent of meeting.

       (Lev 4:15 NRSV)  The elders of the congregation shall lay their hands 
       on the head of the bull before the LORD, and the bull shall be 
       slaughtered before the LORD.

       (Lev 4:16 NRSV)  The anointed priest shall bring some of the blood of 
       the bull into the tent of meeting,

       (Lev 4:17 NRSV)  and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and 
       sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, in front of the curtain.

       (Lev 4:18 NRSV)  He shall put some of the blood on the horns of the 
       altar that is before the LORD in the tent of meeting; and the rest of 
       the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering 
       that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

       (Lev 4:19 NRSV)  He shall remove all its fat and turn it into smoke on 
       the altar.

       (Lev 4:20 NRSV)  He shall do with the bull just as is done with the 
       bull of sin offering; he shall do the same with this. The priest shall 
       make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven.






       (Lev 4:21 NRSV)  He shall carry the bull outside the camp, and burn it 
       as he burned the first bull; it is the sin offering for the assembly.

       (Lev 4:22 NRSV)  When a ruler sins, doing unintentionally any one of 
       all the things that by commandments of the LORD his God ought not to 
       be done and incurs guilt,

       (Lev 4:23 NRSV)  once the sin that he has committed is made known to 
       him, he shall bring as his offering a male goat without blemish.

       (Lev 4:24 NRSV)  He shall lay his hand on the head of the goat; it 
       shall be slaughtered at the spot where the burnt offering is 
       slaughtered before the LORD; it is a sin offering.

       (Lev 4:25 NRSV)  The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin 
       offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt 
       offering, and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar 
       of burnt offering.

       (Lev 4:26 NRSV)  All its fat he shall turn into smoke on the altar, 
       like the fat of the sacrifice of well-being. Thus the priest shall 
       make atonement on his behalf for his sin, and he shall be forgiven.

       (Lev 4:27 NRSV)  If anyone of the ordinary people among you sins 
       unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the Lord's 
       commandments ought not to be done and incurs guilt,

       (Lev 4:28 NRSV)  when the sin that you have committed is made known to 
       you, you shall bring a female goat without blemish as your offering, 
       for the sin that you have committed.

       (Lev 4:29 NRSV)  You shall lay your hand on the head of the sin 
       offering; and the sin offering shall be slaughtered at the place of 
       the burnt offering.

       (Lev 4:30 NRSV)  The priest shall take some of its blood with his 
       finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and he 
       shall pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar.

       (Lev 4:31 NRSV)  He shall remove all its fat, as the fat is removed 
       from the offering of well-being, and the priest shall turn it into 
       smoke on the altar for a pleasing odor to the LORD. Thus the priest 
       shall make atonement on your behalf, and you shall be forgiven.

       (Lev 4:32 NRSV)  If the offering you bring as a sin offering is a 
       sheep, you shall bring a female without blemish.

       (Lev 4:33 NRSV)  You shall lay your hand on the head of the sin 
       offering; and it shall be slaughtered as a sin offering at the spot 
       where the burnt offering is slaughtered.

       (Lev 4:34 NRSV)  The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin 
       offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt 
       offering, and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar.





       (Lev 4:35 NRSV)  You shall remove all its fat, as the fat of the sheep 
       is removed from the sacrifice of well-being, and the priest shall turn 
       it into smoke on the altar, with the offerings by fire to the LORD. 
       Thus the priest shall make atonement on your behalf for the sin that 
       you have committed, and you shall be forgiven.

       (Lev 5:1 NRSV)  When any of you sin in that you have heard a public 
       adjuration to testify and--though able to testify as one who has seen 
       or learned of the matter--does not speak up, you are subject to 
       punishment.

       (Lev 5:2 NRSV)  Or when any of you touch any unclean thing--whether 
       the carcass of an unclean beast or the carcass of unclean livestock or 
       the carcass of an unclean swarming thing--and are unaware of it, you 
       have become unclean, and are guilty.

       (Lev 5:3 NRSV)  Or when you touch human uncleanness--any uncleanness 
       by which one can become unclean--and are unaware of it, when you come 
       to know it, you shall be guilty.

       (Lev 5:4 NRSV)  Or when any of you utter aloud a rash oath for a bad 
       or a good purpose, whatever people utter in an oath, and are unaware 
       of it, when you come to know it, you shall in any of these be guilty.

       (Lev 5:5 NRSV)  When you realize your guilt in any of these, you shall 
       confess the sin that you have committed.

       (Lev 5:6 NRSV)  And you shall bring to the LORD, as your penalty for 
       the sin that you have committed, a female from the flock, a sheep or a 
       goat, as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement on your 
       behalf for your sin.

       (Lev 5:7 NRSV)  But if you cannot afford a sheep, you shall bring to 
       the LORD, as your penalty for the sin that you have committed, two 
       turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a 
       burnt offering.

       (Lev 5:8 NRSV)  You shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer 
       first the one for the sin offering, wringing its head at the nape 
       without severing it.

       (Lev 5:9 NRSV)  He shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin 
       offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood shall 
       be drained out at the base of the altar; it is a sin offering.

       (Lev 5:10 NRSV)  And the second he shall offer for a burnt offering 
       according to the regulation. Thus the priest shall make atonement on 
       your behalf for the sin that you have committed, and you shall be 
       forgiven.

       (Lev 5:11 NRSV)  But if you cannot afford two turtledoves or two 
       pigeons, you shall bring as your offering for the sin that you have 
       committed one-tenth of an ephah of choice flour for a sin offering; 
       you shall not put oil on it or lay frankincense on it, for it is a sin 
       offering.





       (Lev 5:12 NRSV)  You shall bring it to the priest, and the priest 
       shall scoop up a handful of it as its memorial portion, and turn this 
       into smoke on the altar, with the offerings by fire to the LORD; it is 
       a sin offering.

       (Lev 5:13 NRSV)  Thus the priest shall make atonement on your behalf 
       for whichever of these sins you have committed, and you shall be 
       forgiven. Like the grain offering, the rest shall be for the priest.

       (Lev 5:14 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Lev 5:15 NRSV)  When any of you commit a trespass and sin 
       unintentionally in any of the holy things of the LORD, you shall 
       bring, as your guilt offering to the LORD, a ram without blemish from 
       the flock, convertible into silver by the sanctuary shekel; it is a 
       guilt offering.

       (Lev 5:16 NRSV)  And you shall make restitution for the holy thing in 
       which you were remiss, and shall add one-fifth to it and give it to 
       the priest. The priest shall make atonement on your behalf with the 
       ram of the guilt offering, and you shall be forgiven.

       (Lev 5:17 NRSV)  If any of you sin without knowing it, doing any of 
       the things that by the Lord's commandments ought not to be done, you 
       have incurred guilt, and are subject to punishment.

       (Lev 5:18 NRSV)  You shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish 
       from the flock, or the equivalent, as a guilt offering; and the priest 
       shall make atonement on your behalf for the error that you committed 
       unintentionally, and you shall be forgiven.

       (Lev 5:19 NRSV)  It is a guilt offering; you have incurred guilt 
       before the LORD.

       (Lev 6:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Lev 6:2 NRSV)  When any of you sin and commit a trespass against the 
       LORD by deceiving a neighbor in a matter of a deposit or a pledge, or 
       by robbery, or if you have defrauded a neighbor,

       (Lev 6:3 NRSV)  or have found something lost and lied about it--if you 
       swear falsely regarding any of the various things that one may do and 
       sin thereby--

       (Lev 6:4 NRSV)  when you have sinned and realize your guilt, and would 
       restore what you took by robbery or by fraud or the deposit that was 
       committed to you, or the lost thing that you found,

       (Lev 6:5 NRSV)  or anything else about which you have sworn falsely, 
       you shall repay the principal amount and shall add one-fifth to it. 
       You shall pay it to its owner when you realize your guilt.

       (Lev 6:6 NRSV)  And you shall bring to the priest, as your guilt 
       offering to the LORD, a ram without blemish from the flock, or its 
       equivalent, for a guilt offering.





       (Lev 6:7 NRSV)  The priest shall make atonement on your behalf before 
       the LORD, and you shall be forgiven for any of the things that one may 
       do and incur guilt thereby.

       (Lev 6:8 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Lev 6:9 NRSV)  Command Aaron and his sons, saying: This is the ritual 
       of the burnt offering. The burnt offering itself shall remain on the 
       hearth upon the altar all night until the morning, while the fire on 
       the altar shall be kept burning.

       (Lev 6:10 NRSV)  The priest shall put on his linen vestments after 
       putting on his linen undergarments next to his body; and he shall take 
       up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the 
       altar, and place them beside the altar.

       (Lev 6:11 NRSV)  Then he shall take off his vestments and put on other 
       garments, and carry the ashes out to a clean place outside the camp.

       (Lev 6:12 NRSV)  The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it shall 
       not go out. Every morning the priest shall add wood to it, lay out the 
       burnt offering on it, and turn into smoke the fat pieces of the 
       offerings of well-being.

       (Lev 6:13 NRSV)  A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar; 
       it shall not go out.

       (Lev 6:14 NRSV)  This is the ritual of the grain offering: The sons of 
       Aaron shall offer it before the LORD, in front of the altar.

       (Lev 6:15 NRSV)  They shall take from it a handful of the choice flour 
       and oil of the grain offering, with all the frankincense that is on 
       the offering, and they shall turn its memorial portion into smoke on 
       the altar as a pleasing odor to the LORD.

       (Lev 6:16 NRSV)  Aaron and his sons shall eat what is left of it; it 
       shall be eaten as unleavened cakes in a holy place; in the court of 
       the tent of meeting they shall eat it.

       (Lev 6:17 NRSV)  It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it as 
       their portion of my offerings by fire; it is most holy, like the sin 
       offering and the guilt offering.

       (Lev 6:18 NRSV)  Every male among the descendants of Aaron shall eat 
       of it, as their perpetual due throughout your generations, from the 
       Lord's offerings by fire; anything that touches them shall become 
       holy.

       (Lev 6:19 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Lev 6:20 NRSV)  This is the offering that Aaron and his sons shall 
       offer to the LORD on the day when he is anointed: one-tenth of an 
       ephah of choice flour as a regular offering, half of it in the morning 
       and half in the evening.

       (Lev 6:21 NRSV)  It shall be made with oil on a griddle; you shall 





       bring it well soaked, as a grain offering of baked pieces, and you 
       shall present it as a pleasing odor to the LORD.

       (Lev 6:22 NRSV)  And so the priest, anointed from among Aaron's 
       descendants as a successor, shall prepare it; it is the Lord's--a 
       perpetual due--to be turned entirely into smoke.

       (Lev 6:23 NRSV)  Every grain offering of a priest shall be wholly 
       burned; it shall not be eaten.

       (Lev 6:24 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Lev 6:25 NRSV)  Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying: This is the 
       ritual of the sin offering. The sin offering shall be slaughtered 
       before the LORD at the spot where the burnt offering is slaughtered; 
       it is most holy.

       (Lev 6:26 NRSV)  The priest who offers it as a sin offering shall eat 
       of it; it shall be eaten in a holy place, in the court of the tent of 
       meeting.

       (Lev 6:27 NRSV)  Whatever touches its flesh shall become holy; and 
       when any of its blood is spattered on a garment, you shall wash the 
       bespattered part in a holy place.

       (Lev 6:28 NRSV)  An earthen vessel in which it was boiled shall be 
       broken; but if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, that shall be scoured 
       and rinsed in water.

       (Lev 6:29 NRSV)  Every male among the priests shall eat of it; it is 
       most holy.

       (Lev 6:30 NRSV)  But no sin offering shall be eaten from which any 
       blood is brought into the tent of meeting for atonement in the holy 
       place; it shall be burned with fire.

       (Lev 7:1 NRSV)  This is the ritual of the guilt offering. It is most 
       holy;

       (Lev 7:2 NRSV)  at the spot where the burnt offering is slaughtered, 
       they shall slaughter the guilt offering, and its blood shall be dashed 
       against all sides of the altar.

       (Lev 7:3 NRSV)  All its fat shall be offered: the broad tail, the fat 
       that covers the entrails,

       (Lev 7:4 NRSV)  the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the 
       loins, and the appendage of the liver, which shall be removed with the 
       kidneys.

       (Lev 7:5 NRSV)  The priest shall turn them into smoke on the altar as 
       an offering by fire to the LORD; it is a guilt offering.

       (Lev 7:6 NRSV)  Every male among the priests shall eat of it; it shall 
       be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy.





       (Lev 7:7 NRSV)  The guilt offering is like the sin offering, there is 
       the same ritual for them; the priest who makes atonement with it shall 
       have it.

       (Lev 7:8 NRSV)  So, too, the priest who offers anyone's burnt offering 
       shall keep the skin of the burnt offering that he has offered.

       (Lev 7:9 NRSV)  And every grain offering baked in the oven, and all 
       that is prepared in a pan or on a griddle, shall belong to the priest 
       who offers it.

       (Lev 7:10 NRSV)  But every other grain offering, mixed with oil or 
       dry, shall belong to all the sons of Aaron equally.

       (Lev 7:11 NRSV)  This is the ritual of the sacrifice of the offering 
       of well-being that one may offer to the LORD.

       (Lev 7:12 NRSV)  If you offer it for thanksgiving, you shall offer 
       with the thank offering unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened 
       wafers spread with oil, and cakes of choice flour well soaked in oil.

       (Lev 7:13 NRSV)  With your thanksgiving sacrifice of well-being you 
       shall bring your offering with cakes of leavened bread.

       (Lev 7:14 NRSV)  From this you shall offer one cake from each 
       offering, as a gift to the LORD; it shall belong to the priest who 
       dashes the blood of the offering of well-being.

       (Lev 7:15 NRSV)  And the flesh of your thanksgiving sacrifice of 
       well-being shall be eaten on the day it is offered; you shall not 
       leave any of it until morning.

       (Lev 7:16 NRSV)  But if the sacrifice you offer is a votive offering 
       or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that you offer 
       your sacrifice, and what is left of it shall be eaten the next day;

       (Lev 7:17 NRSV)  but what is left of the flesh of the sacrifice shall 
       be burned up on the third day.

       (Lev 7:18 NRSV)  If any of the flesh of your sacrifice of well-being 
       is eaten on the third day, it shall not be acceptable, nor shall it be 
       credited to the one who offers it; it shall be an abomination, and the 
       one who eats of it shall incur guilt.

       (Lev 7:19 NRSV)  Flesh that touches any unclean thing shall not be 
       eaten; it shall be burned up. As for other flesh, all who are clean 
       may eat such flesh.

       (Lev 7:20 NRSV)  But those who eat flesh from the Lord's sacrifice of 
       well-being while in a state of uncleanness shall be cut off from their 
       kin.

       (Lev 7:21 NRSV)  When any one of you touches any unclean thing--human 
       uncleanness or an unclean animal or any unclean creature--and then 
       eats flesh from the Lord's sacrifice of well-being, you shall be cut 
       off from your kin.






       (Lev 7:22 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Lev 7:23 NRSV)  Speak to the people of Israel, saying: You shall eat 
       no fat of ox or sheep or goat.

       (Lev 7:24 NRSV)  The fat of an animal that died or was torn by wild 
       animals may be put to any use, but you must not eat it.

       (Lev 7:25 NRSV)  If any one of you eats the fat from an animal of 
       which an offering by fire may be made to the LORD, you who eat it 
       shall be cut off from your kin.

       (Lev 7:26 NRSV)  You must not eat any blood whatever, either of bird 
       or of animal, in any of your settlements.

       (Lev 7:27 NRSV)  Any one of you who eats any blood shall be cut off 
       from your kin.

       (Lev 7:28 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Lev 7:29 NRSV)  Speak to the people of Israel, saying: Any one of you 
       who would offer to the LORD your sacrifice of well-being must yourself 
       bring to the LORD your offering from your sacrifice of well-being.

       (Lev 7:30 NRSV)  Your own hands shall bring the Lord's offering by 
       fire; you shall bring the fat with the breast, so that the breast may 
       be raised as an elevation offering before the LORD.

       (Lev 7:31 NRSV)  The priest shall turn the fat into smoke on the 
       altar, but the breast shall belong to Aaron and his sons.

       (Lev 7:32 NRSV)  And the right thigh from your sacrifices of 
       well-being you shall give to the priest as an offering;

       (Lev 7:33 NRSV)  the one among the sons of Aaron who offers the blood 
       and fat of the offering of well-being shall have the right thigh for a 
       portion.

       (Lev 7:34 NRSV)  For I have taken the breast of the elevation 
       offering, and the thigh that is offered, from the people of Israel, 
       from their sacrifices of well-being, and have given them to Aaron the 
       priest and to his sons, as a perpetual due from the people of Israel.

       (Lev 7:35 NRSV)  This is the portion allotted to Aaron and to his sons 
       from the offerings made by fire to the LORD, once they have been 
       brought forward to serve the LORD as priests;

       (Lev 7:36 NRSV)  these the LORD commanded to be given them, when he 
       anointed them, as a perpetual due from the people of Israel throughout 
       their generations.

       (Lev 7:37 NRSV)  This is the ritual of the burnt offering, the grain 
       offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the offering of 
       ordination, and the sacrifice of well-being,





       (Lev 7:38 NRSV)  which the LORD commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, when 
       he commanded the people of Israel to bring their offerings to the 
       LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai.

       (Lev 8:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Lev 8:2 NRSV)  Take Aaron and his sons with him, the vestments, the 
       anointing oil, the bull of sin offering, the two rams, and the basket 
       of unleavened bread;

       (Lev 8:3 NRSV)  and assemble the whole congregation at the entrance of 
       the tent of meeting.

       (Lev 8:4 NRSV)  And Moses did as the LORD commanded him. When the 
       congregation was assembled at the entrance of the tent of meeting,

       (Lev 8:5 NRSV)  Moses said to the congregation, "This is what the LORD 
       has commanded to be done."

       (Lev 8:6 NRSV)  Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward, and 
       washed them with water.

       (Lev 8:7 NRSV)  He put the tunic on him, fastened the sash around him, 
       clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him. He then put the 
       decorated band of the ephod around him, tying the ephod to him with 
       it.

       (Lev 8:8 NRSV)  He placed the breastpiece on him, and in the 
       breastpiece he put the Urim and the Thummim.

       (Lev 8:9 NRSV)  And he set the turban on his head, and on the turban, 
       in front, he set the golden ornament, the holy crown, as the LORD 
       commanded Moses.

       (Lev 8:10 NRSV)  Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the 
       tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them.

       (Lev 8:11 NRSV)  He sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, and 
       anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the basin and its base, 
       to consecrate them.

       (Lev 8:12 NRSV)  He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head 
       and anointed him, to consecrate him.

       (Lev 8:13 NRSV)  And Moses brought forward Aaron's sons, and clothed 
       them with tunics, and fastened sashes around them, and tied 
       headdresses on them, as the LORD commanded Moses.

       (Lev 8:14 NRSV)  He led forward the bull of sin offering; and Aaron 
       and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bull of sin 
       offering,

       (Lev 8:15 NRSV)  and it was slaughtered. Moses took the blood and with 
       his finger put some on each of the horns of the altar, purifying the 
       altar; then he poured out the blood at the base of the altar. Thus he 
       consecrated it, to make atonement for it.






       (Lev 8:16 NRSV)  Moses took all the fat that was around the entrails, 
       and the appendage of the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat, 
       and turned them into smoke on the altar.

       (Lev 8:17 NRSV)  But the bull itself, its skin and flesh and its dung, 
       he burned with fire outside the camp, as the LORD commanded Moses.

       (Lev 8:18 NRSV)  Then he brought forward the ram of burnt offering. 
       Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram,

       (Lev 8:19 NRSV)  and it was slaughtered. Moses dashed the blood 
       against all sides of the altar.

       (Lev 8:20 NRSV)  The ram was cut into its parts, and Moses turned into 
       smoke the head and the parts and the suet.

       (Lev 8:21 NRSV)  And after the entrails and the legs were washed with 
       water, Moses turned into smoke the whole ram on the altar; it was a 
       burnt offering for a pleasing odor, an offering by fire to the LORD, 
       as the LORD commanded Moses.

       (Lev 8:22 NRSV)  Then he brought forward the second ram, the ram of 
       ordination. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the 
       ram,

       (Lev 8:23 NRSV)  and it was slaughtered. Moses took some of its blood 
       and put it on the lobe of Aaron's right ear and on the thumb of his 
       right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.

       (Lev 8:24 NRSV)  After Aaron's sons were brought forward, Moses put 
       some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears and on the thumbs 
       of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet; and 
       Moses dashed the rest of the blood against all sides of the altar.

       (Lev 8:25 NRSV)  He took the fat--the broad tail, all the fat that was 
       around the entrails, the appendage of the liver, and the two kidneys 
       with their fat--and the right thigh.

       (Lev 8:26 NRSV)  From the basket of unleavened bread that was before 
       the LORD, he took one cake of unleavened bread, one cake of bread with 
       oil, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat and on the right thigh.

       (Lev 8:27 NRSV)  He placed all these on the palms of Aaron and on the 
       palms of his sons, and raised them as an elevation offering before the 
       LORD.

       (Lev 8:28 NRSV)  Then Moses took them from their hands and turned them 
       into smoke on the altar with the burnt offering. This was an 
       ordination offering for a pleasing odor, an offering by fire to the 
       LORD.

       (Lev 8:29 NRSV)  Moses took the breast and raised it as an elevation 
       offering before the LORD; it was Moses' portion of the ram of 
       ordination, as the LORD commanded Moses.





       (Lev 8:30 NRSV)  Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of 
       the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his 
       vestments, and also on his sons and their vestments. Thus he 
       consecrated Aaron and his vestments, and also his sons and their 
       vestments.

       (Lev 8:31 NRSV)  And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, "Boil the flesh 
       at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and eat it there with the 
       bread that is in the basket of ordination offerings, as I was 
       commanded, 'Aaron and his sons shall eat it';

       (Lev 8:32 NRSV)  and what remains of the flesh and the bread you shall 
       burn with fire.

       (Lev 8:33 NRSV)  You shall not go outside the entrance of the tent of 
       meeting for seven days, until the day when your period of ordination 
       is completed. For it will take seven days to ordain you;

       (Lev 8:34 NRSV)  as has been done today, the LORD has commanded to be 
       done to make atonement for you.

       (Lev 8:35 NRSV)  You shall remain at the entrance of the tent of 
       meeting day and night for seven days, keeping the Lord's charge so 
       that you do not die; for so I am commanded."

       (Lev 8:36 NRSV)  Aaron and his sons did all the things that the LORD 
       commanded through Moses.

       (Lev 9:1 NRSV)  On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons 
       and the elders of Israel.

       (Lev 9:2 NRSV)  He said to Aaron, "Take a bull calf for a sin offering 
       and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before 
       the LORD.

       (Lev 9:3 NRSV)  And say to the people of Israel, 'Take a male goat for 
       a sin offering; a calf and a lamb, yearlings without blemish, for a 
       burnt offering;

       (Lev 9:4 NRSV)  and an ox and a ram for an offering of well-being to 
       sacrifice before the LORD; and a grain offering mixed with oil. For 
       today the LORD will appear to you.'"

       (Lev 9:5 NRSV)  They brought what Moses commanded to the front of the 
       tent of meeting; and the whole congregation drew near and stood before 
       the LORD.

       (Lev 9:6 NRSV)  And Moses said, "This is the thing that the LORD 
       commanded you to do, so that the glory of the LORD may appear to you."

       (Lev 9:7 NRSV)  Then Moses said to Aaron, "Draw near to the altar and 
       sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make 
       atonement for yourself and for the people; and sacrifice the offering 
       of the people, and make atonement for them; as the LORD has 
       commanded."





       (Lev 9:8 NRSV)  Aaron drew near to the altar, and slaughtered the calf 
       of the sin offering, which was for himself.

       (Lev 9:9 NRSV)  The sons of Aaron presented the blood to him, and he 
       dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar; 
       and the rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar.

       (Lev 9:10 NRSV)  But the fat, the kidneys, and the appendage of the 
       liver from the sin offering he turned into smoke on the altar, as the 
       LORD commanded Moses;

       (Lev 9:11 NRSV)  and the flesh and the skin he burned with fire 
       outside the camp.

       (Lev 9:12 NRSV)  Then he slaughtered the burnt offering. Aaron's sons 
       brought him the blood, and he dashed it against all sides of the 
       altar.

       (Lev 9:13 NRSV)  And they brought him the burnt offering piece by 
       piece, and the head, which he turned into smoke on the altar.

       (Lev 9:14 NRSV)  He washed the entrails and the legs and, with the 
       burnt offering, turned them into smoke on the altar.

       (Lev 9:15 NRSV)  Next he presented the people's offering. He took the 
       goat of the sin offering that was for the people, and slaughtered it, 
       and presented it as a sin offering like the first one.

       (Lev 9:16 NRSV)  He presented the burnt offering, and sacrificed it 
       according to regulation.

       (Lev 9:17 NRSV)  He presented the grain offering, and, taking a 
       handful of it, he turned it into smoke on the altar, in addition to 
       the burnt offering of the morning.

       (Lev 9:18 NRSV)  He slaughtered the ox and the ram as a sacrifice of 
       well-being for the people. Aaron's sons brought him the blood, which 
       he dashed against all sides of the altar,

       (Lev 9:19 NRSV)  and the fat of the ox and of the ram--the broad tail, 
       the fat that covers the entrails, the two kidneys and the fat on them, 
       and the appendage of the liver.

       (Lev 9:20 NRSV)  They first laid the fat on the breasts, and the fat 
       was turned into smoke on the altar;

       (Lev 9:21 NRSV)  and the breasts and the right thigh Aaron raised as 
       an elevation offering before the LORD, as Moses had commanded.

       (Lev 9:22 NRSV)  Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed 
       them; and he came down after sacrificing the sin offering, the burnt 
       offering, and the offering of well-being.

       (Lev 9:23 NRSV)  Moses and Aaron entered the tent of meeting, and then 
       came out and blessed the people; and the glory of the LORD appeared to 
       all the people.






       (Lev 9:24 NRSV)  Fire came out from the LORD and consumed the burnt 
       offering and the fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, 
       they shouted and fell on their faces.

       (Lev 10:1 NRSV)  Now Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his 
       censer, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered 
       unholy fire before the LORD, such as he had not commanded them.

       (Lev 10:2 NRSV)  And fire came out from the presence of the LORD and 
       consumed them, and they died before the LORD.

       (Lev 10:3 NRSV)  Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD 
       meant when he said, 'Through those who are near me I will show myself 
       holy, and before all the people I will be glorified.'" And Aaron was 
       silent.

       (Lev 10:4 NRSV)  Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Uzziel 
       the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, "Come forward, and carry your 
       kinsmen away from the front of the sanctuary to a place outside the 
       camp."

       (Lev 10:5 NRSV)  They came forward and carried them by their tunics 
       out of the camp, as Moses had ordered.

       (Lev 10:6 NRSV)  And Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and 
       Ithamar, "Do not dishevel your hair, and do not tear your vestments, 
       or you will die and wrath will strike all the congregation; but your 
       kindred, the whole house of Israel, may mourn the burning that the 
       LORD has sent.

       (Lev 10:7 NRSV)  You shall not go outside the entrance of the tent of 
       meeting, or you will die; for the anointing oil of the LORD is on 
       you." And they did as Moses had ordered.

       (Lev 10:8 NRSV)  And the LORD spoke to Aaron:

       (Lev 10:9 NRSV)  Drink no wine or strong drink, neither you nor your 
       sons, when you enter the tent of meeting, that you may not die; it is 
       a statute forever throughout your generations.

       (Lev 10:10 NRSV)  You are to distinguish between the holy and the 
       common, and between the unclean and the clean;

       (Lev 10:11 NRSV)  and you are to teach the people of Israel all the 
       statutes that the LORD has spoken to them through Moses.

       (Lev 10:12 NRSV)  Moses spoke to Aaron and to his remaining sons, 
       Eleazar and Ithamar: Take the grain offering that is left from the 
       Lord's offerings by fire, and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for 
       it is most holy;

       (Lev 10:13 NRSV)  you shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your 
       due and your sons' due, from the offerings by fire to the LORD; for so 
       I am commanded.





       (Lev 10:14 NRSV)  But the breast that is elevated and the thigh that 
       is raised, you and your sons and daughters as well may eat in any 
       clean place; for they have been assigned to you and your children from 
       the sacrifices of the offerings of well-being of the people of Israel.

       (Lev 10:15 NRSV)  The thigh that is raised and the breast that is 
       elevated they shall bring, together with the offerings by fire of the 
       fat, to raise for an elevation offering before the LORD; they are to 
       be your due and that of your children forever, as the LORD has 
       commanded.

       (Lev 10:16 NRSV)  Then Moses made inquiry about the goat of the sin 
       offering, and--it had already been burned! He was angry with Eleazar 
       and Ithamar, Aaron's remaining sons, and said,

       (Lev 10:17 NRSV)  "Why did you not eat the sin offering in the sacred 
       area? For it is most holy, and God has given it to you that you may 
       remove the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement on their 
       behalf before the LORD.

       (Lev 10:18 NRSV)  Its blood was not brought into the inner part of the 
       sanctuary. You should certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I 
       commanded."

       (Lev 10:19 NRSV)  And Aaron spoke to Moses, "See, today they offered 
       their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD; and yet 
       such things as these have befallen me! If I had eaten the sin offering 
       today, would it have been agreeable to the LORD?"

       (Lev 10:20 NRSV)  And when Moses heard that, he agreed.

       (Lev 11:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them:

       (Lev 11:2 NRSV)  Speak to the people of Israel, saying: From among all 
       the land animals, these are the creatures that you may eat.

       (Lev 11:3 NRSV)  Any animal that has divided hoofs and is cleft-footed 
       and chews the cud--such you may eat.

       (Lev 11:4 NRSV)  But among those that chew the cud or have divided 
       hoofs, you shall not eat the following: the camel, for even though it 
       chews the cud, it does not have divided hoofs; it is unclean for you.

       (Lev 11:5 NRSV)  The rock badger, for even though it chews the cud, it 
       does not have divided hoofs; it is unclean for you.

       (Lev 11:6 NRSV)  The hare, for even though it chews the cud, it does 
       not have divided hoofs; it is unclean for you.

       (Lev 11:7 NRSV)  The pig, for even though it has divided hoofs and is 
       cleft-footed, it does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you.

       (Lev 11:8 NRSV)  Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses 
       you shall not touch; they are unclean for you.

       (Lev 11:9 NRSV)  These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. 





       Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas 
       or in the streams--such you may eat.

       (Lev 11:10 NRSV)  But anything in the seas or the streams that does 
       not have fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and 
       among all the other living creatures that are in the waters--they are 
       detestable to you

       (Lev 11:11 NRSV)  and detestable they shall remain. Of their flesh you 
       shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall regard as detestable.

       (Lev 11:12 NRSV)  Everything in the waters that does not have fins and 
       scales is detestable to you.

       (Lev 11:13 NRSV)  These you shall regard as detestable among the 
       birds. They shall not be eaten; they are an abomination: the eagle, 
       the vulture, the osprey,

       (Lev 11:14 NRSV)  the buzzard, the kite of any kind;

       (Lev 11:15 NRSV)  every raven of any kind;

       (Lev 11:16 NRSV)  the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk 
       of any kind;

       (Lev 11:17 NRSV)  the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,

       (Lev 11:18 NRSV)  the water hen, the desert owl, the carrion vulture,

       (Lev 11:19 NRSV)  the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and 
       the bat.

       (Lev 11:20 NRSV)  All winged insects that walk upon all fours are 
       detestable to you.

       (Lev 11:21 NRSV)  But among the winged insects that walk on all fours 
       you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, with which 
       to leap on the ground.

       (Lev 11:22 NRSV)  Of them you may eat: the locust according to its 
       kind, the bald locust according to its kind, the cricket according to 
       its kind, and the grasshopper according to its kind.

       (Lev 11:23 NRSV)  But all other winged insects that have four feet are 
       detestable to you.

       (Lev 11:24 NRSV)  By these you shall become unclean; whoever touches 
       the carcass of any of them shall be unclean until the evening,

       (Lev 11:25 NRSV)  and whoever carries any part of the carcass of any 
       of them shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.

       (Lev 11:26 NRSV)  Every animal that has divided hoofs but is not 
       cleft-footed or does not chew the cud is unclean for you; everyone who 
       touches one of them shall be unclean.





       (Lev 11:27 NRSV)  All that walk on their paws, among the animals that 
       walk on all fours, are unclean for you; whoever touches the carcass of 
       any of them shall be unclean until the evening,

       (Lev 11:28 NRSV)  and the one who carries the carcass shall wash his 
       clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean for you.

       (Lev 11:29 NRSV)  These are unclean for you among the creatures that 
       swarm upon the earth: the weasel, the mouse, the great lizard 
       according to its kind,

       (Lev 11:30 NRSV)  the gecko, the land crocodile, the lizard, the sand 
       lizard, and the chameleon.

       (Lev 11:31 NRSV)  These are unclean for you among all that swarm; 
       whoever touches one of them when they are dead shall be unclean until 
       the evening.

       (Lev 11:32 NRSV)  And anything upon which any of them falls when they 
       are dead shall be unclean, whether an article of wood or cloth or skin 
       or sacking, any article that is used for any purpose; it shall be 
       dipped into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening, and then 
       it shall be clean.

       (Lev 11:33 NRSV)  And if any of them falls into any earthen vessel, 
       all that is in it shall be unclean, and you shall break the vessel.

       (Lev 11:34 NRSV)  Any food that could be eaten shall be unclean if 
       water from any such vessel comes upon it; and any liquid that could be 
       drunk shall be unclean if it was in any such vessel.

       (Lev 11:35 NRSV)  Everything on which any part of the carcass falls 
       shall be unclean; whether an oven or stove, it shall be broken in 
       pieces; they are unclean, and shall remain unclean for you.

       (Lev 11:36 NRSV)  But a spring or a cistern holding water shall be 
       clean, while whatever touches the carcass in it shall be unclean.

       (Lev 11:37 NRSV)  If any part of their carcass falls upon any seed set 
       aside for sowing, it is clean;

       (Lev 11:38 NRSV)  but if water is put on the seed and any part of 
       their carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.

       (Lev 11:39 NRSV)  If an animal of which you may eat dies, anyone who 
       touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening.

       (Lev 11:40 NRSV)  Those who eat of its carcass shall wash their 
       clothes and be unclean until the evening; and those who carry the 
       carcass shall wash their clothes and be unclean until the evening.

       (Lev 11:41 NRSV)  All creatures that swarm upon the earth are 
       detestable; they shall not be eaten.

       (Lev 11:42 NRSV)  Whatever moves on its belly, and whatever moves on 
       all fours, or whatever has many feet, all the creatures that swarm 





       upon the earth, you shall not eat; for they are detestable.

       (Lev 11:43 NRSV)  You shall not make yourselves detestable with any 
       creature that swarms; you shall not defile yourselves with them, and 
       so become unclean.

       (Lev 11:44 NRSV)  For I am the LORD your God; sanctify yourselves 
       therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves 
       with any swarming creature that moves on the earth.

       (Lev 11:45 NRSV)  For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land 
       of Egypt, to be your God; you shall be holy, for I am holy.

       (Lev 11:46 NRSV)  This is the law pertaining to land animal and bird 
       and every living creature that moves through the waters and every 
       creature that swarms upon the earth,

       (Lev 11:47 NRSV)  to make a distinction between the unclean and the 
       clean, and between the living creature that may be eaten and the 
       living creature that may not be eaten.

       (Lev 12:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Lev 12:2 NRSV)  Speak to the people of Israel, saying: If a woman 
       conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean 
       seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean.

       (Lev 12:3 NRSV)  On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be 
       circumcised.

       (Lev 12:4 NRSV)  Her time of blood purification shall be thirty-three 
       days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, 
       until the days of her purification are completed.

       (Lev 12:5 NRSV)  If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two 
       weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be 
       sixty-six days.

       (Lev 12:6 NRSV)  When the days of her purification are completed, 
       whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at 
       the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a 
       burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering.

       (Lev 12:7 NRSV)  He shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement 
       on her behalf; then she shall be clean from her flow of blood. This is 
       the law for her who bears a child, male or female.

       (Lev 12:8 NRSV)  If she cannot afford a sheep, she shall take two 
       turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for 
       a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement on her behalf, and 
       she shall be clean.

       (Lev 13:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

       (Lev 13:2 NRSV)  When a person has on the skin of his body a swelling 
       or an eruption or a spot, and it turns into a leprous disease on the 





       skin of his body, he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of 
       his sons the priests.

       (Lev 13:3 NRSV)  The priest shall examine the disease on the skin of 
       his body, and if the hair in the diseased area has turned white and 
       the disease appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a 
       leprous disease; after the priest has examined him he shall pronounce 
       him ceremonially unclean.

       (Lev 13:4 NRSV)  But if the spot is white in the skin of his body, and 
       appears no deeper than the skin, and the hair in it has not turned 
       white, the priest shall confine the diseased person for seven days.

       (Lev 13:5 NRSV)  The priest shall examine him on the seventh day, and 
       if he sees that the disease is checked and the disease has not spread 
       in the skin, then the priest shall confine him seven days more.

       (Lev 13:6 NRSV)  The priest shall examine him again on the seventh 
       day, and if the disease has abated and the disease has not spread in 
       the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only an 
       eruption; and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.

       (Lev 13:7 NRSV)  But if the eruption spreads in the skin after he has 
       shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he shall appear again 
       before the priest.

       (Lev 13:8 NRSV)  The priest shall make an examination, and if the 
       eruption has spread in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him 
       unclean; it is a leprous disease.

       (Lev 13:9 NRSV)  When a person contracts a leprous disease, he shall 
       be brought to the priest.

       (Lev 13:10 NRSV)  The priest shall make an examination, and if there 
       is a white swelling in the skin that has turned the hair white, and 
       there is quick raw flesh in the swelling,

       (Lev 13:11 NRSV)  it is a chronic leprous disease in the skin of his 
       body. The priest shall pronounce him unclean; he shall not confine 
       him, for he is unclean.

       (Lev 13:12 NRSV)  But if the disease breaks out in the skin, so that 
       it covers all the skin of the diseased person from head to foot, so 
       far as the priest can see,

       (Lev 13:13 NRSV)  then the priest shall make an examination, and if 
       the disease has covered all his body, he shall pronounce him clean of 
       the disease; since it has all turned white, he is clean.

       (Lev 13:14 NRSV)  But if raw flesh ever appears on him, he shall be 
       unclean;

       (Lev 13:15 NRSV)  the priest shall examine the raw flesh and pronounce 
       him unclean. Raw flesh is unclean, for it is a leprous disease.

       (Lev 13:16 NRSV)  But if the raw flesh again turns white, he shall 





       come to the priest;

       (Lev 13:17 NRSV)  the priest shall examine him, and if the disease has 
       turned white, the priest shall pronounce the diseased person clean. He 
       is clean.

       (Lev 13:18 NRSV)  When there is on the skin of one's body a boil that 
       has healed,

       (Lev 13:19 NRSV)  and in the place of the boil there appears a white 
       swelling or a reddish-white spot, it shall be shown to the priest.

       (Lev 13:20 NRSV)  The priest shall make an examination, and if it 
       appears deeper than the skin and its hair has turned white, the priest 
       shall pronounce him unclean; this is a leprous disease, broken out in 
       the boil.

       (Lev 13:21 NRSV)  But if the priest examines it and the hair on it is 
       not white, nor is it deeper than the skin but has abated, the priest 
       shall confine him seven days.

       (Lev 13:22 NRSV)  If it spreads in the skin, the priest shall 
       pronounce him unclean; it is diseased.

       (Lev 13:23 NRSV)  But if the spot remains in one place and does not 
       spread, it is the scar of the boil; the priest shall pronounce him 
       clean.

       (Lev 13:24 NRSV)  Or, when the body has a burn on the skin and the raw 
       flesh of the burn becomes a spot, reddish-white or white,

       (Lev 13:25 NRSV)  the priest shall examine it. If the hair in the spot 
       has turned white and it appears deeper than the skin, it is a leprous 
       disease; it has broken out in the burn, and the priest shall pronounce 
       him unclean. This is a leprous disease.

       (Lev 13:26 NRSV)  But if the priest examines it and the hair in the 
       spot is not white, and it is no deeper than the skin but has abated, 
       the priest shall confine him seven days.

       (Lev 13:27 NRSV)  The priest shall examine him the seventh day; if it 
       is spreading in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. This 
       is a leprous disease.

       (Lev 13:28 NRSV)  But if the spot remains in one place and does not 
       spread in the skin but has abated, it is a swelling from the burn, and 
       the priest shall pronounce him clean; for it is the scar of the burn.

       (Lev 13:29 NRSV)  When a man or woman has a disease on the head or in 
       the beard,

       (Lev 13:30 NRSV)  the priest shall examine the disease. If it appears 
       deeper than the skin and the hair in it is yellow and thin, the priest 
       shall pronounce him unclean; it is an itch, a leprous disease of the 
       head or the beard.





       (Lev 13:31 NRSV)  If the priest examines the itching disease, and it 
       appears no deeper than the skin and there is no black hair in it, the 
       priest shall confine the person with the itching disease for seven 
       days.

       (Lev 13:32 NRSV)  On the seventh day the priest shall examine the 
       itch; if the itch has not spread, and there is no yellow hair in it, 
       and the itch appears to be no deeper than the skin,

       (Lev 13:33 NRSV)  he shall shave, but the itch he shall not shave. The 
       priest shall confine the person with the itch for seven days more.

       (Lev 13:34 NRSV)  On the seventh day the priest shall examine the 
       itch; if the itch has not spread in the skin and it appears to be no 
       deeper than the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean. He shall 
       wash his clothes and be clean.

       (Lev 13:35 NRSV)  But if the itch spreads in the skin after he was 
       pronounced clean,

       (Lev 13:36 NRSV)  the priest shall examine him. If the itch has spread 
       in the skin, the priest need not seek for the yellow hair; he is 
       unclean.

       (Lev 13:37 NRSV)  But if in his eyes the itch is checked, and black 
       hair has grown in it, the itch is healed, he is clean; and the priest 
       shall pronounce him clean.

       (Lev 13:38 NRSV)  When a man or a woman has spots on the skin of the 
       body, white spots,

       (Lev 13:39 NRSV)  the priest shall make an examination, and if the 
       spots on the skin of the body are of a dull white, it is a rash that 
       has broken out on the skin; he is clean.

       (Lev 13:40 NRSV)  If anyone loses the hair from his head, he is bald 
       but he is clean.

       (Lev 13:41 NRSV)  If he loses the hair from his forehead and temples, 
       he has baldness of the forehead but he is clean.

       (Lev 13:42 NRSV)  But if there is on the bald head or the bald 
       forehead a reddish-white diseased spot, it is a leprous disease 
       breaking out on his bald head or his bald forehead.

       (Lev 13:43 NRSV)  The priest shall examine him; if the diseased 
       swelling is reddish-white on his bald head or on his bald forehead, 
       which resembles a leprous disease in the skin of the body,

       (Lev 13:44 NRSV)  he is leprous, he is unclean. The priest shall 
       pronounce him unclean; the disease is on his head.

       (Lev 13:45 NRSV)  The person who has the leprous disease shall wear 
       torn clothes and let the hair of his head be disheveled; and he shall 
       cover his upper lip and cry out, "Unclean, unclean."





       (Lev 13:46 NRSV)  He shall remain unclean as long as he has the 
       disease; he is unclean. He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be 
       outside the camp.

       (Lev 13:47 NRSV)  Concerning clothing: when a leprous disease appears 
       in it, in woolen or linen cloth,

       (Lev 13:48 NRSV)  in warp or woof of linen or wool, or in a skin or in 
       anything made of skin,

       (Lev 13:49 NRSV)  if the disease shows greenish or reddish in the 
       garment, whether in warp or woof or in skin or in anything made of 
       skin, it is a leprous disease and shall be shown to the priest.

       (Lev 13:50 NRSV)  The priest shall examine the disease, and put the 
       diseased article aside for seven days.

       (Lev 13:51 NRSV)  He shall examine the disease on the seventh day. If 
       the disease has spread in the cloth, in warp or woof, or in the skin, 
       whatever be the use of the skin, this is a spreading leprous disease; 
       it is unclean.

       (Lev 13:52 NRSV)  He shall burn the clothing, whether diseased in warp 
       or woof, woolen or linen, or anything of skin, for it is a spreading 
       leprous disease; it shall be burned in fire.

       (Lev 13:53 NRSV)  If the priest makes an examination, and the disease 
       has not spread in the clothing, in warp or woof or in anything of 
       skin,

       (Lev 13:54 NRSV)  the priest shall command them to wash the article in 
       which the disease appears, and he shall put it aside seven days more.

       (Lev 13:55 NRSV)  The priest shall examine the diseased article after 
       it has been washed. If the diseased spot has not changed color, though 
       the disease has not spread, it is unclean; you shall burn it in fire, 
       whether the leprous spot is on the inside or on the outside.

       (Lev 13:56 NRSV)  If the priest makes an examination, and the disease 
       has abated after it is washed, he shall tear the spot out of the 
       cloth, in warp or woof, or out of skin.

       (Lev 13:57 NRSV)  If it appears again in the garment, in warp or woof, 
       or in anything of skin, it is spreading; you shall burn with fire that 
       in which the disease appears.

       (Lev 13:58 NRSV)  But the cloth, warp or woof, or anything of skin 
       from which the disease disappears when you have washed it, shall then 
       be washed a second time, and it shall be clean.

       (Lev 13:59 NRSV)  This is the ritual for a leprous disease in a cloth 
       of wool or linen, either in warp or woof, or in anything of skin, to 
       decide whether it is clean or unclean.

       (Lev 14:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:





       (Lev 14:2 NRSV)  This shall be the ritual for the leprous person at 
       the time of his cleansing: He shall be brought to the priest;

       (Lev 14:3 NRSV)  the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest 
       shall make an examination. If the disease is healed in the leprous 
       person,

       (Lev 14:4 NRSV)  the priest shall command that two living clean birds 
       and cedarwood and crimson yarn and hyssop be brought for the one who 
       is to be cleansed.

       (Lev 14:5 NRSV)  The priest shall command that one of the birds be 
       slaughtered over fresh water in an earthen vessel.

       (Lev 14:6 NRSV)  He shall take the living bird with the cedarwood and 
       the crimson yarn and the hyssop, and dip them and the living bird in 
       the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh water.

       (Lev 14:7 NRSV)  He shall sprinkle it seven times upon the one who is 
       to be cleansed of the leprous disease; then he shall pronounce him 
       clean, and he shall let the living bird go into the open field.

       (Lev 14:8 NRSV)  The one who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, 
       and shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water, and he shall 
       be clean. After that he shall come into the camp, but shall live 
       outside his tent seven days.

       (Lev 14:9 NRSV)  On the seventh day he shall shave all his hair: of 
       head, beard, eyebrows; he shall shave all his hair. Then he shall wash 
       his clothes, and bathe his body in water, and he shall be clean.

       (Lev 14:10 NRSV)  On the eighth day he shall take two male lambs 
       without blemish, and one ewe lamb in its first year without blemish, 
       and a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of choice flour mixed 
       with oil, and one log of oil.

       (Lev 14:11 NRSV)  The priest who cleanses shall set the person to be 
       cleansed, along with these things, before the LORD, at the entrance of 
       the tent of meeting.

       (Lev 14:12 NRSV)  The priest shall take one of the lambs, and offer it 
       as a guilt offering, along with the log of oil, and raise them as an 
       elevation offering before the LORD.

       (Lev 14:13 NRSV)  He shall slaughter the lamb in the place where the 
       sin offering and the burnt offering are slaughtered in the holy place; 
       for the guilt offering, like the sin offering, belongs to the priest: 
       it is most holy.

       (Lev 14:14 NRSV)  The priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt 
       offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be 
       cleansed, and on the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of 
       the right foot.

       (Lev 14:15 NRSV)  The priest shall take some of the log of oil and 
       pour it into the palm of his own left hand,






       (Lev 14:16 NRSV)  and dip his right finger in the oil that is in his 
       left hand and sprinkle some oil with his finger seven times before the 
       LORD.

       (Lev 14:17 NRSV)  Some of the oil that remains in his hand the priest 
       shall put on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, and 
       on the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of the right foot, 
       on top of the blood of the guilt offering.

       (Lev 14:18 NRSV)  The rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he 
       shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed. Then the priest shall 
       make atonement on his behalf before the LORD:

       (Lev 14:19 NRSV)  the priest shall offer the sin offering, to make 
       atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness. Afterward 
       he shall slaughter the burnt offering;

       (Lev 14:20 NRSV)  and the priest shall offer the burnt offering and 
       the grain offering on the altar. Thus the priest shall make atonement 
       on his behalf and he shall be clean.

       (Lev 14:21 NRSV)  But if he is poor and cannot afford so much, he 
       shall take one male lamb for a guilt offering to be elevated, to make 
       atonement on his behalf, and one-tenth of an ephah of choice flour 
       mixed with oil for a grain offering and a log of oil;

       (Lev 14:22 NRSV)  also two turtledoves or two pigeons, such as he can 
       afford, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.

       (Lev 14:23 NRSV)  On the eighth day he shall bring them for his 
       cleansing to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, 
       before the LORD;

       (Lev 14:24 NRSV)  and the priest shall take the lamb of the guilt 
       offering and the log of oil, and the priest shall raise them as an 
       elevation offering before the LORD.

       (Lev 14:25 NRSV)  The priest shall slaughter the lamb of the guilt 
       offering and shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and 
       put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, and on 
       the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of the right foot.

       (Lev 14:26 NRSV)  The priest shall pour some of the oil into the palm 
       of his own left hand,

       (Lev 14:27 NRSV)  and shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the 
       oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD.

       (Lev 14:28 NRSV)  The priest shall put some of the oil that is in his 
       hand on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, and on 
       the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot, where 
       the blood of the guilt offering was placed.

       (Lev 14:29 NRSV)  The rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he 
       shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement on 





       his behalf before the LORD.

       (Lev 14:30 NRSV)  And he shall offer, of the turtledoves or pigeons 
       such as he can afford,

       (Lev 14:31 NRSV)  one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt 
       offering, along with a grain offering; and the priest shall make 
       atonement before the LORD on behalf of the one being cleansed.

       (Lev 14:32 NRSV)  This is the ritual for the one who has a leprous 
       disease, who cannot afford the offerings for his cleansing.

       (Lev 14:33 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

       (Lev 14:34 NRSV)  When you come into the land of Canaan, which I give 
       you for a possession, and I put a leprous disease in a house in the 
       land of your possession,

       (Lev 14:35 NRSV)  the owner of the house shall come and tell the 
       priest, saying, "There seems to me to be some sort of disease in my 
       house."

       (Lev 14:36 NRSV)  The priest shall command that they empty the house 
       before the priest goes to examine the disease, or all that is in the 
       house will become unclean; and afterward the priest shall go in to 
       inspect the house.

       (Lev 14:37 NRSV)  He shall examine the disease; if the disease is in 
       the walls of the house with greenish or reddish spots, and if it 
       appears to be deeper than the surface,

       (Lev 14:38 NRSV)  the priest shall go outside to the door of the house 
       and shut up the house seven days.

       (Lev 14:39 NRSV)  The priest shall come again on the seventh day and 
       make an inspection; if the disease has spread in the walls of the 
       house,

       (Lev 14:40 NRSV)  the priest shall command that the stones in which 
       the disease appears be taken out and thrown into an unclean place 
       outside the city.

       (Lev 14:41 NRSV)  He shall have the inside of the house scraped 
       thoroughly, and the plaster that is scraped off shall be dumped in an 
       unclean place outside the city.

       (Lev 14:42 NRSV)  They shall take other stones and put them in the 
       place of those stones, and take other plaster and plaster the house.

       (Lev 14:43 NRSV)  If the disease breaks out again in the house, after 
       he has taken out the stones and scraped the house and plastered it,

       (Lev 14:44 NRSV)  the priest shall go and make inspection; if the 
       disease has spread in the house, it is a spreading leprous disease in 
       the house; it is unclean.





       (Lev 14:45 NRSV)  He shall have the house torn down, its stones and 
       timber and all the plaster of the house, and taken outside the city to 
       an unclean place.

       (Lev 14:46 NRSV)  All who enter the house while it is shut up shall be 
       unclean until the evening;

       (Lev 14:47 NRSV)  and all who sleep in the house shall wash their 
       clothes; and all who eat in the house shall wash their clothes.

       (Lev 14:48 NRSV)  If the priest comes and makes an inspection, and the 
       disease has not spread in the house after the house was plastered, the 
       priest shall pronounce the house clean; the disease is healed.

       (Lev 14:49 NRSV)  For the cleansing of the house he shall take two 
       birds, with cedarwood and crimson yarn and hyssop,

       (Lev 14:50 NRSV)  and shall slaughter one of the birds over fresh 
       water in an earthen vessel,

       (Lev 14:51 NRSV)  and shall take the cedarwood and the hyssop and the 
       crimson yarn, along with the living bird, and dip them in the blood of 
       the slaughtered bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven 
       times.

       (Lev 14:52 NRSV)  Thus he shall cleanse the house with the blood of 
       the bird, and with the fresh water, and with the living bird, and with 
       the cedarwood and hyssop and crimson yarn;

       (Lev 14:53 NRSV)  and he shall let the living bird go out of the city 
       into the open field; so he shall make atonement for the house, and it 
       shall be clean.

       (Lev 14:54 NRSV)  This is the ritual for any leprous disease: for an 
       itch,

       (Lev 14:55 NRSV)  for leprous diseases in clothing and houses,

       (Lev 14:56 NRSV)  and for a swelling or an eruption or a spot,

       (Lev 14:57 NRSV)  to determine when it is unclean and when it is 
       clean. This is the ritual for leprous diseases.

       (Lev 15:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

       (Lev 15:2 NRSV)  Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: When 
       any man has a discharge from his member, his discharge makes him 
       ceremonially unclean.

       (Lev 15:3 NRSV)  The uncleanness of his discharge is this: whether his 
       member flows with his discharge, or his member is stopped from 
       discharging, it is uncleanness for him.

       (Lev 15:4 NRSV)  Every bed on which the one with the discharge lies 
       shall be unclean; and everything on which he sits shall be unclean.





       (Lev 15:5 NRSV)  Anyone who touches his bed shall wash his clothes, 
       and bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening.

       (Lev 15:6 NRSV)  All who sit on anything on which the one with the 
       discharge has sat shall wash their clothes, and bathe in water, and be 
       unclean until the evening.

       (Lev 15:7 NRSV)  All who touch the body of the one with the discharge 
       shall wash their clothes, and bathe in water, and be unclean until the 
       evening.

       (Lev 15:8 NRSV)  If the one with the discharge spits on persons who 
       are clean, then they shall wash their clothes, and bathe in water, and 
       be unclean until the evening.

       (Lev 15:9 NRSV)  Any saddle on which the one with the discharge rides 
       shall be unclean.

       (Lev 15:10 NRSV)  All who touch anything that was under him shall be 
       unclean until the evening, and all who carry such a thing shall wash 
       their clothes, and bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening.

       (Lev 15:11 NRSV)  All those whom the one with the discharge touches 
       without his having rinsed his hands in water shall wash their clothes, 
       and bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening.

       (Lev 15:12 NRSV)  Any earthen vessel that the one with the discharge 
       touches shall be broken; and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in 
       water.

       (Lev 15:13 NRSV)  When the one with a discharge is cleansed of his 
       discharge, he shall count seven days for his cleansing; he shall wash 
       his clothes and bathe his body in fresh water, and he shall be clean.

       (Lev 15:14 NRSV)  On the eighth day he shall take two turtledoves or 
       two pigeons and come before the LORD to the entrance of the tent of 
       meeting and give them to the priest.

       (Lev 15:15 NRSV)  The priest shall offer them, one for a sin offering 
       and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make 
       atonement on his behalf before the LORD for his discharge.

       (Lev 15:16 NRSV)  If a man has an emission of semen, he shall bathe 
       his whole body in water, and be unclean until the evening.

       (Lev 15:17 NRSV)  Everything made of cloth or of skin on which the 
       semen falls shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the 
       evening.

       (Lev 15:18 NRSV)  If a man lies with a woman and has an emission of 
       semen, both of them shall bathe in water, and be unclean until the 
       evening.

       (Lev 15:19 NRSV)  When a woman has a discharge of blood that is her 
       regular discharge from her body, she shall be in her impurity for 
       seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the 





       evening.

       (Lev 15:20 NRSV)  Everything upon which she lies during her impurity 
       shall be unclean; everything also upon which she sits shall be 
       unclean.

       (Lev 15:21 NRSV)  Whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes, and 
       bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening.

       (Lev 15:22 NRSV)  Whoever touches anything upon which she sits shall 
       wash his clothes, and bathe in water, and be unclean until the 
       evening;

       (Lev 15:23 NRSV)  whether it is the bed or anything upon which she 
       sits, when he touches it he shall be unclean until the evening.

       (Lev 15:24 NRSV)  If any man lies with her, and her impurity falls on 
       him, he shall be unclean seven days; and every bed on which he lies 
       shall be unclean.

       (Lev 15:25 NRSV)  If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, 
       not at the time of her impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the 
       time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue 
       in uncleanness; as in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean.

       (Lev 15:26 NRSV)  Every bed on which she lies during all the days of 
       her discharge shall be treated as the bed of her impurity; and 
       everything on which she sits shall be unclean, as in the uncleanness 
       of her impurity.

       (Lev 15:27 NRSV)  Whoever touches these things shall be unclean, and 
       shall wash his clothes, and bathe in water, and be unclean until the 
       evening.

       (Lev 15:28 NRSV)  If she is cleansed of her discharge, she shall count 
       seven days, and after that she shall be clean.

       (Lev 15:29 NRSV)  On the eighth day she shall take two turtledoves or 
       two pigeons and bring them to the priest to the entrance of the tent 
       of meeting.

       (Lev 15:30 NRSV)  The priest shall offer one for a sin offering and 
       the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make atonement on 
       her behalf before the LORD for her unclean discharge.

       (Lev 15:31 NRSV)  Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate 
       from their uncleanness, so that they do not die in their uncleanness 
       by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst.

       (Lev 15:32 NRSV)  This is the ritual for those who have a discharge: 
       for him who has an emission of semen, becoming unclean thereby,

       (Lev 15:33 NRSV)  for her who is in the infirmity of her period, for 
       anyone, male or female, who has a discharge, and for the man who lies 
       with a woman who is unclean.





       (Lev 16:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two 
       sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died.

       (Lev 16:2 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses: Tell your brother Aaron not 
       to come just at any time into the sanctuary inside the curtain before 
       the mercy seat that is upon the ark, or he will die; for I appear in 
       the cloud upon the mercy seat.

       (Lev 16:3 NRSV)  Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a 
       young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

       (Lev 16:4 NRSV)  He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and shall have 
       the linen undergarments next to his body, fasten the linen sash, and 
       wear the linen turban; these are the holy vestments. He shall bathe 
       his body in water, and then put them on.

       (Lev 16:5 NRSV)  He shall take from the congregation of the people of 
       Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt 
       offering.

       (Lev 16:6 NRSV)  Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for 
       himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house.

       (Lev 16:7 NRSV)  He shall take the two goats and set them before the 
       LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting;

       (Lev 16:8 NRSV)  and Aaron shall cast lots on the two goats, one lot 
       for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel.

       (Lev 16:9 NRSV)  Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell 
       for the LORD, and offer it as a sin offering;

       (Lev 16:10 NRSV)  but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall 
       be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it 
       may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.

       (Lev 16:11 NRSV)  Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for 
       himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house; he 
       shall slaughter the bull as a sin offering for himself.

       (Lev 16:12 NRSV)  He shall take a censer full of coals of fire from 
       the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of crushed sweet incense, 
       and he shall bring it inside the curtain

       (Lev 16:13 NRSV)  and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, 
       that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon 
       the covenant, or he will die.

       (Lev 16:14 NRSV)  He shall take some of the blood of the bull, and 
       sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat, and before 
       the mercy seat he shall sprinkle the blood with his finger seven 
       times.

       (Lev 16:15 NRSV)  He shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering that 
       is for the people and bring its blood inside the curtain, and do with 
       its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it upon the 





       mercy seat and before the mercy seat.

       (Lev 16:16 NRSV)  Thus he shall make atonement for the sanctuary, 
       because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel, and because of 
       their transgressions, all their sins; and so he shall do for the tent 
       of meeting, which remains with them in the midst of their 
       uncleannesses.

       (Lev 16:17 NRSV)  No one shall be in the tent of meeting from the time 
       he enters to make atonement in the sanctuary until he comes out and 
       has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the 
       assembly of Israel.

       (Lev 16:18 NRSV)  Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the 
       LORD and make atonement on its behalf, and shall take some of the 
       blood of the bull and of the blood of the goat, and put it on each of 
       the horns of the altar.

       (Lev 16:19 NRSV)  He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his 
       finger seven times, and cleanse it and hallow it from the 
       uncleannesses of the people of Israel.

       (Lev 16:20 NRSV)  When he has finished atoning for the holy place and 
       the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat.

       (Lev 16:21 NRSV)  Then Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of 
       the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of 
       Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins, putting them on 
       the head of the goat, and sending it away into the wilderness by means 
       of someone designated for the task.

       (Lev 16:22 NRSV)  The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities 
       to a barren region; and the goat shall be set free in the wilderness.

       (Lev 16:23 NRSV)  Then Aaron shall enter the tent of meeting, and 
       shall take off the linen vestments that he put on when he went into 
       the holy place, and shall leave them there.

       (Lev 16:24 NRSV)  He shall bathe his body in water in a holy place, 
       and put on his vestments; then he shall come out and offer his burnt 
       offering and the burnt offering of the people, making atonement for 
       himself and for the people.

       (Lev 16:25 NRSV)  The fat of the sin offering he shall turn into smoke 
       on the altar.

       (Lev 16:26 NRSV)  The one who sets the goat free for Azazel shall wash 
       his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward may come into 
       the camp.

       (Lev 16:27 NRSV)  The bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin 
       offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy 
       place, shall be taken outside the camp; their skin and their flesh and 
       their dung shall be consumed in fire.

       (Lev 16:28 NRSV)  The one who burns them shall wash his clothes and 





       bathe his body in water, and afterward may come into the camp.

       (Lev 16:29 NRSV)  This shall be a statute to you forever: In the 
       seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall deny 
       yourselves, and shall do no work, neither the citizen nor the alien 
       who resides among you.

       (Lev 16:30 NRSV)  For on this day atonement shall be made for you, to 
       cleanse you; from all your sins you shall be clean before the LORD.

       (Lev 16:31 NRSV)  It is a sabbath of complete rest to you, and you 
       shall deny yourselves; it is a statute forever.

       (Lev 16:32 NRSV)  The priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest 
       in his father's place shall make atonement, wearing the linen 
       vestments, the holy vestments.

       (Lev 16:33 NRSV)  He shall make atonement for the sanctuary, and he 
       shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he 
       shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the 
       assembly.

       (Lev 16:34 NRSV)  This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to 
       make atonement for the people of Israel once in the year for all their 
       sins. And Moses did as the LORD had commanded him.

       (Lev 17:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses:

       (Lev 17:2 NRSV)  Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of 
       Israel and say to them: This is what the LORD has commanded.

       (Lev 17:3 NRSV)  If anyone of the house of Israel slaughters an ox or 
       a lamb or a goat in the camp, or slaughters it outside the camp,

       (Lev 17:4 NRSV)  and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of 
       meeting, to present it as an offering to the LORD before the 
       tabernacle of the LORD, he shall be held guilty of bloodshed; he has 
       shed blood, and he shall be cut off from the people.

       (Lev 17:5 NRSV)  This is in order that the people of Israel may bring 
       their sacrifices that they offer in the open field, that they may 
       bring them to the LORD, to the priest at the entrance of the tent of 
       meeting, and offer them as sacrifices of well-being to the LORD.

       (Lev 17:6 NRSV)  The priest shall dash the blood against the altar of 
       the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and turn the fat into 
       smoke as a pleasing odor to the LORD,

       (Lev 17:7 NRSV)  so that they may no longer offer their sacrifices for 
       goat-demons, to whom they prostitute themselves. This shall be a 
       statute forever to them throughout their generations.

       (Lev 17:8 NRSV)  And say to them further: Anyone of the house of 
       Israel or of the aliens who reside among them who offers a burnt 
       offering or sacrifice,





       (Lev 17:9 NRSV)  and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of 
       meeting, to sacrifice it to the LORD, shall be cut off from the 
       people.

       (Lev 17:10 NRSV)  If anyone of the house of Israel or of the aliens 
       who reside among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that 
       person who eats blood, and will cut that person off from the people.

       (Lev 17:11 NRSV)  For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I 
       have given it to you for making atonement for your lives on the altar; 
       for, as life, it is the blood that makes atonement.

       (Lev 17:12 NRSV)  Therefore I have said to the people of Israel: No 
       person among you shall eat blood, nor shall any alien who resides 
       among you eat blood.

       (Lev 17:13 NRSV)  And anyone of the people of Israel, or of the aliens 
       who reside among them, who hunts down an animal or bird that may be 
       eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth.

       (Lev 17:14 NRSV)  For the life of every creature--its blood is its 
       life; therefore I have said to the people of Israel: You shall not eat 
       the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its 
       blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off.

       (Lev 17:15 NRSV)  All persons, citizens or aliens, who eat what dies 
       of itself or what has been torn by wild animals, shall wash their 
       clothes, and bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the 
       evening; then they shall be clean.

       (Lev 17:16 NRSV)  But if they do not wash themselves or bathe their 
       body, they shall bear their guilt.

       (Lev 18:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Lev 18:2 NRSV)  Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: I am 
       the LORD your God.

       (Lev 18:3 NRSV)  You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, 
       where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of 
       Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not follow their 
       statutes.

       (Lev 18:4 NRSV)  My ordinances you shall observe and my statutes you 
       shall keep, following them: I am the LORD your God.

       (Lev 18:5 NRSV)  You shall keep my statutes and my ordinances; by 
       doing so one shall live: I am the LORD.

       (Lev 18:6 NRSV)  None of you shall approach anyone near of kin to 
       uncover nakedness: I am the LORD.

       (Lev 18:7 NRSV)  You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, 
       which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you shall 
       not uncover her nakedness.





       (Lev 18:8 NRSV)  You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's 
       wife; it is the nakedness of your father.

       (Lev 18:9 NRSV)  You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, 
       your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether born at home 
       or born abroad.

       (Lev 18:10 NRSV)  You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son's 
       daughter or of your daughter's daughter, for their nakedness is your 
       own nakedness.

       (Lev 18:11 NRSV)  You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's 
       wife's daughter, begotten by your father, since she is your sister.

       (Lev 18:12 NRSV)  You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's 
       sister; she is your father's flesh.

       (Lev 18:13 NRSV)  You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's 
       sister, for she is your mother's flesh.

       (Lev 18:14 NRSV)  You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's 
       brother, that is, you shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt.

       (Lev 18:15 NRSV)  You shall not uncover the nakedness of your 
       daughter-in-law: she is your son's wife; you shall not uncover her 
       nakedness.

       (Lev 18:16 NRSV)  You shall not uncover the nakedness of your 
       brother's wife; it is your brother's nakedness.

       (Lev 18:17 NRSV)  You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and 
       her daughter, and you shall not take her son's daughter or her 
       daughter's daughter to uncover her nakedness; they are your flesh; it 
       is depravity.

       (Lev 18:18 NRSV)  And you shall not take a woman as a rival to her 
       sister, uncovering her nakedness while her sister is still alive.

       (Lev 18:19 NRSV)  You shall not approach a woman to uncover her 
       nakedness while she is in her menstrual uncleanness.

       (Lev 18:20 NRSV)  You shall not have sexual relations with your 
       kinsman's wife, and defile yourself with her.

       (Lev 18:21 NRSV)  You shall not give any of your offspring to 
       sacrifice them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am 
       the LORD.

       (Lev 18:22 NRSV)  You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is 
       an abomination.

       (Lev 18:23 NRSV)  You shall not have sexual relations with any animal 
       and defile yourself with it, nor shall any woman give herself to an 
       animal to have sexual relations with it: it is perversion.

       (Lev 18:24 NRSV)  Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, for 





       by all these practices the nations I am casting out before you have 
       defiled themselves.

       (Lev 18:25 NRSV)  Thus the land became defiled; and I punished it for 
       its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.

       (Lev 18:26 NRSV)  But you shall keep my statutes and my ordinances and 
       commit none of these abominations, either the citizen or the alien who 
       resides among you

       (Lev 18:27 NRSV)  (for the inhabitants of the land, who were before 
       you, committed all of these abominations, and the land became 
       defiled);

       (Lev 18:28 NRSV)  otherwise the land will vomit you out for defiling 
       it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.

       (Lev 18:29 NRSV)  For whoever commits any of these abominations shall 
       be cut off from their people.

       (Lev 18:30 NRSV)  So keep my charge not to commit any of these 
       abominations that were done before you, and not to defile yourselves 
       by them: I am the LORD your God.

       (Lev 19:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Lev 19:2 NRSV)  Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel 
       and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.

       (Lev 19:3 NRSV)  You shall each revere your mother and father, and you 
       shall keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.

       (Lev 19:4 NRSV)  Do not turn to idols or make cast images for 
       yourselves: I am the LORD your God.

       (Lev 19:5 NRSV)  When you offer a sacrifice of well-being to the LORD, 
       offer it in such a way that it is acceptable on your behalf.

       (Lev 19:6 NRSV)  It shall be eaten on the same day you offer it, or on 
       the next day; and anything left over until the third day shall be 
       consumed in fire.

       (Lev 19:7 NRSV)  If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an 
       abomination; it will not be acceptable.

       (Lev 19:8 NRSV)  All who eat it shall be subject to punishment, 
       because they have profaned what is holy to the LORD; and any such 
       person shall be cut off from the people.

       (Lev 19:9 NRSV)  When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not 
       reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your 
       harvest.

       (Lev 19:10 NRSV)  You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather 
       the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor 
       and the alien: I am the LORD your God.






       (Lev 19:11 NRSV)  You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; and 
       you shall not lie to one another.

       (Lev 19:12 NRSV)  And you shall not swear falsely by my name, 
       profaning the name of your God: I am the LORD.

       (Lev 19:13 NRSV)  You shall not defraud your neighbor; you shall not 
       steal; and you shall not keep for yourself the wages of a laborer 
       until morning.

       (Lev 19:14 NRSV)  You shall not revile the deaf or put a stumbling 
       block before the blind; you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.

       (Lev 19:15 NRSV)  You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall 
       not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you 
       shall judge your neighbor.

       (Lev 19:16 NRSV)  You shall not go around as a slanderer among your 
       people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am 
       the LORD.

       (Lev 19:17 NRSV)  You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; 
       you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself.

       (Lev 19:18 NRSV)  You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge 
       against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as 
       yourself: I am the LORD.

       (Lev 19:19 NRSV)  You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your 
       animals breed with a different kind; you shall not sow your field with 
       two kinds of seed; nor shall you put on a garment made of two 
       different materials.

       (Lev 19:20 NRSV)  If a man has sexual relations with a woman who is a 
       slave, designated for another man but not ransomed or given her 
       freedom, an inquiry shall be held. They shall not be put to death, 
       since she has not been freed;

       (Lev 19:21 NRSV)  but he shall bring a guilt offering for himself to 
       the LORD, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, a ram as guilt 
       offering.

       (Lev 19:22 NRSV)  And the priest shall make atonement for him with the 
       ram of guilt offering before the LORD for his sin that he committed; 
       and the sin he committed shall be forgiven him.

       (Lev 19:23 NRSV)  When you come into the land and plant all kinds of 
       trees for food, then you shall regard their fruit as forbidden; three 
       years it shall be forbidden to you, it must not be eaten.

       (Lev 19:24 NRSV)  In the fourth year all their fruit shall be set 
       apart for rejoicing in the LORD.

       (Lev 19:25 NRSV)  But in the fifth year you may eat of their fruit, 
       that their yield may be increased for you: I am the LORD your God.






       (Lev 19:26 NRSV)  You shall not eat anything with its blood. You shall 
       not practice augury or witchcraft.

       (Lev 19:27 NRSV)  You shall not round off the hair on your temples or 
       mar the edges of your beard.

       (Lev 19:28 NRSV)  You shall not make any gashes in your flesh for the 
       dead or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

       (Lev 19:29 NRSV)  Do not profane your daughter by making her a 
       prostitute, that the land not become prostituted and full of 
       depravity.

       (Lev 19:30 NRSV)  You shall keep my sabbaths and reverence my 
       sanctuary: I am the LORD.

       (Lev 19:31 NRSV)  Do not turn to mediums or wizards; do not seek them 
       out, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

       (Lev 19:32 NRSV)  You shall rise before the aged, and defer to the 
       old; and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.

       (Lev 19:33 NRSV)  When an alien resides with you in your land, you 
       shall not oppress the alien.

       (Lev 19:34 NRSV)  The alien who resides with you shall be to you as 
       the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you 
       were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

       (Lev 19:35 NRSV)  You shall not cheat in measuring length, weight, or 
       quantity.

       (Lev 19:36 NRSV)  You shall have honest balances, honest weights, an 
       honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought 
       you out of the land of Egypt.

       (Lev 19:37 NRSV)  You shall keep all my statutes and all my 
       ordinances, and observe them: I am the LORD.

       (Lev 20:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Lev 20:2 NRSV)  Say further to the people of Israel: Any of the 
       people of Israel, or of the aliens who reside in Israel, who give any 
       of their offspring to Molech shall be put to death; the people of the 
       land shall stone them to death.

       (Lev 20:3 NRSV)  I myself will set my face against them, and will cut 
       them off from the people, because they have given of their offspring 
       to Molech, defiling my sanctuary and profaning my holy name.

       (Lev 20:4 NRSV)  And if the people of the land should ever close their 
       eyes to them, when they give of their offspring to Molech, and do not 
       put them to death,

       (Lev 20:5 NRSV)  I myself will set my face against them and against 





       their family, and will cut them off from among their people, them and 
       all who follow them in prostituting themselves to Molech.

       (Lev 20:6 NRSV)  If any turn to mediums and wizards, prostituting 
       themselves to them, I will set my face against them, and will cut them 
       off from the people.

       (Lev 20:7 NRSV)  Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I 
       am the LORD your God.

       (Lev 20:8 NRSV)  Keep my statutes, and observe them; I am the LORD; I 
       sanctify you.

       (Lev 20:9 NRSV)  All who curse father or mother shall be put to death; 
       having cursed father or mother, their blood is upon them.

       (Lev 20:10 NRSV)  If a man commits adultery with the wife of his 
       neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death.

       (Lev 20:11 NRSV)  The man who lies with his father's wife has 
       uncovered his father's nakedness; both of them shall be put to death; 
       their blood is upon them.

       (Lev 20:12 NRSV)  If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them 
       shall be put to death; they have committed perversion, their blood is 
       upon them.

       (Lev 20:13 NRSV)  If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of 
       them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their 
       blood is upon them.

       (Lev 20:14 NRSV)  If a man takes a wife and her mother also, it is 
       depravity; they shall be burned to death, both he and they, that there 
       may be no depravity among you.

       (Lev 20:15 NRSV)  If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he 
       shall be put to death; and you shall kill the animal.

       (Lev 20:16 NRSV)  If a woman approaches any animal and has sexual 
       relations with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall 
       be put to death, their blood is upon them.

       (Lev 20:17 NRSV)  If a man takes his sister, a daughter of his father 
       or a daughter of his mother, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his 
       nakedness, it is a disgrace, and they shall be cut off in the sight of 
       their people; he has uncovered his sister's nakedness, he shall be 
       subject to punishment.

       (Lev 20:18 NRSV)  If a man lies with a woman having her sickness and 
       uncovers her nakedness, he has laid bare her flow and she has laid 
       bare her flow of blood; both of them shall be cut off from their 
       people.

       (Lev 20:19 NRSV)  You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's 
       sister or of your father's sister, for that is to lay bare one's own 
       flesh; they shall be subject to punishment.






       (Lev 20:20 NRSV)  If a man lies with his uncle's wife, he has 
       uncovered his uncle's nakedness; they shall be subject to punishment; 
       they shall die childless.

       (Lev 20:21 NRSV)  If a man takes his brother's wife, it is impurity; 
       he has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

       (Lev 20:22 NRSV)  You shall keep all my statutes and all my 
       ordinances, and observe them, so that the land to which I bring you to 
       settle in may not vomit you out.

       (Lev 20:23 NRSV)  You shall not follow the practices of the nation 
       that I am driving out before you. Because they did all these things, I 
       abhorred them.

       (Lev 20:24 NRSV)  But I have said to you: You shall inherit their 
       land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk 
       and honey. I am the LORD your God; I have separated you from the 
       peoples.

       (Lev 20:25 NRSV)  You shall therefore make a distinction between the 
       clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the 
       clean; you shall not bring abomination on yourselves by animal or by 
       bird or by anything with which the ground teems, which I have set 
       apart for you to hold unclean.

       (Lev 20:26 NRSV)  You shall be holy to me; for I the LORD am holy, and 
       I have separated you from the other peoples to be mine.

       (Lev 20:27 NRSV)  A man or a woman who is a medium or a wizard shall 
       be put to death; they shall be stoned to death, their blood is upon 
       them.

       (Lev 21:1 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses: Speak to the priests, the 
       sons of Aaron, and say to them: No one shall defile himself for a dead 
       person among his relatives,

       (Lev 21:2 NRSV)  except for his nearest kin: his mother, his father, 
       his son, his daughter, his brother;

       (Lev 21:3 NRSV)  likewise, for a virgin sister, close to him because 
       she has had no husband, he may defile himself for her.

       (Lev 21:4 NRSV)  But he shall not defile himself as a husband among 
       his people and so profane himself.

       (Lev 21:5 NRSV)  They shall not make bald spots upon their heads, or 
       shave off the edges of their beards, or make any gashes in their 
       flesh.

       (Lev 21:6 NRSV)  They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the 
       name of their God; for they offer the Lord's offerings by fire, the 
       food of their God; therefore they shall be holy.

       (Lev 21:7 NRSV)  They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has 





       been defiled; neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her 
       husband. For they are holy to their God,

       (Lev 21:8 NRSV)  and you shall treat them as holy, since they offer 
       the food of your God; they shall be holy to you, for I the LORD, I who 
       sanctify you, am holy.

       (Lev 21:9 NRSV)  When the daughter of a priest profanes herself 
       through prostitution, she profanes her father; she shall be burned to 
       death.

       (Lev 21:10 NRSV)  The priest who is exalted above his fellows, on 
       whose head the anointing oil has been poured and who has been 
       consecrated to wear the vestments, shall not dishevel his hair, nor 
       tear his vestments.

       (Lev 21:11 NRSV)  He shall not go where there is a dead body; he shall 
       not defile himself even for his father or mother.

       (Lev 21:12 NRSV)  He shall not go outside the sanctuary and thus 
       profane the sanctuary of his God; for the consecration of the 
       anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD.

       (Lev 21:13 NRSV)  He shall marry only a woman who is a virgin.

       (Lev 21:14 NRSV)  A widow, or a divorced woman, or a woman who has 
       been defiled, a prostitute, these he shall not marry. He shall marry a 
       virgin of his own kin,

       (Lev 21:15 NRSV)  that he may not profane his offspring among his kin; 
       for I am the LORD; I sanctify him.

       (Lev 21:16 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Lev 21:17 NRSV)  Speak to Aaron and say: No one of your offspring 
       throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer 
       the food of his God.

       (Lev 21:18 NRSV)  For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, one 
       who is blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too 
       long,

       (Lev 21:19 NRSV)  or one who has a broken foot or a broken hand,

       (Lev 21:20 NRSV)  or a hunchback, or a dwarf, or a man with a blemish 
       in his eyes or an itching disease or scabs or crushed testicles.

       (Lev 21:21 NRSV)  No descendant of Aaron the priest who has a blemish 
       shall come near to offer the Lord's offerings by fire; since he has a 
       blemish, he shall not come near to offer the food of his God.

       (Lev 21:22 NRSV)  He may eat the food of his God, of the most holy as 
       well as of the holy.

       (Lev 21:23 NRSV)  But he shall not come near the curtain or approach 
       the altar, because he has a blemish, that he may not profane my 





       sanctuaries; for I am the LORD; I sanctify them.

       (Lev 21:24 NRSV)  Thus Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all 
       the people of Israel.

       (Lev 22:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Lev 22:2 NRSV)  Direct Aaron and his sons to deal carefully with the 
       sacred donations of the people of Israel, which they dedicate to me, 
       so that they may not profane my holy name; I am the LORD.

       (Lev 22:3 NRSV)  Say to them: If anyone among all your offspring 
       throughout your generations comes near the sacred donations, which the 
       people of Israel dedicate to the LORD, while he is in a state of 
       uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from my presence: I am the 
       LORD.

       (Lev 22:4 NRSV)  No one of Aaron's offspring who has a leprous disease 
       or suffers a discharge may eat of the sacred donations until he is 
       clean. Whoever touches anything made unclean by a corpse or a man who 
       has had an emission of semen,

       (Lev 22:5 NRSV)  and whoever touches any swarming thing by which he 
       may be made unclean or any human being by whom he may be made 
       unclean--whatever his uncleanness may be--

       (Lev 22:6 NRSV)  the person who touches any such shall be unclean 
       until evening and shall not eat of the sacred donations unless he has 
       washed his body in water.

       (Lev 22:7 NRSV)  When the sun sets he shall be clean; and afterward he 
       may eat of the sacred donations, for they are his food.

       (Lev 22:8 NRSV)  That which died or was torn by wild animals he shall 
       not eat, becoming unclean by it: I am the LORD.

       (Lev 22:9 NRSV)  They shall keep my charge, so that they may not incur 
       guilt and die in the sanctuary for having profaned it: I am the LORD; 
       I sanctify them.

       (Lev 22:10 NRSV)  No lay person shall eat of the sacred donations. No 
       bound or hired servant of the priest shall eat of the sacred 
       donations;

       (Lev 22:11 NRSV)  but if a priest acquires anyone by purchase, the 
       person may eat of them; and those that are born in his house may eat 
       of his food.

       (Lev 22:12 NRSV)  If a priest's daughter marries a layman, she shall 
       not eat of the offering of the sacred donations;

       (Lev 22:13 NRSV)  but if a priest's daughter is widowed or divorced, 
       without offspring, and returns to her father's house, as in her youth, 
       she may eat of her father's food. No lay person shall eat of it.

       (Lev 22:14 NRSV)  If a man eats of the sacred donation 





       unintentionally, he shall add one-fifth of its value to it, and give 
       the sacred donation to the priest.

       (Lev 22:15 NRSV)  No one shall profane the sacred donations of the 
       people of Israel, which they offer to the LORD,

       (Lev 22:16 NRSV)  causing them to bear guilt requiring a guilt 
       offering, by eating their sacred donations: for I am the LORD; I 
       sanctify them.

       (Lev 22:17 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Lev 22:18 NRSV)  Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the people of 
       Israel and say to them: When anyone of the house of Israel or of the 
       aliens residing in Israel presents an offering, whether in payment of 
       a vow or as a freewill offering that is offered to the LORD as a burnt 
       offering,

       (Lev 22:19 NRSV)  to be acceptable in your behalf it shall be a male 
       without blemish, of the cattle or the sheep or the goats.

       (Lev 22:20 NRSV)  You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for 
       it will not be acceptable in your behalf.

       (Lev 22:21 NRSV)  When anyone offers a sacrifice of well-being to the 
       LORD, in fulfillment of a vow or as a freewill offering, from the herd 
       or from the flock, to be acceptable it must be perfect; there shall be 
       no blemish in it.

       (Lev 22:22 NRSV)  Anything blind, or injured, or maimed, or having a 
       discharge or an itch or scabs--these you shall not offer to the LORD 
       or put any of them on the altar as offerings by fire to the LORD.

       (Lev 22:23 NRSV)  An ox or a lamb that has a limb too long or too 
       short you may present for a freewill offering; but it will not be 
       accepted for a vow.

       (Lev 22:24 NRSV)  Any animal that has its testicles bruised or crushed 
       or torn or cut, you shall not offer to the LORD; such you shall not do 
       within your land,

       (Lev 22:25 NRSV)  nor shall you accept any such animals from a 
       foreigner to offer as food to your God; since they are mutilated, with 
       a blemish in them, they shall not be accepted in your behalf.

       (Lev 22:26 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Lev 22:27 NRSV)  When an ox or a sheep or a goat is born, it shall 
       remain seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day on it shall 
       be acceptable as the Lord's offering by fire.

       (Lev 22:28 NRSV)  But you shall not slaughter, from the herd or the 
       flock, an animal with its young on the same day.

       (Lev 22:29 NRSV)  When you sacrifice a thanksgiving offering to the 
       LORD, you shall sacrifice it so that it may be acceptable in your 





       behalf.

       (Lev 22:30 NRSV)  It shall be eaten on the same day; you shall not 
       leave any of it until morning: I am the LORD.

       (Lev 22:31 NRSV)  Thus you shall keep my commandments and observe 
       them: I am the LORD.

       (Lev 22:32 NRSV)  You shall not profane my holy name, that I may be 
       sanctified among the people of Israel: I am the LORD; I sanctify you,

       (Lev 22:33 NRSV)  I who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be 
       your God: I am the LORD.

       (Lev 23:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Lev 23:2 NRSV)  Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: These 
       are the appointed festivals of the LORD that you shall proclaim as 
       holy convocations, my appointed festivals.

       (Lev 23:3 NRSV)  Six days shall work be done; but the seventh day is a 
       sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no work: it 
       is a sabbath to the LORD throughout your settlements.

       (Lev 23:4 NRSV)  These are the appointed festivals of the LORD, the 
       holy convocations, which you shall celebrate at the time appointed for 
       them.

       (Lev 23:5 NRSV)  In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the 
       month, at twilight, there shall be a passover offering to the LORD,

       (Lev 23:6 NRSV)  and on the fifteenth day of the same month is the 
       festival of unleavened bread to the LORD; seven days you shall eat 
       unleavened bread.

       (Lev 23:7 NRSV)  On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; 
       you shall not work at your occupations.

       (Lev 23:8 NRSV)  For seven days you shall present the Lord's offerings 
       by fire; on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation: you 
       shall not work at your occupations.

       (Lev 23:9 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses:

       (Lev 23:10 NRSV)  Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: When 
       you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its harvest, you 
       shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the 
       priest.

       (Lev 23:11 NRSV)  He shall raise the sheaf before the LORD, that you 
       may find acceptance; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall 
       raise it.

       (Lev 23:12 NRSV)  On the day when you raise the sheaf, you shall offer 
       a lamb a year old, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the LORD.





       (Lev 23:13 NRSV)  And the grain offering with it shall be two-tenths 
       of an ephah of choice flour mixed with oil, an offering by fire of 
       pleasing odor to the LORD; and the drink offering with it shall be of 
       wine, one-fourth of a hin.

       (Lev 23:14 NRSV)  You shall eat no bread or parched grain or fresh 
       ears until that very day, until you have brought the offering of your 
       God: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your 
       settlements.

       (Lev 23:15 NRSV)  And from the day after the sabbath, from the day on 
       which you bring the sheaf of the elevation offering, you shall count 
       off seven weeks; they shall be complete.

       (Lev 23:16 NRSV)  You shall count until the day after the seventh 
       sabbath, fifty days; then you shall present an offering of new grain 
       to the LORD.

       (Lev 23:17 NRSV)  You shall bring from your settlements two loaves of 
       bread as an elevation offering, each made of two-tenths of an ephah; 
       they shall be of choice flour, baked with leaven, as first fruits to 
       the LORD.

       (Lev 23:18 NRSV)  You shall present with the bread seven lambs a year 
       old without blemish, one young bull, and two rams; they shall be a 
       burnt offering to the LORD, along with their grain offering and their 
       drink offerings, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to the LORD.

       (Lev 23:19 NRSV)  You shall also offer one male goat for a sin 
       offering, and two male lambs a year old as a sacrifice of well-being.

       (Lev 23:20 NRSV)  The priest shall raise them with the bread of the 
       first fruits as an elevation offering before the LORD, together with 
       the two lambs; they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.

       (Lev 23:21 NRSV)  On that same day you shall make proclamation; you 
       shall hold a holy convocation; you shall not work at your occupations. 
       This is a statute forever in all your settlements throughout your 
       generations.

       (Lev 23:22 NRSV)  When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall 
       not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of 
       your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and for the alien: I 
       am the LORD your God.

       (Lev 23:23 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Lev 23:24 NRSV)  Speak to the people of Israel, saying: In the 
       seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day 
       of complete rest, a holy convocation commemorated with trumpet blasts.

       (Lev 23:25 NRSV)  You shall not work at your occupations; and you 
       shall present the Lord's offering by fire.

       (Lev 23:26 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:





       (Lev 23:27 NRSV)  Now, the tenth day of this seventh month is the day 
       of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you: you shall deny 
       yourselves and present the Lord's offering by fire;

       (Lev 23:28 NRSV)  and you shall do no work during that entire day; for 
       it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the 
       LORD your God.

       (Lev 23:29 NRSV)  For anyone who does not practice self-denial during 
       that entire day shall be cut off from the people.

       (Lev 23:30 NRSV)  And anyone who does any work during that entire day, 
       such a one I will destroy from the midst of the people.

       (Lev 23:31 NRSV)  You shall do no work: it is a statute forever 
       throughout your generations in all your settlements.

       (Lev 23:32 NRSV)  It shall be to you a sabbath of complete rest, and 
       you shall deny yourselves; on the ninth day of the month at evening, 
       from evening to evening you shall keep your sabbath.

       (Lev 23:33 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Lev 23:34 NRSV)  Speak to the people of Israel, saying: On the 
       fifteenth day of this seventh month, and lasting seven days, there 
       shall be the festival of booths to the LORD.

       (Lev 23:35 NRSV)  The first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall 
       not work at your occupations.

       (Lev 23:36 NRSV)  Seven days you shall present the Lord's offerings by 
       fire; on the eighth day you shall observe a holy convocation and 
       present the Lord's offerings by fire; it is a solemn assembly; you 
       shall not work at your occupations.

       (Lev 23:37 NRSV)  These are the appointed festivals of the LORD, which 
       you shall celebrate as times of holy convocation, for presenting to 
       the LORD offerings by fire--burnt offerings and grain offerings, 
       sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day--

       (Lev 23:38 NRSV)  apart from the sabbaths of the LORD, and apart from 
       your gifts, and apart from all your votive offerings, and apart from 
       all your freewill offerings, which you give to the LORD.

       (Lev 23:39 NRSV)  Now, the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when 
       you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall keep the 
       festival of the LORD, lasting seven days; a complete rest on the first 
       day, and a complete rest on the eighth day.

       (Lev 23:40 NRSV)  On the first day you shall take the fruit of 
       majestic trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and 
       willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God 
       for seven days.

       (Lev 23:41 NRSV)  You shall keep it as a festival to the LORD seven 
       days in the year; you shall keep it in the seventh month as a statute 





       forever throughout your generations.

       (Lev 23:42 NRSV)  You shall live in booths for seven days; all that 
       are citizens in Israel shall live in booths,

       (Lev 23:43 NRSV)  so that your generations may know that I made the 
       people of Israel live in booths when I brought them out of the land of 
       Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

       (Lev 23:44 NRSV)  Thus Moses declared to the people of Israel the 
       appointed festivals of the LORD.

       (Lev 24:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Lev 24:2 NRSV)  Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil of 
       beaten olives for the lamp, that a light may be kept burning 
       regularly.

       (Lev 24:3 NRSV)  Aaron shall set it up in the tent of meeting, outside 
       the curtain of the covenant, to burn from evening to morning before 
       the LORD regularly; it shall be a statute forever throughout your 
       generations.

       (Lev 24:4 NRSV)  He shall set up the lamps on the lampstand of pure 
       gold before the LORD regularly.

       (Lev 24:5 NRSV)  You shall take choice flour, and bake twelve loaves 
       of it; two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each loaf.

       (Lev 24:6 NRSV)  You shall place them in two rows, six in a row, on 
       the table of pure gold.

       (Lev 24:7 NRSV)  You shall put pure frankincense with each row, to be 
       a token offering for the bread, as an offering by fire to the LORD.

       (Lev 24:8 NRSV)  Every sabbath day Aaron shall set them in order 
       before the LORD regularly as a commitment of the people of Israel, as 
       a covenant forever.

       (Lev 24:9 NRSV)  They shall be for Aaron and his descendants, who 
       shall eat them in a holy place, for they are most holy portions for 
       him from the offerings by fire to the LORD, a perpetual due.

       (Lev 24:10 NRSV)  A man whose mother was an Israelite and whose father 
       was an Egyptian came out among the people of Israel; and the Israelite 
       woman's son and a certain Israelite began fighting in the camp.

       (Lev 24:11 NRSV)  The Israelite woman's son blasphemed the Name in a 
       curse. And they brought him to Moses--now his mother's name was 
       Shelomith, daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan--

       (Lev 24:12 NRSV)  and they put him in custody, until the decision of 
       the LORD should be made clear to them.

       (Lev 24:13 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses, saying:





       (Lev 24:14 NRSV)  Take the blasphemer outside the camp; and let all 
       who were within hearing lay their hands on his head, and let the whole 
       congregation stone him.

       (Lev 24:15 NRSV)  And speak to the people of Israel, saying: Anyone 
       who curses God shall bear the sin.

       (Lev 24:16 NRSV)  One who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall be put 
       to death; the whole congregation shall stone the blasphemer. Aliens as 
       well as citizens, when they blaspheme the Name, shall be put to death.

       (Lev 24:17 NRSV)  Anyone who kills a human being shall be put to 
       death.

       (Lev 24:18 NRSV)  Anyone who kills an animal shall make restitution 
       for it, life for life.

       (Lev 24:19 NRSV)  Anyone who maims another shall suffer the same 
       injury in return:

       (Lev 24:20 NRSV)  fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; 
       the injury inflicted is the injury to be suffered.

       (Lev 24:21 NRSV)  One who kills an animal shall make restitution for 
       it; but one who kills a human being shall be put to death.

       (Lev 24:22 NRSV)  You shall have one law for the alien and for the 
       citizen: for I am the LORD your God.

       (Lev 24:23 NRSV)  Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel; and they 
       took the blasphemer outside the camp, and stoned him to death. The 
       people of Israel did as the LORD had commanded Moses.

       (Lev 25:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying:

       (Lev 25:2 NRSV)  Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: When 
       you enter the land that I am giving you, the land shall observe a 
       sabbath for the LORD.

       (Lev 25:3 NRSV)  Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you 
       shall prune your vineyard, and gather in their yield;

       (Lev 25:4 NRSV)  but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of 
       complete rest for the land, a sabbath for the LORD: you shall not sow 
       your field or prune your vineyard.

       (Lev 25:5 NRSV)  You shall not reap the aftergrowth of your harvest or 
       gather the grapes of your unpruned vine: it shall be a year of 
       complete rest for the land.

       (Lev 25:6 NRSV)  You may eat what the land yields during its 
       sabbath--you, your male and female slaves, your hired and your bound 
       laborers who live with you;

       (Lev 25:7 NRSV)  for your livestock also, and for the wild animals in 
       your land all its yield shall be for food.






       (Lev 25:8 NRSV)  You shall count off seven weeks of years, seven times 
       seven years, so that the period of seven weeks of years gives 
       forty-nine years.

       (Lev 25:9 NRSV)  Then you shall have the trumpet sounded loud; on the 
       tenth day of the seventh month--on the day of atonement--you shall 
       have the trumpet sounded throughout all your land.

       (Lev 25:10 NRSV)  And you shall hallow the fiftieth year and you shall 
       proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall 
       be a jubilee for you: you shall return, every one of you, to your 
       property and every one of you to your family.

       (Lev 25:11 NRSV)  That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you: you 
       shall not sow, or reap the aftergrowth, or harvest the unpruned vines.

       (Lev 25:12 NRSV)  For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you: you 
       shall eat only what the field itself produces.

       (Lev 25:13 NRSV)  In this year of jubilee you shall return, every one 
       of you, to your property.

       (Lev 25:14 NRSV)  When you make a sale to your neighbor or buy from 
       your neighbor, you shall not cheat one another.

       (Lev 25:15 NRSV)  When you buy from your neighbor, you shall pay only 
       for the number of years since the jubilee; the seller shall charge you 
       only for the remaining crop years.

       (Lev 25:16 NRSV)  If the years are more, you shall increase the price, 
       and if the years are fewer, you shall diminish the price; for it is a 
       certain number of harvests that are being sold to you.

       (Lev 25:17 NRSV)  You shall not cheat one another, but you shall fear 
       your God; for I am the LORD your God.

       (Lev 25:18 NRSV)  You shall observe my statutes and faithfully keep my 
       ordinances, so that you may live on the land securely.

       (Lev 25:19 NRSV)  The land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your 
       fill and live on it securely.

       (Lev 25:20 NRSV)  Should you ask, What shall we eat in the seventh 
       year, if we may not sow or gather in our crop?

       (Lev 25:21 NRSV)  I will order my blessing for you in the sixth year, 
       so that it will yield a crop for three years.

       (Lev 25:22 NRSV)  When you sow in the eighth year, you will be eating 
       from the old crop; until the ninth year, when its produce comes in, 
       you shall eat the old.

       (Lev 25:23 NRSV)  The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the 
       land is mine; with me you are but aliens and tenants.





       (Lev 25:24 NRSV)  Throughout the land that you hold, you shall provide 
       for the redemption of the land.

       (Lev 25:25 NRSV)  If anyone of your kin falls into difficulty and 
       sells a piece of property, then the next of kin shall come and redeem 
       what the relative has sold.

       (Lev 25:26 NRSV)  If the person has no one to redeem it, but then 
       prospers and finds sufficient means to do so,

       (Lev 25:27 NRSV)  the years since its sale shall be computed and the 
       difference shall be refunded to the person to whom it was sold, and 
       the property shall be returned.

       (Lev 25:28 NRSV)  But if there is not sufficient means to recover it, 
       what was sold shall remain with the purchaser until the year of 
       jubilee; in the jubilee it shall be released, and the property shall 
       be returned.

       (Lev 25:29 NRSV)  If anyone sells a dwelling house in a walled city, 
       it may be redeemed until a year has elapsed since its sale; the right 
       of redemption shall be one year.

       (Lev 25:30 NRSV)  If it is not redeemed before a full year has 
       elapsed, a house that is in a walled city shall pass in perpetuity to 
       the purchaser, throughout the generations; it shall not be released in 
       the jubilee.

       (Lev 25:31 NRSV)  But houses in villages that have no walls around 
       them shall be classed as open country; they may be redeemed, and they 
       shall be released in the jubilee.

       (Lev 25:32 NRSV)  As for the cities of the Levites, the Levites shall 
       forever have the right of redemption of the houses in the cities 
       belonging to them.

       (Lev 25:33 NRSV)  Such property as may be redeemed from the 
       Levites--houses sold in a city belonging to them--shall be released in 
       the jubilee; because the houses in the cities of the Levites are their 
       possession among the people of Israel.

       (Lev 25:34 NRSV)  But the open land around their cities may not be 
       sold; for that is their possession for all time.

       (Lev 25:35 NRSV)  If any of your kin fall into difficulty and become 
       dependent on you, you shall support them; they shall live with you as 
       though resident aliens.

       (Lev 25:36 NRSV)  Do not take interest in advance or otherwise make a 
       profit from them, but fear your God; let them live with you.

       (Lev 25:37 NRSV)  You shall not lend them your money at interest taken 
       in advance, or provide them food at a profit.

       (Lev 25:38 NRSV)  I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the 
       land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, to be your God.






       (Lev 25:39 NRSV)  If any who are dependent on you become so 
       impoverished that they sell themselves to you, you shall not make them 
       serve as slaves.

       (Lev 25:40 NRSV)  They shall remain with you as hired or bound 
       laborers. They shall serve with you until the year of the jubilee.

       (Lev 25:41 NRSV)  Then they and their children with them shall be free 
       from your authority; they shall go back to their own family and return 
       to their ancestral property.

       (Lev 25:42 NRSV)  For they are my servants, whom I brought out of the 
       land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves are sold.

       (Lev 25:43 NRSV)  You shall not rule over them with harshness, but 
       shall fear your God.

       (Lev 25:44 NRSV)  As for the male and female slaves whom you may have, 
       it is from the nations around you that you may acquire male and female 
       slaves.

       (Lev 25:45 NRSV)  You may also acquire them from among the aliens 
       residing with you, and from their families that are with you, who have 
       been born in your land; and they may be your property.

       (Lev 25:46 NRSV)  You may keep them as a possession for your children 
       after you, for them to inherit as property. These you may treat as 
       slaves, but as for your fellow Israelites, no one shall rule over the 
       other with harshness.

       (Lev 25:47 NRSV)  If resident aliens among you prosper, and if any of 
       your kin fall into difficulty with one of them and sell themselves to 
       an alien, or to a branch of the alien's family,

       (Lev 25:48 NRSV)  after they have sold themselves they shall have the 
       right of redemption; one of their brothers may redeem them,

       (Lev 25:49 NRSV)  or their uncle or their uncle's son may redeem them, 
       or anyone of their family who is of their own flesh may redeem them; 
       or if they prosper they may redeem themselves.

       (Lev 25:50 NRSV)  They shall compute with the purchaser the total from 
       the year when they sold themselves to the alien until the jubilee 
       year; the price of the sale shall be applied to the number of years: 
       the time they were with the owner shall be rated as the time of a 
       hired laborer.

       (Lev 25:51 NRSV)  If many years remain, they shall pay for their 
       redemption in proportion to the purchase price;

       (Lev 25:52 NRSV)  and if few years remain until the jubilee year, they 
       shall compute thus: according to the years involved they shall make 
       payment for their redemption.

       (Lev 25:53 NRSV)  As a laborer hired by the year they shall be under 





       the alien's authority, who shall not, however, rule with harshness 
       over them in your sight.

       (Lev 25:54 NRSV)  And if they have not been redeemed in any of these 
       ways, they and their children with them shall go free in the jubilee 
       year.

       (Lev 25:55 NRSV)  For to me the people of Israel are servants; they 
       are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt: I am the 
       LORD your God.

       (Lev 26:1 NRSV)  You shall make for yourselves no idols and erect no 
       carved images or pillars, and you shall not place figured stones in 
       your land, to worship at them; for I am the LORD your God.

       (Lev 26:2 NRSV)  You shall keep my sabbaths and reverence my 
       sanctuary: I am the LORD.

       (Lev 26:3 NRSV)  If you follow my statutes and keep my commandments 
       and observe them faithfully,

       (Lev 26:4 NRSV)  I will give you your rains in their season, and the 
       land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield 
       their fruit.

       (Lev 26:5 NRSV)  Your threshing shall overtake the vintage, and the 
       vintage shall overtake the sowing; you shall eat your bread to the 
       full, and live securely in your land.

       (Lev 26:6 NRSV)  And I will grant peace in the land, and you shall lie 
       down, and no one shall make you afraid; I will remove dangerous 
       animals from the land, and no sword shall go through your land.

       (Lev 26:7 NRSV)  You shall give chase to your enemies, and they shall 
       fall before you by the sword.

       (Lev 26:8 NRSV)  Five of you shall give chase to a hundred, and a 
       hundred of you shall give chase to ten thousand; your enemies shall 
       fall before you by the sword.

       (Lev 26:9 NRSV)  I will look with favor upon you and make you fruitful 
       and multiply you; and I will maintain my covenant with you.

       (Lev 26:10 NRSV)  You shall eat old grain long stored, and you shall 
       have to clear out the old to make way for the new.

       (Lev 26:11 NRSV)  I will place my dwelling in your midst, and I shall 
       not abhor you.

       (Lev 26:12 NRSV)  And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and 
       you shall be my people.

       (Lev 26:13 NRSV)  I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the 
       land of Egypt, to be their slaves no more; I have broken the bars of 
       your yoke and made you walk erect.





       (Lev 26:14 NRSV)  But if you will not obey me, and do not observe all 
       these commandments,

       (Lev 26:15 NRSV)  if you spurn my statutes, and abhor my ordinances, 
       so that you will not observe all my commandments, and you break my 
       covenant,

       (Lev 26:16 NRSV)  I in turn will do this to you: I will bring terror 
       on you; consumption and fever that waste the eyes and cause life to 
       pine away. You shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat 
       it.

       (Lev 26:17 NRSV)  I will set my face against you, and you shall be 
       struck down by your enemies; your foes shall rule over you, and you 
       shall flee though no one pursues you.

       (Lev 26:18 NRSV)  And if in spite of this you will not obey me, I will 
       continue to punish you sevenfold for your sins.

       (Lev 26:19 NRSV)  I will break your proud glory, and I will make your 
       sky like iron and your earth like copper.

       (Lev 26:20 NRSV)  Your strength shall be spent to no purpose: your 
       land shall not yield its produce, and the trees of the land shall not 
       yield their fruit.

       (Lev 26:21 NRSV)  If you continue hostile to me, and will not obey me, 
       I will continue to plague you sevenfold for your sins.

       (Lev 26:22 NRSV)  I will let loose wild animals against you, and they 
       shall bereave you of your children and destroy your livestock; they 
       shall make you few in number, and your roads shall be deserted.

       (Lev 26:23 NRSV)  If in spite of these punishments you have not turned 
       back to me, but continue hostile to me,

       (Lev 26:24 NRSV)  then I too will continue hostile to you: I myself 
       will strike you sevenfold for your sins.

       (Lev 26:25 NRSV)  I will bring the sword against you, executing 
       vengeance for the covenant; and if you withdraw within your cities, I 
       will send pestilence among you, and you shall be delivered into enemy 
       hands.

       (Lev 26:26 NRSV)  When I break your staff of bread, ten women shall 
       bake your bread in a single oven, and they shall dole out your bread 
       by weight; and though you eat, you shall not be satisfied.

       (Lev 26:27 NRSV)  But if, despite this, you disobey me, and continue 
       hostile to me,

       (Lev 26:28 NRSV)  I will continue hostile to you in fury; I in turn 
       will punish you myself sevenfold for your sins.

       (Lev 26:29 NRSV)  You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall 
       eat the flesh of your daughters.






       (Lev 26:30 NRSV)  I will destroy your high places and cut down your 
       incense altars; I will heap your carcasses on the carcasses of your 
       idols. I will abhor you.

       (Lev 26:31 NRSV)  I will lay your cities waste, will make your 
       sanctuaries desolate, and I will not smell your pleasing odors.

       (Lev 26:32 NRSV)  I will devastate the land, so that your enemies who 
       come to settle in it shall be appalled at it.

       (Lev 26:33 NRSV)  And you I will scatter among the nations, and I will 
       unsheathe the sword against you; your land shall be a desolation, and 
       your cities a waste.

       (Lev 26:34 NRSV)  Then the land shall enjoy its sabbath years as long 
       as it lies desolate, while you are in the land of your enemies; then 
       the land shall rest, and enjoy its sabbath years.

       (Lev 26:35 NRSV)  As long as it lies desolate, it shall have the rest 
       it did not have on your sabbaths when you were living on it.

       (Lev 26:36 NRSV)  And as for those of you who survive, I will send 
       faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; the sound 
       of a driven leaf shall put them to flight, and they shall flee as one 
       flees from the sword, and they shall fall though no one pursues.

       (Lev 26:37 NRSV)  They shall stumble over one another, as if to escape 
       a sword, though no one pursues; and you shall have no power to stand 
       against your enemies.

       (Lev 26:38 NRSV)  You shall perish among the nations, and the land of 
       your enemies shall devour you.

       (Lev 26:39 NRSV)  And those of you who survive shall languish in the 
       land of your enemies because of their iniquities; also they shall 
       languish because of the iniquities of their ancestors.

       (Lev 26:40 NRSV)  But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity 
       of their ancestors, in that they committed treachery against me and, 
       moreover, that they continued hostile to me--

       (Lev 26:41 NRSV)  so that I, in turn, continued hostile to them and 
       brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their 
       uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their 
       iniquity,

       (Lev 26:42 NRSV)  then will I remember my covenant with Jacob; I will 
       remember also my covenant with Isaac and also my covenant with 
       Abraham, and I will remember the land.

       (Lev 26:43 NRSV)  For the land shall be deserted by them, and enjoy 
       its sabbath years by lying desolate without them, while they shall 
       make amends for their iniquity, because they dared to spurn my 
       ordinances, and they abhorred my statutes.





       (Lev 26:44 NRSV)  Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their 
       enemies, I will not spurn them, or abhor them so as to destroy them 
       utterly and break my covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God;

       (Lev 26:45 NRSV)  but I will remember in their favor the covenant with 
       their ancestors whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight 
       of the nations, to be their God: I am the LORD.

       (Lev 26:46 NRSV)  These are the statutes and ordinances and laws that 
       the LORD established between himself and the people of Israel on Mount 
       Sinai through Moses.

       (Lev 27:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Lev 27:2 NRSV)  Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: When a 
       person makes an explicit vow to the LORD concerning the equivalent for 
       a human being,

       (Lev 27:3 NRSV)  the equivalent for a male shall be: from twenty to 
       sixty years of age the equivalent shall be fifty shekels of silver by 
       the sanctuary shekel.

       (Lev 27:4 NRSV)  If the person is a female, the equivalent is thirty 
       shekels.

       (Lev 27:5 NRSV)  If the age is from five to twenty years of age, the 
       equivalent is twenty shekels for a male and ten shekels for a female.

       (Lev 27:6 NRSV)  If the age is from one month to five years, the 
       equivalent for a male is five shekels of silver, and for a female the 
       equivalent is three shekels of silver.

       (Lev 27:7 NRSV)  And if the person is sixty years old or over, then 
       the equivalent for a male is fifteen shekels, and for a female ten 
       shekels.

       (Lev 27:8 NRSV)  If any cannot afford the equivalent, they shall be 
       brought before the priest and the priest shall assess them; the priest 
       shall assess them according to what each one making a vow can afford.

       (Lev 27:9 NRSV)  If it concerns an animal that may be brought as an 
       offering to the LORD, any such that may be given to the LORD shall be 
       holy.

       (Lev 27:10 NRSV)  Another shall not be exchanged or substituted for 
       it, either good for bad or bad for good; and if one animal is 
       substituted for another, both that one and its substitute shall be 
       holy.

       (Lev 27:11 NRSV)  If it concerns any unclean animal that may not be 
       brought as an offering to the LORD, the animal shall be presented 
       before the priest.

       (Lev 27:12 NRSV)  The priest shall assess it: whether good or bad, 
       according to the assessment of the priest, so it shall be.





       (Lev 27:13 NRSV)  But if it is to be redeemed, one-fifth must be added 
       to the assessment.

       (Lev 27:14 NRSV)  If a person consecrates a house to the LORD, the 
       priest shall assess it: whether good or bad, as the priest assesses 
       it, so it shall stand.

       (Lev 27:15 NRSV)  And if the one who consecrates the house wishes to 
       redeem it, one-fifth shall be added to its assessed value, and it 
       shall revert to the original owner.

       (Lev 27:16 NRSV)  If a person consecrates to the LORD any inherited 
       landholding, its assessment shall be in accordance with its seed 
       requirements: fifty shekels of silver to a homer of barley seed.

       (Lev 27:17 NRSV)  If the person consecrates the field as of the year 
       of jubilee, that assessment shall stand;

       (Lev 27:18 NRSV)  but if the field is consecrated after the jubilee, 
       the priest shall compute the price for it according to the years that 
       remain until the year of jubilee, and the assessment shall be reduced.

       (Lev 27:19 NRSV)  And if the one who consecrates the field wishes to 
       redeem it, then one-fifth shall be added to its assessed value, and it 
       shall revert to the original owner;

       (Lev 27:20 NRSV)  but if the field is not redeemed, or if it has been 
       sold to someone else, it shall no longer be redeemable.

       (Lev 27:21 NRSV)  But when the field is released in the jubilee, it 
       shall be holy to the LORD as a devoted field; it becomes the priest's 
       holding.

       (Lev 27:22 NRSV)  If someone consecrates to the LORD a field that has 
       been purchased, which is not a part of the inherited landholding,

       (Lev 27:23 NRSV)  the priest shall compute for it the proportionate 
       assessment up to the year of jubilee, and the assessment shall be paid 
       as of that day, a sacred donation to the LORD.

       (Lev 27:24 NRSV)  In the year of jubilee the field shall return to the 
       one from whom it was bought, whose holding the land is.

       (Lev 27:25 NRSV)  All assessments shall be by the sanctuary shekel: 
       twenty gerahs shall make a shekel.

       (Lev 27:26 NRSV)  A firstling of animals, however, which as a 
       firstling belongs to the LORD, cannot be consecrated by anyone; 
       whether ox or sheep, it is the Lord's.

       (Lev 27:27 NRSV)  If it is an unclean animal, it shall be ransomed at 
       its assessment, with one-fifth added; if it is not redeemed, it shall 
       be sold at its assessment.

       (Lev 27:28 NRSV)  Nothing that a person owns that has been devoted to 
       destruction for the LORD, be it human or animal, or inherited 





       landholding, may be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy 
       to the LORD.

       (Lev 27:29 NRSV)  No human beings who have been devoted to destruction 
       can be ransomed; they shall be put to death.

       (Lev 27:30 NRSV)  All tithes from the land, whether the seed from the 
       ground or the fruit from the tree, are the Lord's; they are holy to 
       the LORD.

       (Lev 27:31 NRSV)  If persons wish to redeem any of their tithes, they 
       must add one-fifth to them.

       (Lev 27:32 NRSV)  All tithes of herd and flock, every tenth one that 
       passes under the shepherd's staff, shall be holy to the LORD.

       (Lev 27:33 NRSV)  Let no one inquire whether it is good or bad, or 
       make substitution for it; if one makes substitution for it, then both 
       it and the substitute shall be holy and cannot be redeemed.

       (Lev 27:34 NRSV)  These are the commandments that the LORD gave to 
       Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai.

       (Num 1:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in 
       the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the 
       second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying:

       (Num 1:2 NRSV)  Take a census of the whole congregation of Israelites, 
       in their clans, by ancestral houses, according to the number of names, 
       every male individually;

       (Num 1:3 NRSV)  from twenty years old and upward, everyone in Israel 
       able to go to war. You and Aaron shall enroll them, company by 
       company.

       (Num 1:4 NRSV)  A man from each tribe shall be with you, each man the 
       head of his ancestral house.

       (Num 1:5 NRSV)  These are the names of the men who shall assist you: 
       From Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur.

       (Num 1:6 NRSV)  From Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.

       (Num 1:7 NRSV)  From Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab.

       (Num 1:8 NRSV)  From Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar.

       (Num 1:9 NRSV)  From Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon.

       (Num 1:10 NRSV)  From the sons of Joseph: from Ephraim, Elishama son 
       of Ammihud; from Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.

       (Num 1:11 NRSV)  From Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni.

       (Num 1:12 NRSV)  From Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.





       (Num 1:13 NRSV)  From Asher, Pagiel son of Ochran.

       (Num 1:14 NRSV)  From Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel.

       (Num 1:15 NRSV)  From Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.

       (Num 1:16 NRSV)  These were the ones chosen from the congregation, the 
       leaders of their ancestral tribes, the heads of the divisions of 
       Israel.

       (Num 1:17 NRSV)  Moses and Aaron took these men who had been 
       designated by name,

       (Num 1:18 NRSV)  and on the first day of the second month they 
       assembled the whole congregation together. They registered themselves 
       in their clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of 
       names from twenty years old and upward, individually,

       (Num 1:19 NRSV)  as the LORD commanded Moses. So he enrolled them in 
       the wilderness of Sinai.

       (Num 1:20 NRSV)  The descendants of Reuben, Israel's firstborn, their 
       lineage, in their clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the 
       number of names, individually, every male from twenty years old and 
       upward, everyone able to go to war:

       (Num 1:21 NRSV)  those enrolled of the tribe of Reuben were forty-six 
       thousand five hundred.

       (Num 1:22 NRSV)  The descendants of Simeon, their lineage, in their 
       clans, by their ancestral houses, those of them that were numbered, 
       according to the number of names, individually, every male from twenty 
       years old and upward, everyone able to go to war:

       (Num 1:23 NRSV)  those enrolled of the tribe of Simeon were fifty-nine 
       thousand three hundred.

       (Num 1:24 NRSV)  The descendants of Gad, their lineage, in their 
       clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of the 
       names, from twenty years old and upward, everyone able to go to war:

       (Num 1:25 NRSV)  those enrolled of the tribe of Gad were forty-five 
       thousand six hundred fifty.

       (Num 1:26 NRSV)  The descendants of Judah, their lineage, in their 
       clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of names, 
       from twenty years old and upward, everyone able to go to war:

       (Num 1:27 NRSV)  those enrolled of the tribe of Judah were 
       seventy-four thousand six hundred.

       (Num 1:28 NRSV)  The descendants of Issachar, their lineage, in their 
       clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of names, 
       from twenty years old and upward, everyone able to go to war:

       (Num 1:29 NRSV)  those enrolled of the tribe of Issachar were 





       fifty-four thousand four hundred.

       (Num 1:30 NRSV)  The descendants of Zebulun, their lineage, in their 
       clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of names, 
       from twenty years old and upward, everyone able to go to war:

       (Num 1:31 NRSV)  those enrolled of the tribe of Zebulun were 
       fifty-seven thousand four hundred.

       (Num 1:32 NRSV)  The descendants of Joseph, namely, the descendants of 
       Ephraim, their lineage, in their clans, by their ancestral houses, 
       according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, 
       everyone able to go to war:

       (Num 1:33 NRSV)  those enrolled of the tribe of Ephraim were forty 
       thousand five hundred.

       (Num 1:34 NRSV)  The descendants of Manasseh, their lineage, in their 
       clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of names, 
       from twenty years old and upward, everyone able to go to war:

       (Num 1:35 NRSV)  those enrolled of the tribe of Manasseh were 
       thirty-two thousand two hundred.

       (Num 1:36 NRSV)  The descendants of Benjamin, their lineage, in their 
       clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of names, 
       from twenty years old and upward, everyone able to go to war:

       (Num 1:37 NRSV)  those enrolled of the tribe of Benjamin were 
       thirty-five thousand four hundred.

       (Num 1:38 NRSV)  The descendants of Dan, their lineage, in their 
       clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of names, 
       from twenty years old and upward, everyone able to go to war:

       (Num 1:39 NRSV)  those enrolled of the tribe of Dan were sixty-two 
       thousand seven hundred.

       (Num 1:40 NRSV)  The descendants of Asher, their lineage, in their 
       clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of names, 
       from twenty years old and upward, everyone able to go to war:

       (Num 1:41 NRSV)  those enrolled of the tribe of Asher were forty-one 
       thousand five hundred.

       (Num 1:42 NRSV)  The descendants of Naphtali, their lineage, in their 
       clans, by their ancestral houses, according to the number of names, 
       from twenty years old and upward, everyone able to go to war:

       (Num 1:43 NRSV)  those enrolled of the tribe of Naphtali were 
       fifty-three thousand four hundred.

       (Num 1:44 NRSV)  These are those who were enrolled, whom Moses and 
       Aaron enrolled with the help of the leaders of Israel, twelve men, 
       each representing his ancestral house.





       (Num 1:45 NRSV)  So the whole number of the Israelites, by their 
       ancestral houses, from twenty years old and upward, everyone able to 
       go to war in Israel--

       (Num 1:46 NRSV)  their whole number was six hundred three thousand 
       five hundred fifty.

       (Num 1:47 NRSV)  The Levites, however, were not numbered by their 
       ancestral tribe along with them.

       (Num 1:48 NRSV)  The LORD had said to Moses:

       (Num 1:49 NRSV)  Only the tribe of Levi you shall not enroll, and you 
       shall not take a census of them with the other Israelites.

       (Num 1:50 NRSV)  Rather you shall appoint the Levites over the 
       tabernacle of the covenant, and over all its equipment, and over all 
       that belongs to it; they are to carry the tabernacle and all its 
       equipment, and they shall tend it, and shall camp around the 
       tabernacle.

       (Num 1:51 NRSV)  When the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall 
       take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites 
       shall set it up. And any outsider who comes near shall be put to 
       death.

       (Num 1:52 NRSV)  The other Israelites shall camp in their respective 
       regimental camps, by companies;

       (Num 1:53 NRSV)  but the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of 
       the covenant, that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the 
       Israelites; and the Levites shall perform the guard duty of the 
       tabernacle of the covenant.

       (Num 1:54 NRSV)  The Israelites did so; they did just as the LORD 
       commanded Moses.

       (Num 2:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

       (Num 2:2 NRSV)  The Israelites shall camp each in their respective 
       regiments, under ensigns by their ancestral houses; they shall camp 
       facing the tent of meeting on every side.

       (Num 2:3 NRSV)  Those to camp on the east side toward the sunrise 
       shall be of the regimental encampment of Judah by companies. The 
       leader of the people of Judah shall be Nahshon son of Amminadab,

       (Num 2:4 NRSV)  with a company as enrolled of seventy-four thousand 
       six hundred.

       (Num 2:5 NRSV)  Those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of 
       Issachar. The leader of the Issacharites shall be Nethanel son of 
       Zuar,

       (Num 2:6 NRSV)  with a company as enrolled of fifty-four thousand four 
       hundred.






       (Num 2:7 NRSV)  Then the tribe of Zebulun: The leader of the 
       Zebulunites shall be Eliab son of Helon,

       (Num 2:8 NRSV)  with a company as enrolled of fifty-seven thousand 
       four hundred.

       (Num 2:9 NRSV)  The total enrollment of the camp of Judah, by 
       companies, is one hundred eighty-six thousand four hundred. They shall 
       set out first on the march.

       (Num 2:10 NRSV)  On the south side shall be the regimental encampment 
       of Reuben by companies. The leader of the Reubenites shall be Elizur 
       son of Shedeur,

       (Num 2:11 NRSV)  with a company as enrolled of forty-six thousand five 
       hundred.

       (Num 2:12 NRSV)  And those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of 
       Simeon. The leader of the Simeonites shall be Shelumiel son of 
       Zurishaddai,

       (Num 2:13 NRSV)  with a company as enrolled of fifty-nine thousand 
       three hundred.

       (Num 2:14 NRSV)  Then the tribe of Gad: The leader of the Gadites 
       shall be Eliasaph son of Reuel,

       (Num 2:15 NRSV)  with a company as enrolled of forty-five thousand six 
       hundred fifty.

       (Num 2:16 NRSV)  The total enrollment of the camp of Reuben, by 
       companies, is one hundred fifty-one thousand four hundred fifty. They 
       shall set out second.

       (Num 2:17 NRSV)  The tent of meeting, with the camp of the Levites, 
       shall set out in the center of the camps; they shall set out just as 
       they camp, each in position, by their regiments.

       (Num 2:18 NRSV)  On the west side shall be the regimental encampment 
       of Ephraim by companies. The leader of the people of Ephraim shall be 
       Elishama son of Ammihud,

       (Num 2:19 NRSV)  with a company as enrolled of forty thousand five 
       hundred.

       (Num 2:20 NRSV)  Next to him shall be the tribe of Manasseh. The 
       leader of the people of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel son of Pedahzur,

       (Num 2:21 NRSV)  with a company as enrolled of thirty-two thousand two 
       hundred.

       (Num 2:22 NRSV)  Then the tribe of Benjamin: The leader of the 
       Benjaminites shall be Abidan son of Gideoni,

       (Num 2:23 NRSV)  with a company as enrolled of thirty-five thousand 





       four hundred.

       (Num 2:24 NRSV)  The total enrollment of the camp of Ephraim, by 
       companies, is one hundred eight thousand one hundred. They shall set 
       out third on the march.

       (Num 2:25 NRSV)  On the north side shall be the regimental encampment 
       of Dan by companies. The leader of the Danites shall be Ahiezer son of 
       Ammishaddai,

       (Num 2:26 NRSV)  with a company as enrolled of sixty-two thousand 
       seven hundred.

       (Num 2:27 NRSV)  Those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of 
       Asher. The leader of the Asherites shall be Pagiel son of Ochran,

       (Num 2:28 NRSV)  with a company as enrolled of forty-one thousand five 
       hundred.

       (Num 2:29 NRSV)  Then the tribe of Naphtali: The leader of the 
       Naphtalites shall be Ahira son of Enan,

       (Num 2:30 NRSV)  with a company as enrolled of fifty-three thousand 
       four hundred.

       (Num 2:31 NRSV)  The total enrollment of the camp of Dan is one 
       hundred fifty-seven thousand six hundred. They shall set out last, by 
       companies.

       (Num 2:32 NRSV)  This was the enrollment of the Israelites by their 
       ancestral houses; the total enrollment in the camps by their companies 
       was six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty.

       (Num 2:33 NRSV)  Just as the LORD had commanded Moses, the Levites 
       were not enrolled among the other Israelites.

       (Num 2:34 NRSV)  The Israelites did just as the LORD had commanded 
       Moses: They camped by regiments, and they set out the same way, 
       everyone by clans, according to ancestral houses.

       (Num 3:1 NRSV)  This is the lineage of Aaron and Moses at the time 
       when the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.

       (Num 3:2 NRSV)  These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the 
       firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar;

       (Num 3:3 NRSV)  these are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed 
       priests, whom he ordained to minister as priests.

       (Num 3:4 NRSV)  Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD when they offered 
       illicit fire before the LORD in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had 
       no children. Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of 
       their father Aaron.

       (Num 3:5 NRSV)  Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:





       (Num 3:6 NRSV)  Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before 
       Aaron the priest, so that they may assist him.

       (Num 3:7 NRSV)  They shall perform duties for him and for the whole 
       congregation in front of the tent of meeting, doing service at the 
       tabernacle;

       (Num 3:8 NRSV)  they shall be in charge of all the furnishings of the 
       tent of meeting, and attend to the duties for the Israelites as they 
       do service at the tabernacle.

       (Num 3:9 NRSV)  You shall give the Levites to Aaron and his 
       descendants; they are unreservedly given to him from among the 
       Israelites.

       (Num 3:10 NRSV)  But you shall make a register of Aaron and his 
       descendants; it is they who shall attend to the priesthood, and any 
       outsider who comes near shall be put to death.

       (Num 3:11 NRSV)  Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 3:12 NRSV)  I hereby accept the Levites from among the Israelites 
       as substitutes for all the firstborn that open the womb among the 
       Israelites. The Levites shall be mine,

       (Num 3:13 NRSV)  for all the firstborn are mine; when I killed all the 
       firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the 
       firstborn in Israel, both human and animal; they shall be mine. I am 
       the LORD.

       (Num 3:14 NRSV)  Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of 
       Sinai, saying:

       (Num 3:15 NRSV)  Enroll the Levites by ancestral houses and by clans. 
       You shall enroll every male from a month old and upward.

       (Num 3:16 NRSV)  So Moses enrolled them according to the word of the 
       LORD, as he was commanded.

       (Num 3:17 NRSV)  The following were the sons of Levi, by their names: 
       Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

       (Num 3:18 NRSV)  These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their 
       clans: Libni and Shimei.

       (Num 3:19 NRSV)  The sons of Kohath by their clans: Amram, Izhar, 
       Hebron, and Uzziel.

       (Num 3:20 NRSV)  The sons of Merari by their clans: Mahli and Mushi. 
       These are the clans of the Levites, by their ancestral houses.

       (Num 3:21 NRSV)  To Gershon belonged the clan of the Libnites and the 
       clan of the Shimeites; these were the clans of the Gershonites.

       (Num 3:22 NRSV)  Their enrollment, counting all the males from a month 
       old and upward, was seven thousand five hundred.






       (Num 3:23 NRSV)  The clans of the Gershonites were to camp behind the 
       tabernacle on the west,

       (Num 3:24 NRSV)  with Eliasaph son of Lael as head of the ancestral 
       house of the Gershonites.

       (Num 3:25 NRSV)  The responsibility of the sons of Gershon in the tent 
       of meeting was to be the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the 
       screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting,

       (Num 3:26 NRSV)  the hangings of the court, the screen for the 
       entrance of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and 
       its cords--all the service pertaining to these.

       (Num 3:27 NRSV)  To Kohath belonged the clan of the Amramites, the 
       clan of the Izharites, the clan of the Hebronites, and the clan of the 
       Uzzielites; these are the clans of the Kohathites.

       (Num 3:28 NRSV)  Counting all the males, from a month old and upward, 
       there were eight thousand six hundred, attending to the duties of the 
       sanctuary.

       (Num 3:29 NRSV)  The clans of the Kohathites were to camp on the south 
       side of the tabernacle,

       (Num 3:30 NRSV)  with Elizaphan son of Uzziel as head of the ancestral 
       house of the clans of the Kohathites.

       (Num 3:31 NRSV)  Their responsibility was to be the ark, the table, 
       the lampstand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which the 
       priests minister, and the screen--all the service pertaining to these.

       (Num 3:32 NRSV)  Eleazar son of Aaron the priest was to be chief over 
       the leaders of the Levites, and to have oversight of those who had 
       charge of the sanctuary.

       (Num 3:33 NRSV)  To Merari belonged the clan of the Mahlites and the 
       clan of the Mushites: these are the clans of Merari.

       (Num 3:34 NRSV)  Their enrollment, counting all the males from a month 
       old and upward, was six thousand two hundred.

       (Num 3:35 NRSV)  The head of the ancestral house of the clans of 
       Merari was Zuriel son of Abihail; they were to camp on the north side 
       of the tabernacle.

       (Num 3:36 NRSV)  The responsibility assigned to the sons of Merari was 
       to be the frames of the tabernacle, the bars, the pillars, the bases, 
       and all their accessories--all the service pertaining to these;

       (Num 3:37 NRSV)  also the pillars of the court all around, with their 
       bases and pegs and cords.

       (Num 3:38 NRSV)  Those who were to camp in front of the tabernacle on 
       the east--in front of the tent of meeting toward the east--were Moses 





       and Aaron and Aaron's sons, having charge of the rites within the 
       sanctuary, whatever had to be done for the Israelites; and any 
       outsider who came near was to be put to death.

       (Num 3:39 NRSV)  The total enrollment of the Levites whom Moses and 
       Aaron enrolled at the commandment of the LORD, by their clans, all the 
       males from a month old and upward, was twenty-two thousand.

       (Num 3:40 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses: Enroll all the firstborn 
       males of the Israelites, from a month old and upward, and count their 
       names.

       (Num 3:41 NRSV)  But you shall accept the Levites for me--I am the 
       LORD--as substitutes for all the firstborn among the Israelites, and 
       the livestock of the Levites as substitutes for all the firstborn 
       among the livestock of the Israelites.

       (Num 3:42 NRSV)  So Moses enrolled all the firstborn among the 
       Israelites, as the LORD commanded him.

       (Num 3:43 NRSV)  The total enrollment, all the firstborn males from a 
       month old and upward, counting the number of names, was twenty-two 
       thousand two hundred seventy-three.

       (Num 3:44 NRSV)  Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 3:45 NRSV)  Accept the Levites as substitutes for all the 
       firstborn among the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites as 
       substitutes for their livestock; and the Levites shall be mine. I am 
       the LORD.

       (Num 3:46 NRSV)  As the price of redemption of the two hundred 
       seventy-three of the firstborn of the Israelites, over and above the 
       number of the Levites,

       (Num 3:47 NRSV)  you shall accept five shekels apiece, reckoning by 
       the shekel of the sanctuary, a shekel of twenty gerahs.

       (Num 3:48 NRSV)  Give to Aaron and his sons the money by which the 
       excess number of them is redeemed.

       (Num 3:49 NRSV)  So Moses took the redemption money from those who 
       were over and above those redeemed by the Levites;

       (Num 3:50 NRSV)  from the firstborn of the Israelites he took the 
       money, one thousand three hundred sixty-five shekels, reckoned by the 
       shekel of the sanctuary;

       (Num 3:51 NRSV)  and Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his 
       sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD had commanded 
       Moses.

       (Num 4:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

       (Num 4:2 NRSV)  Take a census of the Kohathites separate from the 
       other Levites, by their clans and their ancestral houses,






       (Num 4:3 NRSV)  from thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who 
       qualify to do work relating to the tent of meeting.

       (Num 4:4 NRSV)  The service of the Kohathites relating to the tent of 
       meeting concerns the most holy things.

       (Num 4:5 NRSV)  When the camp is to set out, Aaron and his sons shall 
       go in and take down the screening curtain, and cover the ark of the 
       covenant with it;

       (Num 4:6 NRSV)  then they shall put on it a covering of fine leather, 
       and spread over that a cloth all of blue, and shall put its poles in 
       place.

       (Num 4:7 NRSV)  Over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall 
       spread a blue cloth, and put on it the plates, the dishes for incense, 
       the bowls, and the flagons for the drink offering; the regular bread 
       also shall be on it;

       (Num 4:8 NRSV)  then they shall spread over them a crimson cloth, and 
       cover it with a covering of fine leather, and shall put its poles in 
       place.

       (Num 4:9 NRSV)  They shall take a blue cloth, and cover the lampstand 
       for the light, with its lamps, its snuffers, its trays, and all the 
       vessels for oil with which it is supplied;

       (Num 4:10 NRSV)  and they shall put it with all its utensils in a 
       covering of fine leather, and put it on the carrying frame.

       (Num 4:11 NRSV)  Over the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth, 
       and cover it with a covering of fine leather, and shall put its poles 
       in place;

       (Num 4:12 NRSV)  and they shall take all the utensils of the service 
       that are used in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth, and 
       cover them with a covering of fine leather, and put them on the 
       carrying frame.

       (Num 4:13 NRSV)  They shall take away the ashes from the altar, and 
       spread a purple cloth over it;

       (Num 4:14 NRSV)  and they shall put on it all the utensils of the 
       altar, which are used for the service there, the firepans, the forks, 
       the shovels, and the basins, all the utensils of the altar; and they 
       shall spread on it a covering of fine leather, and shall put its poles 
       in place.

       (Num 4:15 NRSV)  When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the 
       sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets 
       out, after that the Kohathites shall come to carry these, but they 
       must not touch the holy things, or they will die. These are the things 
       of the tent of meeting that the Kohathites are to carry.

       (Num 4:16 NRSV)  Eleazar son of Aaron the priest shall have charge of 





       the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular grain 
       offering, and the anointing oil, the oversight of all the tabernacle 
       and all that is in it, in the sanctuary and in its utensils.

       (Num 4:17 NRSV)  Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

       (Num 4:18 NRSV)  You must not let the tribe of the clans of the 
       Kohathites be destroyed from among the Levites.

       (Num 4:19 NRSV)  This is how you must deal with them in order that 
       they may live and not die when they come near to the most holy things: 
       Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each to a particular task or 
       burden.

       (Num 4:20 NRSV)  But the Kohathites must not go in to look on the holy 
       things even for a moment; otherwise they will die.

       (Num 4:21 NRSV)  Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 4:22 NRSV)  Take a census of the Gershonites also, by their 
       ancestral houses and by their clans;

       (Num 4:23 NRSV)  from thirty years old up to fifty years old you shall 
       enroll them, all who qualify to do work in the tent of meeting.

       (Num 4:24 NRSV)  This is the service of the clans of the Gershonites, 
       in serving and bearing burdens:

       (Num 4:25 NRSV)  They shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle, and 
       the tent of meeting with its covering, and the outer covering of fine 
       leather that is on top of it, and the screen for the entrance of the 
       tent of meeting,

       (Num 4:26 NRSV)  and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the 
       entrance of the gate of the court that is around the tabernacle and 
       the altar, and their cords, and all the equipment for their service; 
       and they shall do all that needs to be done with regard to them.

       (Num 4:27 NRSV)  All the service of the Gershonites shall be at the 
       command of Aaron and his sons, in all that they are to carry, and in 
       all that they have to do; and you shall assign to their charge all 
       that they are to carry.

       (Num 4:28 NRSV)  This is the service of the clans of the Gershonites 
       relating to the tent of meeting, and their responsibilities are to be 
       under the oversight of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

       (Num 4:29 NRSV)  As for the Merarites, you shall enroll them by their 
       clans and their ancestral houses;

       (Num 4:30 NRSV)  from thirty years old up to fifty years old you shall 
       enroll them, everyone who qualifies to do the work of the tent of 
       meeting.

       (Num 4:31 NRSV)  This is what they are charged to carry, as the whole 
       of their service in the tent of meeting: the frames of the tabernacle, 





       with its bars, pillars, and bases,

       (Num 4:32 NRSV)  and the pillars of the court all around with their 
       bases, pegs, and cords, with all their equipment and all their related 
       service; and you shall assign by name the objects that they are 
       required to carry.

       (Num 4:33 NRSV)  This is the service of the clans of the Merarites, 
       the whole of their service relating to the tent of meeting, under the 
       hand of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

       (Num 4:34 NRSV)  So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the 
       congregation enrolled the Kohathites, by their clans and their 
       ancestral houses,

       (Num 4:35 NRSV)  from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone 
       who qualified for work relating to the tent of meeting;

       (Num 4:36 NRSV)  and their enrollment by clans was two thousand seven 
       hundred fifty.

       (Num 4:37 NRSV)  This was the enrollment of the clans of the 
       Kohathites, all who served at the tent of meeting, whom Moses and 
       Aaron enrolled according to the commandment of the LORD by Moses.

       (Num 4:38 NRSV)  The enrollment of the Gershonites, by their clans and 
       their ancestral houses,

       (Num 4:39 NRSV)  from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone 
       who qualified for work relating to the tent of meeting--

       (Num 4:40 NRSV)  their enrollment by their clans and their ancestral 
       houses was two thousand six hundred thirty.

       (Num 4:41 NRSV)  This was the enrollment of the clans of the 
       Gershonites, all who served at the tent of meeting, whom Moses and 
       Aaron enrolled according to the commandment of the LORD.

       (Num 4:42 NRSV)  The enrollment of the clans of the Merarites, by 
       their clans and their ancestral houses,

       (Num 4:43 NRSV)  from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone 
       who qualified for work relating to the tent of meeting--

       (Num 4:44 NRSV)  their enrollment by their clans was three thousand 
       two hundred.

       (Num 4:45 NRSV)  This is the enrollment of the clans of the Merarites, 
       whom Moses and Aaron enrolled according to the commandment of the LORD 
       by Moses.

       (Num 4:46 NRSV)  All those who were enrolled of the Levites, whom 
       Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel enrolled, by their clans and 
       their ancestral houses,

       (Num 4:47 NRSV)  from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone 





       who qualified to do the work of service and the work of bearing 
       burdens relating to the tent of meeting,

       (Num 4:48 NRSV)  their enrollment was eight thousand five hundred 
       eighty.

       (Num 4:49 NRSV)  According to the commandment of the LORD through 
       Moses they were appointed to their several tasks of serving or 
       carrying; thus they were enrolled by him, as the LORD commanded Moses.

       (Num 5:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 5:2 NRSV)  Command the Israelites to put out of the camp everyone 
       who is leprous, or has a discharge, and everyone who is unclean 
       through contact with a corpse;

       (Num 5:3 NRSV)  you shall put out both male and female, putting them 
       outside the camp; they must not defile their camp, where I dwell among 
       them.

       (Num 5:4 NRSV)  The Israelites did so, putting them outside the camp; 
       as the LORD had spoken to Moses, so the Israelites did.

       (Num 5:5 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 5:6 NRSV)  Speak to the Israelites: When a man or a woman wrongs 
       another, breaking faith with the LORD, that person incurs guilt

       (Num 5:7 NRSV)  and shall confess the sin that has been committed. The 
       person shall make full restitution for the wrong, adding one fifth to 
       it, and giving it to the one who was wronged.

       (Num 5:8 NRSV)  If the injured party has no next of kin to whom 
       restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution for wrong shall 
       go to the LORD for the priest, in addition to the ram of atonement 
       with which atonement is made for the guilty party.

       (Num 5:9 NRSV)  Among all the sacred donations of the Israelites, 
       every gift that they bring to the priest shall be his.

       (Num 5:10 NRSV)  The sacred donations of all are their own; whatever 
       anyone gives to the priest shall be his.

       (Num 5:11 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 5:12 NRSV)  Speak to the Israelites and say to them: If any man's 
       wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him,

       (Num 5:13 NRSV)  if a man has had intercourse with her but it is 
       hidden from her husband, so that she is undetected though she has 
       defiled herself, and there is no witness against her since she was not 
       caught in the act;

       (Num 5:14 NRSV)  if a spirit of jealousy comes on him, and he is 
       jealous of his wife who has defiled herself; or if a spirit of 
       jealousy comes on him, and he is jealous of his wife, though she has 





       not defiled herself;

       (Num 5:15 NRSV)  then the man shall bring his wife to the priest. And 
       he shall bring the offering required for her, one-tenth of an ephah of 
       barley flour. He shall pour no oil on it and put no frankincense on 
       it, for it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering of 
       remembrance, bringing iniquity to remembrance.

       (Num 5:16 NRSV)  Then the priest shall bring her near, and set her 
       before the LORD;

       (Num 5:17 NRSV)  the priest shall take holy water in an earthen 
       vessel, and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the 
       tabernacle and put it into the water.

       (Num 5:18 NRSV)  The priest shall set the woman before the LORD, 
       dishevel the woman's hair, and place in her hands the grain offering 
       of remembrance, which is the grain offering of jealousy. In his own 
       hand the priest shall have the water of bitterness that brings the 
       curse.

       (Num 5:19 NRSV)  Then the priest shall make her take an oath, saying, 
       "If no man has lain with you, if you have not turned aside to 
       uncleanness while under your husband's authority, be immune to this 
       water of bitterness that brings the curse.

       (Num 5:20 NRSV)  But if you have gone astray while under your 
       husband's authority, if you have defiled yourself and some man other 
       than your husband has had intercourse with you,"

       (Num 5:21 NRSV)  --let the priest make the woman take the oath of the 
       curse and say to the woman--" the LORD make you an execration and an 
       oath among your people, when the LORD makes your uterus drop, your 
       womb discharge;

       (Num 5:22 NRSV)  now may this water that brings the curse enter your 
       bowels and make your womb discharge, your uterus drop!" And the woman 
       shall say, "Amen. Amen."

       (Num 5:23 NRSV)  Then the priest shall put these curses in writing, 
       and wash them off into the water of bitterness.

       (Num 5:24 NRSV)  He shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness 
       that brings the curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter 
       her and cause bitter pain.

       (Num 5:25 NRSV)  The priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy 
       out of the woman's hand, and shall elevate the grain offering before 
       the LORD and bring it to the altar;

       (Num 5:26 NRSV)  and the priest shall take a handful of the grain 
       offering, as its memorial portion, and turn it into smoke on the 
       altar, and afterward shall make the woman drink the water.

       (Num 5:27 NRSV)  When he has made her drink the water, then, if she 
       has defiled herself and has been unfaithful to her husband, the water 





       that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain, and 
       her womb shall discharge, her uterus drop, and the woman shall become 
       an execration among her people.

       (Num 5:28 NRSV)  But if the woman has not defiled herself and is 
       clean, then she shall be immune and be able to conceive children.

       (Num 5:29 NRSV)  This is the law in cases of jealousy, when a wife, 
       while under her husband's authority, goes astray and defiles herself,

       (Num 5:30 NRSV)  or when a spirit of jealousy comes on a man and he is 
       jealous of his wife; then he shall set the woman before the LORD, and 
       the priest shall apply this entire law to her.

       (Num 5:31 NRSV)  The man shall be free from iniquity, but the woman 
       shall bear her iniquity.

       (Num 6:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 6:2 NRSV)  Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When either 
       men or women make a special vow, the vow of a nazirite, to separate 
       themselves to the LORD,

       (Num 6:3 NRSV)  they shall separate themselves from wine and strong 
       drink; they shall drink no wine vinegar or other vinegar, and shall 
       not drink any grape juice or eat grapes, fresh or dried.

       (Num 6:4 NRSV)  All their days as nazirites they shall eat nothing 
       that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.

       (Num 6:5 NRSV)  All the days of their nazirite vow no razor shall come 
       upon the head; until the time is completed for which they separate 
       themselves to the LORD, they shall be holy; they shall let the locks 
       of the head grow long.

       (Num 6:6 NRSV)  All the days that they separate themselves to the LORD 
       they shall not go near a corpse.

       (Num 6:7 NRSV)  Even if their father or mother, brother or sister, 
       should die, they may not defile themselves; because their consecration 
       to God is upon the head.

       (Num 6:8 NRSV)  All their days as nazirites they are holy to the LORD.

       (Num 6:9 NRSV)  If someone dies very suddenly nearby, defiling the 
       consecrated head, then they shall shave the head on the day of their 
       cleansing; on the seventh day they shall shave it.

       (Num 6:10 NRSV)  On the eighth day they shall bring two turtledoves or 
       two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance of the tent of 
       meeting,

       (Num 6:11 NRSV)  and the priest shall offer one as a sin offering and 
       the other as a burnt offering, and make atonement for them, because 
       they incurred guilt by reason of the corpse. They shall sanctify the 
       head that same day,






       (Num 6:12 NRSV)  and separate themselves to the LORD for their days as 
       nazirites, and bring a male lamb a year old as a guilt offering. The 
       former time shall be void, because the consecrated head was defiled.

       (Num 6:13 NRSV)  This is the law for the nazirites when the time of 
       their consecration has been completed: they shall be brought to the 
       entrance of the tent of meeting,

       (Num 6:14 NRSV)  and they shall offer their gift to the LORD, one male 
       lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering, one ewe lamb a 
       year old without blemish as a sin offering, one ram without blemish as 
       an offering of well-being,

       (Num 6:15 NRSV)  and a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of choice 
       flour mixed with oil and unleavened wafers spread with oil, with their 
       grain offering and their drink offerings.

       (Num 6:16 NRSV)  The priest shall present them before the LORD and 
       offer their sin offering and burnt offering,

       (Num 6:17 NRSV)  and shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of well-being 
       to the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread; the priest also 
       shall make the accompanying grain offering and drink offering.

       (Num 6:18 NRSV)  Then the nazirites shall shave the consecrated head 
       at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and shall take the hair from 
       the consecrated head and put it on the fire under the sacrifice of 
       well-being.

       (Num 6:19 NRSV)  The priest shall take the shoulder of the ram, when 
       it is boiled, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one 
       unleavened wafer, and shall put them in the palms of the nazirites, 
       after they have shaved the consecrated head.

       (Num 6:20 NRSV)  Then the priest shall elevate them as an elevation 
       offering before the LORD; they are a holy portion for the priest, 
       together with the breast that is elevated and the thigh that is 
       offered. After that the nazirites may drink wine.

       (Num 6:21 NRSV)  This is the law for the nazirites who take a vow. 
       Their offering to the LORD must be in accordance with the nazirite 
       vow, apart from what else they can afford. In accordance with whatever 
       vow they take, so they shall do, following the law for their 
       consecration.

       (Num 6:22 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 6:23 NRSV)  Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall 
       bless the Israelites: You shall say to them,

       (Num 6:24 NRSV)  The LORD bless you and keep you;

       (Num 6:25 NRSV)  the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be 
       gracious to you;





       (Num 6:26 NRSV)  the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give 
       you peace.

       (Num 6:27 NRSV)  So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I 
       will bless them.

       (Num 7:1 NRSV)  On the day when Moses had finished setting up the 
       tabernacle, and had anointed and consecrated it with all its 
       furnishings, and had anointed and consecrated the altar with all its 
       utensils,

       (Num 7:2 NRSV)  the leaders of Israel, heads of their ancestral 
       houses, the leaders of the tribes, who were over those who were 
       enrolled, made offerings.

       (Num 7:3 NRSV)  They brought their offerings before the LORD, six 
       covered wagons and twelve oxen, a wagon for every two of the leaders, 
       and for each one an ox; they presented them before the tabernacle.

       (Num 7:4 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses:

       (Num 7:5 NRSV)  Accept these from them, that they may be used in doing 
       the service of the tent of meeting, and give them to the Levites, to 
       each according to his service.

       (Num 7:6 NRSV)  So Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them 
       to the Levites.

       (Num 7:7 NRSV)  Two wagons and four oxen he gave to the Gershonites, 
       according to their service;

       (Num 7:8 NRSV)  and four wagons and eight oxen he gave to the 
       Merarites, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar 
       son of Aaron the priest.

       (Num 7:9 NRSV)  But to the Kohathites he gave none, because they were 
       charged with the care of the holy things that had to be carried on the 
       shoulders.

       (Num 7:10 NRSV)  The leaders also presented offerings for the 
       dedication of the altar at the time when it was anointed; the leaders 
       presented their offering before the altar.

       (Num 7:11 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses: They shall present their 
       offerings, one leader each day, for the dedication of the altar.

       (Num 7:12 NRSV)  The one who presented his offering the first day was 
       Nahshon son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah;

       (Num 7:13 NRSV)  his offering was one silver plate weighing one 
       hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin weighing seventy shekels, 
       according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of choice 
       flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

       (Num 7:14 NRSV)  one golden dish weighing ten shekels, full of 
       incense;






       (Num 7:15 NRSV)  one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, 
       for a burnt offering;

       (Num 7:16 NRSV)  one male goat for a sin offering;

       (Num 7:17 NRSV)  and for the sacrifice of well-being, two oxen, five 
       rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the 
       offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab.

       (Num 7:18 NRSV)  On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, the leader of 
       Issachar, presented an offering;

       (Num 7:19 NRSV)  he presented for his offering one silver plate 
       weighing one hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin weighing seventy 
       shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full 
       of choice flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

       (Num 7:20 NRSV)  one golden dish weighing ten shekels, full of 
       incense;

       (Num 7:21 NRSV)  one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, as 
       a burnt offering;

       (Num 7:22 NRSV)  one male goat as a sin offering;

       (Num 7:23 NRSV)  and for the sacrifice of well-being, two oxen, five 
       rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the 
       offering of Nethanel son of Zuar.

       (Num 7:24 NRSV)  On the third day Eliab son of Helon, the leader of 
       the Zebulunites:

       (Num 7:25 NRSV)  his offering was one silver plate weighing one 
       hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin weighing seventy shekels, 
       according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of choice 
       flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

       (Num 7:26 NRSV)  one golden dish weighing ten shekels, full of 
       incense;

       (Num 7:27 NRSV)  one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, 
       for a burnt offering;

       (Num 7:28 NRSV)  one male goat for a sin offering;

       (Num 7:29 NRSV)  and for the sacrifice of well-being, two oxen, five 
       rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the 
       offering of Eliab son of Helon.

       (Num 7:30 NRSV)  On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur, the leader 
       of the Reubenites:

       (Num 7:31 NRSV)  his offering was one silver plate weighing one 
       hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin weighing seventy shekels, 
       according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of choice 





       flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

       (Num 7:32 NRSV)  one golden dish weighing ten shekels, full of 
       incense;

       (Num 7:33 NRSV)  one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, 
       for a burnt offering;

       (Num 7:34 NRSV)  one male goat for a sin offering;

       (Num 7:35 NRSV)  and for the sacrifice of well-being, two oxen, five 
       rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the 
       offering of Elizur son of Shedeur.

       (Num 7:36 NRSV)  On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, the 
       leader of the Simeonites:

       (Num 7:37 NRSV)  his offering was one silver plate weighing one 
       hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin weighing seventy shekels, 
       according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of choice 
       flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

       (Num 7:38 NRSV)  one golden dish weighing ten shekels, full of 
       incense;

       (Num 7:39 NRSV)  one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, 
       for a burnt offering;

       (Num 7:40 NRSV)  one male goat for a sin offering;

       (Num 7:41 NRSV)  and for the sacrifice of well-being, two oxen, five 
       rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the 
       offering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.

       (Num 7:42 NRSV)  On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel, the leader of 
       the Gadites:

       (Num 7:43 NRSV)  his offering was one silver plate weighing one 
       hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin weighing seventy shekels, 
       according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of choice 
       flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

       (Num 7:44 NRSV)  one golden dish weighing ten shekels, full of 
       incense;

       (Num 7:45 NRSV)  one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, 
       for a burnt offering;

       (Num 7:46 NRSV)  one male goat for a sin offering;

       (Num 7:47 NRSV)  and for the sacrifice of well-being, two oxen, five 
       rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the 
       offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel.

       (Num 7:48 NRSV)  On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud, the 
       leader of the Ephraimites:






       (Num 7:49 NRSV)  his offering was one silver plate weighing one 
       hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin weighing seventy shekels, 
       according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of choice 
       flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

       (Num 7:50 NRSV)  one golden dish weighing ten shekels, full of 
       incense;

       (Num 7:51 NRSV)  one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, 
       for a burnt offering;

       (Num 7:52 NRSV)  one male goat for a sin offering;

       (Num 7:53 NRSV)  and for the sacrifice of well-being, two oxen, five 
       rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the 
       offering of Elishama son of Ammihud.

       (Num 7:54 NRSV)  On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, the 
       leader of the Manassites:

       (Num 7:55 NRSV)  his offering was one silver plate weighing one 
       hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin weighing seventy shekels, 
       according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of choice 
       flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

       (Num 7:56 NRSV)  one golden dish weighing ten shekels, full of 
       incense;

       (Num 7:57 NRSV)  one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, 
       for a burnt offering;

       (Num 7:58 NRSV)  one male goat for a sin offering;

       (Num 7:59 NRSV)  and for the sacrifice of well-being, two oxen, five 
       rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the 
       offering of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.

       (Num 7:60 NRSV)  On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni, the leader of 
       the Benjaminites:

       (Num 7:61 NRSV)  his offering was one silver plate weighing one 
       hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin weighing seventy shekels, 
       according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of choice 
       flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

       (Num 7:62 NRSV)  one golden dish weighing ten shekels, full of 
       incense;

       (Num 7:63 NRSV)  one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, 
       for a burnt offering;

       (Num 7:64 NRSV)  one male goat for a sin offering;

       (Num 7:65 NRSV)  and for the sacrifice of well-being, two oxen, five 
       rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the 





       offering of Abidan son of Gideoni.

       (Num 7:66 NRSV)  On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, the 
       leader of the Danites:

       (Num 7:67 NRSV)  his offering was one silver plate weighing one 
       hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin weighing seventy shekels, 
       according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of choice 
       flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

       (Num 7:68 NRSV)  one golden dish weighing ten shekels, full of 
       incense;

       (Num 7:69 NRSV)  one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, 
       for a burnt offering;

       (Num 7:70 NRSV)  one male goat for a sin offering;

       (Num 7:71 NRSV)  and for the sacrifice of well-being, two oxen, five 
       rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the 
       offering of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.

       (Num 7:72 NRSV)  On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Ochran, the leader 
       of the Asherites:

       (Num 7:73 NRSV)  his offering was one silver plate weighing one 
       hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin weighing seventy shekels, 
       according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of choice 
       flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

       (Num 7:74 NRSV)  one golden dish weighing ten shekels, full of 
       incense;

       (Num 7:75 NRSV)  one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, 
       for a burnt offering;

       (Num 7:76 NRSV)  one male goat for a sin offering;

       (Num 7:77 NRSV)  and for the sacrifice of well-being, two oxen, five 
       rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the 
       offering of Pagiel son of Ochran.

       (Num 7:78 NRSV)  On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan, the leader of 
       the Naphtalites:

       (Num 7:79 NRSV)  his offering was one silver plate weighing one 
       hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin weighing seventy shekels, 
       according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of choice 
       flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

       (Num 7:80 NRSV)  one golden dish weighing ten shekels, full of 
       incense;

       (Num 7:81 NRSV)  one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, 
       for a burnt offering;





       (Num 7:82 NRSV)  one male goat for a sin offering;

       (Num 7:83 NRSV)  and for the sacrifice of well-being, two oxen, five 
       rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the 
       offering of Ahira son of Enan.

       (Num 7:84 NRSV)  This was the dedication offering for the altar, at 
       the time when it was anointed, from the leaders of Israel: twelve 
       silver plates, twelve silver basins, twelve golden dishes,

       (Num 7:85 NRSV)  each silver plate weighing one hundred thirty shekels 
       and each basin seventy, all the silver of the vessels two thousand 
       four hundred shekels according to the shekel of the sanctuary,

       (Num 7:86 NRSV)  the twelve golden dishes, full of incense, weighing 
       ten shekels apiece according to the shekel of the sanctuary, all the 
       gold of the dishes being one hundred twenty shekels;

       (Num 7:87 NRSV)  all the livestock for the burnt offering twelve 
       bulls, twelve rams, twelve male lambs a year old, with their grain 
       offering; and twelve male goats for a sin offering;

       (Num 7:88 NRSV)  and all the livestock for the sacrifice of well-being 
       twenty-four bulls, the rams sixty, the male goats sixty, the male 
       lambs a year old sixty. This was the dedication offering for the 
       altar, after it was anointed.

       (Num 7:89 NRSV)  When Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak 
       with the LORD, he would hear the voice speaking to him from above the 
       mercy seat that was on the ark of the covenant from between the two 
       cherubim; thus it spoke to him.

       (Num 8:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 8:2 NRSV)  Speak to Aaron and say to him: When you set up the 
       lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.

       (Num 8:3 NRSV)  Aaron did so; he set up its lamps to give light in 
       front of the lampstand, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

       (Num 8:4 NRSV)  Now this was how the lampstand was made, out of 
       hammered work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was hammered 
       work; according to the pattern that the LORD had shown Moses, so he 
       made the lampstand.

       (Num 8:5 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 8:6 NRSV)  Take the Levites from among the Israelites and cleanse 
       them.

       (Num 8:7 NRSV)  Thus you shall do to them, to cleanse them: sprinkle 
       the water of purification on them, have them shave their whole body 
       with a razor and wash their clothes, and so cleanse themselves.

       (Num 8:8 NRSV)  Then let them take a young bull and its grain offering 
       of choice flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another young bull 





       for a sin offering.

       (Num 8:9 NRSV)  You shall bring the Levites before the tent of 
       meeting, and assemble the whole congregation of the Israelites.

       (Num 8:10 NRSV)  When you bring the Levites before the LORD, the 
       Israelites shall lay their hands on the Levites,

       (Num 8:11 NRSV)  and Aaron shall present the Levites before the LORD 
       as an elevation offering from the Israelites, that they may do the 
       service of the LORD.

       (Num 8:12 NRSV)  The Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the 
       bulls, and he shall offer the one for a sin offering and the other for 
       a burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites.

       (Num 8:13 NRSV)  Then you shall have the Levites stand before Aaron 
       and his sons, and you shall present them as an elevation offering to 
       the LORD.

       (Num 8:14 NRSV)  Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the 
       other Israelites, and the Levites shall be mine.

       (Num 8:15 NRSV)  Thereafter the Levites may go in to do service at the 
       tent of meeting, once you have cleansed them and presented them as an 
       elevation offering.

       (Num 8:16 NRSV)  For they are unreservedly given to me from among the 
       Israelites; I have taken them for myself, in place of all that open 
       the womb, the firstborn of all the Israelites.

       (Num 8:17 NRSV)  For all the firstborn among the Israelites are mine, 
       both human and animal. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn 
       in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for myself,

       (Num 8:18 NRSV)  but I have taken the Levites in place of all the 
       firstborn among the Israelites.

       (Num 8:19 NRSV)  Moreover, I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron 
       and his sons from among the Israelites, to do the service for the 
       Israelites at the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the 
       Israelites, in order that there may be no plague among the Israelites 
       for coming too close to the sanctuary.

       (Num 8:20 NRSV)  Moses and Aaron and the whole congregation of the 
       Israelites did with the Levites accordingly; the Israelites did with 
       the Levites just as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning them.

       (Num 8:21 NRSV)  The Levites purified themselves from sin and washed 
       their clothes; then Aaron presented them as an elevation offering 
       before the LORD, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.

       (Num 8:22 NRSV)  Thereafter the Levites went in to do their service in 
       the tent of meeting in attendance on Aaron and his sons. As the LORD 
       had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did with them.





       (Num 8:23 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 8:24 NRSV)  This applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years 
       old and upward they shall begin to do duty in the service of the tent 
       of meeting;

       (Num 8:25 NRSV)  and from the age of fifty years they shall retire 
       from the duty of the service and serve no more.

       (Num 8:26 NRSV)  They may assist their brothers in the tent of meeting 
       in carrying out their duties, but they shall perform no service. Thus 
       you shall do with the Levites in assigning their duties.

       (Num 9:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in 
       the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land 
       of Egypt, saying:

       (Num 9:2 NRSV)  Let the Israelites keep the passover at its appointed 
       time.

       (Num 9:3 NRSV)  On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you 
       shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and 
       all its regulations you shall keep it.

       (Num 9:4 NRSV)  So Moses told the Israelites that they should keep the 
       passover.

       (Num 9:5 NRSV)  They kept the passover in the first month, on the 
       fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai. 
       Just as the LORD had commanded Moses, so the Israelites did.

       (Num 9:6 NRSV)  Now there were certain people who were unclean through 
       touching a corpse, so that they could not keep the passover on that 
       day. They came before Moses and Aaron on that day,

       (Num 9:7 NRSV)  and said to him, "Although we are unclean through 
       touching a corpse, why must we be kept from presenting the Lord's 
       offering at its appointed time among the Israelites?"

       (Num 9:8 NRSV)  Moses spoke to them, "Wait, so that I may hear what 
       the LORD will command concerning you."

       (Num 9:9 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 9:10 NRSV)  Speak to the Israelites, saying: Anyone of you or 
       your descendants who is unclean through touching a corpse, or is away 
       on a journey, shall still keep the passover to the LORD.

       (Num 9:11 NRSV)  In the second month on the fourteenth day, at 
       twilight, they shall keep it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread 
       and bitter herbs.

       (Num 9:12 NRSV)  They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break 
       a bone of it; according to all the statute for the passover they shall 
       keep it.





       (Num 9:13 NRSV)  But anyone who is clean and is not on a journey, and 
       yet refrains from keeping the passover, shall be cut off from the 
       people for not presenting the Lord's offering at its appointed time; 
       such a one shall bear the consequences for the sin.

       (Num 9:14 NRSV)  Any alien residing among you who wishes to keep the 
       passover to the LORD shall do so according to the statute of the 
       passover and according to its regulation; you shall have one statute 
       for both the resident alien and the native.

       (Num 9:15 NRSV)  On the day the tabernacle was set up, the cloud 
       covered the tabernacle, the tent of the covenant; and from evening 
       until morning it was over the tabernacle, having the appearance of 
       fire.

       (Num 9:16 NRSV)  It was always so: the cloud covered it by day and the 
       appearance of fire by night.

       (Num 9:17 NRSV)  Whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, then 
       the Israelites would set out; and in the place where the cloud settled 
       down, there the Israelites would camp.

       (Num 9:18 NRSV)  At the command of the LORD the Israelites would set 
       out, and at the command of the LORD they would camp. As long as the 
       cloud rested over the tabernacle, they would remain in camp.

       (Num 9:19 NRSV)  Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle 
       many days, the Israelites would keep the charge of the LORD, and would 
       not set out.

       (Num 9:20 NRSV)  Sometimes the cloud would remain a few days over the 
       tabernacle, and according to the command of the LORD they would remain 
       in camp; then according to the command of the LORD they would set out.

       (Num 9:21 NRSV)  Sometimes the cloud would remain from evening until 
       morning; and when the cloud lifted in the morning, they would set out, 
       or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they 
       would set out.

       (Num 9:22 NRSV)  Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer 
       time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, resting upon it, 
       the Israelites would remain in camp and would not set out; but when it 
       lifted they would set out.

       (Num 9:23 NRSV)  At the command of the LORD they would camp, and at 
       the command of the LORD they would set out. They kept the charge of 
       the LORD, at the command of the LORD by Moses.

       (Num 10:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 10:2 NRSV)  Make two silver trumpets; you shall make them of 
       hammered work; and you shall use them for summoning the congregation, 
       and for breaking camp.

       (Num 10:3 NRSV)  When both are blown, the whole congregation shall 
       assemble before you at the entrance of the tent of meeting.






       (Num 10:4 NRSV)  But if only one is blown, then the leaders, the heads 
       of the tribes of Israel, shall assemble before you.

       (Num 10:5 NRSV)  When you blow an alarm, the camps on the east side 
       shall set out;

       (Num 10:6 NRSV)  when you blow a second alarm, the camps on the south 
       side shall set out. An alarm is to be blown whenever they are to set 
       out.

       (Num 10:7 NRSV)  But when the assembly is to be gathered, you shall 
       blow, but you shall not sound an alarm.

       (Num 10:8 NRSV)  The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the 
       trumpets; this shall be a perpetual institution for you throughout 
       your generations.

       (Num 10:9 NRSV)  When you go to war in your land against the adversary 
       who oppresses you, you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, so that 
       you may be remembered before the LORD your God and be saved from your 
       enemies.

       (Num 10:10 NRSV)  Also on your days of rejoicing, at your appointed 
       festivals, and at the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the 
       trumpets over your burnt offerings and over your sacrifices of 
       well-being; they shall serve as a reminder on your behalf before the 
       LORD your God: I am the LORD your God.

       (Num 10:11 NRSV)  In the second year, in the second month, on the 
       twentieth day of the month, the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle 
       of the covenant.

       (Num 10:12 NRSV)  Then the Israelites set out by stages from the 
       wilderness of Sinai, and the cloud settled down in the wilderness of 
       Paran.

       (Num 10:13 NRSV)  They set out for the first time at the command of 
       the LORD by Moses.

       (Num 10:14 NRSV)  The standard of the camp of Judah set out first, 
       company by company, and over the whole company was Nahshon son of 
       Amminadab.

       (Num 10:15 NRSV)  Over the company of the tribe of Issachar was 
       Nethanel son of Zuar;

       (Num 10:16 NRSV)  and over the company of the tribe of Zebulun was 
       Eliab son of Helon.

       (Num 10:17 NRSV)  Then the tabernacle was taken down, and the 
       Gershonites and the Merarites, who carried the tabernacle, set out.

       (Num 10:18 NRSV)  Next the standard of the camp of Reuben set out, 
       company by company; and over the whole company was Elizur son of 
       Shedeur.






       (Num 10:19 NRSV)  Over the company of the tribe of Simeon was 
       Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai,

       (Num 10:20 NRSV)  and over the company of the tribe of Gad was 
       Eliasaph son of Deuel.

       (Num 10:21 NRSV)  Then the Kohathites, who carried the holy things, 
       set out; and the tabernacle was set up before their arrival.

       (Num 10:22 NRSV)  Next the standard of the Ephraimite camp set out, 
       company by company, and over the whole company was Elishama son of 
       Ammihud.

       (Num 10:23 NRSV)  Over the company of the tribe of Manasseh was 
       Gamaliel son of Pedahzur,

       (Num 10:24 NRSV)  and over the company of the tribe of Benjamin was 
       Abidan son of Gideoni.

       (Num 10:25 NRSV)  Then the standard of the camp of Dan, acting as the 
       rear guard of all the camps, set out, company by company, and over the 
       whole company was Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.

       (Num 10:26 NRSV)  Over the company of the tribe of Asher was Pagiel 
       son of Ochran,

       (Num 10:27 NRSV)  and over the company of the tribe of Naphtali was 
       Ahira son of Enan.

       (Num 10:28 NRSV)  This was the order of march of the Israelites, 
       company by company, when they set out.

       (Num 10:29 NRSV)  Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, 
       Moses' father-in-law, "We are setting out for the place of which the 
       LORD said, 'I will give it to you'; come with us, and we will treat 
       you well; for the LORD has promised good to Israel."

       (Num 10:30 NRSV)  But he said to him, "I will not go, but I will go 
       back to my own land and to my kindred."

       (Num 10:31 NRSV)  He said, "Do not leave us, for you know where we 
       should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us.

       (Num 10:32 NRSV)  Moreover, if you go with us, whatever good the LORD 
       does for us, the same we will do for you."

       (Num 10:33 NRSV)  So they set out from the mount of the LORD three 
       days' journey with the ark of the covenant of the LORD going before 
       them three days' journey, to seek out a resting place for them,

       (Num 10:34 NRSV)  the cloud of the LORD being over them by day when 
       they set out from the camp.

       (Num 10:35 NRSV)  Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say, "Arise, O 
       LORD, let your enemies be scattered, and your foes flee before you."






       (Num 10:36 NRSV)  And whenever it came to rest, he would say, "Return, 
       O LORD of the ten thousand thousands of Israel."

       (Num 11:1 NRSV)  Now when the people complained in the hearing of the 
       LORD about their misfortunes, the LORD heard it and his anger was 
       kindled. Then the fire of the LORD burned against them, and consumed 
       some outlying parts of the camp.

       (Num 11:2 NRSV)  But the people cried out to Moses; and Moses prayed 
       to the LORD, and the fire abated.

       (Num 11:3 NRSV)  So that place was called Taberah, because the fire of 
       the LORD burned against them.

       (Num 11:4 NRSV)  The rabble among them had a strong craving; and the 
       Israelites also wept again, and said, "If only we had meat to eat!

       (Num 11:5 NRSV)  We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for 
       nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the 
       garlic;

       (Num 11:6 NRSV)  but now our strength is dried up, and there is 
       nothing at all but this manna to look at."

       (Num 11:7 NRSV)  Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its color 
       was like the color of gum resin.

       (Num 11:8 NRSV)  The people went around and gathered it, ground it in 
       mills or beat it in mortars, then boiled it in pots and made cakes of 
       it; and the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil.

       (Num 11:9 NRSV)  When the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna 
       would fall with it.

       (Num 11:10 NRSV)  Moses heard the people weeping throughout their 
       families, all at the entrances of their tents. Then the LORD became 
       very angry, and Moses was displeased.

       (Num 11:11 NRSV)  So Moses said to the LORD, "Why have you treated 
       your servant so badly? Why have I not found favor in your sight, that 
       you lay the burden of all this people on me?

       (Num 11:12 NRSV)  Did I conceive all this people? Did I give birth to 
       them, that you should say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse 
       carries a sucking child,' to the land that you promised on oath to 
       their ancestors?

       (Num 11:13 NRSV)  Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? 
       For they come weeping to me and say, 'Give us meat to eat!'

       (Num 11:14 NRSV)  I am not able to carry all this people alone, for 
       they are too heavy for me.

       (Num 11:15 NRSV)  If this is the way you are going to treat me, put me 
       to death at once--if I have found favor in your sight--and do not let 





       me see my misery."

       (Num 11:16 NRSV)  So the LORD said to Moses, "Gather for me seventy of 
       the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and 
       officers over them; bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them 
       take their place there with you.

       (Num 11:17 NRSV)  I will come down and talk with you there; and I will 
       take some of the spirit that is on you and put it on them; and they 
       shall bear the burden of the people along with you so that you will 
       not bear it all by yourself.

       (Num 11:18 NRSV)  And say to the people: Consecrate yourselves for 
       tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wailed in the hearing 
       of the LORD, saying, 'If only we had meat to eat! Surely it was better 
       for us in Egypt.' Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you shall 
       eat.

       (Num 11:19 NRSV)  You shall eat not only one day, or two days, or five 
       days, or ten days, or twenty days,

       (Num 11:20 NRSV)  but for a whole month--until it comes out of your 
       nostrils and becomes loathsome to you--because you have rejected the 
       LORD who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, 'Why did we 
       ever leave Egypt?'"

       (Num 11:21 NRSV)  But Moses said, "The people I am with number six 
       hundred thousand on foot; and you say, 'I will give them meat, that 
       they may eat for a whole month'!

       (Num 11:22 NRSV)  Are there enough flocks and herds to slaughter for 
       them? Are there enough fish in the sea to catch for them?"

       (Num 11:23 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses, "Is the Lord's power 
       limited? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or 
       not."

       (Num 11:24 NRSV)  So Moses went out and told the people the words of 
       the LORD; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed 
       them all around the tent.

       (Num 11:25 NRSV)  Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to 
       him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the 
       seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. 
       But they did not do so again.

       (Num 11:26 NRSV)  Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and 
       the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among 
       those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they 
       prophesied in the camp.

       (Num 11:27 NRSV)  And a young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad 
       are prophesying in the camp."

       (Num 11:28 NRSV)  And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one 
       of his chosen men, said, "My lord Moses, stop them!"






       (Num 11:29 NRSV)  But Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? 
       Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the LORD 
       would put his spirit on them!"

       (Num 11:30 NRSV)  And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the 
       camp.

       (Num 11:31 NRSV)  Then a wind went out from the LORD, and it brought 
       quails from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a day's 
       journey on this side and a day's journey on the other side, all around 
       the camp, about two cubits deep on the ground.

       (Num 11:32 NRSV)  So the people worked all that day and night and all 
       the next day, gathering the quails; the least anyone gathered was ten 
       homers; and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.

       (Num 11:33 NRSV)  But while the meat was still between their teeth, 
       before it was consumed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the 
       people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague.

       (Num 11:34 NRSV)  So that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because 
       there they buried the people who had the craving.

       (Num 11:35 NRSV)  From Kibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed to 
       Hazeroth.

       (Num 12:1 NRSV)  While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron spoke 
       against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he 
       had indeed married a Cushite woman);

       (Num 12:2 NRSV)  and they said, "Has the LORD spoken only through 
       Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?" And the LORD heard it.

       (Num 12:3 NRSV)  Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than 
       anyone else on the face of the earth.

       (Num 12:4 NRSV)  Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, 
       "Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting." So the three of them 
       came out.

       (Num 12:5 NRSV)  Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud, and 
       stood at the entrance of the tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and 
       they both came forward.

       (Num 12:6 NRSV)  And he said, "Hear my words: When there are prophets 
       among you, I the LORD make myself known to them in visions; I speak to 
       them in dreams.

       (Num 12:7 NRSV)  Not so with my servant Moses; he is entrusted with 
       all my house.

       (Num 12:8 NRSV)  With him I speak face to face-- clearly, not in 
       riddles; and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not 
       afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"





       (Num 12:9 NRSV)  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, 
       and he departed.

       (Num 12:10 NRSV)  When the cloud went away from over the tent, Miriam 
       had become leprous, as white as snow. And Aaron turned towards Miriam 
       and saw that she was leprous.

       (Num 12:11 NRSV)  Then Aaron said to Moses, "Oh, my lord, do not 
       punish us for a sin that we have so foolishly committed.

       (Num 12:12 NRSV)  Do not let her be like one stillborn, whose flesh is 
       half consumed when it comes out of its mother's womb."

       (Num 12:13 NRSV)  And Moses cried to the LORD, "O God, please heal 
       her."

       (Num 12:14 NRSV)  But the LORD said to Moses, "If her father had but 
       spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her 
       be shut out of the camp for seven days, and after that she may be 
       brought in again."

       (Num 12:15 NRSV)  So Miriam was shut out of the camp for seven days; 
       and the people did not set out on the march until Miriam had been 
       brought in again.

       (Num 12:16 NRSV)  After that the people set out from Hazeroth, and 
       camped in the wilderness of Paran.

       (Num 13:1 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses,

       (Num 13:2 NRSV)  "Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am 
       giving to the Israelites; from each of their ancestral tribes you 
       shall send a man, every one a leader among them."

       (Num 13:3 NRSV)  So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, 
       according to the command of the LORD, all of them leading men among 
       the Israelites.

       (Num 13:4 NRSV)  These were their names: From the tribe of Reuben, 
       Shammua son of Zaccur;

       (Num 13:5 NRSV)  from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori;

       (Num 13:6 NRSV)  from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;

       (Num 13:7 NRSV)  from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph;

       (Num 13:8 NRSV)  from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun;

       (Num 13:9 NRSV)  from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu;

       (Num 13:10 NRSV)  from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi;

       (Num 13:11 NRSV)  from the tribe of Joseph (that is, from the tribe of 
       Manasseh), Gaddi son of Susi;





       (Num 13:12 NRSV)  from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;

       (Num 13:13 NRSV)  from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael;

       (Num 13:14 NRSV)  from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi;

       (Num 13:15 NRSV)  from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Machi.

       (Num 13:16 NRSV)  These were the names of the men whom Moses sent to 
       spy out the land. And Moses changed the name of Hoshea son of Nun to 
       Joshua.

       (Num 13:17 NRSV)  Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and 
       said to them, "Go up there into the Negeb, and go up into the hill 
       country,

       (Num 13:18 NRSV)  and see what the land is like, and whether the 
       people who live in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or 
       many,

       (Num 13:19 NRSV)  and whether the land they live in is good or bad, 
       and whether the towns that they live in are unwalled or fortified,

       (Num 13:20 NRSV)  and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether 
       there are trees in it or not. Be bold, and bring some of the fruit of 
       the land." Now it was the season of the first ripe grapes.

       (Num 13:21 NRSV)  So they went up and spied out the land from the 
       wilderness of Zin to Rehob, near Lebo-hamath.

       (Num 13:22 NRSV)  They went up into the Negeb, and came to Hebron; and 
       Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the Anakites, were there. (Hebron was 
       built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

       (Num 13:23 NRSV)  And they came to the Wadi Eshcol, and cut down from 
       there a branch with a single cluster of grapes, and they carried it on 
       a pole between two of them. They also brought some pomegranates and 
       figs.

       (Num 13:24 NRSV)  That place was called the Wadi Eshcol, because of 
       the cluster that the Israelites cut down from there.

       (Num 13:25 NRSV)  At the end of forty days they returned from spying 
       out the land.

       (Num 13:26 NRSV)  And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the 
       congregation of the Israelites in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; 
       they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed 
       them the fruit of the land.

       (Num 13:27 NRSV)  And they told him, "We came to the land to which you 
       sent us; it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.

       (Num 13:28 NRSV)  Yet the people who live in the land are strong, and 
       the towns are fortified and very large; and besides, we saw the 
       descendants of Anak there.






       (Num 13:29 NRSV)  The Amalekites live in the land of the Negeb; the 
       Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites live in the hill country; 
       and the Canaanites live by the sea, and along the Jordan."

       (Num 13:30 NRSV)  But Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, 
       "Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome 
       it."

       (Num 13:31 NRSV)  Then the men who had gone up with him said, "We are 
       not able to go up against this people, for they are stronger than we."

       (Num 13:32 NRSV)  So they brought to the Israelites an unfavorable 
       report of the land that they had spied out, saying, "The land that we 
       have gone through as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants; and 
       all the people that we saw in it are of great size.

       (Num 13:33 NRSV)  There we saw the Nephilim (the Anakites come from 
       the Nephilim); and to ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we 
       seemed to them."

       (Num 14:1 NRSV)  Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the 
       people wept that night.

       (Num 14:2 NRSV)  And all the Israelites complained against Moses and 
       Aaron; the whole congregation said to them, "Would that we had died in 
       the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!

       (Num 14:3 NRSV)  Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to fall by 
       the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become booty; would it 
       not be better for us to go back to Egypt?"

       (Num 14:4 NRSV)  So they said to one another, "Let us choose a 
       captain, and go back to Egypt."

       (Num 14:5 NRSV)  Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all 
       the assembly of the congregation of the Israelites.

       (Num 14:6 NRSV)  And Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who 
       were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes

       (Num 14:7 NRSV)  and said to all the congregation of the Israelites, 
       "The land that we went through as spies is an exceedingly good land.

       (Num 14:8 NRSV)  If the LORD is pleased with us, he will bring us into 
       this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey.

       (Num 14:9 NRSV)  Only, do not rebel against the LORD; and do not fear 
       the people of the land, for they are no more than bread for us; their 
       protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear 
       them."

       (Num 14:10 NRSV)  But the whole congregation threatened to stone them. 
       Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the tent of meeting to all the 
       Israelites.





       (Num 14:11 NRSV)  And the LORD said to Moses, "How long will this 
       people despise me? And how long will they refuse to believe in me, in 
       spite of all the signs that I have done among them?

       (Num 14:12 NRSV)  I will strike them with pestilence and disinherit 
       them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they."

       (Num 14:13 NRSV)  But Moses said to the LORD, "Then the Egyptians will 
       hear of it, for in your might you brought up this people from among 
       them,

       (Num 14:14 NRSV)  and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. 
       They have heard that you, O LORD, are in the midst of this people; for 
       you, O LORD, are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them 
       and you go in front of them, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a 
       pillar of fire by night.

       (Num 14:15 NRSV)  Now if you kill this people all at one time, then 
       the nations who have heard about you will say,

       (Num 14:16 NRSV)  'It is because the LORD was not able to bring this 
       people into the land he swore to give them that he has slaughtered 
       them in the wilderness.'

       (Num 14:17 NRSV)  And now, therefore, let the power of the LORD be 
       great in the way that you promised when you spoke, saying,

       (Num 14:18 NRSV)  'The LORD is slow to anger, and abounding in 
       steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but by no means 
       clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the 
       children to the third and the fourth generation.'

       (Num 14:19 NRSV)  Forgive the iniquity of this people according to the 
       greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have pardoned this 
       people, from Egypt even until now."

       (Num 14:20 NRSV)  Then the LORD said, "I do forgive, just as you have 
       asked;

       (Num 14:21 NRSV)  nevertheless--as I live, and as all the earth shall 
       be filled with the glory of the LORD--

       (Num 14:22 NRSV)  none of the people who have seen my glory and the 
       signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have tested 
       me these ten times and have not obeyed my voice,

       (Num 14:23 NRSV)  shall see the land that I swore to give to their 
       ancestors; none of those who despised me shall see it.

       (Num 14:24 NRSV)  But my servant Caleb, because he has a different 
       spirit and has followed me wholeheartedly, I will bring into the land 
       into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.

       (Num 14:25 NRSV)  Now, since the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in 
       the valleys, turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way 
       to the Red Sea."






       (Num 14:26 NRSV)  And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:

       (Num 14:27 NRSV)  How long shall this wicked congregation complain 
       against me? I have heard the complaints of the Israelites, which they 
       complain against me.

       (Num 14:28 NRSV)  Say to them, "As I live," says the LORD, "I will do 
       to you the very things I heard you say:

       (Num 14:29 NRSV)  your dead bodies shall fall in this very wilderness; 
       and of all your number, included in the census, from twenty years old 
       and upward, who have complained against me,

       (Num 14:30 NRSV)  not one of you shall come into the land in which I 
       swore to settle you, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of 
       Nun.

       (Num 14:31 NRSV)  But your little ones, who you said would become 
       booty, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have 
       despised.

       (Num 14:32 NRSV)  But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this 
       wilderness.

       (Num 14:33 NRSV)  And your children shall be shepherds in the 
       wilderness for forty years, and shall suffer for your faithlessness, 
       until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness.

       (Num 14:34 NRSV)  According to the number of the days in which you 
       spied out the land, forty days, for every day a year, you shall bear 
       your iniquity, forty years, and you shall know my displeasure."

       (Num 14:35 NRSV)  I the LORD have spoken; surely I will do thus to all 
       this wicked congregation gathered together against me: in this 
       wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.

       (Num 14:36 NRSV)  And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who 
       returned and made all the congregation complain against him by 
       bringing a bad report about the land--

       (Num 14:37 NRSV)  the men who brought an unfavorable report about the 
       land died by a plague before the LORD.

       (Num 14:38 NRSV)  But Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh 
       alone remained alive, of those men who went to spy out the land.

       (Num 14:39 NRSV)  When Moses told these words to all the Israelites, 
       the people mourned greatly.

       (Num 14:40 NRSV)  They rose early in the morning and went up to the 
       heights of the hill country, saying, "Here we are. We will go up to 
       the place that the LORD has promised, for we have sinned."

       (Num 14:41 NRSV)  But Moses said, "Why do you continue to transgress 
       the command of the LORD? That will not succeed.






       (Num 14:42 NRSV)  Do not go up, for the LORD is not with you; do not 
       let yourselves be struck down before your enemies.

       (Num 14:43 NRSV)  For the Amalekites and the Canaanites will confront 
       you there, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned 
       back from following the LORD, the LORD will not be with you."

       (Num 14:44 NRSV)  But they presumed to go up to the heights of the 
       hill country, even though the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and 
       Moses, had not left the camp.

       (Num 14:45 NRSV)  Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in 
       that hill country came down and defeated them, pursuing them as far as 
       Hormah.

       (Num 15:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 15:2 NRSV)  Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you 
       come into the land you are to inhabit, which I am giving you,

       (Num 15:3 NRSV)  and you make an offering by fire to the LORD from the 
       herd or from the flock--whether a burnt offering or a sacrifice, to 
       fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering or at your appointed 
       festivals--to make a pleasing odor for the LORD,

       (Num 15:4 NRSV)  then whoever presents such an offering to the LORD 
       shall present also a grain offering, one-tenth of an ephah of choice 
       flour, mixed with one-fourth of a hin of oil.

       (Num 15:5 NRSV)  Moreover, you shall offer one-fourth of a hin of wine 
       as a drink offering with the burnt offering or the sacrifice, for each 
       lamb.

       (Num 15:6 NRSV)  For a ram, you shall offer a grain offering, 
       two-tenths of an ephah of choice flour mixed with one-third of a hin 
       of oil;

       (Num 15:7 NRSV)  and as a drink offering you shall offer one-third of 
       a hin of wine, a pleasing odor to the LORD.

       (Num 15:8 NRSV)  When you offer a bull as a burnt offering or a 
       sacrifice, to fulfill a vow or as an offering of well-being to the 
       LORD,

       (Num 15:9 NRSV)  then you shall present with the bull a grain 
       offering, three-tenths of an ephah of choice flour, mixed with half a 
       hin of oil,

       (Num 15:10 NRSV)  and you shall present as a drink offering half a hin 
       of wine, as an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD.

       (Num 15:11 NRSV)  Thus it shall be done for each ox or ram, or for 
       each of the male lambs or the kids.

       (Num 15:12 NRSV)  According to the number that you offer, so you shall 





       do with each and every one.

       (Num 15:13 NRSV)  Every native Israelite shall do these things in this 
       way, in presenting an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD.

       (Num 15:14 NRSV)  An alien who lives with you, or who takes up 
       permanent residence among you, and wishes to offer an offering by 
       fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD, shall do as you do.

       (Num 15:15 NRSV)  As for the assembly, there shall be for both you and 
       the resident alien a single statute, a perpetual statute throughout 
       your generations; you and the alien shall be alike before the LORD.

       (Num 15:16 NRSV)  You and the alien who resides with you shall have 
       the same law and the same ordinance.

       (Num 15:17 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 15:18 NRSV)  Speak to the Israelites and say to them: After you 
       come into the land to which I am bringing you,

       (Num 15:19 NRSV)  whenever you eat of the bread of the land, you shall 
       present a donation to the LORD.

       (Num 15:20 NRSV)  From your first batch of dough you shall present a 
       loaf as a donation; you shall present it just as you present a 
       donation from the threshing floor.

       (Num 15:21 NRSV)  Throughout your generations you shall give to the 
       LORD a donation from the first of your batch of dough.

       (Num 15:22 NRSV)  But if you unintentionally fail to observe all these 
       commandments that the LORD has spoken to Moses--

       (Num 15:23 NRSV)  everything that the LORD has commanded you by Moses, 
       from the day the LORD gave commandment and thereafter, throughout your 
       generations--

       (Num 15:24 NRSV)  then if it was done unintentionally without the 
       knowledge of the congregation, the whole congregation shall offer one 
       young bull for a burnt offering, a pleasing odor to the LORD, together 
       with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the 
       ordinance, and one male goat for a sin offering.

       (Num 15:25 NRSV)  The priest shall make atonement for all the 
       congregation of the Israelites, and they shall be forgiven; it was 
       unintentional, and they have brought their offering, an offering by 
       fire to the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their 
       error.

       (Num 15:26 NRSV)  All the congregation of the Israelites shall be 
       forgiven, as well as the aliens residing among them, because the whole 
       people was involved in the error.

       (Num 15:27 NRSV)  An individual who sins unintentionally shall present 
       a female goat a year old for a sin offering.






       (Num 15:28 NRSV)  And the priest shall make atonement before the LORD 
       for the one who commits an error, when it is unintentional, to make 
       atonement for the person, who then shall be forgiven.

       (Num 15:29 NRSV)  For both the native among the Israelites and the 
       alien residing among them--you shall have the same law for anyone who 
       acts in error.

       (Num 15:30 NRSV)  But whoever acts high-handedly, whether a native or 
       an alien, affronts the LORD, and shall be cut off from among the 
       people.

       (Num 15:31 NRSV)  Because of having despised the word of the LORD and 
       broken his commandment, such a person shall be utterly cut off and 
       bear the guilt.

       (Num 15:32 NRSV)  When the Israelites were in the wilderness, they 
       found a man gathering sticks on the sabbath day.

       (Num 15:33 NRSV)  Those who found him gathering sticks brought him to 
       Moses, Aaron, and to the whole congregation.

       (Num 15:34 NRSV)  They put him in custody, because it was not clear 
       what should be done to him.

       (Num 15:35 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses, "The man shall be put 
       to death; all the congregation shall stone him outside the camp."

       (Num 15:36 NRSV)  The whole congregation brought him outside the camp 
       and stoned him to death, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

       (Num 15:37 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses:

       (Num 15:38 NRSV)  Speak to the Israelites, and tell them to make 
       fringes on the corners of their garments throughout their generations 
       and to put a blue cord on the fringe at each corner.

       (Num 15:39 NRSV)  You have the fringe so that, when you see it, you 
       will remember all the commandments of the LORD and do them, and not 
       follow the lust of your own heart and your own eyes.

       (Num 15:40 NRSV)  So you shall remember and do all my commandments, 
       and you shall be holy to your God.

       (Num 15:41 NRSV)  I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the 
       land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God.

       (Num 16:1 NRSV)  Now Korah son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi, 
       along with Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of 
       Peleth--descendants of Reuben--took

       (Num 16:2 NRSV)  two hundred fifty Israelite men, leaders of the 
       congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men, and they 
       confronted Moses.





       (Num 16:3 NRSV)  They assembled against Moses and against Aaron, and 
       said to them, "You have gone too far! All the congregation are holy, 
       everyone of them, and the LORD is among them. So why then do you exalt 
       yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?"

       (Num 16:4 NRSV)  When Moses heard it, he fell on his face.

       (Num 16:5 NRSV)  Then he said to Korah and all his company, "In the 
       morning the LORD will make known who is his, and who is holy, and who 
       will be allowed to approach him; the one whom he will choose he will 
       allow to approach him.

       (Num 16:6 NRSV)  Do this: take censers, Korah and all your company,

       (Num 16:7 NRSV)  and tomorrow put fire in them, and lay incense on 
       them before the LORD; and the man whom the LORD chooses shall be the 
       holy one. You Levites have gone too far!"

       (Num 16:8 NRSV)  Then Moses said to Korah, "Hear now, you Levites!

       (Num 16:9 NRSV)  Is it too little for you that the God of Israel has 
       separated you from the congregation of Israel, to allow you to 
       approach him in order to perform the duties of the Lord's tabernacle, 
       and to stand before the congregation and serve them?

       (Num 16:10 NRSV)  He has allowed you to approach him, and all your 
       brother Levites with you; yet you seek the priesthood as well!

       (Num 16:11 NRSV)  Therefore you and all your company have gathered 
       together against the LORD. What is Aaron that you rail against him?"

       (Num 16:12 NRSV)  Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab; but 
       they said, "We will not come!

       (Num 16:13 NRSV)  Is it too little that you have brought us up out of 
       a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness, that 
       you must also lord it over us?

       (Num 16:14 NRSV)  It is clear you have not brought us into a land 
       flowing with milk and honey, or given us an inheritance of fields and 
       vineyards. Would you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come!"

       (Num 16:15 NRSV)  Moses was very angry and said to the LORD, "Pay no 
       attention to their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, 
       and I have not harmed any one of them."

       (Num 16:16 NRSV)  And Moses said to Korah, "As for you and all your 
       company, be present tomorrow before the LORD, you and they and Aaron;

       (Num 16:17 NRSV)  and let each one of you take his censer, and put 
       incense on it, and each one of you present his censer before the LORD, 
       two hundred fifty censers; you also, and Aaron, each his censer."

       (Num 16:18 NRSV)  So each man took his censer, and they put fire in 
       the censers and laid incense on them, and they stood at the entrance 
       of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron.






       (Num 16:19 NRSV)  Then Korah assembled the whole congregation against 
       them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the LORD 
       appeared to the whole congregation.

       (Num 16:20 NRSV)  Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:

       (Num 16:21 NRSV)  Separate yourselves from this congregation, so that 
       I may consume them in a moment.

       (Num 16:22 NRSV)  They fell on their faces, and said, "O God, the God 
       of the spirits of all flesh, shall one person sin and you become angry 
       with the whole congregation?"

       (Num 16:23 NRSV)  And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 16:24 NRSV)  Say to the congregation: Get away from the dwellings 
       of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

       (Num 16:25 NRSV)  So Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram; the 
       elders of Israel followed him.

       (Num 16:26 NRSV)  He said to the congregation, "Turn away from the 
       tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, or you will be 
       swept away for all their sins."

       (Num 16:27 NRSV)  So they got away from the dwellings of Korah, 
       Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the 
       entrance of their tents, together with their wives, their children, 
       and their little ones.

       (Num 16:28 NRSV)  And Moses said, "This is how you shall know that the 
       LORD has sent me to do all these works; it has not been of my own 
       accord:

       (Num 16:29 NRSV)  If these people die a natural death, or if a natural 
       fate comes on them, then the LORD has not sent me.

       (Num 16:30 NRSV)  But if the LORD creates something new, and the 
       ground opens its mouth and swallows them up, with all that belongs to 
       them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that 
       these men have despised the LORD."

       (Num 16:31 NRSV)  As soon as he finished speaking all these words, the 
       ground under them was split apart.

       (Num 16:32 NRSV)  The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, 
       along with their households--everyone who belonged to Korah and all 
       their goods.

       (Num 16:33 NRSV)  So they with all that belonged to them went down 
       alive into Sheol; the earth closed over them, and they perished from 
       the midst of the assembly.

       (Num 16:34 NRSV)  All Israel around them fled at their outcry, for 
       they said, "The earth will swallow us too!"






       (Num 16:35 NRSV)  And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the two 
       hundred fifty men offering the incense.

       (Num 16:36 NRSV)  Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 16:37 NRSV)  Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to take the 
       censers out of the blaze; then scatter the fire far and wide.

       (Num 16:38 NRSV)  For the censers of these sinners have become holy at 
       the cost of their lives. Make them into hammered plates as a covering 
       for the altar, for they presented them before the LORD and they became 
       holy. Thus they shall be a sign to the Israelites.

       (Num 16:39 NRSV)  So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers that 
       had been presented by those who were burned; and they were hammered 
       out as a covering for the altar--

       (Num 16:40 NRSV)  a reminder to the Israelites that no outsider, who 
       is not of the descendants of Aaron, shall approach to offer incense 
       before the LORD, so as not to become like Korah and his company--just 
       as the LORD had said to him through Moses.

       (Num 16:41 NRSV)  On the next day, however, the whole congregation of 
       the Israelites rebelled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, "You 
       have killed the people of the LORD."

       (Num 16:42 NRSV)  And when the congregation had assembled against 
       them, Moses and Aaron turned toward the tent of meeting; the cloud had 
       covered it and the glory of the LORD appeared.

       (Num 16:43 NRSV)  Then Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent 
       of meeting,

       (Num 16:44 NRSV)  and the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

       (Num 16:45 NRSV)  "Get away from this congregation, so that I may 
       consume them in a moment." And they fell on their faces.

       (Num 16:46 NRSV)  Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer, put fire on 
       it from the altar and lay incense on it, and carry it quickly to the 
       congregation and make atonement for them. For wrath has gone out from 
       the LORD; the plague has begun."

       (Num 16:47 NRSV)  So Aaron took it as Moses had ordered, and ran into 
       the middle of the assembly, where the plague had already begun among 
       the people. He put on the incense, and made atonement for the people.

       (Num 16:48 NRSV)  He stood between the dead and the living; and the 
       plague was stopped.

       (Num 16:49 NRSV)  Those who died by the plague were fourteen thousand 
       seven hundred, besides those who died in the affair of Korah.

       (Num 16:50 NRSV)  When the plague was stopped, Aaron returned to Moses 
       at the entrance of the tent of meeting.






       (Num 17:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 17:2 NRSV)  Speak to the Israelites, and get twelve staffs from 
       them, one for each ancestral house, from all the leaders of their 
       ancestral houses. Write each man's name on his staff,

       (Num 17:3 NRSV)  and write Aaron's name on the staff of Levi. For 
       there shall be one staff for the head of each ancestral house.

       (Num 17:4 NRSV)  Place them in the tent of meeting before the 
       covenant, where I meet with you.

       (Num 17:5 NRSV)  And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout; 
       thus I will put a stop to the complaints of the Israelites that they 
       continually make against you.

       (Num 17:6 NRSV)  Moses spoke to the Israelites; and all their leaders 
       gave him staffs, one for each leader, according to their ancestral 
       houses, twelve staffs; and the staff of Aaron was among theirs.

       (Num 17:7 NRSV)  So Moses placed the staffs before the LORD in the 
       tent of the covenant.

       (Num 17:8 NRSV)  When Moses went into the tent of the covenant on the 
       next day, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted. It 
       put forth buds, produced blossoms, and bore ripe almonds.

       (Num 17:9 NRSV)  Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the 
       LORD to all the Israelites; and they looked, and each man took his 
       staff.

       (Num 17:10 NRSV)  And the LORD said to Moses, "Put back the staff of 
       Aaron before the covenant, to be kept as a warning to rebels, so that 
       you may make an end of their complaints against me, or else they will 
       die."

       (Num 17:11 NRSV)  Moses did so; just as the LORD commanded him, so he 
       did.

       (Num 17:12 NRSV)  The Israelites said to Moses, "We are perishing; we 
       are lost, all of us are lost!

       (Num 17:13 NRSV)  Everyone who approaches the tabernacle of the LORD 
       will die. Are we all to perish?"

       (Num 18:1 NRSV)  The LORD said to Aaron: You and your sons and your 
       ancestral house with you shall bear responsibility for offenses 
       connected with the sanctuary, while you and your sons alone shall bear 
       responsibility for offenses connected with the priesthood.

       (Num 18:2 NRSV)  So bring with you also your brothers of the tribe of 
       Levi, your ancestral tribe, in order that they may be joined to you, 
       and serve you while you and your sons with you are in front of the 
       tent of the covenant.





       (Num 18:3 NRSV)  They shall perform duties for you and for the whole 
       tent. But they must not approach either the utensils of the sanctuary 
       or the altar, otherwise both they and you will die.

       (Num 18:4 NRSV)  They are attached to you in order to perform the 
       duties of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent; no 
       outsider shall approach you.

       (Num 18:5 NRSV)  You yourselves shall perform the duties of the 
       sanctuary and the duties of the altar, so that wrath may never again 
       come upon the Israelites.

       (Num 18:6 NRSV)  It is I who now take your brother Levites from among 
       the Israelites; they are now yours as a gift, dedicated to the LORD, 
       to perform the service of the tent of meeting.

       (Num 18:7 NRSV)  But you and your sons with you shall diligently 
       perform your priestly duties in all that concerns the altar and the 
       area behind the curtain. I give your priesthood as a gift; any 
       outsider who approaches shall be put to death.

       (Num 18:8 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Aaron: I have given you charge of 
       the offerings made to me, all the holy gifts of the Israelites; I have 
       given them to you and your sons as a priestly portion due you in 
       perpetuity.

       (Num 18:9 NRSV)  This shall be yours from the most holy things, 
       reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs that they render to 
       me as a most holy thing, whether grain offering, sin offering, or 
       guilt offering, shall belong to you and your sons.

       (Num 18:10 NRSV)  As a most holy thing you shall eat it; every male 
       may eat it; it shall be holy to you.

       (Num 18:11 NRSV)  This also is yours: I have given to you, together 
       with your sons and daughters, as a perpetual due, whatever is set 
       aside from the gifts of all the elevation offerings of the Israelites; 
       everyone who is clean in your house may eat them.

       (Num 18:12 NRSV)  All the best of the oil and all the best of the wine 
       and of the grain, the choice produce that they give to the LORD, I 
       have given to you.

       (Num 18:13 NRSV)  The first fruits of all that is in their land, which 
       they bring to the LORD, shall be yours; everyone who is clean in your 
       house may eat of it.

       (Num 18:14 NRSV)  Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours.

       (Num 18:15 NRSV)  The first issue of the womb of all creatures, human 
       and animal, which is offered to the LORD, shall be yours; but the 
       firstborn of human beings you shall redeem, and the firstborn of 
       unclean animals you shall redeem.

       (Num 18:16 NRSV)  Their redemption price, reckoned from one month of 
       age, you shall fix at five shekels of silver, according to the shekel 





       of the sanctuary (that is, twenty gerahs).

       (Num 18:17 NRSV)  But the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a 
       sheep, or the firstborn of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are 
       holy. You shall dash their blood on the altar, and shall turn their 
       fat into smoke as an offering by fire for a pleasing odor to the LORD;

       (Num 18:18 NRSV)  but their flesh shall be yours, just as the breast 
       that is elevated and as the right thigh are yours.

       (Num 18:19 NRSV)  All the holy offerings that the Israelites present 
       to the LORD I have given to you, together with your sons and 
       daughters, as a perpetual due; it is a covenant of salt forever before 
       the LORD for you and your descendants as well.

       (Num 18:20 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Aaron: You shall have no 
       allotment in their land, nor shall you have any share among them; I am 
       your share and your possession among the Israelites.

       (Num 18:21 NRSV)  To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel 
       for a possession in return for the service that they perform, the 
       service in the tent of meeting.

       (Num 18:22 NRSV)  From now on the Israelites shall no longer approach 
       the tent of meeting, or else they will incur guilt and die.

       (Num 18:23 NRSV)  But the Levites shall perform the service of the 
       tent of meeting, and they shall bear responsibility for their own 
       offenses; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations. 
       But among the Israelites they shall have no allotment,

       (Num 18:24 NRSV)  because I have given to the Levites as their portion 
       the tithe of the Israelites, which they set apart as an offering to 
       the LORD. Therefore I have said of them that they shall have no 
       allotment among the Israelites.

       (Num 18:25 NRSV)  Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 18:26 NRSV)  You shall speak to the Levites, saying: When you 
       receive from the Israelites the tithe that I have given you from them 
       for your portion, you shall set apart an offering from it to the LORD, 
       a tithe of the tithe.

       (Num 18:27 NRSV)  It shall be reckoned to you as your gift, the same 
       as the grain of the threshing floor and the fullness of the wine 
       press.

       (Num 18:28 NRSV)  Thus you also shall set apart an offering to the 
       LORD from all the tithes that you receive from the Israelites; and 
       from them you shall give the Lord's offering to the priest Aaron.

       (Num 18:29 NRSV)  Out of all the gifts to you, you shall set apart 
       every offering due to the LORD; the best of all of them is the part to 
       be consecrated.

       (Num 18:30 NRSV)  Say also to them: When you have set apart the best 





       of it, then the rest shall be reckoned to the Levites as produce of 
       the threshing floor, and as produce of the wine press.

       (Num 18:31 NRSV)  You may eat it in any place, you and your 
       households; for it is your payment for your service in the tent of 
       meeting.

       (Num 18:32 NRSV)  You shall incur no guilt by reason of it, when you 
       have offered the best of it. But you shall not profane the holy gifts 
       of the Israelites, on pain of death.

       (Num 19:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

       (Num 19:2 NRSV)  This is a statute of the law that the LORD has 
       commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer without 
       defect, in which there is no blemish and on which no yoke has been 
       laid.

       (Num 19:3 NRSV)  You shall give it to the priest Eleazar, and it shall 
       be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence.

       (Num 19:4 NRSV)  The priest Eleazar shall take some of its blood with 
       his finger and sprinkle it seven times towards the front of the tent 
       of meeting.

       (Num 19:5 NRSV)  Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight; its 
       skin, its flesh, and its blood, with its dung, shall be burned.

       (Num 19:6 NRSV)  The priest shall take cedarwood, hyssop, and crimson 
       material, and throw them into the fire in which the heifer is burning.

       (Num 19:7 NRSV)  Then the priest shall wash his clothes and bathe his 
       body in water, and afterwards he may come into the camp; but the 
       priest shall remain unclean until evening.

       (Num 19:8 NRSV)  The one who burns the heifer shall wash his clothes 
       in water and bathe his body in water; he shall remain unclean until 
       evening.

       (Num 19:9 NRSV)  Then someone who is clean shall gather up the ashes 
       of the heifer, and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place; and 
       they shall be kept for the congregation of the Israelites for the 
       water for cleansing. It is a purification offering.

       (Num 19:10 NRSV)  The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall 
       wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. This shall be a 
       perpetual statute for the Israelites and for the alien residing among 
       them.

       (Num 19:11 NRSV)  Those who touch the dead body of any human being 
       shall be unclean seven days.

       (Num 19:12 NRSV)  They shall purify themselves with the water on the 
       third day and on the seventh day, and so be clean; but if they do not 
       purify themselves on the third day and on the seventh day, they will 
       not become clean.






       (Num 19:13 NRSV)  All who touch a corpse, the body of a human being 
       who has died, and do not purify themselves, defile the tabernacle of 
       the LORD; such persons shall be cut off from Israel. Since water for 
       cleansing was not dashed on them, they remain unclean; their 
       uncleanness is still on them.

       (Num 19:14 NRSV)  This is the law when someone dies in a tent: 
       everyone who comes into the tent, and everyone who is in the tent, 
       shall be unclean seven days.

       (Num 19:15 NRSV)  And every open vessel with no cover fastened on it 
       is unclean.

       (Num 19:16 NRSV)  Whoever in the open field touches one who has been 
       killed by a sword, or who has died naturally, or a human bone, or a 
       grave, shall be unclean seven days.

       (Num 19:17 NRSV)  For the unclean they shall take some ashes of the 
       burnt purification offering, and running water shall be added in a 
       vessel;

       (Num 19:18 NRSV)  then a clean person shall take hyssop, dip it in the 
       water, and sprinkle it on the tent, on all the furnishings, on the 
       persons who were there, and on whoever touched the bone, the slain, 
       the corpse, or the grave.

       (Num 19:19 NRSV)  The clean person shall sprinkle the unclean ones on 
       the third day and on the seventh day, thus purifying them on the 
       seventh day. Then they shall wash their clothes and bathe themselves 
       in water, and at evening they shall be clean.

       (Num 19:20 NRSV)  Any who are unclean but do not purify themselves, 
       those persons shall be cut off from the assembly, for they have 
       defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. Since the water for cleansing has 
       not been dashed on them, they are unclean.

       (Num 19:21 NRSV)  It shall be a perpetual statute for them. The one 
       who sprinkles the water for cleansing shall wash his clothes, and 
       whoever touches the water for cleansing shall be unclean until 
       evening.

       (Num 19:22 NRSV)  Whatever the unclean person touches shall be 
       unclean, and anyone who touches it shall be unclean until evening.

       (Num 20:1 NRSV)  The Israelites, the whole congregation, came into the 
       wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. 
       Miriam died there, and was buried there.

       (Num 20:2 NRSV)  Now there was no water for the congregation; so they 
       gathered together against Moses and against Aaron.

       (Num 20:3 NRSV)  The people quarreled with Moses and said, "Would that 
       we had died when our kindred died before the LORD!

       (Num 20:4 NRSV)  Why have you brought the assembly of the LORD into 





       this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here?

       (Num 20:5 NRSV)  Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to bring us 
       to this wretched place? It is no place for grain, or figs, or vines, 
       or pomegranates; and there is no water to drink."

       (Num 20:6 NRSV)  Then Moses and Aaron went away from the assembly to 
       the entrance of the tent of meeting; they fell on their faces, and the 
       glory of the LORD appeared to them.

       (Num 20:7 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 20:8 NRSV)  Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you 
       and your brother Aaron, and command the rock before their eyes to 
       yield its water. Thus you shall bring water out of the rock for them; 
       thus you shall provide drink for the congregation and their livestock.

       (Num 20:9 NRSV)  So Moses took the staff from before the LORD, as he 
       had commanded him.

       (Num 20:10 NRSV)  Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together 
       before the rock, and he said to them, "Listen, you rebels, shall we 
       bring water for you out of this rock?"

       (Num 20:11 NRSV)  Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock 
       twice with his staff; water came out abundantly, and the congregation 
       and their livestock drank.

       (Num 20:12 NRSV)  But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you 
       did not trust in me, to show my holiness before the eyes of the 
       Israelites, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land 
       that I have given them."

       (Num 20:13 NRSV)  These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of 
       Israel quarreled with the LORD, and by which he showed his holiness.

       (Num 20:14 NRSV)  Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of 
       Edom, "Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the adversity that 
       has befallen us:

       (Num 20:15 NRSV)  how our ancestors went down to Egypt, and we lived 
       in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians oppressed us and our 
       ancestors;

       (Num 20:16 NRSV)  and when we cried to the LORD, he heard our voice, 
       and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt; and here we are in 
       Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory.

       (Num 20:17 NRSV)  Now let us pass through your land. We will not pass 
       through field or vineyard, or drink water from any well; we will go 
       along the King's Highway, not turning aside to the right hand or to 
       the left until we have passed through your territory."

       (Num 20:18 NRSV)  But Edom said to him, "You shall not pass through, 
       or we will come out with the sword against you."





       (Num 20:19 NRSV)  The Israelites said to him, "We will stay on the 
       highway; and if we drink of your water, we and our livestock, then we 
       will pay for it. It is only a small matter; just let us pass through 
       on foot."

       (Num 20:20 NRSV)  But he said, "You shall not pass through." And Edom 
       came out against them with a large force, heavily armed.

       (Num 20:21 NRSV)  Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through 
       their territory; so Israel turned away from them.

       (Num 20:22 NRSV)  They set out from Kadesh, and the Israelites, the 
       whole congregation, came to Mount Hor.

       (Num 20:23 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, 
       on the border of the land of Edom,

       (Num 20:24 NRSV)  "Let Aaron be gathered to his people. For he shall 
       not enter the land that I have given to the Israelites, because you 
       rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah.

       (Num 20:25 NRSV)  Take Aaron and his son Eleazar, and bring them up 
       Mount Hor;

       (Num 20:26 NRSV)  strip Aaron of his vestments, and put them on his 
       son Eleazar. But Aaron shall be gathered to his people, and shall die 
       there."

       (Num 20:27 NRSV)  Moses did as the LORD had commanded; they went up 
       Mount Hor in the sight of the whole congregation.

       (Num 20:28 NRSV)  Moses stripped Aaron of his vestments, and put them 
       on his son Eleazar; and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. 
       Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.

       (Num 20:29 NRSV)  When all the congregation saw that Aaron had died, 
       all the house of Israel mourned for Aaron thirty days.

       (Num 21:1 NRSV)  When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in 
       the Negeb, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he 
       fought against Israel and took some of them captive.

       (Num 21:2 NRSV)  Then Israel made a vow to the LORD and said, "If you 
       will indeed give this people into our hands, then we will utterly 
       destroy their towns."

       (Num 21:3 NRSV)  The LORD listened to the voice of Israel, and handed 
       over the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their towns; 
       so the place was called Hormah.

       (Num 21:4 NRSV)  From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red 
       Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on 
       the way.

       (Num 21:5 NRSV)  The people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why 
       have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For 





       there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food."

       (Num 21:6 NRSV)  Then the LORD sent poisonous serpents among the 
       people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died.

       (Num 21:7 NRSV)  The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by 
       speaking against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take 
       away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people.

       (Num 21:8 NRSV)  And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a poisonous 
       serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look 
       at it and live."

       (Num 21:9 NRSV)  So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a 
       pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at 
       the serpent of bronze and live.

       (Num 21:10 NRSV)  The Israelites set out, and camped in Oboth.

       (Num 21:11 NRSV)  They set out from Oboth, and camped at Iye-abarim, 
       in the wilderness bordering Moab toward the sunrise.

       (Num 21:12 NRSV)  From there they set out, and camped in the Wadi 
       Zered.

       (Num 21:13 NRSV)  From there they set out, and camped on the other 
       side of the Arnon, in the wilderness that extends from the boundary of 
       the Amorites; for the Arnon is the boundary of Moab, between Moab and 
       the Amorites.

       (Num 21:14 NRSV)  Wherefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the 
       LORD, "Waheb in Suphah and the wadis. The Arnon

       (Num 21:15 NRSV)  and the slopes of the wadis that extend to the seat 
       of Ar, and lie along the border of Moab."

       (Num 21:16 NRSV)  From there they continued to Beer; that is the well 
       of which the LORD said to Moses, "Gather the people together, and I 
       will give them water."

       (Num 21:17 NRSV)  Then Israel sang this song: "Spring up, O 
       well!--Sing to it!--

       (Num 21:18 NRSV)  the well that the leaders sank, that the nobles of 
       the people dug, with the scepter, with the staff." From the wilderness 
       to Mattanah,

       (Num 21:19 NRSV)  from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth,

       (Num 21:20 NRSV)  and from Bamoth to the valley lying in the region of 
       Moab by the top of Pisgah that overlooks the wasteland.

       (Num 21:21 NRSV)  Then Israel sent messengers to King Sihon of the 
       Amorites, saying,

       (Num 21:22 NRSV)  "Let me pass through your land; we will not turn 





       aside into field or vineyard; we will not drink the water of any well; 
       we will go by the King's Highway until we have passed through your 
       territory."

       (Num 21:23 NRSV)  But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his 
       territory. Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out 
       against Israel to the wilderness; he came to Jahaz, and fought against 
       Israel.

       (Num 21:24 NRSV)  Israel put him to the sword, and took possession of 
       his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites; for 
       the boundary of the Ammonites was strong.

       (Num 21:25 NRSV)  Israel took all these towns, and Israel settled in 
       all the towns of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages.

       (Num 21:26 NRSV)  For Heshbon was the city of King Sihon of the 
       Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and captured 
       all his land as far as the Arnon.

       (Num 21:27 NRSV)  Therefore the ballad singers say, "Come to Heshbon, 
       let it be built; let the city of Sihon be established.

       (Num 21:28 NRSV)  For fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the city 
       of Sihon. It devoured Ar of Moab, and swallowed up the heights of the 
       Arnon.

       (Num 21:29 NRSV)  Woe to you, O Moab! You are undone, O people of 
       Chemosh! He has made his sons fugitives, and his daughters captives, 
       to an Amorite king, Sihon.

       (Num 21:30 NRSV)  So their posterity perished from Heshbon to Dibon, 
       and we laid waste until fire spread to Medeba."

       (Num 21:31 NRSV)  Thus Israel settled in the land of the Amorites.

       (Num 21:32 NRSV)  Moses sent to spy out Jazer; and they captured its 
       villages, and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.

       (Num 21:33 NRSV)  Then they turned and went up the road to Bashan; and 
       King Og of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people, to 
       battle at Edrei.

       (Num 21:34 NRSV)  But the LORD said to Moses, "Do not be afraid of 
       him; for I have given him into your hand, with all his people, and all 
       his land. You shall do to him as you did to King Sihon of the 
       Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon."

       (Num 21:35 NRSV)  So they killed him, his sons, and all his people, 
       until there was no survivor left; and they took possession of his 
       land.

       (Num 22:1 NRSV)  The Israelites set out, and camped in the plains of 
       Moab across the Jordan from Jericho.

       (Num 22:2 NRSV)  Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done 





       to the Amorites.

       (Num 22:3 NRSV)  Moab was in great dread of the people, because they 
       were so numerous; Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel.

       (Num 22:4 NRSV)  And Moab said to the elders of Midian, "This horde 
       will now lick up all that is around us, as an ox licks up the grass of 
       the field." Now Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.

       (Num 22:5 NRSV)  He sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, 
       which is on the Euphrates, in the land of Amaw, to summon him, saying, 
       "A people has come out of Egypt; they have spread over the face of the 
       earth, and they have settled next to me.

       (Num 22:6 NRSV)  Come now, curse this people for me, since they are 
       stronger than I; perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them 
       from the land; for I know that whomever you bless is blessed, and 
       whomever you curse is cursed."

       (Num 22:7 NRSV)  So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian 
       departed with the fees for divination in their hand; and they came to 
       Balaam, and gave him Balak's message.

       (Num 22:8 NRSV)  He said to them, "Stay here tonight, and I will bring 
       back word to you, just as the LORD speaks to me"; so the officials of 
       Moab stayed with Balaam.

       (Num 22:9 NRSV)  God came to Balaam and said, "Who are these men with 
       you?"

       (Num 22:10 NRSV)  Balaam said to God, "King Balak son of Zippor of 
       Moab, has sent me this message:

       (Num 22:11 NRSV)  'A people has come out of Egypt and has spread over 
       the face of the earth; now come, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be 
       able to fight against them and drive them out.'"

       (Num 22:12 NRSV)  God said to Balaam, "You shall not go with them; you 
       shall not curse the people, for they are blessed."

       (Num 22:13 NRSV)  So Balaam rose in the morning, and said to the 
       officials of Balak, "Go to your own land, for the LORD has refused to 
       let me go with you."

       (Num 22:14 NRSV)  So the officials of Moab rose and went to Balak, and 
       said, "Balaam refuses to come with us."

       (Num 22:15 NRSV)  Once again Balak sent officials, more numerous and 
       more distinguished than these.

       (Num 22:16 NRSV)  They came to Balaam and said to him, "Thus says 
       Balak son of Zippor: 'Do not let anything hinder you from coming to 
       me;

       (Num 22:17 NRSV)  for I will surely do you great honor, and whatever 
       you say to me I will do; come, curse this people for me.'"






       (Num 22:18 NRSV)  But Balaam replied to the servants of Balak, 
       "Although Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I 
       could not go beyond the command of the LORD my God, to do less or 
       more.

       (Num 22:19 NRSV)  You remain here, as the others did, so that I may 
       learn what more the LORD may say to me."

       (Num 22:20 NRSV)  That night God came to Balaam and said to him, "If 
       the men have come to summon you, get up and go with them; but do only 
       what I tell you to do."

       (Num 22:21 NRSV)  So Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, 
       and went with the officials of Moab.

       (Num 22:22 NRSV)  God's anger was kindled because he was going, and 
       the angel of the LORD took his stand in the road as his adversary. Now 
       he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him.

       (Num 22:23 NRSV)  The donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the 
       road, with a drawn sword in his hand; so the donkey turned off the 
       road, and went into the field; and Balaam struck the donkey, to turn 
       it back onto the road.

       (Num 22:24 NRSV)  Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path 
       between the vineyards, with a wall on either side.

       (Num 22:25 NRSV)  When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it 
       scraped against the wall, and scraped Balaam's foot against the wall; 
       so he struck it again.

       (Num 22:26 NRSV)  Then the angel of the LORD went ahead, and stood in 
       a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or 
       to the left.

       (Num 22:27 NRSV)  When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it lay 
       down under Balaam; and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the 
       donkey with his staff.

       (Num 22:28 NRSV)  Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and it 
       said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me 
       these three times?"

       (Num 22:29 NRSV)  Balaam said to the donkey, "Because you have made a 
       fool of me! I wish I had a sword in my hand! I would kill you right 
       now!"

       (Num 22:30 NRSV)  But the donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your 
       donkey, which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I been 
       in the habit of treating you this way?" And he said, "No."

       (Num 22:31 NRSV)  Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw 
       the angel of the LORD standing in the road, with his drawn sword in 
       his hand; and he bowed down, falling on his face.





       (Num 22:32 NRSV)  The angel of the LORD said to him, "Why have you 
       struck your donkey these three times? I have come out as an adversary, 
       because your way is perverse before me.

       (Num 22:33 NRSV)  The donkey saw me, and turned away from me these 
       three times. If it had not turned away from me, surely just now I 
       would have killed you and let it live."

       (Num 22:34 NRSV)  Then Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, "I have 
       sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the road to 
       oppose me. Now therefore, if it is displeasing to you, I will return 
       home."

       (Num 22:35 NRSV)  The angel of the LORD said to Balaam, "Go with the 
       men; but speak only what I tell you to speak." So Balaam went on with 
       the officials of Balak.

       (Num 22:36 NRSV)  When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out 
       to meet him at Ir-moab, on the boundary formed by the Arnon, at the 
       farthest point of the boundary.

       (Num 22:37 NRSV)  Balak said to Balaam, "Did I not send to summon you? 
       Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?"

       (Num 22:38 NRSV)  Balaam said to Balak, "I have come to you now, but 
       do I have power to say just anything? The word God puts in my mouth, 
       that is what I must say."

       (Num 22:39 NRSV)  Then Balaam went with Balak, and they came to 
       Kiriath-huzoth.

       (Num 22:40 NRSV)  Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent them to 
       Balaam and to the officials who were with him.

       (Num 22:41 NRSV)  On the next day Balak took Balaam and brought him up 
       to Bamoth-baal; and from there he could see part of the people of 
       Israel.

       (Num 23:1 NRSV)  Then Balaam said to Balak, "Build me seven altars 
       here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me."

       (Num 23:2 NRSV)  Balak did as Balaam had said; and Balak and Balaam 
       offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

       (Num 23:3 NRSV)  Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here beside your 
       burnt offerings while I go aside. Perhaps the LORD will come to meet 
       me. Whatever he shows me I will tell you." And he went to a bare 
       height.

       (Num 23:4 NRSV)  Then God met Balaam; and Balaam said to him, "I have 
       arranged the seven altars, and have offered a bull and a ram on each 
       altar."

       (Num 23:5 NRSV)  The LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, 
       "Return to Balak, and this is what you must say."





       (Num 23:6 NRSV)  So he returned to Balak, who was standing beside his 
       burnt offerings with all the officials of Moab.

       (Num 23:7 NRSV)  Then Balaam uttered his oracle, saying: "Balak has 
       brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains: 
       'Come, curse Jacob for me; Come, denounce Israel!'

       (Num 23:8 NRSV)  How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I 
       denounce those whom the LORD has not denounced?

       (Num 23:9 NRSV)  For from the top of the crags I see him, from the 
       hills I behold him; Here is a people living alone, and not reckoning 
       itself among the nations!

       (Num 23:10 NRSV)  Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number the 
       dust-cloud of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, and let my 
       end be like his!"

       (Num 23:11 NRSV)  Then Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to 
       me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but now you have done nothing 
       but bless them."

       (Num 23:12 NRSV)  He answered, "Must I not take care to say what the 
       LORD puts into my mouth?"

       (Num 23:13 NRSV)  So Balak said to him, "Come with me to another place 
       from which you may see them; you shall see only part of them, and 
       shall not see them all; then curse them for me from there."

       (Num 23:14 NRSV)  So he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of 
       Pisgah. He built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each 
       altar.

       (Num 23:15 NRSV)  Balaam said to Balak, "Stand here beside your burnt 
       offerings, while I meet the LORD over there.

       (Num 23:16 NRSV)  The LORD met Balaam, put a word into his mouth, and 
       said, "Return to Balak, and this is what you shall say."

       (Num 23:17 NRSV)  When he came to him, he was standing beside his 
       burnt offerings with the officials of Moab. Balak said to him, "What 
       has the LORD said?"

       (Num 23:18 NRSV)  Then Balaam uttered his oracle, saying: "Rise, 
       Balak, and hear; listen to me, O son of Zippor:

       (Num 23:19 NRSV)  God is not a human being, that he should lie, or a 
       mortal, that he should change his mind. Has he promised, and will he 
       not do it? Has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

       (Num 23:20 NRSV)  See, I received a command to bless; he has blessed, 
       and I cannot revoke it.

       (Num 23:21 NRSV)  He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob; nor has he 
       seen trouble in Israel. The LORD their God is with them, acclaimed as 
       a king among them.






       (Num 23:22 NRSV)  God, who brings them out of Egypt, is like the horns 
       of a wild ox for them.

       (Num 23:23 NRSV)  Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, no 
       divination against Israel; now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel, 
       'See what God has done!'

       (Num 23:24 NRSV)  Look, a people rising up like a lioness, and rousing 
       itself like a lion! It does not lie down until it has eaten the prey 
       and drunk the blood of the slain."

       (Num 23:25 NRSV)  Then Balak said to Balaam, "Do not curse them at 
       all, and do not bless them at all."

       (Num 23:26 NRSV)  But Balaam answered Balak, "Did I not tell you, 
       'Whatever the LORD says, that is what I must do'?"

       (Num 23:27 NRSV)  So Balak said to Balaam, "Come now, I will take you 
       to another place; perhaps it will please God that you may curse them 
       for me from there."

       (Num 23:28 NRSV)  So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which 
       overlooks the wasteland.

       (Num 23:29 NRSV)  Balaam said to Balak, "Build me seven altars here, 
       and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me."

       (Num 23:30 NRSV)  So Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull 
       and a ram on each altar.

       (Num 24:1 NRSV)  Now Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless 
       Israel, so he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but 
       set his face toward the wilderness.

       (Num 24:2 NRSV)  Balaam looked up and saw Israel camping tribe by 
       tribe. Then the spirit of God came upon him,

       (Num 24:3 NRSV)  and he uttered his oracle, saying: "The oracle of 
       Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is clear,

       (Num 24:4 NRSV)  the oracle of one who hears the words of God, who 
       sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls down, but with eyes 
       uncovered:

       (Num 24:5 NRSV)  how fair are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O 
       Israel!

       (Num 24:6 NRSV)  Like palm groves that stretch far away, like gardens 
       beside a river, like aloes that the LORD has planted, like cedar trees 
       beside the waters.

       (Num 24:7 NRSV)  Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall 
       have abundant water, his king shall be higher than Agag, and his 
       kingdom shall be exalted.





       (Num 24:8 NRSV)  God who brings him out of Egypt, is like the horns of 
       a wild ox for him; he shall devour the nations that are his foes and 
       break their bones. He shall strike with his arrows.

       (Num 24:9 NRSV)  He crouched, he lay down like a lion, and like a 
       lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, 
       and cursed is everyone who curses you."

       (Num 24:10 NRSV)  Then Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and 
       he struck his hands together. Balak said to Balaam, "I summoned you to 
       curse my enemies, but instead you have blessed them these three times.

       (Num 24:11 NRSV)  Now be off with you! Go home! I said, 'I will reward 
       you richly,' but the LORD has denied you any reward."

       (Num 24:12 NRSV)  And Balaam said to Balak, "Did I not tell your 
       messengers whom you sent to me,

       (Num 24:13 NRSV)  'If Balak should give me his house full of silver 
       and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the LORD, to do 
       either good or bad of my own will; what the LORD says, that is what I 
       will say'?

       (Num 24:14 NRSV)  So now, I am going to my people; let me advise you 
       what this people will do to your people in days to come."

       (Num 24:15 NRSV)  So he uttered his oracle, saying: "The oracle of 
       Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is clear,

       (Num 24:16 NRSV)  the oracle of one who hears the words of God, and 
       knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the 
       Almighty, who falls down, but with his eyes uncovered:

       (Num 24:17 NRSV)  I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near-- 
       a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of 
       Israel; it shall crush the borderlands of Moab, and the territory of 
       all the Shethites.

       (Num 24:18 NRSV)  Edom will become a possession, Seir a possession of 
       its enemies, while Israel does valiantly.

       (Num 24:19 NRSV)  One out of Jacob shall rule, and destroy the 
       survivors of Ir."

       (Num 24:20 NRSV)  Then he looked on Amalek, and uttered his oracle, 
       saying: "First among the nations was Amalek, but its end is to perish 
       forever."

       (Num 24:21 NRSV)  Then he looked on the Kenite, and uttered his 
       oracle, saying: "Enduring is your dwelling place, and your nest is set 
       in the rock;

       (Num 24:22 NRSV)  yet Kain is destined for burning. How long shall 
       Asshur take you away captive?"

       (Num 24:23 NRSV)  Again he uttered his oracle, saying: "Alas, who 





       shall live when God does this?

       (Num 24:24 NRSV)  But ships shall come from Kittim and shall afflict 
       Asshur and Eber; and he also shall perish forever."

       (Num 24:25 NRSV)  Then Balaam got up and went back to his place, and 
       Balak also went his way.

       (Num 25:1 NRSV)  While Israel was staying at Shittim, the people began 
       to have sexual relations with the women of Moab.

       (Num 25:2 NRSV)  These invited the people to the sacrifices of their 
       gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

       (Num 25:3 NRSV)  Thus Israel yoked itself to the Baal of Peor, and the 
       Lord's anger was kindled against Israel.

       (Num 25:4 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses, "Take all the chiefs of the 
       people, and impale them in the sun before the LORD, in order that the 
       fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel."

       (Num 25:5 NRSV)  And Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Each of you 
       shall kill any of your people who have yoked themselves to the Baal of 
       Peor."

       (Num 25:6 NRSV)  Just then one of the Israelites came and brought a 
       Midianite woman into his family, in the sight of Moses and in the 
       sight of the whole congregation of the Israelites, while they were 
       weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

       (Num 25:7 NRSV)  When Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the 
       priest, saw it, he got up and left the congregation. Taking a spear in 
       his hand,

       (Num 25:8 NRSV)  he went after the Israelite man into the tent, and 
       pierced the two of them, the Israelite and the woman, through the 
       belly. So the plague was stopped among the people of Israel.

       (Num 25:9 NRSV)  Nevertheless those that died by the plague were 
       twenty-four thousand.

       (Num 25:10 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 25:11 NRSV)  "Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, 
       has turned back my wrath from the Israelites by manifesting such zeal 
       among them on my behalf that in my jealousy I did not consume the 
       Israelites.

       (Num 25:12 NRSV)  Therefore say, 'I hereby grant him my covenant of 
       peace.

       (Num 25:13 NRSV)  It shall be for him and for his descendants after 
       him a covenant of perpetual priesthood, because he was zealous for his 
       God, and made atonement for the Israelites.'"

       (Num 25:14 NRSV)  The name of the slain Israelite man, who was killed 





       with the Midianite woman, was Zimri son of Salu, head of an ancestral 
       house belonging to the Simeonites.

       (Num 25:15 NRSV)  The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was 
       Cozbi daughter of Zur, who was the head of a clan, an ancestral house 
       in Midian.

       (Num 25:16 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses,

       (Num 25:17 NRSV)  "Harass the Midianites, and defeat them;

       (Num 25:18 NRSV)  for they have harassed you by the trickery with 
       which they deceived you in the affair of Peor, and in the affair of 
       Cozbi, the daughter of a leader of Midian, their sister; she was 
       killed on the day of the plague that resulted from Peor."

       (Num 26:1 NRSV)  After the plague the LORD said to Moses and to 
       Eleazar son of Aaron the priest,

       (Num 26:2 NRSV)  "Take a census of the whole congregation of the 
       Israelites, from twenty years old and upward, by their ancestral 
       houses, everyone in Israel able to go to war."

       (Num 26:3 NRSV)  Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the 
       plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying,

       (Num 26:4 NRSV)  "Take a census of the people, from twenty years old 
       and upward," as the LORD commanded Moses. The Israelites, who came out 
       of the land of Egypt, were:

       (Num 26:5 NRSV)  Reuben, the firstborn of Israel. The descendants of 
       Reuben: of Hanoch, the clan of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the clan of 
       the Palluites;

       (Num 26:6 NRSV)  of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the 
       clan of the Carmites.

       (Num 26:7 NRSV)  These are the clans of the Reubenites; the number of 
       those enrolled was forty-three thousand seven hundred thirty.

       (Num 26:8 NRSV)  And the descendants of Pallu: Eliab.

       (Num 26:9 NRSV)  The descendants of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. 
       These are the same Dathan and Abiram, chosen from the congregation, 
       who rebelled against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, when 
       they rebelled against the LORD,

       (Num 26:10 NRSV)  and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up 
       along with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured two 
       hundred fifty men; and they became a warning.

       (Num 26:11 NRSV)  Notwithstanding, the sons of Korah did not die.

       (Num 26:12 NRSV)  The descendants of Simeon by their clans: of Nemuel, 
       the clan of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the clan of the Jaminites; of 
       Jachin, the clan of the Jachinites;






       (Num 26:13 NRSV)  of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the 
       clan of the Shaulites.

       (Num 26:14 NRSV)  These are the clans of the Simeonites, twenty-two 
       thousand two hundred.

       (Num 26:15 NRSV)  The children of Gad by their clans: of Zephon, the 
       clan of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the clan of the Haggites; of Shuni, 
       the clan of the Shunites;

       (Num 26:16 NRSV)  of Ozni, the clan of the Oznites; of Eri, the clan 
       of the Erites;

       (Num 26:17 NRSV)  of Arod, the clan of the Arodites; of Areli, the 
       clan of the Arelites.

       (Num 26:18 NRSV)  These are the clans of the Gadites: the number of 
       those enrolled was forty thousand five hundred.

       (Num 26:19 NRSV)  The sons of Judah: Er and Onan; Er and Onan died in 
       the land of Canaan.

       (Num 26:20 NRSV)  The descendants of Judah by their clans were: of 
       Shelah, the clan of the Shelanites; of Perez, the clan of the 
       Perezites; of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites.

       (Num 26:21 NRSV)  The descendants of Perez were: of Hezron, the clan 
       of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the clan of the Hamulites.

       (Num 26:22 NRSV)  These are the clans of Judah: the number of those 
       enrolled was seventy-six thousand five hundred.

       (Num 26:23 NRSV)  The descendants of Issachar by their clans: of Tola, 
       the clan of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the clan of the Punites;

       (Num 26:24 NRSV)  of Jashub, the clan of the Jashubites; of Shimron, 
       the clan of the Shimronites.

       (Num 26:25 NRSV)  These are the clans of Issachar: sixty-four thousand 
       three hundred enrolled.

       (Num 26:26 NRSV)  The descendants of Zebulun by their clans: of Sered, 
       the clan of the Seredites; of Elon, the clan of the Elonites; of 
       Jahleel, the clan of the Jahleelites.

       (Num 26:27 NRSV)  These are the clans of the Zebulunites; the number 
       of those enrolled was sixty thousand five hundred.

       (Num 26:28 NRSV)  The sons of Joseph by their clans: Manasseh and 
       Ephraim.

       (Num 26:29 NRSV)  The descendants of Manasseh: of Machir, the clan of 
       the Machirites; and Machir was the father of Gilead; of Gilead, the 
       clan of the Gileadites.





       (Num 26:30 NRSV)  These are the descendants of Gilead: of Iezer, the 
       clan of the Iezerites; of Helek, the clan of the Helekites;

       (Num 26:31 NRSV)  and of Asriel, the clan of the Asrielites; and of 
       Shechem, the clan of the Shechemites;

       (Num 26:32 NRSV)  and of Shemida, the clan of the Shemidaites; and of 
       Hepher, the clan of the Hepherites.

       (Num 26:33 NRSV)  Now Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, but 
       daughters: and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, 
       Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

       (Num 26:34 NRSV)  These are the clans of Manasseh; the number of those 
       enrolled was fifty-two thousand seven hundred.

       (Num 26:35 NRSV)  These are the descendants of Ephraim according to 
       their clans: of Shuthelah, the clan of the Shuthelahites; of Becher, 
       the clan of the Becherites; of Tahan, the clan of the Tahanites.

       (Num 26:36 NRSV)  And these are the descendants of Shuthelah: of Eran, 
       the clan of the Eranites.

       (Num 26:37 NRSV)  These are the clans of the Ephraimites: the number 
       of those enrolled was thirty-two thousand five hundred. These are the 
       descendants of Joseph by their clans.

       (Num 26:38 NRSV)  The descendants of Benjamin by their clans: of Bela, 
       the clan of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the clan of the Ashbelites; of 
       Ahiram, the clan of the Ahiramites;

       (Num 26:39 NRSV)  of Shephupham, the clan of the Shuphamites; of 
       Hupham, the clan of the Huphamites.

       (Num 26:40 NRSV)  And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: of Ard, 
       the clan of the Ardites; of Naaman, the clan of the Naamites.

       (Num 26:41 NRSV)  These are the descendants of Benjamin by their 
       clans; the number of those enrolled was forty-five thousand six 
       hundred.

       (Num 26:42 NRSV)  These are the descendants of Dan by their clans: of 
       Shuham, the clan of the Shuhamites. These are the clans of Dan by 
       their clans.

       (Num 26:43 NRSV)  All the clans of the Shuhamites: sixty-four thousand 
       four hundred enrolled.

       (Num 26:44 NRSV)  The descendants of Asher by their families: of 
       Imnah, the clan of the Imnites; of Ishvi, the clan of the Ishvites; of 
       Beriah, the clan of the Beriites.

       (Num 26:45 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Beriah: of Heber, the clan of 
       the Heberites; of Malchiel, the clan of the Malchielites.

       (Num 26:46 NRSV)  And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah.






       (Num 26:47 NRSV)  These are the clans of the Asherites: the number of 
       those enrolled was fifty-three thousand four hundred.

       (Num 26:48 NRSV)  The descendants of Naphtali by their clans: of 
       Jahzeel, the clan of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the clan of the 
       Gunites;

       (Num 26:49 NRSV)  of Jezer, the clan of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the 
       clan of the Shillemites.

       (Num 26:50 NRSV)  These are the Naphtalites by their clans: the number 
       of those enrolled was forty-five thousand four hundred.

       (Num 26:51 NRSV)  This was the number of the Israelites enrolled: six 
       hundred and one thousand seven hundred thirty.

       (Num 26:52 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 26:53 NRSV)  To these the land shall be apportioned for 
       inheritance according to the number of names.

       (Num 26:54 NRSV)  To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, 
       and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance; every tribe 
       shall be given its inheritance according to its enrollment.

       (Num 26:55 NRSV)  But the land shall be apportioned by lot; according 
       to the names of their ancestral tribes they shall inherit.

       (Num 26:56 NRSV)  Their inheritance shall be apportioned according to 
       lot between the larger and the smaller.

       (Num 26:57 NRSV)  This is the enrollment of the Levites by their 
       clans: of Gershon, the clan of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the clan of 
       the Kohathites; of Merari, the clan of the Merarites.

       (Num 26:58 NRSV)  These are the clans of Levi: the clan of the 
       Libnites, the clan of the Hebronites, the clan of the Mahlites, the 
       clan of the Mushites, the clan of the Korahites. Now Kohath was the 
       father of Amram.

       (Num 26:59 NRSV)  The name of Amram's wife was Jochebed daughter of 
       Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and she bore to Amram: Aaron, 
       Moses, and their sister Miriam.

       (Num 26:60 NRSV)  To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and 
       Ithamar.

       (Num 26:61 NRSV)  But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered illicit 
       fire before the LORD.

       (Num 26:62 NRSV)  The number of those enrolled was twenty-three 
       thousand, every male one month old and up; for they were not enrolled 
       among the Israelites because there was no allotment given to them 
       among the Israelites.





       (Num 26:63 NRSV)  These were those enrolled by Moses and Eleazar the 
       priest, who enrolled the Israelites in the plains of Moab by the 
       Jordan opposite Jericho.

       (Num 26:64 NRSV)  Among these there was not one of those enrolled by 
       Moses and Aaron the priest, who had enrolled the Israelites in the 
       wilderness of Sinai.

       (Num 26:65 NRSV)  For the LORD had said of them, "They shall die in 
       the wilderness." Not one of them was left, except Caleb son of 
       Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

       (Num 27:1 NRSV)  Then the daughters of Zelophehad came forward. 
       Zelophehad was son of Hepher son of Gilead son of Machir son of 
       Manasseh son of Joseph, a member of the Manassite clans. The names of 
       his daughters were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

       (Num 27:2 NRSV)  They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the 
       leaders, and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of 
       meeting, and they said,

       (Num 27:3 NRSV)  "Our father died in the wilderness; he was not among 
       the company of those who gathered themselves together against the LORD 
       in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin; and he had no sons.

       (Num 27:4 NRSV)  Why should the name of our father be taken away from 
       his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our 
       father's brothers."

       (Num 27:5 NRSV)  Moses brought their case before the LORD.

       (Num 27:6 NRSV)  And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 27:7 NRSV)  The daughters of Zelophehad are right in what they 
       are saying; you shall indeed let them possess an inheritance among 
       their father's brothers and pass the inheritance of their father on to 
       them.

       (Num 27:8 NRSV)  You shall also say to the Israelites, "If a man dies, 
       and has no son, then you shall pass his inheritance on to his 
       daughter.

       (Num 27:9 NRSV)  If he has no daughter, then you shall give his 
       inheritance to his brothers.

       (Num 27:10 NRSV)  If he has no brothers, then you shall give his 
       inheritance to his father's brothers.

       (Num 27:11 NRSV)  And if his father has no brothers, then you shall 
       give his inheritance to the nearest kinsman of his clan, and he shall 
       possess it. It shall be for the Israelites a statute and ordinance, as 
       the LORD commanded Moses."

       (Num 27:12 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses, "Go up this mountain of the 
       Abarim range, and see the land that I have given to the Israelites.





       (Num 27:13 NRSV)  When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to 
       your people, as your brother Aaron was,

       (Num 27:14 NRSV)  because you rebelled against my word in the 
       wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled with me. You did not 
       show my holiness before their eyes at the waters." (These are the 
       waters of Meribah-kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)

       (Num 27:15 NRSV)  Moses spoke to the LORD, saying,

       (Num 27:16 NRSV)  "Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, 
       appoint someone over the congregation

       (Num 27:17 NRSV)  who shall go out before them and come in before 
       them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, so that the 
       congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep without a shepherd."

       (Num 27:18 NRSV)  So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, 
       a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand upon him;

       (Num 27:19 NRSV)  have him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the 
       congregation, and commission him in their sight.

       (Num 27:20 NRSV)  You shall give him some of your authority, so that 
       all the congregation of the Israelites may obey.

       (Num 27:21 NRSV)  But he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who 
       shall inquire for him by the decision of the Urim before the LORD; at 
       his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both 
       he and all the Israelites with him, the whole congregation."

       (Num 27:22 NRSV)  So Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took 
       Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole 
       congregation;

       (Num 27:23 NRSV)  he laid his hands on him and commissioned him--as 
       the LORD had directed through Moses.

       (Num 28:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 28:2 NRSV)  Command the Israelites, and say to them: My offering, 
       the food for my offerings by fire, my pleasing odor, you shall take 
       care to offer to me at its appointed time.

       (Num 28:3 NRSV)  And you shall say to them, This is the offering by 
       fire that you shall offer to the LORD: two male lambs a year old 
       without blemish, daily, as a regular offering.

       (Num 28:4 NRSV)  One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the 
       other lamb you shall offer at twilight

       (Num 28:5 NRSV)  also one-tenth of an ephah of choice flour for a 
       grain offering, mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten oil.

       (Num 28:6 NRSV)  It is a regular burnt offering, ordained at Mount 
       Sinai for a pleasing odor, an offering by fire to the LORD.






       (Num 28:7 NRSV)  Its drink offering shall be one-fourth of a hin for 
       each lamb; in the sanctuary you shall pour out a drink offering of 
       strong drink to the LORD.

       (Num 28:8 NRSV)  The other lamb you shall offer at twilight with a 
       grain offering and a drink offering like the one in the morning; you 
       shall offer it as an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD.

       (Num 28:9 NRSV)  On the sabbath day: two male lambs a year old without 
       blemish, and two-tenths of an ephah of choice flour for a grain 
       offering, mixed with oil, and its drink offering--

       (Num 28:10 NRSV)  this is the burnt offering for every sabbath, in 
       addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.

       (Num 28:11 NRSV)  At the beginnings of your months you shall offer a 
       burnt offering to the LORD: two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs 
       a year old without blemish;

       (Num 28:12 NRSV)  also three-tenths of an ephah of choice flour for a 
       grain offering, mixed with oil, for each bull; and two-tenths of 
       choice flour for a grain offering, mixed with oil, for the one ram;

       (Num 28:13 NRSV)  and one-tenth of choice flour mixed with oil as a 
       grain offering for every lamb--a burnt offering of pleasing odor, an 
       offering by fire to the LORD.

       (Num 28:14 NRSV)  Their drink offerings shall be half a hin of wine 
       for a bull, one-third of a hin for a ram, and one-fourth of a hin for 
       a lamb. This is the burnt offering of every month throughout the 
       months of the year.

       (Num 28:15 NRSV)  And there shall be one male goat for a sin offering 
       to the LORD; it shall be offered in addition to the regular burnt 
       offering and its drink offering.

       (Num 28:16 NRSV)  On the fourteenth day of the first month there shall 
       be a passover offering to the LORD.

       (Num 28:17 NRSV)  And on the fifteenth day of this month is a 
       festival; seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.

       (Num 28:18 NRSV)  On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. 
       You shall not work at your occupations.

       (Num 28:19 NRSV)  You shall offer an offering by fire, a burnt 
       offering to the LORD: two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a 
       year old; see that they are without blemish.

       (Num 28:20 NRSV)  Their grain offering shall be of choice flour mixed 
       with oil: three-tenths of an ephah shall you offer for a bull, and 
       two-tenths for a ram;

       (Num 28:21 NRSV)  one-tenth shall you offer for each of the seven 
       lambs;






       (Num 28:22 NRSV)  also one male goat for a sin offering, to make 
       atonement for you.

       (Num 28:23 NRSV)  You shall offer these in addition to the burnt 
       offering of the morning, which belongs to the regular burnt offering.

       (Num 28:24 NRSV)  In the same way you shall offer daily, for seven 
       days, the food of an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD; it 
       shall be offered in addition to the regular burnt offering and its 
       drink offering.

       (Num 28:25 NRSV)  And on the seventh day you shall have a holy 
       convocation; you shall not work at your occupations.

       (Num 28:26 NRSV)  On the day of the first fruits, when you offer a 
       grain offering of new grain to the LORD at your festival of weeks, you 
       shall have a holy convocation; you shall not work at your occupations.

       (Num 28:27 NRSV)  You shall offer a burnt offering, a pleasing odor to 
       the LORD: two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs a year old.

       (Num 28:28 NRSV)  Their grain offering shall be of choice flour mixed 
       with oil, three-tenths of an ephah for each bull, two-tenths for one 
       ram,

       (Num 28:29 NRSV)  one-tenth for each of the seven lambs;

       (Num 28:30 NRSV)  with one male goat, to make atonement for you.

       (Num 28:31 NRSV)  In addition to the regular burnt offering with its 
       grain offering, you shall offer them and their drink offering. They 
       shall be without blemish.

       (Num 29:1 NRSV)  On the first day of the seventh month you shall have 
       a holy convocation; you shall not work at your occupations. It is a 
       day for you to blow the trumpets,

       (Num 29:2 NRSV)  and you shall offer a burnt offering, a pleasing odor 
       to the LORD: one young bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old 
       without blemish.

       (Num 29:3 NRSV)  Their grain offering shall be of choice flour mixed 
       with oil, three-tenths of one ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the 
       ram,

       (Num 29:4 NRSV)  and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs;

       (Num 29:5 NRSV)  with one male goat for a sin offering, to make 
       atonement for you.

       (Num 29:6 NRSV)  These are in addition to the burnt offering of the 
       new moon and its grain offering, and the regular burnt offering and 
       its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to the 
       ordinance for them, a pleasing odor, an offering by fire to the LORD.





       (Num 29:7 NRSV)  On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have 
       a holy convocation, and deny yourselves; you shall do no work.

       (Num 29:8 NRSV)  You shall offer a burnt offering to the LORD, a 
       pleasing odor: one young bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old. 
       They shall be without blemish.

       (Num 29:9 NRSV)  Their grain offering shall be of choice flour mixed 
       with oil, three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the 
       one ram,

       (Num 29:10 NRSV)  one-tenth for each of the seven lambs;

       (Num 29:11 NRSV)  with one male goat for a sin offering, in addition 
       to the sin offering of atonement, and the regular burnt offering and 
       its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

       (Num 29:12 NRSV)  On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall 
       have a holy convocation; you shall not work at your occupations. You 
       shall celebrate a festival to the LORD seven days.

       (Num 29:13 NRSV)  You shall offer a burnt offering, an offering by 
       fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD: thirteen young bulls, two rams, 
       fourteen male lambs a year old. They shall be without blemish.

       (Num 29:14 NRSV)  Their grain offering shall be of choice flour mixed 
       with oil, three-tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, 
       two-tenths for each of the two rams,

       (Num 29:15 NRSV)  and one-tenth for each of the fourteen lambs;

       (Num 29:16 NRSV)  also one male goat for a sin offering, in addition 
       to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink 
       offering.

       (Num 29:17 NRSV)  On the second day: twelve young bulls, two rams, 
       fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish,

       (Num 29:18 NRSV)  with the grain offering and the drink offerings for 
       the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, as prescribed in 
       accordance with their number;

       (Num 29:19 NRSV)  also one male goat for a sin offering, in addition 
       to the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink 
       offerings.

       (Num 29:20 NRSV)  On the third day: eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen 
       male lambs a year old without blemish,

       (Num 29:21 NRSV)  with the grain offering and the drink offerings for 
       the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, as prescribed in 
       accordance with their number;

       (Num 29:22 NRSV)  also one male goat for a sin offering, in addition 
       to the regular burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink 
       offering.






       (Num 29:23 NRSV)  On the fourth day: ten bulls, two rams, fourteen 
       male lambs a year old without blemish,

       (Num 29:24 NRSV)  with the grain offering and the drink offerings for 
       the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, as prescribed in 
       accordance with their number;

       (Num 29:25 NRSV)  also one male goat for a sin offering, in addition 
       to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink 
       offering.

       (Num 29:26 NRSV)  On the fifth day: nine bulls, two rams, fourteen 
       male lambs a year old without blemish,

       (Num 29:27 NRSV)  with the grain offering and the drink offerings for 
       the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, as prescribed in 
       accordance with their number;

       (Num 29:28 NRSV)  also one male goat for a sin offering, in addition 
       to the regular burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink 
       offering.

       (Num 29:29 NRSV)  On the sixth day: eight bulls, two rams, fourteen 
       male lambs a year old without blemish,

       (Num 29:30 NRSV)  with the grain offering and the drink offerings for 
       the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, as prescribed in 
       accordance with their number;

       (Num 29:31 NRSV)  also one male goat for a sin offering, in addition 
       to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink 
       offerings.

       (Num 29:32 NRSV)  On the seventh day: seven bulls, two rams, fourteen 
       male lambs a year old without blemish,

       (Num 29:33 NRSV)  with the grain offering and the drink offerings for 
       the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, as prescribed in 
       accordance with their number;

       (Num 29:34 NRSV)  also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the 
       regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

       (Num 29:35 NRSV)  On the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly; 
       you shall not work at your occupations.

       (Num 29:36 NRSV)  You shall offer a burnt offering, an offering by 
       fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs 
       a year old without blemish,

       (Num 29:37 NRSV)  and the grain offering and the drink offerings for 
       the bull, for the ram, and for the lambs, as prescribed in accordance 
       with their number;

       (Num 29:38 NRSV)  also one male goat for a sin offering, in addition 





       to the regular burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink 
       offering.

       (Num 29:39 NRSV)  These you shall offer to the LORD at your appointed 
       festivals, in addition to your votive offerings and your freewill 
       offerings, as your burnt offerings, your grain offerings, your drink 
       offerings, and your offerings of well-being.

       (Num 29:40 NRSV)  So Moses told the Israelites everything just as the 
       LORD had commanded Moses.

       (Num 30:1 NRSV)  Then Moses said to the heads of the tribes of the 
       Israelites: This is what the LORD has commanded.

       (Num 30:2 NRSV)  When a man makes a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath 
       to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word; he shall do 
       according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

       (Num 30:3 NRSV)  When a woman makes a vow to the LORD, or binds 
       herself by a pledge, while within her father's house, in her youth,

       (Num 30:4 NRSV)  and her father hears of her vow or her pledge by 
       which she has bound herself, and says nothing to her; then all her 
       vows shall stand, and any pledge by which she has bound herself shall 
       stand.

       (Num 30:5 NRSV)  But if her father expresses disapproval to her at the 
       time that he hears of it, no vow of hers, and no pledge by which she 
       has bound herself, shall stand; and the LORD will forgive her, because 
       her father had expressed to her his disapproval.

       (Num 30:6 NRSV)  If she marries, while obligated by her vows or any 
       thoughtless utterance of her lips by which she has bound herself,

       (Num 30:7 NRSV)  and her husband hears of it and says nothing to her 
       at the time that he hears, then her vows shall stand, and her pledges 
       by which she has bound herself shall stand.

       (Num 30:8 NRSV)  But if, at the time that her husband hears of it, he 
       expresses disapproval to her, then he shall nullify the vow by which 
       she was obligated, or the thoughtless utterance of her lips, by which 
       she bound herself; and the LORD will forgive her.

       (Num 30:9 NRSV)  (But every vow of a widow or of a divorced woman, by 
       which she has bound herself, shall be binding upon her.)

       (Num 30:10 NRSV)  And if she made a vow in her husband's house, or 
       bound herself by a pledge with an oath,

       (Num 30:11 NRSV)  and her husband heard it and said nothing to her, 
       and did not express disapproval to her, then all her vows shall stand, 
       and any pledge by which she bound herself shall stand.

       (Num 30:12 NRSV)  But if her husband nullifies them at the time that 
       he hears them, then whatever proceeds out of her lips concerning her 
       vows, or concerning her pledge of herself, shall not stand. Her 





       husband has nullified them, and the LORD will forgive her.

       (Num 30:13 NRSV)  Any vow or any binding oath to deny herself, her 
       husband may allow to stand, or her husband may nullify.

       (Num 30:14 NRSV)  But if her husband says nothing to her from day to 
       day, then he validates all her vows, or all her pledges, by which she 
       is obligated; he has validated them, because he said nothing to her at 
       the time that he heard of them.

       (Num 30:15 NRSV)  But if he nullifies them some time after he has 
       heard of them, then he shall bear her guilt.

       (Num 30:16 NRSV)  These are the statutes that the LORD commanded Moses 
       concerning a husband and his wife, and a father and his daughter while 
       she is still young and in her father's house.

       (Num 31:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

       (Num 31:2 NRSV)  "Avenge the Israelites on the Midianites; afterward 
       you shall be gathered to your people."

       (Num 31:3 NRSV)  So Moses said to the people, "Arm some of your number 
       for the war, so that they may go against Midian, to execute the Lord's 
       vengeance on Midian.

       (Num 31:4 NRSV)  You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of 
       Israel to the war."

       (Num 31:5 NRSV)  So out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from 
       each tribe were conscripted, twelve thousand armed for battle.

       (Num 31:6 NRSV)  Moses sent them to the war, a thousand from each 
       tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, with the vessels 
       of the sanctuary and the trumpets for sounding the alarm in his hand.

       (Num 31:7 NRSV)  They did battle against Midian, as the LORD had 
       commanded Moses, and killed every male.

       (Num 31:8 NRSV)  They killed the kings of Midian: Evi, Rekem, Zur, 
       Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian, in addition to others who 
       were slain by them; and they also killed Balaam son of Beor with the 
       sword.

       (Num 31:9 NRSV)  The Israelites took the women of Midian and their 
       little ones captive; and they took all their cattle, their flocks, and 
       all their goods as booty.

       (Num 31:10 NRSV)  All their towns where they had settled, and all 
       their encampments, they burned,

       (Num 31:11 NRSV)  but they took all the spoil and all the booty, both 
       people and animals.

       (Num 31:12 NRSV)  Then they brought the captives and the booty and the 
       spoil to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the 





       Israelites, at the camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan at 
       Jericho.

       (Num 31:13 NRSV)  Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of 
       the congregation went to meet them outside the camp.

       (Num 31:14 NRSV)  Moses became angry with the officers of the army, 
       the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had 
       come from service in the war.

       (Num 31:15 NRSV)  Moses said to them, "Have you allowed all the women 
       to live?

       (Num 31:16 NRSV)  These women here, on Balaam's advice, made the 
       Israelites act treacherously against the LORD in the affair of Peor, 
       so that the plague came among the congregation of the LORD.

       (Num 31:17 NRSV)  Now therefore, kill every male among the little 
       ones, and kill every woman who has known a man by sleeping with him.

       (Num 31:18 NRSV)  But all the young girls who have not known a man by 
       sleeping with him, keep alive for yourselves.

       (Num 31:19 NRSV)  Camp outside the camp seven days; whoever of you has 
       killed any person or touched a corpse, purify yourselves and your 
       captives on the third and on the seventh day.

       (Num 31:20 NRSV)  You shall purify every garment, every article of 
       skin, everything made of goats' hair, and every article of wood."

       (Num 31:21 NRSV)  Eleazar the priest said to the troops who had gone 
       to battle: "This is the statute of the law that the LORD has commanded 
       Moses:

       (Num 31:22 NRSV)  gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead--

       (Num 31:23 NRSV)  everything that can withstand fire, shall be passed 
       through fire, and it shall be clean. Nevertheless it shall also be 
       purified with the water for purification; and whatever cannot 
       withstand fire, shall be passed through the water.

       (Num 31:24 NRSV)  You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and 
       you shall be clean; afterward you may come into the camp."

       (Num 31:25 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

       (Num 31:26 NRSV)  "You and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the 
       ancestral houses of the congregation make an inventory of the booty 
       captured, both human and animal.

       (Num 31:27 NRSV)  Divide the booty into two parts, between the 
       warriors who went out to battle and all the congregation.

       (Num 31:28 NRSV)  From the share of the warriors who went out to 
       battle, set aside as tribute for the LORD, one item out of every five 
       hundred, whether persons, oxen, donkeys, sheep, or goats.






       (Num 31:29 NRSV)  Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the 
       priest as an offering to the LORD.

       (Num 31:30 NRSV)  But from the Israelites' half you shall take one out 
       of every fifty, whether persons, oxen, donkeys, sheep, or goats--all 
       the animals--and give them to the Levites who have charge of the 
       tabernacle of the LORD."

       (Num 31:31 NRSV)  Then Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD 
       had commanded Moses:

       (Num 31:32 NRSV)  The booty remaining from the spoil that the troops 
       had taken totaled six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep,

       (Num 31:33 NRSV)  seventy-two thousand oxen,

       (Num 31:34 NRSV)  sixty-one thousand donkeys,

       (Num 31:35 NRSV)  and thirty-two thousand persons in all, women who 
       had not known a man by sleeping with him.

       (Num 31:36 NRSV)  The half-share, the portion of those who had gone 
       out to war, was in number three hundred thirty-seven thousand five 
       hundred sheep and goats,

       (Num 31:37 NRSV)  and the Lord's tribute of sheep and goats was six 
       hundred seventy-five.

       (Num 31:38 NRSV)  The oxen were thirty-six thousand, of which the 
       Lord's tribute was seventy-two.

       (Num 31:39 NRSV)  The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred, of 
       which the Lord's tribute was sixty-one.

       (Num 31:40 NRSV)  The persons were sixteen thousand, of which the 
       Lord's tribute was thirty-two persons.

       (Num 31:41 NRSV)  Moses gave the tribute, the offering for the LORD, 
       to Eleazar the priest, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

       (Num 31:42 NRSV)  As for the Israelites' half, which Moses separated 
       from that of the troops,

       (Num 31:43 NRSV)  the congregation's half was three hundred 
       thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep and goats,

       (Num 31:44 NRSV)  thirty-six thousand oxen,

       (Num 31:45 NRSV)  thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,

       (Num 31:46 NRSV)  and sixteen thousand persons.

       (Num 31:47 NRSV)  From the Israelites' half Moses took one of every 
       fifty, both of persons and of animals, and gave them to the Levites 
       who had charge of the tabernacle of the LORD; as the LORD had 





       commanded Moses.

       (Num 31:48 NRSV)  Then the officers who were over the thousands of the 
       army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, 
       approached Moses,

       (Num 31:49 NRSV)  and said to Moses, "Your servants have counted the 
       warriors who are under our command, and not one of us is missing.

       (Num 31:50 NRSV)  And we have brought the Lord's offering, what each 
       of us found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, 
       earrings, and pendants, to make atonement for ourselves before the 
       LORD."

       (Num 31:51 NRSV)  Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from 
       them, all in the form of crafted articles.

       (Num 31:52 NRSV)  And all the gold of the offering that they offered 
       to the LORD, from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of 
       hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels.

       (Num 31:53 NRSV)  (The troops had all taken plunder for themselves.)

       (Num 31:54 NRSV)  So Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold 
       from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into 
       the tent of meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD.

       (Num 32:1 NRSV)  Now the Reubenites and the Gadites owned a very great 
       number of cattle. When they saw that the land of Jazer and the land of 
       Gilead was a good place for cattle,

       (Num 32:2 NRSV)  the Gadites and the Reubenites came and spoke to 
       Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, 
       saying,

       (Num 32:3 NRSV)  "Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, 
       Sebam, Nebo, and Beon--

       (Num 32:4 NRSV)  the land that the LORD subdued before the 
       congregation of Israel--is a land for cattle; and your servants have 
       cattle."

       (Num 32:5 NRSV)  They continued, "If we have found favor in your 
       sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession; do 
       not make us cross the Jordan."

       (Num 32:6 NRSV)  But Moses said to the Gadites and to the Reubenites, 
       "Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here?

       (Num 32:7 NRSV)  Why will you discourage the hearts of the Israelites 
       from going over into the land that the LORD has given them?

       (Num 32:8 NRSV)  Your fathers did this, when I sent them from 
       Kadesh-barnea to see the land.

       (Num 32:9 NRSV)  When they went up to the Wadi Eshcol and saw the 





       land, they discouraged the hearts of the Israelites from going into 
       the land that the LORD had given them.

       (Num 32:10 NRSV)  The Lord's anger was kindled on that day and he 
       swore, saying,

       (Num 32:11 NRSV)  'Surely none of the people who came up out of Egypt, 
       from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land that I swore to 
       give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not 
       unreservedly followed me--

       (Num 32:12 NRSV)  none except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and 
       Joshua son of Nun, for they have unreservedly followed the LORD.'

       (Num 32:13 NRSV)  And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel, and 
       he made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until all the 
       generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD had 
       disappeared.

       (Num 32:14 NRSV)  And now you, a brood of sinners, have risen in place 
       of your fathers, to increase the Lord's fierce anger against Israel!

       (Num 32:15 NRSV)  If you turn away from following him, he will again 
       abandon them in the wilderness; and you will destroy all this people."

       (Num 32:16 NRSV)  Then they came up to him and said, "We will build 
       sheepfolds here for our flocks, and towns for our little ones,

       (Num 32:17 NRSV)  but we will take up arms as a vanguard before the 
       Israelites, until we have brought them to their place. Meanwhile our 
       little ones will stay in the fortified towns because of the 
       inhabitants of the land.

       (Num 32:18 NRSV)  We will not return to our homes until all the 
       Israelites have obtained their inheritance.

       (Num 32:19 NRSV)  We will not inherit with them on the other side of 
       the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this 
       side of the Jordan to the east."

       (Num 32:20 NRSV)  So Moses said to them, "If you do this--if you take 
       up arms to go before the LORD for the war,

       (Num 32:21 NRSV)  and all those of you who bear arms cross the Jordan 
       before the LORD, until he has driven out his enemies from before him

       (Num 32:22 NRSV)  and the land is subdued before the LORD--then after 
       that you may return and be free of obligation to the LORD and to 
       Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the LORD.

       (Num 32:23 NRSV)  But if you do not do this, you have sinned against 
       the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out.

       (Num 32:24 NRSV)  Build towns for your little ones, and folds for your 
       flocks; but do what you have promised."





       (Num 32:25 NRSV)  Then the Gadites and the Reubenites said to Moses, 
       "Your servants will do as my lord commands.

       (Num 32:26 NRSV)  Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our 
       livestock shall remain there in the towns of Gilead;

       (Num 32:27 NRSV)  but your servants will cross over, everyone armed 
       for war, to do battle for the LORD, just as my lord orders."

       (Num 32:28 NRSV)  So Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the 
       priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the ancestral houses 
       of the Israelite tribes.

       (Num 32:29 NRSV)  And Moses said to them, "If the Gadites and the 
       Reubenites, everyone armed for battle before the LORD, will cross over 
       the Jordan with you and the land shall be subdued before you, then you 
       shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession;

       (Num 32:30 NRSV)  but if they will not cross over with you armed, they 
       shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan."

       (Num 32:31 NRSV)  The Gadites and the Reubenites answered, "As the 
       LORD has spoken to your servants, so we will do.

       (Num 32:32 NRSV)  We will cross over armed before the LORD into the 
       land of Canaan, but the possession of our inheritance shall remain 
       with us on this side of the Jordan."

       (Num 32:33 NRSV)  Moses gave to them--to the Gadites and to the 
       Reubenites and to the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph--the 
       kingdom of King Sihon of the Amorites and the kingdom of King Og of 
       Bashan, the land and its towns, with the territories of the 
       surrounding towns.

       (Num 32:34 NRSV)  And the Gadites rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,

       (Num 32:35 NRSV)  Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,

       (Num 32:36 NRSV)  Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran, fortified cities, and 
       folds for sheep.

       (Num 32:37 NRSV)  And the Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, 
       Kiriathaim,

       (Num 32:38 NRSV)  Nebo, and Baal-meon (some names being changed), and 
       Sibmah; and they gave names to the towns that they rebuilt.

       (Num 32:39 NRSV)  The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to 
       Gilead, captured it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were there;

       (Num 32:40 NRSV)  so Moses gave Gilead to Machir son of Manasseh, and 
       he settled there.

       (Num 32:41 NRSV)  Jair son of Manasseh went and captured their 
       villages, and renamed them Havvoth-jair.





       (Num 32:42 NRSV)  And Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages, 
       and renamed it Nobah after himself.

       (Num 33:1 NRSV)  These are the stages by which the Israelites went out 
       of the land of Egypt in military formation under the leadership of 
       Moses and Aaron.

       (Num 33:2 NRSV)  Moses wrote down their starting points, stage by 
       stage, by command of the LORD; and these are their stages according to 
       their starting places.

       (Num 33:3 NRSV)  They set out from Rameses in the first month, on the 
       fifteenth day of the first month; on the day after the passover the 
       Israelites went out boldly in the sight of all the Egyptians,

       (Num 33:4 NRSV)  while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, 
       whom the LORD had struck down among them. The LORD executed judgments 
       even against their gods.

       (Num 33:5 NRSV)  So the Israelites set out from Rameses, and camped at 
       Succoth.

       (Num 33:6 NRSV)  They set out from Succoth, and camped at Etham, which 
       is on the edge of the wilderness.

       (Num 33:7 NRSV)  They set out from Etham, and turned back to 
       Pi-hahiroth, which faces Baal-zephon; and they camped before Migdol.

       (Num 33:8 NRSV)  They set out from Pi-hahiroth, passed through the sea 
       into the wilderness, went a three days' journey in the wilderness of 
       Etham, and camped at Marah.

       (Num 33:9 NRSV)  They set out from Marah and came to Elim; at Elim 
       there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they 
       camped there.

       (Num 33:10 NRSV)  They set out from Elim and camped by the Red Sea.

       (Num 33:11 NRSV)  They set out from the Red Sea and camped in the 
       wilderness of Sin.

       (Num 33:12 NRSV)  They set out from the wilderness of Sin and camped 
       at Dophkah.

       (Num 33:13 NRSV)  They set out from Dophkah and camped at Alush.

       (Num 33:14 NRSV)  They set out from Alush and camped at Rephidim, 
       where there was no water for the people to drink.

       (Num 33:15 NRSV)  They set out from Rephidim and camped in the 
       wilderness of Sinai.

       (Num 33:16 NRSV)  They set out from the wilderness of Sinai and camped 
       at Kibroth-hattaavah.

       (Num 33:17 NRSV)  They set out from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at 





       Hazeroth.

       (Num 33:18 NRSV)  They set out from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.

       (Num 33:19 NRSV)  They set out from Rithmah and camped at 
       Rimmon-perez.

       (Num 33:20 NRSV)  They set out from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah.

       (Num 33:21 NRSV)  They set out from Libnah and camped at Rissah.

       (Num 33:22 NRSV)  They set out from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.

       (Num 33:23 NRSV)  They set out from Kehelathah and camped at Mount 
       Shepher.

       (Num 33:24 NRSV)  They set out from Mount Shepher and camped at 
       Haradah.

       (Num 33:25 NRSV)  They set out from Haradah and camped at Makheloth.

       (Num 33:26 NRSV)  They set out from Makheloth and camped at Tahath.

       (Num 33:27 NRSV)  They set out from Tahath and camped at Terah.

       (Num 33:28 NRSV)  They set out from Terah and camped at Mithkah.

       (Num 33:29 NRSV)  They set out from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah.

       (Num 33:30 NRSV)  They set out from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.

       (Num 33:31 NRSV)  They set out from Moseroth and camped at 
       Bene-jaakan.

       (Num 33:32 NRSV)  They set out from Bene-jaakan and camped at 
       Hor-haggidgad.

       (Num 33:33 NRSV)  They set out from Hor-haggidgad and camped at 
       Jotbathah.

       (Num 33:34 NRSV)  They set out from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.

       (Num 33:35 NRSV)  They set out from Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber.

       (Num 33:36 NRSV)  They set out from Ezion-geber and camped in the 
       wilderness of Zin (that is, Kadesh).

       (Num 33:37 NRSV)  They set out from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on 
       the edge of the land of Edom.

       (Num 33:38 NRSV)  Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor at the command of 
       the LORD and died there in the fortieth year after the Israelites had 
       come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month.

       (Num 33:39 NRSV)  Aaron was one hundred twenty-three years old when he 
       died on Mount Hor.






       (Num 33:40 NRSV)  The Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the 
       Negeb in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the Israelites.

       (Num 33:41 NRSV)  They set out from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.

       (Num 33:42 NRSV)  They set out from Zalmonah and camped at Punon.

       (Num 33:43 NRSV)  They set out from Punon and camped at Oboth.

       (Num 33:44 NRSV)  They set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, in 
       the territory of Moab.

       (Num 33:45 NRSV)  They set out from Iyim and camped at Dibon-gad.

       (Num 33:46 NRSV)  They set out from Dibon-gad and camped at 
       Almon-diblathaim.

       (Num 33:47 NRSV)  They set out from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the 
       mountains of Abarim, before Nebo.

       (Num 33:48 NRSV)  They set out from the mountains of Abarim and camped 
       in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho;

       (Num 33:49 NRSV)  they camped by the Jordan from Beth-jeshimoth as far 
       as Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.

       (Num 33:50 NRSV)  In the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, the 
       LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 33:51 NRSV)  Speak to the Israelites, and say to them: When you 
       cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

       (Num 33:52 NRSV)  you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land 
       from before you, destroy all their figured stones, destroy all their 
       cast images, and demolish all their high places.

       (Num 33:53 NRSV)  You shall take possession of the land and settle in 
       it, for I have given you the land to possess.

       (Num 33:54 NRSV)  You shall apportion the land by lot according to 
       your clans; to a large one you shall give a large inheritance, and to 
       a small one you shall give a small inheritance; the inheritance shall 
       belong to the person on whom the lot falls; according to your 
       ancestral tribes you shall inherit.

       (Num 33:55 NRSV)  But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the 
       land from before you, then those whom you let remain shall be as barbs 
       in your eyes and thorns in your sides; they shall trouble you in the 
       land where you are settling.

       (Num 33:56 NRSV)  And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.

       (Num 34:1 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 34:2 NRSV)  Command the Israelites, and say to them: When you 





       enter the land of Canaan (this is the land that shall fall to you for 
       an inheritance, the land of Canaan, defined by its boundaries),

       (Num 34:3 NRSV)  your south sector shall extend from the wilderness of 
       Zin along the side of Edom. Your southern boundary shall begin from 
       the end of the Dead Sea on the east;

       (Num 34:4 NRSV)  your boundary shall turn south of the ascent of 
       Akrabbim, and cross to Zin, and its outer limit shall be south of 
       Kadesh-barnea; then it shall go on to Hazar-addar, and cross to Azmon;

       (Num 34:5 NRSV)  the boundary shall turn from Azmon to the Wadi of 
       Egypt, and its termination shall be at the Sea.

       (Num 34:6 NRSV)  For the western boundary, you shall have the Great 
       Sea and its coast; this shall be your western boundary.

       (Num 34:7 NRSV)  This shall be your northern boundary: from the Great 
       Sea you shall mark out your line to Mount Hor;

       (Num 34:8 NRSV)  from Mount Hor you shall mark it out to Lebo-hamath, 
       and the outer limit of the boundary shall be at Zedad;

       (Num 34:9 NRSV)  then the boundary shall extend to Ziphron, and its 
       end shall be at Hazar-enan; this shall be your northern boundary.

       (Num 34:10 NRSV)  You shall mark out your eastern boundary from 
       Hazar-enan to Shepham;

       (Num 34:11 NRSV)  and the boundary shall continue down from Shepham to 
       Riblah on the east side of Ain; and the boundary shall go down, and 
       reach the eastern slope of the sea of Chinnereth;

       (Num 34:12 NRSV)  and the boundary shall go down to the Jordan, and 
       its end shall be at the Dead Sea. This shall be your land with its 
       boundaries all around.

       (Num 34:13 NRSV)  Moses commanded the Israelites, saying: This is the 
       land that you shall inherit by lot, which the LORD has commanded to 
       give to the nine tribes and to the half-tribe;

       (Num 34:14 NRSV)  for the tribe of the Reubenites by their ancestral 
       houses and the tribe of the Gadites by their ancestral houses have 
       taken their inheritance, and also the half-tribe of Manasseh;

       (Num 34:15 NRSV)  the two tribes and the half-tribe have taken their 
       inheritance beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, toward the sunrise.

       (Num 34:16 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 34:17 NRSV)  These are the names of the men who shall apportion 
       the land to you for inheritance: the priest Eleazar and Joshua son of 
       Nun.

       (Num 34:18 NRSV)  You shall take one leader of every tribe to 
       apportion the land for inheritance.






       (Num 34:19 NRSV)  These are the names of the men: Of the tribe of 
       Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh.

       (Num 34:20 NRSV)  Of the tribe of the Simeonites, Shemuel son of 
       Ammihud.

       (Num 34:21 NRSV)  Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad son of Chislon.

       (Num 34:22 NRSV)  Of the tribe of the Danites a leader, Bukki son of 
       Jogli.

       (Num 34:23 NRSV)  Of the Josephites: of the tribe of the Manassites a 
       leader, Hanniel son of Ephod,

       (Num 34:24 NRSV)  and of the tribe of the Ephraimites a leader, Kemuel 
       son of Shiphtan.

       (Num 34:25 NRSV)  Of the tribe of the Zebulunites a leader, Eli-zaphan 
       son of Parnach.

       (Num 34:26 NRSV)  Of the tribe of the Issacharites a leader, Paltiel 
       son of Azzan.

       (Num 34:27 NRSV)  And of the tribe of the Asherites a leader, Ahihud 
       son of Shelomi.

       (Num 34:28 NRSV)  Of the tribe of the Naphtalites a leader, Pedahel 
       son of Ammihud.

       (Num 34:29 NRSV)  These were the ones whom the LORD commanded to 
       apportion the inheritance for the Israelites in the land of Canaan.

       (Num 35:1 NRSV)  In the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, the 
       LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 35:2 NRSV)  Command the Israelites to give, from the inheritance 
       that they possess, towns for the Levites to live in; you shall also 
       give to the Levites pasture lands surrounding the towns.

       (Num 35:3 NRSV)  The towns shall be theirs to live in, and their 
       pasture lands shall be for their cattle, for their livestock, and for 
       all their animals.

       (Num 35:4 NRSV)  The pasture lands of the towns, which you shall give 
       to the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the town outward a 
       thousand cubits all around.

       (Num 35:5 NRSV)  You shall measure, outside the town, for the east 
       side two thousand cubits, for the south side two thousand cubits, for 
       the west side two thousand cubits, and for the north side two thousand 
       cubits, with the town in the middle; this shall belong to them as 
       pasture land for their towns.

       (Num 35:6 NRSV)  The towns that you give to the Levites shall include 
       the six cities of refuge, where you shall permit a slayer to flee, and 





       in addition to them you shall give forty-two towns.

       (Num 35:7 NRSV)  The towns that you give to the Levites shall total 
       forty-eight, with their pasture lands.

       (Num 35:8 NRSV)  And as for the towns that you shall give from the 
       possession of the Israelites, from the larger tribes you shall take 
       many, and from the smaller tribes you shall take few; each, in 
       proportion to the inheritance that it obtains, shall give of its towns 
       to the Levites.

       (Num 35:9 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

       (Num 35:10 NRSV)  Speak to the Israelites, and say to them: When you 
       cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

       (Num 35:11 NRSV)  then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge 
       for you, so that a slayer who kills a person without intent may flee 
       there.

       (Num 35:12 NRSV)  The cities shall be for you a refuge from the 
       avenger, so that the slayer may not die until there is a trial before 
       the congregation.

       (Num 35:13 NRSV)  The cities that you designate shall be six cities of 
       refuge for you:

       (Num 35:14 NRSV)  you shall designate three cities beyond the Jordan, 
       and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge.

       (Num 35:15 NRSV)  These six cities shall serve as refuge for the 
       Israelites, for the resident or transient alien among them, so that 
       anyone who kills a person without intent may flee there.

       (Num 35:16 NRSV)  But anyone who strikes another with an iron object, 
       and death ensues, is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death.

       (Num 35:17 NRSV)  Or anyone who strikes another with a stone in hand 
       that could cause death, and death ensues, is a murderer; the murderer 
       shall be put to death.

       (Num 35:18 NRSV)  Or anyone who strikes another with a weapon of wood 
       in hand that could cause death, and death ensues, is a murderer; the 
       murderer shall be put to death.

       (Num 35:19 NRSV)  The avenger of blood is the one who shall put the 
       murderer to death; when they meet, the avenger of blood shall execute 
       the sentence.

       (Num 35:20 NRSV)  Likewise, if someone pushes another from hatred, or 
       hurls something at another, lying in wait, and death ensues,

       (Num 35:21 NRSV)  or in enmity strikes another with the hand, and 
       death ensues, then the one who struck the blow shall be put to death; 
       that person is a murderer; the avenger of blood shall put the murderer 
       to death, when they meet.






       (Num 35:22 NRSV)  But if someone pushes another suddenly without 
       enmity, or hurls any object without lying in wait,

       (Num 35:23 NRSV)  or, while handling any stone that could cause death, 
       unintentionally drops it on another and death ensues, though they were 
       not enemies, and no harm was intended,

       (Num 35:24 NRSV)  then the congregation shall judge between the slayer 
       and the avenger of blood, in accordance with these ordinances;

       (Num 35:25 NRSV)  and the congregation shall rescue the slayer from 
       the avenger of blood. Then the congregation shall send the slayer back 
       to the original city of refuge. The slayer shall live in it until the 
       death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.

       (Num 35:26 NRSV)  But if the slayer shall at any time go outside the 
       bounds of the original city of refuge,

       (Num 35:27 NRSV)  and is found by the avenger of blood outside the 
       bounds of the city of refuge, and is killed by the avenger, no 
       bloodguilt shall be incurred.

       (Num 35:28 NRSV)  For the slayer must remain in the city of refuge 
       until the death of the high priest; but after the death of the high 
       priest the slayer may return home.

       (Num 35:29 NRSV)  These things shall be a statute and ordinance for 
       you throughout your generations wherever you live.

       (Num 35:30 NRSV)  If anyone kills another, the murderer shall be put 
       to death on the evidence of witnesses; but no one shall be put to 
       death on the testimony of a single witness.

       (Num 35:31 NRSV)  Moreover you shall accept no ransom for the life of 
       a murderer who is subject to the death penalty; a murderer must be put 
       to death.

       (Num 35:32 NRSV)  Nor shall you accept ransom for one who has fled to 
       a city of refuge, enabling the fugitive to return to live in the land 
       before the death of the high priest.

       (Num 35:33 NRSV)  You shall not pollute the land in which you live; 
       for blood pollutes the land, and no expiation can be made for the 
       land, for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one 
       who shed it.

       (Num 35:34 NRSV)  You shall not defile the land in which you live, in 
       which I also dwell; for I the LORD dwell among the Israelites.

       (Num 36:1 NRSV)  The heads of the ancestral houses of the clans of the 
       descendants of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh, of the Josephite 
       clans, came forward and spoke in the presence of Moses and the 
       leaders, the heads of the ancestral houses of the Israelites;

       (Num 36:2 NRSV)  they said, "The LORD commanded my lord to give the 





       land for inheritance by lot to the Israelites; and my lord was 
       commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of our brother 
       Zelophehad to his daughters.

       (Num 36:3 NRSV)  But if they are married into another Israelite tribe, 
       then their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of our 
       ancestors and added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they 
       marry; so it will be taken away from the allotted portion of our 
       inheritance.

       (Num 36:4 NRSV)  And when the jubilee of the Israelites comes, then 
       their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into 
       which they have married; and their inheritance will be taken from the 
       inheritance of our ancestral tribe."

       (Num 36:5 NRSV)  Then Moses commanded the Israelites according to the 
       word of the LORD, saying, "The descendants of the tribe of Joseph are 
       right in what they are saying.

       (Num 36:6 NRSV)  This is what the LORD commands concerning the 
       daughters of Zelophehad, 'Let them marry whom they think best; only it 
       must be into a clan of their father's tribe that they are married,

       (Num 36:7 NRSV)  so that no inheritance of the Israelites shall be 
       transferred from one tribe to another; for all Israelites shall retain 
       the inheritance of their ancestral tribes.

       (Num 36:8 NRSV)  Every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any 
       tribe of the Israelites shall marry one from the clan of her father's 
       tribe, so that all Israelites may continue to possess their ancestral 
       inheritance.

       (Num 36:9 NRSV)  No inheritance shall be transferred from one tribe to 
       another; for each of the tribes of the Israelites shall retain its own 
       inheritance.'"

       (Num 36:10 NRSV)  The daughters of Zelophehad did as the LORD had 
       commanded Moses.

       (Num 36:11 NRSV)  Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the 
       daughters of Zelophehad, married sons of their father's brothers.

       (Num 36:12 NRSV)  They were married into the clans of the descendants 
       of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe 
       of their father's clan.

       (Num 36:13 NRSV)  These are the commandments and the ordinances that 
       the LORD commanded through Moses to the Israelites in the plains of 
       Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

       (Deu 1:1 NRSV)  These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel 
       beyond the Jordan--in the wilderness, on the plain opposite Suph, 
       between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab.

       (Deu 1:2 NRSV)  (By the way of Mount Seir it takes eleven days to 
       reach Kadesh-barnea from Horeb.)






       (Deu 1:3 NRSV)  In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh 
       month, Moses spoke to the Israelites just as the LORD had commanded 
       him to speak to them.

       (Deu 1:4 NRSV)  This was after he had defeated King Sihon of the 
       Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, and King Og of Bashan, who reigned 
       in Ashtaroth and in Edrei.

       (Deu 1:5 NRSV)  Beyond the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses undertook 
       to expound this law as follows:

       (Deu 1:6 NRSV)  The LORD our God spoke to us at Horeb, saying, "You 
       have stayed long enough at this mountain.

       (Deu 1:7 NRSV)  Resume your journey, and go into the hill country of 
       the Amorites as well as into the neighboring regions--the Arabah, the 
       hill country, the Shephelah, the Negeb, and the seacoast--the land of 
       the Canaanites and the Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river 
       Euphrates.

       (Deu 1:8 NRSV)  See, I have set the land before you; go in and take 
       possession of the land that I swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to 
       Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their descendants after 
       them."

       (Deu 1:9 NRSV)  At that time I said to you, "I am unable by myself to 
       bear you.

       (Deu 1:10 NRSV)  The LORD your God has multiplied you, so that today 
       you are as numerous as the stars of heaven.

       (Deu 1:11 NRSV)  May the LORD, the God of your ancestors, increase you 
       a thousand times more and bless you, as he has promised you!

       (Deu 1:12 NRSV)  But how can I bear the heavy burden of your disputes 
       all by myself?

       (Deu 1:13 NRSV)  Choose for each of your tribes individuals who are 
       wise, discerning, and reputable to be your leaders."

       (Deu 1:14 NRSV)  You answered me, "The plan you have proposed is a 
       good one."

       (Deu 1:15 NRSV)  So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and 
       reputable individuals, and installed them as leaders over you, 
       commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of 
       fifties, commanders of tens, and officials, throughout your tribes.

       (Deu 1:16 NRSV)  I charged your judges at that time: "Give the members 
       of your community a fair hearing, and judge rightly between one person 
       and another, whether citizen or resident alien.

       (Deu 1:17 NRSV)  You must not be partial in judging: hear out the 
       small and the great alike; you shall not be intimidated by anyone, for 
       the judgment is God's. Any case that is too hard for you, bring to me, 





       and I will hear it."

       (Deu 1:18 NRSV)  So I charged you at that time with all the things 
       that you should do.

       (Deu 1:19 NRSV)  Then, just as the LORD our God had ordered us, we set 
       out from Horeb and went through all that great and terrible wilderness 
       that you saw, on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, until we 
       reached Kadesh-barnea.

       (Deu 1:20 NRSV)  I said to you, "You have reached the hill country of 
       the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us.

       (Deu 1:21 NRSV)  See, the LORD your God has given the land to you; go 
       up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has 
       promised you; do not fear or be dismayed."

       (Deu 1:22 NRSV)  All of you came to me and said, "Let us send men 
       ahead of us to explore the land for us and bring back a report to us 
       regarding the route by which we should go up and the cities we will 
       come to."

       (Deu 1:23 NRSV)  The plan seemed good to me, and I selected twelve of 
       you, one from each tribe.

       (Deu 1:24 NRSV)  They set out and went up into the hill country, and 
       when they reached the Valley of Eshcol they spied it out

       (Deu 1:25 NRSV)  and gathered some of the land's produce, which they 
       brought down to us. They brought back a report to us, and said, "It is 
       a good land that the LORD our God is giving us."

       (Deu 1:26 NRSV)  But you were unwilling to go up. You rebelled against 
       the command of the LORD your God;

       (Deu 1:27 NRSV)  you grumbled in your tents and said, "It is because 
       the LORD hates us that he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to 
       hand us over to the Amorites to destroy us.

       (Deu 1:28 NRSV)  Where are we headed? Our kindred have made our hearts 
       melt by reporting, 'The people are stronger and taller than we; the 
       cities are large and fortified up to heaven! We actually saw there the 
       offspring of the Anakim!'"

       (Deu 1:29 NRSV)  I said to you, "Have no dread or fear of them.

       (Deu 1:30 NRSV)  The LORD your God, who goes before you, is the one 
       who will fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your 
       very eyes,

       (Deu 1:31 NRSV)  and in the wilderness, where you saw how the LORD 
       your God carried you, just as one carries a child, all the way that 
       you traveled until you reached this place.

       (Deu 1:32 NRSV)  But in spite of this, you have no trust in the LORD 
       your God,






       (Deu 1:33 NRSV)  who goes before you on the way to seek out a place 
       for you to camp, in fire by night, and in the cloud by day, to show 
       you the route you should take."

       (Deu 1:34 NRSV)  When the LORD heard your words, he was wrathful and 
       swore:

       (Deu 1:35 NRSV)  "Not one of these--not one of this evil 
       generation--shall see the good land that I swore to give to your 
       ancestors,

       (Deu 1:36 NRSV)  except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and 
       to him and to his descendants I will give the land on which he set 
       foot, because of his complete fidelity to the LORD."

       (Deu 1:37 NRSV)  Even with me the LORD was angry on your account, 
       saying, "You also shall not enter there.

       (Deu 1:38 NRSV)  Joshua son of Nun, your assistant, shall enter there; 
       encourage him, for he is the one who will secure Israel's possession 
       of it.

       (Deu 1:39 NRSV)  And as for your little ones, who you thought would 
       become booty, your children, who today do not yet know right from 
       wrong, they shall enter there; to them I will give it, and they shall 
       take possession of it.

       (Deu 1:40 NRSV)  But as for you, journey back into the wilderness, in 
       the direction of the Red Sea."

       (Deu 1:41 NRSV)  You answered me, "We have sinned against the LORD! We 
       are ready to go up and fight, just as the LORD our God commanded us." 
       So all of you strapped on your battle gear, and thought it easy to go 
       up into the hill country.

       (Deu 1:42 NRSV)  The LORD said to me, "Say to them, 'Do not go up and 
       do not fight, for I am not in the midst of you; otherwise you will be 
       defeated by your enemies.'"

       (Deu 1:43 NRSV)  Although I told you, you would not listen. You 
       rebelled against the command of the LORD and presumptuously went up 
       into the hill country.

       (Deu 1:44 NRSV)  The Amorites who lived in that hill country then came 
       out against you and chased you as bees do. They beat you down in Seir 
       as far as Hormah.

       (Deu 1:45 NRSV)  When you returned and wept before the LORD, the LORD 
       would neither heed your voice nor pay you any attention.

       (Deu 1:46 NRSV)  After you had stayed at Kadesh as many days as you 
       did,

       (Deu 2:1 NRSV)  we journeyed back into the wilderness, in the 
       direction of the Red Sea, as the LORD had told me and skirted Mount 





       Seir for many days.

       (Deu 2:2 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to me:

       (Deu 2:3 NRSV)  "You have been skirting this hill country long enough. 
       Head north,

       (Deu 2:4 NRSV)  and charge the people as follows: You are about to 
       pass through the territory of your kindred, the descendants of Esau, 
       who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so, be very careful

       (Deu 2:5 NRSV)  not to engage in battle with them, for I will not give 
       you even so much as a foot's length of their land, since I have given 
       Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.

       (Deu 2:6 NRSV)  You shall purchase food from them for money, so that 
       you may eat; and you shall also buy water from them for money, so that 
       you may drink.

       (Deu 2:7 NRSV)  Surely the LORD your God has blessed you in all your 
       undertakings; he knows your going through this great wilderness. These 
       forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have lacked 
       nothing."

       (Deu 2:8 NRSV)  So we passed by our kin, the descendants of Esau who 
       live in Seir, leaving behind the route of the Arabah, and leaving 
       behind Elath and Ezion-geber. When we had headed out along the route 
       of the wilderness of Moab,

       (Deu 2:9 NRSV)  the LORD said to me: "Do not harass Moab or engage 
       them in battle, for I will not give you any of its land as a 
       possession, since I have given Ar as a possession to the descendants 
       of Lot."

       (Deu 2:10 NRSV)  (The Emim--a large and numerous people, as tall as 
       the Anakim--had formerly inhabited it.

       (Deu 2:11 NRSV)  Like the Anakim, they are usually reckoned as 
       Rephaim, though the Moabites call them Emim.

       (Deu 2:12 NRSV)  Moreover, the Horim had formerly inhabited Seir, but 
       the descendants of Esau dispossessed them, destroying them and 
       settling in their place, as Israel has done in the land that the LORD 
       gave them as a possession.)

       (Deu 2:13 NRSV)  "Now then, proceed to cross over the Wadi Zered." So 
       we crossed over the Wadi Zered.

       (Deu 2:14 NRSV)  And the length of time we had traveled from 
       Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the Wadi Zered was thirty-eight years, 
       until the entire generation of warriors had perished from the camp, as 
       the LORD had sworn concerning them.

       (Deu 2:15 NRSV)  Indeed, the Lord's own hand was against them, to root 
       them out from the camp, until all had perished.





       (Deu 2:16 NRSV)  Just as soon as all the warriors had died off from 
       among the people,

       (Deu 2:17 NRSV)  the LORD spoke to me, saying,

       (Deu 2:18 NRSV)  "Today you are going to cross the boundary of Moab at 
       Ar.

       (Deu 2:19 NRSV)  When you approach the frontier of the Ammonites, do 
       not harass them or engage them in battle, for I will not give the land 
       of the Ammonites to you as a possession, because I have given it to 
       the descendants of Lot."

       (Deu 2:20 NRSV)  (It also is usually reckoned as a land of Rephaim. 
       Rephaim formerly inhabited it, though the Ammonites call them 
       Zamzummim,

       (Deu 2:21 NRSV)  a strong and numerous people, as tall as the Anakim. 
       But the LORD destroyed them from before the Ammonites so that they 
       could dispossess them and settle in their place.

       (Deu 2:22 NRSV)  He did the same for the descendants of Esau, who live 
       in Seir, by destroying the Horim before them so that they could 
       dispossess them and settle in their place even to this day.

       (Deu 2:23 NRSV)  As for the Avvim, who had lived in settlements in the 
       vicinity of Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them 
       and settled in their place.)

       (Deu 2:24 NRSV)  "Proceed on your journey and cross the Wadi Arnon. 
       See, I have handed over to you King Sihon the Amorite of Heshbon, and 
       his land. Begin to take possession by engaging him in battle.

       (Deu 2:25 NRSV)  This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of 
       you upon the peoples everywhere under heaven; when they hear report of 
       you, they will tremble and be in anguish because of you."

       (Deu 2:26 NRSV)  So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth 
       to King Sihon of Heshbon with the following terms of peace:

       (Deu 2:27 NRSV)  "If you let me pass through your land, I will travel 
       only along the road; I will turn aside neither to the right nor to the 
       left.

       (Deu 2:28 NRSV)  You shall sell me food for money, so that I may eat, 
       and supply me water for money, so that I may drink. Only allow me to 
       pass through on foot--

       (Deu 2:29 NRSV)  just as the descendants of Esau who live in Seir have 
       done for me and likewise the Moabites who live in Ar--until I cross 
       the Jordan into the land that the LORD our God is giving us."

       (Deu 2:30 NRSV)  But King Sihon of Heshbon was not willing to let us 
       pass through, for the LORD your God had hardened his spirit and made 
       his heart defiant in order to hand him over to you, as he has now 
       done.






       (Deu 2:31 NRSV)  The LORD said to me, "See, I have begun to give Sihon 
       and his land over to you. Begin now to take possession of his land."

       (Deu 2:32 NRSV)  So when Sihon came out against us, he and all his 
       people for battle at Jahaz,

       (Deu 2:33 NRSV)  the LORD our God gave him over to us; and we struck 
       him down, along with his offspring and all his people.

       (Deu 2:34 NRSV)  At that time we captured all his towns, and in each 
       town we utterly destroyed men, women, and children. We left not a 
       single survivor.

       (Deu 2:35 NRSV)  Only the livestock we kept as spoil for ourselves, as 
       well as the plunder of the towns that we had captured.

       (Deu 2:36 NRSV)  From Aroer on the edge of the Wadi Arnon (including 
       the town that is in the wadi itself) as far as Gilead, there was no 
       citadel too high for us. The LORD our God gave everything to us.

       (Deu 2:37 NRSV)  You did not encroach, however, on the land of the 
       Ammonites, avoiding the whole upper region of the Wadi Jabbok as well 
       as the towns of the hill country, just as the LORD our God had 
       charged.

       (Deu 3:1 NRSV)  When we headed up the road to Bashan, King Og of 
       Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, for battle at 
       Edrei.

       (Deu 3:2 NRSV)  The LORD said to me, "Do not fear him, for I have 
       handed him over to you, along with his people and his land. Do to him 
       as you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon."

       (Deu 3:3 NRSV)  So the LORD our God also handed over to us King Og of 
       Bashan and all his people. We struck him down until not a single 
       survivor was left.

       (Deu 3:4 NRSV)  At that time we captured all his towns; there was no 
       citadel that we did not take from them--sixty towns, the whole region 
       of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.

       (Deu 3:5 NRSV)  All these were fortress towns with high walls, double 
       gates, and bars, besides a great many villages.

       (Deu 3:6 NRSV)  And we utterly destroyed them, as we had done to King 
       Sihon of Heshbon, in each city utterly destroying men, women, and 
       children.

       (Deu 3:7 NRSV)  But all the livestock and the plunder of the towns we 
       kept as spoil for ourselves.

       (Deu 3:8 NRSV)  So at that time we took from the two kings of the 
       Amorites the land beyond the Jordan, from the Wadi Arnon to Mount 
       Hermon





       (Deu 3:9 NRSV)  (the Sidonians call Hermon Sirion, while the Amorites 
       call it Senir),

       (Deu 3:10 NRSV)  all the towns of the tableland, the whole of Gilead, 
       and all of Bashan, as far as Salecah and Edrei, towns of Og's kingdom 
       in Bashan.

       (Deu 3:11 NRSV)  (Now only King Og of Bashan was left of the remnant 
       of the Rephaim. In fact his bed, an iron bed, can still be seen in 
       Rabbah of the Ammonites. By the common cubit it is nine cubits long 
       and four cubits wide.)

       (Deu 3:12 NRSV)  As for the land that we took possession of at that 
       time, I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites the territory north of 
       Aroer, that is on the edge of the Wadi Arnon, as well as half the hill 
       country of Gilead with its towns,

       (Deu 3:13 NRSV)  and I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh the rest of 
       Gilead and all of Bashan, Og's kingdom. (The whole region of Argob: 
       all that portion of Bashan used to be called a land of Rephaim;

       (Deu 3:14 NRSV)  Jair the Manassite acquired the whole region of Argob 
       as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and he 
       named them--that is, Bashan--after himself, Havvoth-jair, as it is to 
       this day.)

       (Deu 3:15 NRSV)  To Machir I gave Gilead.

       (Deu 3:16 NRSV)  And to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave the 
       territory from Gilead as far as the Wadi Arnon, with the middle of the 
       wadi as a boundary, and up to the Jabbok, the wadi being boundary of 
       the Ammonites;

       (Deu 3:17 NRSV)  the Arabah also, with the Jordan and its banks, from 
       Chinnereth down to the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, with the lower 
       slopes of Pisgah on the east.

       (Deu 3:18 NRSV)  At that time, I charged you as follows: "Although the 
       LORD your God has given you this land to occupy, all your troops shall 
       cross over armed as the vanguard of your Israelite kin.

       (Deu 3:19 NRSV)  Only your wives, your children, and your livestock--I 
       know that you have much livestock--shall stay behind in the towns that 
       I have given to you.

       (Deu 3:20 NRSV)  When the LORD gives rest to your kindred, as to you, 
       and they too have occupied the land that the LORD your God is giving 
       them beyond the Jordan, then each of you may return to the property 
       that I have given to you."

       (Deu 3:21 NRSV)  And I charged Joshua as well at that time, saying: 
       "Your own eyes have seen everything that the LORD your God has done to 
       these two kings; so the LORD will do to all the kingdoms into which 
       you are about to cross.

       (Deu 3:22 NRSV)  Do not fear them, for it is the LORD your God who 





       fights for you."

       (Deu 3:23 NRSV)  At that time, too, I entreated the LORD, saying:

       (Deu 3:24 NRSV)  "O Lord GOD, you have only begun to show your servant 
       your greatness and your might; what god in heaven or on earth can 
       perform deeds and mighty acts like yours!

       (Deu 3:25 NRSV)  Let me cross over to see the good land beyond the 
       Jordan, that good hill country and the Lebanon."

       (Deu 3:26 NRSV)  But the LORD was angry with me on your account and 
       would not heed me. The LORD said to me, "Enough from you! Never speak 
       to me of this matter again!

       (Deu 3:27 NRSV)  Go up to the top of Pisgah and look around you to the 
       west, to the north, to the south, and to the east. Look well, for you 
       shall not cross over this Jordan.

       (Deu 3:28 NRSV)  But charge Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, 
       because it is he who shall cross over at the head of this people and 
       who shall secure their possession of the land that you will see."

       (Deu 3:29 NRSV)  So we remained in the valley opposite Beth-peor.

       (Deu 4:1 NRSV)  So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and 
       ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to 
       enter and occupy the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is 
       giving you.

       (Deu 4:2 NRSV)  You must neither add anything to what I command you 
       nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the LORD 
       your God with which I am charging you.

       (Deu 4:3 NRSV)  You have seen for yourselves what the LORD did with 
       regard to the Baal of Peor--how the LORD your God destroyed from among 
       you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor,

       (Deu 4:4 NRSV)  while those of you who held fast to the LORD your God 
       are all alive today.

       (Deu 4:5 NRSV)  See, just as the LORD my God has charged me, I now 
       teach you statutes and ordinances for you to observe in the land that 
       you are about to enter and occupy.

       (Deu 4:6 NRSV)  You must observe them diligently, for this will show 
       your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all 
       these statutes, will say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and 
       discerning people!"

       (Deu 4:7 NRSV)  For what other great nation has a god so near to it as 
       the LORD our God is whenever we call to him?

       (Deu 4:8 NRSV)  And what other great nation has statutes and 
       ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you 
       today?






       (Deu 4:9 NRSV)  But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as 
       neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them 
       slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your 
       children and your children's children--

       (Deu 4:10 NRSV)  how you once stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, 
       when the LORD said to me, "Assemble the people for me, and I will let 
       them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me as long as they 
       live on the earth, and may teach their children so";

       (Deu 4:11 NRSV)  you approached and stood at the foot of the mountain 
       while the mountain was blazing up to the very heavens, shrouded in 
       dark clouds.

       (Deu 4:12 NRSV)  Then the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard 
       the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice.

       (Deu 4:13 NRSV)  He declared to you his covenant, which he charged you 
       to observe, that is, the ten commandments; and he wrote them on two 
       stone tablets.

       (Deu 4:14 NRSV)  And the LORD charged me at that time to teach you 
       statutes and ordinances for you to observe in the land that you are 
       about to cross into and occupy.

       (Deu 4:15 NRSV)  Since you saw no form when the LORD spoke to you at 
       Horeb out of the fire, take care and watch yourselves closely,

       (Deu 4:16 NRSV)  so that you do not act corruptly by making an idol 
       for yourselves, in the form of any figure--the likeness of male or 
       female,

       (Deu 4:17 NRSV)  the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the 
       likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air,

       (Deu 4:18 NRSV)  the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, 
       the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth.

       (Deu 4:19 NRSV)  And when you look up to the heavens and see the sun, 
       the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, do not be led astray 
       and bow down to them and serve them, things that the LORD your God has 
       allotted to all the peoples everywhere under heaven.

       (Deu 4:20 NRSV)  But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the 
       iron-smelter, out of Egypt, to become a people of his very own 
       possession, as you are now.

       (Deu 4:21 NRSV)  The LORD was angry with me because of you, and he 
       vowed that I should not cross the Jordan and that I should not enter 
       the good land that the LORD your God is giving for your possession.

       (Deu 4:22 NRSV)  For I am going to die in this land without crossing 
       over the Jordan, but you are going to cross over to take possession of 
       that good land.





       (Deu 4:23 NRSV)  So be careful not to forget the covenant that the 
       LORD your God made with you, and not to make for yourselves an idol in 
       the form of anything that the LORD your God has forbidden you.

       (Deu 4:24 NRSV)  For the LORD your God is a devouring fire, a jealous 
       God.

       (Deu 4:25 NRSV)  When you have had children and children's children, 
       and become complacent in the land, if you act corruptly by making an 
       idol in the form of anything, thus doing what is evil in the sight of 
       the LORD your God, and provoking him to anger,

       (Deu 4:26 NRSV)  I call heaven and earth to witness against you today 
       that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are crossing 
       the Jordan to occupy; you will not live long on it, but will be 
       utterly destroyed.

       (Deu 4:27 NRSV)  The LORD will scatter you among the peoples; only a 
       few of you will be left among the nations where the LORD will lead 
       you.

       (Deu 4:28 NRSV)  There you will serve other gods made by human hands, 
       objects of wood and stone that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor 
       smell.

       (Deu 4:29 NRSV)  From there you will seek the LORD your God, and you 
       will find him if you search after him with all your heart and soul.

       (Deu 4:30 NRSV)  In your distress, when all these things have happened 
       to you in time to come, you will return to the LORD your God and heed 
       him.

       (Deu 4:31 NRSV)  Because the LORD your God is a merciful God, he will 
       neither abandon you nor destroy you; he will not forget the covenant 
       with your ancestors that he swore to them.

       (Deu 4:32 NRSV)  For ask now about former ages, long before your own, 
       ever since the day that God created human beings on the earth; ask 
       from one end of heaven to the other: has anything so great as this 
       ever happened or has its like ever been heard of?

       (Deu 4:33 NRSV)  Has any people ever heard the voice of a god speaking 
       out of a fire, as you have heard, and lived?

       (Deu 4:34 NRSV)  Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation 
       for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs and 
       wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by 
       terrifying displays of power, as the LORD your God did for you in 
       Egypt before your very eyes?

       (Deu 4:35 NRSV)  To you it was shown so that you would acknowledge 
       that the LORD is God; there is no other besides him.

       (Deu 4:36 NRSV)  From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline 
       you. On earth he showed you his great fire, while you heard his words 
       coming out of the fire.






       (Deu 4:37 NRSV)  And because he loved your ancestors, he chose their 
       descendants after them. He brought you out of Egypt with his own 
       presence, by his great power,

       (Deu 4:38 NRSV)  driving out before you nations greater and mightier 
       than yourselves, to bring you in, giving you their land for a 
       possession, as it is still today.

       (Deu 4:39 NRSV)  So acknowledge today and take to heart that the LORD 
       is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.

       (Deu 4:40 NRSV)  Keep his statutes and his commandments, which I am 
       commanding you today for your own well-being and that of your 
       descendants after you, so that you may long remain in the land that 
       the LORD your God is giving you for all time.

       (Deu 4:41 NRSV)  Then Moses set apart on the east side of the Jordan 
       three cities

       (Deu 4:42 NRSV)  to which a homicide could flee, someone who 
       unintentionally kills another person, the two not having been at 
       enmity before; the homicide could flee to one of these cities and 
       live:

       (Deu 4:43 NRSV)  Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland belonging to 
       the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead belonging to the Gadites, and Golan 
       in Bashan belonging to the Manassites.

       (Deu 4:44 NRSV)  This is the law that Moses set before the Israelites.

       (Deu 4:45 NRSV)  These are the decrees and the statutes and ordinances 
       that Moses spoke to the Israelites when they had come out of Egypt,

       (Deu 4:46 NRSV)  beyond the Jordan in the valley opposite Beth-peor, 
       in the land of King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned at Heshbon, 
       whom Moses and the Israelites defeated when they came out of Egypt.

       (Deu 4:47 NRSV)  They occupied his land and the land of King Og of 
       Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites on the eastern side of the 
       Jordan:

       (Deu 4:48 NRSV)  from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Wadi Arnon, 
       as far as Mount Sirion (that is, Hermon),

       (Deu 4:49 NRSV)  together with all the Arabah on the east side of the 
       Jordan as far as the Sea of the Arabah, under the slopes of Pisgah.

       (Deu 5:1 NRSV)  Moses convened all Israel, and said to them: Hear, O 
       Israel, the statutes and ordinances that I am addressing to you today; 
       you shall learn them and observe them diligently.

       (Deu 5:2 NRSV)  The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.

       (Deu 5:3 NRSV)  Not with our ancestors did the LORD make this 
       covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today.






       (Deu 5:4 NRSV)  The LORD spoke with you face to face at the mountain, 
       out of the fire.

       (Deu 5:5 NRSV)  (At that time I was standing between the LORD and you 
       to declare to you the words of the LORD; for you were afraid because 
       of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said:

       (Deu 5:6 NRSV)  I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the 
       land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;

       (Deu 5:7 NRSV)  you shall have no other gods before me.

       (Deu 5:8 NRSV)  You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in 
       the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth 
       beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

       (Deu 5:9 NRSV)  You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I 
       the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the 
       iniquity of parents, to the third and fourth generation of those who 
       reject me,

       (Deu 5:10 NRSV)  but showing steadfast love to the thousandth 
       generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

       (Deu 5:11 NRSV)  You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the 
       LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his 
       name.

       (Deu 5:12 NRSV)  Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the LORD 
       your God commanded you.

       (Deu 5:13 NRSV)  Six days you shall labor and do all your work.

       (Deu 5:14 NRSV)  But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your 
       God; you shall not do any work--you, or your son or your daughter, or 
       your male or female slave, or your ox or your donkey, or any of your 
       livestock, or the resident alien in your towns, so that your male and 
       female slave may rest as well as you.

       (Deu 5:15 NRSV)  Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, 
       and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand 
       and an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to 
       keep the sabbath day.

       (Deu 5:16 NRSV)  Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your 
       God commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go 
       well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

       (Deu 5:17 NRSV)  You shall not murder.

       (Deu 5:18 NRSV)  Neither shall you commit adultery.

       (Deu 5:19 NRSV)  Neither shall you steal.

       (Deu 5:20 NRSV)  Neither shall you bear false witness against your 





       neighbor.

       (Deu 5:21 NRSV)  Neither shall you covet your neighbor's wife. Neither 
       shall you desire your neighbor's house, or field, or male or female 
       slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

       (Deu 5:22 NRSV)  These words the LORD spoke with a loud voice to your 
       whole assembly at the mountain, out of the fire, the cloud, and the 
       thick darkness, and he added no more. He wrote them on two stone 
       tablets, and gave them to me.

       (Deu 5:23 NRSV)  When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while 
       the mountain was burning with fire, you approached me, all the heads 
       of your tribes and your elders;

       (Deu 5:24 NRSV)  and you said, "Look, the LORD our God has shown us 
       his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the fire. 
       Today we have seen that God may speak to someone and the person may 
       still live.

       (Deu 5:25 NRSV)  So now why should we die? For this great fire will 
       consume us; if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer, we 
       shall die.

       (Deu 5:26 NRSV)  For who is there of all flesh that has heard the 
       voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and remained 
       alive?

       (Deu 5:27 NRSV)  Go near, you yourself, and hear all that the LORD our 
       God will say. Then tell us everything that the LORD our God tells you, 
       and we will listen and do it."

       (Deu 5:28 NRSV)  The LORD heard your words when you spoke to me, and 
       the LORD said to me: "I have heard the words of this people, which 
       they have spoken to you; they are right in all that they have spoken.

       (Deu 5:29 NRSV)  If only they had such a mind as this, to fear me and 
       to keep all my commandments always, so that it might go well with them 
       and with their children forever!

       (Deu 5:30 NRSV)  Go say to them, 'Return to your tents.'

       (Deu 5:31 NRSV)  But you, stand here by me, and I will tell you all 
       the commandments, the statutes and the ordinances, that you shall 
       teach them, so that they may do them in the land that I am giving them 
       to possess."

       (Deu 5:32 NRSV)  You must therefore be careful to do as the LORD your 
       God has commanded you; you shall not turn to the right or to the left.

       (Deu 5:33 NRSV)  You must follow exactly the path that the LORD your 
       God has commanded you, so that you may live, and that it may go well 
       with you, and that you may live long in the land that you are to 
       possess.

       (Deu 6:1 NRSV)  Now this is the commandment--the statutes and the 





       ordinances--that the LORD your God charged me to teach you to observe 
       in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy,

       (Deu 6:2 NRSV)  so that you and your children and your children's 
       children may fear the LORD your God all the days of your life, and 
       keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so 
       that your days may be long.

       (Deu 6:3 NRSV)  Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, 
       so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly 
       in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the LORD, the God of your 
       ancestors, has promised you.

       (Deu 6:4 NRSV)  Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.

       (Deu 6:5 NRSV)  You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, 
       and with all your soul, and with all your might.

       (Deu 6:6 NRSV)  Keep these words that I am commanding you today in 
       your heart.

       (Deu 6:7 NRSV)  Recite them to your children and talk about them when 
       you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you 
       rise.

       (Deu 6:8 NRSV)  Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an 
       emblem on your forehead,

       (Deu 6:9 NRSV)  and write them on the doorposts of your house and on 
       your gates.

       (Deu 6:10 NRSV)  When the LORD your God has brought you into the land 
       that he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, 
       to give you--a land with fine, large cities that you did not build,

       (Deu 6:11 NRSV)  houses filled with all sorts of goods that you did 
       not fill, hewn cisterns that you did not hew, vineyards and olive 
       groves that you did not plant--and when you have eaten your fill,

       (Deu 6:12 NRSV)  take care that you do not forget the LORD, who 
       brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

       (Deu 6:13 NRSV)  The LORD your God you shall fear; him you shall 
       serve, and by his name alone you shall swear.

       (Deu 6:14 NRSV)  Do not follow other gods, any of the gods of the 
       peoples who are all around you,

       (Deu 6:15 NRSV)  because the LORD your God, who is present with you, 
       is a jealous God. The anger of the LORD your God would be kindled 
       against you and he would destroy you from the face of the earth.

       (Deu 6:16 NRSV)  Do not put the LORD your God to the test, as you 
       tested him at Massah.

       (Deu 6:17 NRSV)  You must diligently keep the commandments of the LORD 





       your God, and his decrees, and his statutes that he has commanded you.

       (Deu 6:18 NRSV)  Do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, 
       so that it may go well with you, and so that you may go in and occupy 
       the good land that the LORD swore to your ancestors to give you,

       (Deu 6:19 NRSV)  thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as 
       the LORD has promised.

       (Deu 6:20 NRSV)  When your children ask you in time to come, "What is 
       the meaning of the decrees and the statutes and the ordinances that 
       the LORD our God has commanded you?"

       (Deu 6:21 NRSV)  then you shall say to your children, "We were 
       Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a 
       mighty hand.

       (Deu 6:22 NRSV)  The LORD displayed before our eyes great and awesome 
       signs and wonders against Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his 
       household.

       (Deu 6:23 NRSV)  He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, 
       to give us the land that he promised on oath to our ancestors.

       (Deu 6:24 NRSV)  Then the LORD commanded us to observe all these 
       statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our lasting good, so as to 
       keep us alive, as is now the case.

       (Deu 6:25 NRSV)  If we diligently observe this entire commandment 
       before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us, we will be in the 
       right."

       (Deu 7:1 NRSV)  When the LORD your God brings you into the land that 
       you are about to enter and occupy, and he clears away many nations 
       before you--the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the 
       Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven 
       nations mightier and more numerous than you--

       (Deu 7:2 NRSV)  and when the LORD your God gives them over to you and 
       you defeat them, then you must utterly destroy them. Make no covenant 
       with them and show them no mercy.

       (Deu 7:3 NRSV)  Do not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to 
       their sons or taking their daughters for your sons,

       (Deu 7:4 NRSV)  for that would turn away your children from following 
       me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD would be kindled 
       against you, and he would destroy you quickly.

       (Deu 7:5 NRSV)  But this is how you must deal with them: break down 
       their altars, smash their pillars, hew down their sacred poles, and 
       burn their idols with fire.

       (Deu 7:6 NRSV)  For you are a people holy to the LORD your God; the 
       LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on earth to be his 
       people, his treasured possession.






       (Deu 7:7 NRSV)  It was not because you were more numerous than any 
       other people that the LORD set his heart on you and chose you--for you 
       were the fewest of all peoples.

       (Deu 7:8 NRSV)  It was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath 
       that he swore to your ancestors, that the LORD has brought you out 
       with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from 
       the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

       (Deu 7:9 NRSV)  Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the 
       faithful God who maintains covenant loyalty with those who love him 
       and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,

       (Deu 7:10 NRSV)  and who repays in their own person those who reject 
       him. He does not delay but repays in their own person those who reject 
       him.

       (Deu 7:11 NRSV)  Therefore, observe diligently the commandment--the 
       statutes, and the ordinances--that I am commanding you today.

       (Deu 7:12 NRSV)  If you heed these ordinances, by diligently observing 
       them, the LORD your God will maintain with you the covenant loyalty 
       that he swore to your ancestors;

       (Deu 7:13 NRSV)  he will love you, bless you, and multiply you; he 
       will bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your 
       grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the 
       issue of your flock, in the land that he swore to your ancestors to 
       give you.

       (Deu 7:14 NRSV)  You shall be the most blessed of peoples, with 
       neither sterility nor barrenness among you or your livestock.

       (Deu 7:15 NRSV)  The LORD will turn away from you every illness; all 
       the dread diseases of Egypt that you experienced, he will not inflict 
       on you, but he will lay them on all who hate you.

       (Deu 7:16 NRSV)  You shall devour all the peoples that the LORD your 
       God is giving over to you, showing them no pity; you shall not serve 
       their gods, for that would be a snare to you.

       (Deu 7:17 NRSV)  If you say to yourself, "These nations are more 
       numerous than I; how can I dispossess them?"

       (Deu 7:18 NRSV)  do not be afraid of them. Just remember what the LORD 
       your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt,

       (Deu 7:19 NRSV)  the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs and 
       wonders, the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the LORD 
       your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all 
       the peoples of whom you are afraid.

       (Deu 7:20 NRSV)  Moreover, the LORD your God will send the pestilence 
       against them, until even the survivors and the fugitives are 
       destroyed.






       (Deu 7:21 NRSV)  Have no dread of them, for the LORD your God, who is 
       present with you, is a great and awesome God.

       (Deu 7:22 NRSV)  The LORD your God will clear away these nations 
       before you little by little; you will not be able to make a quick end 
       of them, otherwise the wild animals would become too numerous for you.

       (Deu 7:23 NRSV)  But the LORD your God will give them over to you, and 
       throw them into great panic, until they are destroyed.

       (Deu 7:24 NRSV)  He will hand their kings over to you and you shall 
       blot out their name from under heaven; no one will be able to stand 
       against you, until you have destroyed them.

       (Deu 7:25 NRSV)  The images of their gods you shall burn with fire. Do 
       not covet the silver or the gold that is on them and take it for 
       yourself, because you could be ensnared by it; for it is abhorrent to 
       the LORD your God.

       (Deu 7:26 NRSV)  Do not bring an abhorrent thing into your house, or 
       you will be set apart for destruction like it. You must utterly detest 
       and abhor it, for it is set apart for destruction.

       (Deu 8:1 NRSV)  This entire commandment that I command you today you 
       must diligently observe, so that you may live and increase, and go in 
       and occupy the land that the LORD promised on oath to your ancestors.

       (Deu 8:2 NRSV)  Remember the long way that the LORD your God has led 
       you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, 
       testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would 
       keep his commandments.

       (Deu 8:3 NRSV)  He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding 
       you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were 
       acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by 
       bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

       (Deu 8:4 NRSV)  The clothes on your back did not wear out and your 
       feet did not swell these forty years.

       (Deu 8:5 NRSV)  Know then in your heart that as a parent disciplines a 
       child so the LORD your God disciplines you.

       (Deu 8:6 NRSV)  Therefore keep the commandments of the LORD your God, 
       by walking in his ways and by fearing him.

       (Deu 8:7 NRSV)  For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good 
       land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters 
       welling up in valleys and hills,

       (Deu 8:8 NRSV)  a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and 
       pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey,

       (Deu 8:9 NRSV)  a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where 
       you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose 





       hills you may mine copper.

       (Deu 8:10 NRSV)  You shall eat your fill and bless the LORD your God 
       for the good land that he has given you.

       (Deu 8:11 NRSV)  Take care that you do not forget the LORD your God, 
       by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, 
       which I am commanding you today.

       (Deu 8:12 NRSV)  When you have eaten your fill and have built fine 
       houses and live in them,

       (Deu 8:13 NRSV)  and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and 
       your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is 
       multiplied,

       (Deu 8:14 NRSV)  then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the LORD your 
       God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of 
       slavery,

       (Deu 8:15 NRSV)  who led you through the great and terrible 
       wilderness, an arid wasteland with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He 
       made water flow for you from flint rock,

       (Deu 8:16 NRSV)  and fed you in the wilderness with manna that your 
       ancestors did not know, to humble you and to test you, and in the end 
       to do you good.

       (Deu 8:17 NRSV)  Do not say to yourself, "My power and the might of my 
       own hand have gotten me this wealth."

       (Deu 8:18 NRSV)  But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who 
       gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant 
       that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today.

       (Deu 8:19 NRSV)  If you do forget the LORD your God and follow other 
       gods to serve and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you 
       shall surely perish.

       (Deu 8:20 NRSV)  Like the nations that the LORD is destroying before 
       you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the 
       LORD your God.

       (Deu 9:1 NRSV)  Hear, O Israel! You are about to cross the Jordan 
       today, to go in and dispossess nations larger and mightier than you, 
       great cities, fortified to the heavens,

       (Deu 9:2 NRSV)  a strong and tall people, the offspring of the Anakim, 
       whom you know. You have heard it said of them, "Who can stand up to 
       the Anakim?"

       (Deu 9:3 NRSV)  Know then today that the LORD your God is the one who 
       crosses over before you as a devouring fire; he will defeat them and 
       subdue them before you, so that you may dispossess and destroy them 
       quickly, as the LORD has promised you.





       (Deu 9:4 NRSV)  When the LORD your God thrusts them out before you, do 
       not say to yourself, "It is because of my righteousness that the LORD 
       has brought me in to occupy this land"; it is rather because of the 
       wickedness of these nations that the LORD is dispossessing them before 
       you.

       (Deu 9:5 NRSV)  It is not because of your righteousness or the 
       uprightness of your heart that you are going in to occupy their land; 
       but because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God is 
       dispossessing them before you, in order to fulfill the promise that 
       the LORD made on oath to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to 
       Jacob.

       (Deu 9:6 NRSV)  Know, then, that the LORD your God is not giving you 
       this good land to occupy because of your righteousness; for you are a 
       stubborn people.

       (Deu 9:7 NRSV)  Remember and do not forget how you provoked the LORD 
       your God to wrath in the wilderness; you have been rebellious against 
       the LORD from the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came 
       to this place.

       (Deu 9:8 NRSV)  Even at Horeb you provoked the LORD to wrath, and the 
       LORD was so angry with you that he was ready to destroy you.

       (Deu 9:9 NRSV)  When I went up the mountain to receive the stone 
       tablets, the tablets of the covenant that the LORD made with you, I 
       remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I neither ate 
       bread nor drank water.

       (Deu 9:10 NRSV)  And the LORD gave me the two stone tablets written 
       with the finger of God; on them were all the words that the LORD had 
       spoken to you at the mountain out of the fire on the day of the 
       assembly.

       (Deu 9:11 NRSV)  At the end of forty days and forty nights the LORD 
       gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant.

       (Deu 9:12 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to me, "Get up, go down quickly 
       from here, for your people whom you have brought from Egypt have acted 
       corruptly. They have been quick to turn from the way that I commanded 
       them; they have cast an image for themselves."

       (Deu 9:13 NRSV)  Furthermore the LORD said to me, "I have seen that 
       this people is indeed a stubborn people.

       (Deu 9:14 NRSV)  Let me alone that I may destroy them and blot out 
       their name from under heaven; and I will make of you a nation mightier 
       and more numerous than they."

       (Deu 9:15 NRSV)  So I turned and went down from the mountain, while 
       the mountain was ablaze; the two tablets of the covenant were in my 
       two hands.

       (Deu 9:16 NRSV)  Then I saw that you had indeed sinned against the 
       LORD your God, by casting for yourselves an image of a calf; you had 





       been quick to turn from the way that the LORD had commanded you.

       (Deu 9:17 NRSV)  So I took hold of the two tablets and flung them from 
       my two hands, smashing them before your eyes.

       (Deu 9:18 NRSV)  Then I lay prostrate before the LORD as before, forty 
       days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of 
       all the sin you had committed, provoking the LORD by doing what was 
       evil in his sight.

       (Deu 9:19 NRSV)  For I was afraid that the anger that the LORD bore 
       against you was so fierce that he would destroy you. But the LORD 
       listened to me that time also.

       (Deu 9:20 NRSV)  The LORD was so angry with Aaron that he was ready to 
       destroy him, but I interceded also on behalf of Aaron at that same 
       time.

       (Deu 9:21 NRSV)  Then I took the sinful thing you had made, the calf, 
       and burned it with fire and crushed it, grinding it thoroughly, until 
       it was reduced to dust; and I threw the dust of it into the stream 
       that runs down the mountain.

       (Deu 9:22 NRSV)  At Taberah also, and at Massah, and at 
       Kibroth-hattaavah, you provoked the LORD to wrath.

       (Deu 9:23 NRSV)  And when the LORD sent you from Kadesh-barnea, 
       saying, "Go up and occupy the land that I have given you," you 
       rebelled against the command of the LORD your God, neither trusting 
       him nor obeying him.

       (Deu 9:24 NRSV)  You have been rebellious against the LORD as long as 
       he has known you.

       (Deu 9:25 NRSV)  Throughout the forty days and forty nights that I lay 
       prostrate before the LORD when the LORD intended to destroy you,

       (Deu 9:26 NRSV)  I prayed to the LORD and said, "Lord GOD, do not 
       destroy the people who are your very own possession, whom you redeemed 
       in your greatness, whom you brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

       (Deu 9:27 NRSV)  Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; 
       pay no attention to the stubbornness of this people, their wickedness 
       and their sin,

       (Deu 9:28 NRSV)  otherwise the land from which you have brought us 
       might say, 'Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land 
       that he promised them, and because he hated them, he has brought them 
       out to let them die in the wilderness.'

       (Deu 9:29 NRSV)  For they are the people of your very own possession, 
       whom you brought out by your great power and by your outstretched 
       arm."

       (Deu 10:1 NRSV)  At that time the LORD said to me, "Carve out two 
       tablets of stone like the former ones, and come up to me on the 





       mountain, and make an ark of wood.

       (Deu 10:2 NRSV)  I will write on the tablets the words that were on 
       the former tablets, which you smashed, and you shall put them in the 
       ark."

       (Deu 10:3 NRSV)  So I made an ark of acacia wood, cut two tablets of 
       stone like the former ones, and went up the mountain with the two 
       tablets in my hand.

       (Deu 10:4 NRSV)  Then he wrote on the tablets the same words as 
       before, the ten commandments that the LORD had spoken to you on the 
       mountain out of the fire on the day of the assembly; and the LORD gave 
       them to me.

       (Deu 10:5 NRSV)  So I turned and came down from the mountain, and put 
       the tablets in the ark that I had made; and there they are, as the 
       LORD commanded me.

       (Deu 10:6 NRSV)  (The Israelites journeyed from Beeroth-bene-jaakan to 
       Moserah. There Aaron died, and there he was buried; his son Eleazar 
       succeeded him as priest.

       (Deu 10:7 NRSV)  From there they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from 
       Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land with flowing streams.

       (Deu 10:8 NRSV)  At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to 
       carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to 
       minister to him, and to bless in his name, to this day.

       (Deu 10:9 NRSV)  Therefore Levi has no allotment or inheritance with 
       his kindred; the LORD is his inheritance, as the LORD your God 
       promised him.)

       (Deu 10:10 NRSV)  I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty 
       nights, as I had done the first time. And once again the LORD listened 
       to me. The LORD was unwilling to destroy you.

       (Deu 10:11 NRSV)  The LORD said to me, "Get up, go on your journey at 
       the head of the people, that they may go in and occupy the land that I 
       swore to their ancestors to give them."

       (Deu 10:12 NRSV)  So now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God 
       require of you? Only to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his 
       ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and 
       with all your soul,

       (Deu 10:13 NRSV)  and to keep the commandments of the LORD your God 
       and his decrees that I am commanding you today, for your own 
       well-being.

       (Deu 10:14 NRSV)  Although heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to 
       the LORD your God, the earth with all that is in it,

       (Deu 10:15 NRSV)  yet the LORD set his heart in love on your ancestors 
       alone and chose you, their descendants after them, out of all the 





       peoples, as it is today.

       (Deu 10:16 NRSV)  Circumcise, then, the foreskin of your heart, and do 
       not be stubborn any longer.

       (Deu 10:17 NRSV)  For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of 
       lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes 
       no bribe,

       (Deu 10:18 NRSV)  who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, 
       and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing.

       (Deu 10:19 NRSV)  You shall also love the stranger, for you were 
       strangers in the land of Egypt.

       (Deu 10:20 NRSV)  You shall fear the LORD your God; him alone you 
       shall worship; to him you shall hold fast, and by his name you shall 
       swear.

       (Deu 10:21 NRSV)  He is your praise; he is your God, who has done for 
       you these great and awesome things that your own eyes have seen.

       (Deu 10:22 NRSV)  Your ancestors went down to Egypt seventy persons; 
       and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in 
       heaven.

       (Deu 11:1 NRSV)  You shall love the LORD your God, therefore, and keep 
       his charge, his decrees, his ordinances, and his commandments always.

       (Deu 11:2 NRSV)  Remember today that it was not your children (who 
       have not known or seen the discipline of the LORD your God), but it is 
       you who must acknowledge his greatness, his mighty hand and his 
       outstretched arm,

       (Deu 11:3 NRSV)  his signs and his deeds that he did in Egypt to 
       Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and to all his land;

       (Deu 11:4 NRSV)  what he did to the Egyptian army, to their horses and 
       chariots, how he made the water of the Red Sea flow over them as they 
       pursued you, so that the LORD has destroyed them to this day;

       (Deu 11:5 NRSV)  what he did to you in the wilderness, until you came 
       to this place;

       (Deu 11:6 NRSV)  and what he did to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab 
       son of Reuben, how in the midst of all Israel the earth opened its 
       mouth and swallowed them up, along with their households, their tents, 
       and every living being in their company;

       (Deu 11:7 NRSV)  for it is your own eyes that have seen every great 
       deed that the LORD did.

       (Deu 11:8 NRSV)  Keep, then, this entire commandment that I am 
       commanding you today, so that you may have strength to go in and 
       occupy the land that you are crossing over to occupy,





       (Deu 11:9 NRSV)  and so that you may live long in the land that the 
       LORD swore to your ancestors to give them and to their descendants, a 
       land flowing with milk and honey.

       (Deu 11:10 NRSV)  For the land that you are about to enter to occupy 
       is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sow 
       your seed and irrigate by foot like a vegetable garden.

       (Deu 11:11 NRSV)  But the land that you are crossing over to occupy is 
       a land of hills and valleys, watered by rain from the sky,

       (Deu 11:12 NRSV)  a land that the LORD your God looks after. The eyes 
       of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year 
       to the end of the year.

       (Deu 11:13 NRSV)  If you will only heed his every commandment that I 
       am commanding you today--loving the LORD your God, and serving him 
       with all your heart and with all your soul--

       (Deu 11:14 NRSV)  then he will give the rain for your land in its 
       season, the early rain and the later rain, and you will gather in your 
       grain, your wine, and your oil;

       (Deu 11:15 NRSV)  and he will give grass in your fields for your 
       livestock, and you will eat your fill.

       (Deu 11:16 NRSV)  Take care, or you will be seduced into turning away, 
       serving other gods and worshiping them,

       (Deu 11:17 NRSV)  for then the anger of the LORD will be kindled 
       against you and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no 
       rain and the land will yield no fruit; then you will perish quickly 
       off the good land that the LORD is giving you.

       (Deu 11:18 NRSV)  You shall put these words of mine in your heart and 
       soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and fix them as 
       an emblem on your forehead.

       (Deu 11:19 NRSV)  Teach them to your children, talking about them when 
       you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you 
       rise.

       (Deu 11:20 NRSV)  Write them on the doorposts of your house and on 
       your gates,

       (Deu 11:21 NRSV)  so that your days and the days of your children may 
       be multiplied in the land that the LORD swore to your ancestors to 
       give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.

       (Deu 11:22 NRSV)  If you will diligently observe this entire 
       commandment that I am commanding you, loving the LORD your God, 
       walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him,

       (Deu 11:23 NRSV)  then the LORD will drive out all these nations 
       before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and mightier than 
       yourselves.






       (Deu 11:24 NRSV)  Every place on which you set foot shall be yours; 
       your territory shall extend from the wilderness to the Lebanon and 
       from the River, the river Euphrates, to the Western Sea.

       (Deu 11:25 NRSV)  No one will be able to stand against you; the LORD 
       your God will put the fear and dread of you on all the land on which 
       you set foot, as he promised you.

       (Deu 11:26 NRSV)  See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a 
       curse:

       (Deu 11:27 NRSV)  the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the 
       LORD your God that I am commanding you today;

       (Deu 11:28 NRSV)  and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments 
       of the LORD your God, but turn from the way that I am commanding you 
       today, to follow other gods that you have not known.

       (Deu 11:29 NRSV)  When the LORD your God has brought you into the land 
       that you are entering to occupy, you shall set the blessing on Mount 
       Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.

       (Deu 11:30 NRSV)  As you know, they are beyond the Jordan, some 
       distance to the west, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the 
       Arabah, opposite Gilgal, beside the oak of Moreh.

       (Deu 11:31 NRSV)  When you cross the Jordan to go in to occupy the 
       land that the LORD your God is giving you, and when you occupy it and 
       live in it,

       (Deu 11:32 NRSV)  you must diligently observe all the statutes and 
       ordinances that I am setting before you today.

       (Deu 12:1 NRSV)  These are the statutes and ordinances that you must 
       diligently observe in the land that the LORD, the God of your 
       ancestors, has given you to occupy all the days that you live on the 
       earth.

       (Deu 12:2 NRSV)  You must demolish completely all the places where the 
       nations whom you are about to dispossess served their gods, on the 
       mountain heights, on the hills, and under every leafy tree.

       (Deu 12:3 NRSV)  Break down their altars, smash their pillars, burn 
       their sacred poles with fire, and hew down the idols of their gods, 
       and thus blot out their name from their places.

       (Deu 12:4 NRSV)  You shall not worship the LORD your God in such ways.

       (Deu 12:5 NRSV)  But you shall seek the place that the LORD your God 
       will choose out of all your tribes as his habitation to put his name 
       there. You shall go there,

       (Deu 12:6 NRSV)  bringing there your burnt offerings and your 
       sacrifices, your tithes and your donations, your votive gifts, your 
       freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and flocks.






       (Deu 12:7 NRSV)  And you shall eat there in the presence of the LORD 
       your God, you and your households together, rejoicing in all the 
       undertakings in which the LORD your God has blessed you.

       (Deu 12:8 NRSV)  You shall not act as we are acting here today, all of 
       us according to our own desires,

       (Deu 12:9 NRSV)  for you have not yet come into the rest and the 
       possession that the LORD your God is giving you.

       (Deu 12:10 NRSV)  When you cross over the Jordan and live in the land 
       that the LORD your God is allotting to you, and when he gives you rest 
       from your enemies all around so that you live in safety,

       (Deu 12:11 NRSV)  then you shall bring everything that I command you 
       to the place that the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his 
       name: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and your 
       donations, and all your choice votive gifts that you vow to the LORD.

       (Deu 12:12 NRSV)  And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you 
       together with your sons and your daughters, your male and female 
       slaves, and the Levites who reside in your towns (since they have no 
       allotment or inheritance with you).

       (Deu 12:13 NRSV)  Take care that you do not offer your burnt offerings 
       at any place you happen to see.

       (Deu 12:14 NRSV)  But only at the place that the LORD will choose in 
       one of your tribes--there you shall offer your burnt offerings and 
       there you shall do everything I command you.

       (Deu 12:15 NRSV)  Yet whenever you desire you may slaughter and eat 
       meat within any of your towns, according to the blessing that the LORD 
       your God has given you; the unclean and the clean may eat of it, as 
       they would of gazelle or deer.

       (Deu 12:16 NRSV)  The blood, however, you must not eat; you shall pour 
       it out on the ground like water.

       (Deu 12:17 NRSV)  Nor may you eat within your towns the tithe of your 
       grain, your wine, and your oil, the firstlings of your herds and your 
       flocks, any of your votive gifts that you vow, your freewill 
       offerings, or your donations;

       (Deu 12:18 NRSV)  these you shall eat in the presence of the LORD your 
       God at the place that the LORD your God will choose, you together with 
       your son and your daughter, your male and female slaves, and the 
       Levites resident in your towns, rejoicing in the presence of the LORD 
       your God in all your undertakings.

       (Deu 12:19 NRSV)  Take care that you do not neglect the Levite as long 
       as you live in your land.

       (Deu 12:20 NRSV)  When the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as 
       he has promised you, and you say, "I am going to eat some meat," 





       because you wish to eat meat, you may eat meat whenever you have the 
       desire.

       (Deu 12:21 NRSV)  If the place where the LORD your God will choose to 
       put his name is too far from you, and you slaughter as I have 
       commanded you any of your herd or flock that the LORD has given you, 
       then you may eat within your towns whenever you desire.

       (Deu 12:22 NRSV)  Indeed, just as gazelle or deer is eaten, so you may 
       eat it; the unclean and the clean alike may eat it.

       (Deu 12:23 NRSV)  Only be sure that you do not eat the blood; for the 
       blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the meat.

       (Deu 12:24 NRSV)  Do not eat it; you shall pour it out on the ground 
       like water.

       (Deu 12:25 NRSV)  Do not eat it, so that all may go well with you and 
       your children after you, because you do what is right in the sight of 
       the LORD.

       (Deu 12:26 NRSV)  But the sacred donations that are due from you, and 
       your votive gifts, you shall bring to the place that the LORD will 
       choose.

       (Deu 12:27 NRSV)  You shall present your burnt offerings, both the 
       meat and the blood, on the altar of the LORD your God; the blood of 
       your other sacrifices shall be poured out beside the altar of the LORD 
       your God, but the meat you may eat.

       (Deu 12:28 NRSV)  Be careful to obey all these words that I command 
       you today, so that it may go well with you and with your children 
       after you forever, because you will be doing what is good and right in 
       the sight of the LORD your God.

       (Deu 12:29 NRSV)  When the LORD your God has cut off before you the 
       nations whom you are about to enter to dispossess them, when you have 
       dispossessed them and live in their land,

       (Deu 12:30 NRSV)  take care that you are not snared into imitating 
       them, after they have been destroyed before you: do not inquire 
       concerning their gods, saying, "How did these nations worship their 
       gods? I also want to do the same."

       (Deu 12:31 NRSV)  You must not do the same for the LORD your God, 
       because every abhorrent thing that the LORD hates they have done for 
       their gods. They would even burn their sons and their daughters in the 
       fire to their gods.

       (Deu 12:32 NRSV)  You must diligently observe everything that I 
       command you; do not add to it or take anything from it.

       (Deu 13:1 NRSV)  If prophets or those who divine by dreams appear 
       among you and promise you omens or portents,

       (Deu 13:2 NRSV)  and the omens or the portents declared by them take 





       place, and they say, "Let us follow other gods" (whom you have not 
       known) "and let us serve them,"

       (Deu 13:3 NRSV)  you must not heed the words of those prophets or 
       those who divine by dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you, to 
       know whether you indeed love the LORD your God with all your heart and 
       soul.

       (Deu 13:4 NRSV)  The LORD your God you shall follow, him alone you 
       shall fear, his commandments you shall keep, his voice you shall obey, 
       him you shall serve, and to him you shall hold fast.

       (Deu 13:5 NRSV)  But those prophets or those who divine by dreams 
       shall be put to death for having spoken treason against the LORD your 
       God--who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from 
       the house of slavery--to turn you from the way in which the LORD your 
       God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your 
       midst.

       (Deu 13:6 NRSV)  If anyone secretly entices you--even if it is your 
       brother, your father's son or your mother's son, or your own son or 
       daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your most intimate 
       friend--saying, "Let us go worship other gods," whom neither you nor 
       your ancestors have known,

       (Deu 13:7 NRSV)  any of the gods of the peoples that are around you, 
       whether near you or far away from you, from one end of the earth to 
       the other,

       (Deu 13:8 NRSV)  you must not yield to or heed any such persons. Show 
       them no pity or compassion and do not shield them.

       (Deu 13:9 NRSV)  But you shall surely kill them; your own hand shall 
       be first against them to execute them, and afterwards the hand of all 
       the people.

       (Deu 13:10 NRSV)  Stone them to death for trying to turn you away from 
       the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of 
       the house of slavery.

       (Deu 13:11 NRSV)  Then all Israel shall hear and be afraid, and never 
       again do any such wickedness.

       (Deu 13:12 NRSV)  If you hear it said about one of the towns that the 
       LORD your God is giving you to live in,

       (Deu 13:13 NRSV)  that scoundrels from among you have gone out and led 
       the inhabitants of the town astray, saying, "Let us go and worship 
       other gods," whom you have not known,

       (Deu 13:14 NRSV)  then you shall inquire and make a thorough 
       investigation. If the charge is established that such an abhorrent 
       thing has been done among you,

       (Deu 13:15 NRSV)  you shall put the inhabitants of that town to the 
       sword, utterly destroying it and everything in it--even putting its 





       livestock to the sword.

       (Deu 13:16 NRSV)  All of its spoil you shall gather into its public 
       square; then burn the town and all its spoil with fire, as a whole 
       burnt offering to the LORD your God. It shall remain a perpetual ruin, 
       never to be rebuilt.

       (Deu 13:17 NRSV)  Do not let anything devoted to destruction stick to 
       your hand, so that the LORD may turn from his fierce anger and show 
       you compassion, and in his compassion multiply you, as he swore to 
       your ancestors,

       (Deu 13:18 NRSV)  if you obey the voice of the LORD your God by 
       keeping all his commandments that I am commanding you today, doing 
       what is right in the sight of the LORD your God.

       (Deu 14:1 NRSV)  You are children of the LORD your God. You must not 
       lacerate yourselves or shave your forelocks for the dead.

       (Deu 14:2 NRSV)  For you are a people holy to the LORD your God; it is 
       you the LORD has chosen out of all the peoples on earth to be his 
       people, his treasured possession.

       (Deu 14:3 NRSV)  You shall not eat any abhorrent thing.

       (Deu 14:4 NRSV)  These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, 
       the goat,

       (Deu 14:5 NRSV)  the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, 
       the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain-sheep.

       (Deu 14:6 NRSV)  Any animal that divides the hoof and has the hoof 
       cleft in two, and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat.

       (Deu 14:7 NRSV)  Yet of those that chew the cud or have the hoof cleft 
       you shall not eat these: the camel, the hare, and the rock badger, 
       because they chew the cud but do not divide the hoof; they are unclean 
       for you.

       (Deu 14:8 NRSV)  And the pig, because it divides the hoof but does not 
       chew the cud, is unclean for you. You shall not eat their meat, and 
       you shall not touch their carcasses.

       (Deu 14:9 NRSV)  Of all that live in water you may eat these: whatever 
       has fins and scales you may eat.

       (Deu 14:10 NRSV)  And whatever does not have fins and scales you shall 
       not eat; it is unclean for you.

       (Deu 14:11 NRSV)  You may eat any clean birds.

       (Deu 14:12 NRSV)  But these are the ones that you shall not eat: the 
       eagle, the vulture, the osprey,

       (Deu 14:13 NRSV)  the buzzard, the kite, of any kind;





       (Deu 14:14 NRSV)  every raven of any kind;

       (Deu 14:15 NRSV)  the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk, 
       of any kind;

       (Deu 14:16 NRSV)  the little owl and the great owl, the water hen

       (Deu 14:17 NRSV)  and the desert owl, the carrion vulture and the 
       cormorant,

       (Deu 14:18 NRSV)  the stork, the heron, of any kind; the hoopoe and 
       the bat.

       (Deu 14:19 NRSV)  And all winged insects are unclean for you; they 
       shall not be eaten.

       (Deu 14:20 NRSV)  You may eat any clean winged creature.

       (Deu 14:21 NRSV)  You shall not eat anything that dies of itself; you 
       may give it to aliens residing in your towns for them to eat, or you 
       may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a people holy to the LORD your 
       God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk.

       (Deu 14:22 NRSV)  Set apart a tithe of all the yield of your seed that 
       is brought in yearly from the field.

       (Deu 14:23 NRSV)  In the presence of the LORD your God, in the place 
       that he will choose as a dwelling for his name, you shall eat the 
       tithe of your grain, your wine, and your oil, as well as the 
       firstlings of your herd and flock, so that you may learn to fear the 
       LORD your God always.

       (Deu 14:24 NRSV)  But if, when the LORD your God has blessed you, the 
       distance is so great that you are unable to transport it, because the 
       place where the LORD your God will choose to set his name is too far 
       away from you,

       (Deu 14:25 NRSV)  then you may turn it into money. With the money 
       secure in hand, go to the place that the LORD your God will choose;

       (Deu 14:26 NRSV)  spend the money for whatever you wish--oxen, sheep, 
       wine, strong drink, or whatever you desire. And you shall eat there in 
       the presence of the LORD your God, you and your household rejoicing 
       together.

       (Deu 14:27 NRSV)  As for the Levites resident in your towns, do not 
       neglect them, because they have no allotment or inheritance with you.

       (Deu 14:28 NRSV)  Every third year you shall bring out the full tithe 
       of your produce for that year, and store it within your towns;

       (Deu 14:29 NRSV)  the Levites, because they have no allotment or 
       inheritance with you, as well as the resident aliens, the orphans, and 
       the widows in your towns, may come and eat their fill so that the LORD 
       your God may bless you in all the work that you undertake.





       (Deu 15:1 NRSV)  Every seventh year you shall grant a remission of 
       debts.

       (Deu 15:2 NRSV)  And this is the manner of the remission: every 
       creditor shall remit the claim that is held against a neighbor, not 
       exacting it of a neighbor who is a member of the community, because 
       the Lord's remission has been proclaimed.

       (Deu 15:3 NRSV)  Of a foreigner you may exact it, but you must remit 
       your claim on whatever any member of your community owes you.

       (Deu 15:4 NRSV)  There will, however, be no one in need among you, 
       because the LORD is sure to bless you in the land that the LORD your 
       God is giving you as a possession to occupy,

       (Deu 15:5 NRSV)  if only you will obey the LORD your God by diligently 
       observing this entire commandment that I command you today.

       (Deu 15:6 NRSV)  When the LORD your God has blessed you, as he 
       promised you, you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; 
       you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.

       (Deu 15:7 NRSV)  If there is among you anyone in need, a member of 
       your community in any of your towns within the land that the LORD your 
       God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your 
       needy neighbor.

       (Deu 15:8 NRSV)  You should rather open your hand, willingly lending 
       enough to meet the need, whatever it may be.

       (Deu 15:9 NRSV)  Be careful that you do not entertain a mean thought, 
       thinking, "The seventh year, the year of remission, is near," and 
       therefore view your needy neighbor with hostility and give nothing; 
       your neighbor might cry to the LORD against you, and you would incur 
       guilt.

       (Deu 15:10 NRSV)  Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for 
       on this account the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and 
       in all that you undertake.

       (Deu 15:11 NRSV)  Since there will never cease to be some in need on 
       the earth, I therefore command you, "Open your hand to the poor and 
       needy neighbor in your land."

       (Deu 15:12 NRSV)  If a member of your community, whether a Hebrew man 
       or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and works for you six years, in the 
       seventh year you shall set that person free.

       (Deu 15:13 NRSV)  And when you send a male slave out from you a free 
       person, you shall not send him out empty-handed.

       (Deu 15:14 NRSV)  Provide liberally out of your flock, your threshing 
       floor, and your wine press, thus giving to him some of the bounty with 
       which the LORD your God has blessed you.

       (Deu 15:15 NRSV)  Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, 





       and the LORD your God redeemed you; for this reason I lay this command 
       upon you today.

       (Deu 15:16 NRSV)  But if he says to you, "I will not go out from you," 
       because he loves you and your household, since he is well off with 
       you,

       (Deu 15:17 NRSV)  then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his 
       earlobe into the door, and he shall be your slave forever. You shall 
       do the same with regard to your female slave.

       (Deu 15:18 NRSV)  Do not consider it a hardship when you send them out 
       from you free persons, because for six years they have given you 
       services worth the wages of hired laborers; and the LORD your God will 
       bless you in all that you do.

       (Deu 15:19 NRSV)  Every firstling male born of your herd and flock you 
       shall consecrate to the LORD your God; you shall not do work with your 
       firstling ox nor shear the firstling of your flock.

       (Deu 15:20 NRSV)  You shall eat it, you together with your household, 
       in the presence of the LORD your God year by year at the place that 
       the LORD will choose.

       (Deu 15:21 NRSV)  But if it has any defect--any serious defect, such 
       as lameness or blindness--you shall not sacrifice it to the LORD your 
       God;

       (Deu 15:22 NRSV)  within your towns you may eat it, the unclean and 
       the clean alike, as you would a gazelle or deer.

       (Deu 15:23 NRSV)  Its blood, however, you must not eat; you shall pour 
       it out on the ground like water.

       (Deu 16:1 NRSV)  Observe the month of Abib by keeping the passover for 
       the LORD your God, for in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought 
       you out of Egypt by night.

       (Deu 16:2 NRSV)  You shall offer the passover sacrifice for the LORD 
       your God, from the flock and the herd, at the place that the LORD will 
       choose as a dwelling for his name.

       (Deu 16:3 NRSV)  You must not eat with it anything leavened. For seven 
       days you shall eat unleavened bread with it--the bread of 
       affliction--because you came out of the land of Egypt in great haste, 
       so that all the days of your life you may remember the day of your 
       departure from the land of Egypt.

       (Deu 16:4 NRSV)  No leaven shall be seen with you in all your 
       territory for seven days; and none of the meat of what you slaughter 
       on the evening of the first day shall remain until morning.

       (Deu 16:5 NRSV)  You are not permitted to offer the passover sacrifice 
       within any of your towns that the LORD your God is giving you.

       (Deu 16:6 NRSV)  But at the place that the LORD your God will choose 





       as a dwelling for his name, only there shall you offer the passover 
       sacrifice, in the evening at sunset, the time of day when you departed 
       from Egypt.

       (Deu 16:7 NRSV)  You shall cook it and eat it at the place that the 
       LORD your God will choose; the next morning you may go back to your 
       tents.

       (Deu 16:8 NRSV)  For six days you shall continue to eat unleavened 
       bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a solemn assembly for the 
       LORD your God, when you shall do no work.

       (Deu 16:9 NRSV)  You shall count seven weeks; begin to count the seven 
       weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain.

       (Deu 16:10 NRSV)  Then you shall keep the festival of weeks for the 
       LORD your God, contributing a freewill offering in proportion to the 
       blessing that you have received from the LORD your God.

       (Deu 16:11 NRSV)  Rejoice before the LORD your God--you and your sons 
       and your daughters, your male and female slaves, the Levites resident 
       in your towns, as well as the strangers, the orphans, and the widows 
       who are among you--at the place that the LORD your God will choose as 
       a dwelling for his name.

       (Deu 16:12 NRSV)  Remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and 
       diligently observe these statutes.

       (Deu 16:13 NRSV)  You shall keep the festival of booths for seven 
       days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor 
       and your wine press.

       (Deu 16:14 NRSV)  Rejoice during your festival, you and your sons and 
       your daughters, your male and female slaves, as well as the Levites, 
       the strangers, the orphans, and the widows resident in your towns.

       (Deu 16:15 NRSV)  Seven days you shall keep the festival for the LORD 
       your God at the place that the LORD will choose; for the LORD your God 
       will bless you in all your produce and in all your undertakings, and 
       you shall surely celebrate.

       (Deu 16:16 NRSV)  Three times a year all your males shall appear 
       before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose: at the 
       festival of unleavened bread, at the festival of weeks, and at the 
       festival of booths. They shall not appear before the LORD 
       empty-handed;

       (Deu 16:17 NRSV)  all shall give as they are able, according to the 
       blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you.

       (Deu 16:18 NRSV)  You shall appoint judges and officials throughout 
       your tribes, in all your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, 
       and they shall render just decisions for the people.

       (Deu 16:19 NRSV)  You must not distort justice; you must not show 
       partiality; and you must not accept bribes, for a bribe blinds the 





       eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.

       (Deu 16:20 NRSV)  Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, so that 
       you may live and occupy the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

       (Deu 16:21 NRSV)  You shall not plant any tree as a sacred pole beside 
       the altar that you make for the LORD your God;

       (Deu 16:22 NRSV)  nor shall you set up a stone pillar--things that the 
       LORD your God hates.

       (Deu 17:1 NRSV)  You must not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or 
       a sheep that has a defect, anything seriously wrong; for that is 
       abhorrent to the LORD your God.

       (Deu 17:2 NRSV)  If there is found among you, in one of your towns 
       that the LORD your God is giving you, a man or woman who does what is 
       evil in the sight of the LORD your God, and transgresses his covenant

       (Deu 17:3 NRSV)  by going to serve other gods and worshiping 
       them--whether the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, which 
       I have forbidden--

       (Deu 17:4 NRSV)  and if it is reported to you or you hear of it, and 
       you make a thorough inquiry, and the charge is proved true that such 
       an abhorrent thing has occurred in Israel,

       (Deu 17:5 NRSV)  then you shall bring out to your gates that man or 
       that woman who has committed this crime and you shall stone the man or 
       woman to death.

       (Deu 17:6 NRSV)  On the evidence of two or three witnesses the death 
       sentence shall be executed; a person must not be put to death on the 
       evidence of only one witness.

       (Deu 17:7 NRSV)  The hands of the witnesses shall be the first raised 
       against the person to execute the death penalty, and afterward the 
       hands of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

       (Deu 17:8 NRSV)  If a judicial decision is too difficult for you to 
       make between one kind of bloodshed and another, one kind of legal 
       right and another, or one kind of assault and another--any such 
       matters of dispute in your towns--then you shall immediately go up to 
       the place that the LORD your God will choose,

       (Deu 17:9 NRSV)  where you shall consult with the levitical priests 
       and the judge who is in office in those days; they shall announce to 
       you the decision in the case.

       (Deu 17:10 NRSV)  Carry out exactly the decision that they announce to 
       you from the place that the LORD will choose, diligently observing 
       everything they instruct you.

       (Deu 17:11 NRSV)  You must carry out fully the law that they interpret 
       for you or the ruling that they announce to you; do not turn aside 
       from the decision that they announce to you, either to the right or to 





       the left.

       (Deu 17:12 NRSV)  As for anyone who presumes to disobey the priest 
       appointed to minister there to the LORD your God, or the judge, that 
       person shall die. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.

       (Deu 17:13 NRSV)  All the people will hear and be afraid, and will not 
       act presumptuously again.

       (Deu 17:14 NRSV)  When you have come into the land that the LORD your 
       God is giving you, and have taken possession of it and settled in it, 
       and you say, "I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are 
       around me,"

       (Deu 17:15 NRSV)  you may indeed set over you a king whom the LORD 
       your God will choose. One of your own community you may set as king 
       over you; you are not permitted to put a foreigner over you, who is 
       not of your own community.

       (Deu 17:16 NRSV)  Even so, he must not acquire many horses for 
       himself, or return the people to Egypt in order to acquire more 
       horses, since the LORD has said to you, "You must never return that 
       way again."

       (Deu 17:17 NRSV)  And he must not acquire many wives for himself, or 
       else his heart will turn away; also silver and gold he must not 
       acquire in great quantity for himself.

       (Deu 17:18 NRSV)  When he has taken the throne of his kingdom, he 
       shall have a copy of this law written for him in the presence of the 
       levitical priests.

       (Deu 17:19 NRSV)  It shall remain with him and he shall read in it all 
       the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, 
       diligently observing all the words of this law and these statutes,

       (Deu 17:20 NRSV)  neither exalting himself above other members of the 
       community nor turning aside from the commandment, either to the right 
       or to the left, so that he and his descendants may reign long over his 
       kingdom in Israel.

       (Deu 18:1 NRSV)  The levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, shall 
       have no allotment or inheritance within Israel. They may eat the 
       sacrifices that are the Lord's portion

       (Deu 18:2 NRSV)  but they shall have no inheritance among the other 
       members of the community; the LORD is their inheritance, as he 
       promised them.

       (Deu 18:3 NRSV)  This shall be the priests' due from the people, from 
       those offering a sacrifice, whether an ox or a sheep: they shall give 
       to the priest the shoulder, the two jowls, and the stomach.

       (Deu 18:4 NRSV)  The first fruits of your grain, your wine, and your 
       oil, as well as the first of the fleece of your sheep, you shall give 
       him.






       (Deu 18:5 NRSV)  For the LORD your God has chosen Levi out of all your 
       tribes, to stand and minister in the name of the LORD, him and his 
       sons for all time.

       (Deu 18:6 NRSV)  If a Levite leaves any of your towns, from wherever 
       he has been residing in Israel, and comes to the place that the LORD 
       will choose (and he may come whenever he wishes),

       (Deu 18:7 NRSV)  then he may minister in the name of the LORD his God, 
       like all his fellow-Levites who stand to minister there before the 
       LORD.

       (Deu 18:8 NRSV)  They shall have equal portions to eat, even though 
       they have income from the sale of family possessions.

       (Deu 18:9 NRSV)  When you come into the land that the LORD your God is 
       giving you, you must not learn to imitate the abhorrent practices of 
       those nations.

       (Deu 18:10 NRSV)  No one shall be found among you who makes a son or 
       daughter pass through fire, or who practices divination, or is a 
       soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer,

       (Deu 18:11 NRSV)  or one who casts spells, or who consults ghosts or 
       spirits, or who seeks oracles from the dead.

       (Deu 18:12 NRSV)  For whoever does these things is abhorrent to the 
       LORD; it is because of such abhorrent practices that the LORD your God 
       is driving them out before you.

       (Deu 18:13 NRSV)  You must remain completely loyal to the LORD your 
       God.

       (Deu 18:14 NRSV)  Although these nations that you are about to 
       dispossess do give heed to soothsayers and diviners, as for you, the 
       LORD your God does not permit you to do so.

       (Deu 18:15 NRSV)  The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet 
       like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet.

       (Deu 18:16 NRSV)  This is what you requested of the LORD your God at 
       Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: "If I hear the voice 
       of the LORD my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will 
       die."

       (Deu 18:17 NRSV)  Then the LORD replied to me: "They are right in what 
       they have said.

       (Deu 18:18 NRSV)  I will raise up for them a prophet like you from 
       among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the 
       prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command.

       (Deu 18:19 NRSV)  Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet 
       shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable.





       (Deu 18:20 NRSV)  But any prophet who speaks in the name of other 
       gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not 
       commanded the prophet to speak--that prophet shall die."

       (Deu 18:21 NRSV)  You may say to yourself, "How can we recognize a 
       word that the LORD has not spoken?"

       (Deu 18:22 NRSV)  If a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD but the 
       thing does not take place or prove true, it is a word that the LORD 
       has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do not be 
       frightened by it.

       (Deu 19:1 NRSV)  When the LORD your God has cut off the nations whose 
       land the LORD your God is giving you, and you have dispossessed them 
       and settled in their towns and in their houses,

       (Deu 19:2 NRSV)  you shall set apart three cities in the land that the 
       LORD your God is giving you to possess.

       (Deu 19:3 NRSV)  You shall calculate the distances and divide into 
       three regions the land that the LORD your God gives you as a 
       possession, so that any homicide can flee to one of them.

       (Deu 19:4 NRSV)  Now this is the case of a homicide who might flee 
       there and live, that is, someone who has killed another person 
       unintentionally when the two had not been at enmity before:

       (Deu 19:5 NRSV)  Suppose someone goes into the forest with another to 
       cut wood, and when one of them swings the ax to cut down a tree, the 
       head slips from the handle and strikes the other person who then dies; 
       the killer may flee to one of these cities and live.

       (Deu 19:6 NRSV)  But if the distance is too great, the avenger of 
       blood in hot anger might pursue and overtake and put the killer to 
       death, although a death sentence was not deserved, since the two had 
       not been at enmity before.

       (Deu 19:7 NRSV)  Therefore I command you: You shall set apart three 
       cities.

       (Deu 19:8 NRSV)  If the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as he 
       swore to your ancestors--and he will give you all the land that he 
       promised your ancestors to give you,

       (Deu 19:9 NRSV)  provided you diligently observe this entire 
       commandment that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God and 
       walking always in his ways--then you shall add three more cities to 
       these three,

       (Deu 19:10 NRSV)  so that the blood of an innocent person may not be 
       shed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an 
       inheritance, thereby bringing bloodguilt upon you.

       (Deu 19:11 NRSV)  But if someone at enmity with another lies in wait 
       and attacks and takes the life of that person, and flees into one of 
       these cities,






       (Deu 19:12 NRSV)  then the elders of the killer's city shall send to 
       have the culprit taken from there and handed over to the avenger of 
       blood to be put to death.

       (Deu 19:13 NRSV)  Show no pity; you shall purge the guilt of innocent 
       blood from Israel, so that it may go well with you.

       (Deu 19:14 NRSV)  You must not move your neighbor's boundary marker, 
       set up by former generations, on the property that will be allotted to 
       you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.

       (Deu 19:15 NRSV)  A single witness shall not suffice to convict a 
       person of any crime or wrongdoing in connection with any offense that 
       may be committed. Only on the evidence of two or three witnesses shall 
       a charge be sustained.

       (Deu 19:16 NRSV)  If a malicious witness comes forward to accuse 
       someone of wrongdoing,

       (Deu 19:17 NRSV)  then both parties to the dispute shall appear before 
       the LORD, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those 
       days,

       (Deu 19:18 NRSV)  and the judges shall make a thorough inquiry. If the 
       witness is a false witness, having testified falsely against another,

       (Deu 19:19 NRSV)  then you shall do to the false witness just as the 
       false witness had meant to do to the other. So you shall purge the 
       evil from your midst.

       (Deu 19:20 NRSV)  The rest shall hear and be afraid, and a crime such 
       as this shall never again be committed among you.

       (Deu 19:21 NRSV)  Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for 
       tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

       (Deu 20:1 NRSV)  When you go out to war against your enemies, and see 
       horses and chariots, an army larger than your own, you shall not be 
       afraid of them; for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up 
       from the land of Egypt.

       (Deu 20:2 NRSV)  Before you engage in battle, the priest shall come 
       forward and speak to the troops,

       (Deu 20:3 NRSV)  and shall say to them: "Hear, O Israel! Today you are 
       drawing near to do battle against your enemies. Do not lose heart, or 
       be afraid, or panic, or be in dread of them;

       (Deu 20:4 NRSV)  for it is the LORD your God who goes with you, to 
       fight for you against your enemies, to give you victory."

       (Deu 20:5 NRSV)  Then the officials shall address the troops, saying, 
       "Has anyone built a new house but not dedicated it? He should go back 
       to his house, or he might die in the battle and another dedicate it.





       (Deu 20:6 NRSV)  Has anyone planted a vineyard but not yet enjoyed its 
       fruit? He should go back to his house, or he might die in the battle 
       and another be first to enjoy its fruit.

       (Deu 20:7 NRSV)  Has anyone become engaged to a woman but not yet 
       married her? He should go back to his house, or he might die in the 
       battle and another marry her."

       (Deu 20:8 NRSV)  The officials shall continue to address the troops, 
       saying, "Is anyone afraid or disheartened? He should go back to his 
       house, or he might cause the heart of his comrades to melt like his 
       own."

       (Deu 20:9 NRSV)  When the officials have finished addressing the 
       troops, then the commanders shall take charge of them.

       (Deu 20:10 NRSV)  When you draw near to a town to fight against it, 
       offer it terms of peace.

       (Deu 20:11 NRSV)  If it accepts your terms of peace and surrenders to 
       you, then all the people in it shall serve you at forced labor.

       (Deu 20:12 NRSV)  If it does not submit to you peacefully, but makes 
       war against you, then you shall besiege it;

       (Deu 20:13 NRSV)  and when the LORD your God gives it into your hand, 
       you shall put all its males to the sword.

       (Deu 20:14 NRSV)  You may, however, take as your booty the women, the 
       children, livestock, and everything else in the town, all its spoil. 
       You may enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the LORD your God has 
       given you.

       (Deu 20:15 NRSV)  Thus you shall treat all the towns that are very far 
       from you, which are not towns of the nations here.

       (Deu 20:16 NRSV)  But as for the towns of these peoples that the LORD 
       your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not let anything 
       that breathes remain alive.

       (Deu 20:17 NRSV)  You shall annihilate them--the Hittites and the 
       Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the 
       Jebusites--just as the LORD your God has commanded,

       (Deu 20:18 NRSV)  so that they may not teach you to do all the 
       abhorrent things that they do for their gods, and you thus sin against 
       the LORD your God.

       (Deu 20:19 NRSV)  If you besiege a town for a long time, making war 
       against it in order to take it, you must not destroy its trees by 
       wielding an ax against them. Although you may take food from them, you 
       must not cut them down. Are trees in the field human beings that they 
       should come under siege from you?

       (Deu 20:20 NRSV)  You may destroy only the trees that you know do not 
       produce food; you may cut them down for use in building siegeworks 





       against the town that makes war with you, until it falls.

       (Deu 21:1 NRSV)  If, in the land that the LORD your God is giving you 
       to possess, a body is found lying in open country, and it is not known 
       who struck the person down,

       (Deu 21:2 NRSV)  then your elders and your judges shall come out to 
       measure the distances to the towns that are near the body.

       (Deu 21:3 NRSV)  The elders of the town nearest the body shall take a 
       heifer that has never been worked, one that has not pulled in the 
       yoke;

       (Deu 21:4 NRSV)  the elders of that town shall bring the heifer down 
       to a wadi with running water, which is neither plowed nor sown, and 
       shall break the heifer's neck there in the wadi.

       (Deu 21:5 NRSV)  Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come 
       forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to minister to him and 
       to pronounce blessings in the name of the LORD, and by their decision 
       all cases of dispute and assault shall be settled.

       (Deu 21:6 NRSV)  All the elders of that town nearest the body shall 
       wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the wadi,

       (Deu 21:7 NRSV)  and they shall declare: "Our hands did not shed this 
       blood, nor were we witnesses to it.

       (Deu 21:8 NRSV)  Absolve, O LORD, your people Israel, whom you 
       redeemed; do not let the guilt of innocent blood remain in the midst 
       of your people Israel." Then they will be absolved of bloodguilt.

       (Deu 21:9 NRSV)  So you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from 
       your midst, because you must do what is right in the sight of the 
       LORD.

       (Deu 21:10 NRSV)  When you go out to war against your enemies, and the 
       LORD your God hands them over to you and you take them captive,

       (Deu 21:11 NRSV)  suppose you see among the captives a beautiful woman 
       whom you desire and want to marry,

       (Deu 21:12 NRSV)  and so you bring her home to your house: she shall 
       shave her head, pare her nails,

       (Deu 21:13 NRSV)  discard her captive's garb, and shall remain in your 
       house a full month, mourning for her father and mother; after that you 
       may go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife.

       (Deu 21:14 NRSV)  But if you are not satisfied with her, you shall let 
       her go free and not sell her for money. You must not treat her as a 
       slave, since you have dishonored her.

       (Deu 21:15 NRSV)  If a man has two wives, one of them loved and the 
       other disliked, and if both the loved and the disliked have borne him 
       sons, the firstborn being the son of the one who is disliked,






       (Deu 21:16 NRSV)  then on the day when he wills his possessions to his 
       sons, he is not permitted to treat the son of the loved as the 
       firstborn in preference to the son of the disliked, who is the 
       firstborn.

       (Deu 21:17 NRSV)  He must acknowledge as firstborn the son of the one 
       who is disliked, giving him a double portion of all that he has; since 
       he is the first issue of his virility, the right of the firstborn is 
       his.

       (Deu 21:18 NRSV)  If someone has a stubborn and rebellious son who 
       will not obey his father and mother, who does not heed them when they 
       discipline him,

       (Deu 21:19 NRSV)  then his father and his mother shall take hold of 
       him and bring him out to the elders of his town at the gate of that 
       place.

       (Deu 21:20 NRSV)  They shall say to the elders of his town, "This son 
       of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a 
       glutton and a drunkard."

       (Deu 21:21 NRSV)  Then all the men of the town shall stone him to 
       death. So you shall purge the evil from your midst; and all Israel 
       will hear, and be afraid.

       (Deu 21:22 NRSV)  When someone is convicted of a crime punishable by 
       death and is executed, and you hang him on a tree,

       (Deu 21:23 NRSV)  his corpse must not remain all night upon the tree; 
       you shall bury him that same day, for anyone hung on a tree is under 
       God's curse. You must not defile the land that the LORD your God is 
       giving you for possession.

       (Deu 22:1 NRSV)  You shall not watch your neighbor's ox or sheep 
       straying away and ignore them; you shall take them back to their 
       owner.

       (Deu 22:2 NRSV)  If the owner does not reside near you or you do not 
       know who the owner is, you shall bring it to your own house, and it 
       shall remain with you until the owner claims it; then you shall return 
       it.

       (Deu 22:3 NRSV)  You shall do the same with a neighbor's donkey; you 
       shall do the same with a neighbor's garment; and you shall do the same 
       with anything else that your neighbor loses and you find. You may not 
       withhold your help.

       (Deu 22:4 NRSV)  You shall not see your neighbor's donkey or ox fallen 
       on the road and ignore it; you shall help to lift it up.

       (Deu 22:5 NRSV)  A woman shall not wear a man's apparel, nor shall a 
       man put on a woman's garment; for whoever does such things is 
       abhorrent to the LORD your God.





       (Deu 22:6 NRSV)  If you come on a bird's nest, in any tree or on the 
       ground, with fledglings or eggs, with the mother sitting on the 
       fledglings or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the 
       young.

       (Deu 22:7 NRSV)  Let the mother go, taking only the young for 
       yourself, in order that it may go well with you and you may live long.

       (Deu 22:8 NRSV)  When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet 
       for your roof; otherwise you might have bloodguilt on your house, if 
       anyone should fall from it.

       (Deu 22:9 NRSV)  You shall not sow your vineyard with a second kind of 
       seed, or the whole yield will have to be forfeited, both the crop that 
       you have sown and the yield of the vineyard itself.

       (Deu 22:10 NRSV)  You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked 
       together.

       (Deu 22:11 NRSV)  You shall not wear clothes made of wool and linen 
       woven together.

       (Deu 22:12 NRSV)  You shall make tassels on the four corners of the 
       cloak with which you cover yourself.

       (Deu 22:13 NRSV)  Suppose a man marries a woman, but after going in to 
       her, he dislikes her

       (Deu 22:14 NRSV)  and makes up charges against her, slandering her by 
       saying, "I married this woman; but when I lay with her, I did not find 
       evidence of her virginity."

       (Deu 22:15 NRSV)  The father of the young woman and her mother shall 
       then submit the evidence of the young woman's virginity to the elders 
       of the city at the gate.

       (Deu 22:16 NRSV)  The father of the young woman shall say to the 
       elders: "I gave my daughter in marriage to this man but he dislikes 
       her;

       (Deu 22:17 NRSV)  now he has made up charges against her, saying, 'I 
       did not find evidence of your daughter's virginity.' But here is the 
       evidence of my daughter's virginity." Then they shall spread out the 
       cloth before the elders of the town.

       (Deu 22:18 NRSV)  The elders of that town shall take the man and 
       punish him;

       (Deu 22:19 NRSV)  they shall fine him one hundred shekels of silver 
       (which they shall give to the young woman's father) because he has 
       slandered a virgin of Israel. She shall remain his wife; he shall not 
       be permitted to divorce her as long as he lives.

       (Deu 22:20 NRSV)  If, however, this charge is true, that evidence of 
       the young woman's virginity was not found,





       (Deu 22:21 NRSV)  then they shall bring the young woman out to the 
       entrance of her father's house and the men of her town shall stone her 
       to death, because she committed a disgraceful act in Israel by 
       prostituting herself in her father's house. So you shall purge the 
       evil from your midst.

       (Deu 22:22 NRSV)  If a man is caught lying with the wife of another 
       man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman as well as 
       the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.

       (Deu 22:23 NRSV)  If there is a young woman, a virgin already engaged 
       to be married, and a man meets her in the town and lies with her,

       (Deu 22:24 NRSV)  you shall bring both of them to the gate of that 
       town and stone them to death, the young woman because she did not cry 
       for help in the town and the man because he violated his neighbor's 
       wife. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

       (Deu 22:25 NRSV)  But if the man meets the engaged woman in the open 
       country, and the man seizes her and lies with her, then only the man 
       who lay with her shall die.

       (Deu 22:26 NRSV)  You shall do nothing to the young woman; the young 
       woman has not committed an offense punishable by death, because this 
       case is like that of someone who attacks and murders a neighbor.

       (Deu 22:27 NRSV)  Since he found her in the open country, the engaged 
       woman may have cried for help, but there was no one to rescue her.

       (Deu 22:28 NRSV)  If a man meets a virgin who is not engaged, and 
       seizes her and lies with her, and they are caught in the act,

       (Deu 22:29 NRSV)  the man who lay with her shall give fifty shekels of 
       silver to the young woman's father, and she shall become his wife. 
       Because he violated her he shall not be permitted to divorce her as 
       long as he lives.

       (Deu 22:30 NRSV)  A man shall not marry his father's wife, thereby 
       violating his father's rights.

       (Deu 23:1 NRSV)  No one whose testicles are crushed or whose penis is 
       cut off shall be admitted to the assembly of the LORD.

       (Deu 23:2 NRSV)  Those born of an illicit union shall not be admitted 
       to the assembly of the LORD. Even to the tenth generation, none of 
       their descendants shall be admitted to the assembly of the LORD.

       (Deu 23:3 NRSV)  No Ammonite or Moabite shall be admitted to the 
       assembly of the LORD. Even to the tenth generation, none of their 
       descendants shall be admitted to the assembly of the LORD,

       (Deu 23:4 NRSV)  because they did not meet you with food and water on 
       your journey out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam 
       son of Beor, from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.

       (Deu 23:5 NRSV)  (Yet the LORD your God refused to heed Balaam; the 





       LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the 
       LORD your God loved you.)

       (Deu 23:6 NRSV)  You shall never promote their welfare or their 
       prosperity as long as you live.

       (Deu 23:7 NRSV)  You shall not abhor any of the Edomites, for they are 
       your kin. You shall not abhor any of the Egyptians, because you were 
       an alien residing in their land.

       (Deu 23:8 NRSV)  The children of the third generation that are born to 
       them may be admitted to the assembly of the LORD.

       (Deu 23:9 NRSV)  When you are encamped against your enemies you shall 
       guard against any impropriety.

       (Deu 23:10 NRSV)  If one of you becomes unclean because of a nocturnal 
       emission, then he shall go outside the camp; he must not come within 
       the camp.

       (Deu 23:11 NRSV)  When evening comes, he shall wash himself with 
       water, and when the sun has set, he may come back into the camp.

       (Deu 23:12 NRSV)  You shall have a designated area outside the camp to 
       which you shall go.

       (Deu 23:13 NRSV)  With your utensils you shall have a trowel; when you 
       relieve yourself outside, you shall dig a hole with it and then cover 
       up your excrement.

       (Deu 23:14 NRSV)  Because the LORD your God travels along with your 
       camp, to save you and to hand over your enemies to you, therefore your 
       camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you 
       and turn away from you.

       (Deu 23:15 NRSV)  Slaves who have escaped to you from their owners 
       shall not be given back to them.

       (Deu 23:16 NRSV)  They shall reside with you, in your midst, in any 
       place they choose in any one of your towns, wherever they please; you 
       shall not oppress them.

       (Deu 23:17 NRSV)  None of the daughters of Israel shall be a temple 
       prostitute; none of the sons of Israel shall be a temple prostitute.

       (Deu 23:18 NRSV)  You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the 
       wages of a male prostitute into the house of the LORD your God in 
       payment for any vow, for both of these are abhorrent to the LORD your 
       God.

       (Deu 23:19 NRSV)  You shall not charge interest on loans to another 
       Israelite, interest on money, interest on provisions, interest on 
       anything that is lent.

       (Deu 23:20 NRSV)  On loans to a foreigner you may charge interest, but 
       on loans to another Israelite you may not charge interest, so that the 





       LORD your God may bless you in all your undertakings in the land that 
       you are about to enter and possess.

       (Deu 23:21 NRSV)  If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not 
       postpone fulfilling it; for the LORD your God will surely require it 
       of you, and you would incur guilt.

       (Deu 23:22 NRSV)  But if you refrain from vowing, you will not incur 
       guilt.

       (Deu 23:23 NRSV)  Whatever your lips utter you must diligently 
       perform, just as you have freely vowed to the LORD your God with your 
       own mouth.

       (Deu 23:24 NRSV)  If you go into your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat 
       your fill of grapes, as many as you wish, but you shall not put any in 
       a container.

       (Deu 23:25 NRSV)  If you go into your neighbor's standing grain, you 
       may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to 
       your neighbor's standing grain.

       (Deu 24:1 NRSV)  Suppose a man enters into marriage with a woman, but 
       she does not please him because he finds something objectionable about 
       her, and so he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her 
       hand, and sends her out of his house; she then leaves his house

       (Deu 24:2 NRSV)  and goes off to become another man's wife.

       (Deu 24:3 NRSV)  Then suppose the second man dislikes her, writes her 
       a bill of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house 
       (or the second man who married her dies);

       (Deu 24:4 NRSV)  her first husband, who sent her away, is not 
       permitted to take her again to be his wife after she has been defiled; 
       for that would be abhorrent to the LORD, and you shall not bring guilt 
       on the land that the LORD your God is giving you as a possession.

       (Deu 24:5 NRSV)  When a man is newly married, he shall not go out with 
       the army or be charged with any related duty. He shall be free at home 
       one year, to be happy with the wife whom he has married.

       (Deu 24:6 NRSV)  No one shall take a mill or an upper millstone in 
       pledge, for that would be taking a life in pledge.

       (Deu 24:7 NRSV)  If someone is caught kidnaping another Israelite, 
       enslaving or selling the Israelite, then that kidnaper shall die. So 
       you shall purge the evil from your midst.

       (Deu 24:8 NRSV)  Guard against an outbreak of a leprous skin disease 
       by being very careful; you shall carefully observe whatever the 
       levitical priests instruct you, just as I have commanded them.

       (Deu 24:9 NRSV)  Remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam on your 
       journey out of Egypt.





       (Deu 24:10 NRSV)  When you make your neighbor a loan of any kind, you 
       shall not go into the house to take the pledge.

       (Deu 24:11 NRSV)  You shall wait outside, while the person to whom you 
       are making the loan brings the pledge out to you.

       (Deu 24:12 NRSV)  If the person is poor, you shall not sleep in the 
       garment given you as the pledge.

       (Deu 24:13 NRSV)  You shall give the pledge back by sunset, so that 
       your neighbor may sleep in the cloak and bless you; and it will be to 
       your credit before the LORD your God.

       (Deu 24:14 NRSV)  You shall not withhold the wages of poor and needy 
       laborers, whether other Israelites or aliens who reside in your land 
       in one of your towns.

       (Deu 24:15 NRSV)  You shall pay them their wages daily before sunset, 
       because they are poor and their livelihood depends on them; otherwise 
       they might cry to the LORD against you, and you would incur guilt.

       (Deu 24:16 NRSV)  Parents shall not be put to death for their 
       children, nor shall children be put to death for their parents; only 
       for their own crimes may persons be put to death.

       (Deu 24:17 NRSV)  You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan 
       of justice; you shall not take a widow's garment in pledge.

       (Deu 24:18 NRSV)  Remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the LORD 
       your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this.

       (Deu 24:19 NRSV)  When you reap your harvest in your field and forget 
       a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be 
       left for the alien, the orphan, and the widow, so that the LORD your 
       God may bless you in all your undertakings.

       (Deu 24:20 NRSV)  When you beat your olive trees, do not strip what is 
       left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.

       (Deu 24:21 NRSV)  When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not 
       glean what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the 
       widow.

       (Deu 24:22 NRSV)  Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; 
       therefore I am commanding you to do this.

       (Deu 25:1 NRSV)  Suppose two persons have a dispute and enter into 
       litigation, and the judges decide between them, declaring one to be in 
       the right and the other to be in the wrong.

       (Deu 25:2 NRSV)  If the one in the wrong deserves to be flogged, the 
       judge shall make that person lie down and be beaten in his presence 
       with the number of lashes proportionate to the offense.

       (Deu 25:3 NRSV)  Forty lashes may be given but not more; if more 
       lashes than these are given, your neighbor will be degraded in your 





       sight.

       (Deu 25:4 NRSV)  You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out 
       the grain.

       (Deu 25:5 NRSV)  When brothers reside together, and one of them dies 
       and has no son, the wife of the deceased shall not be married outside 
       the family to a stranger. Her husband's brother shall go in to her, 
       taking her in marriage, and performing the duty of a husband's brother 
       to her,

       (Deu 25:6 NRSV)  and the firstborn whom she bears shall succeed to the 
       name of the deceased brother, so that his name may not be blotted out 
       of Israel.

       (Deu 25:7 NRSV)  But if the man has no desire to marry his brother's 
       widow, then his brother's widow shall go up to the elders at the gate 
       and say, "My husband's brother refuses to perpetuate his brother's 
       name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother to 
       me."

       (Deu 25:8 NRSV)  Then the elders of his town shall summon him and 
       speak to him. If he persists, saying, "I have no desire to marry her,"

       (Deu 25:9 NRSV)  then his brother's wife shall go up to him in the 
       presence of the elders, pull his sandal off his foot, spit in his 
       face, and declare, "This is what is done to the man who does not build 
       up his brother's house."

       (Deu 25:10 NRSV)  Throughout Israel his family shall be known as "the 
       house of him whose sandal was pulled off."

       (Deu 25:11 NRSV)  If men get into a fight with one another, and the 
       wife of one intervenes to rescue her husband from the grip of his 
       opponent by reaching out and seizing his genitals,

       (Deu 25:12 NRSV)  you shall cut off her hand; show no pity.

       (Deu 25:13 NRSV)  You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, 
       large and small.

       (Deu 25:14 NRSV)  You shall not have in your house two kinds of 
       measures, large and small.

       (Deu 25:15 NRSV)  You shall have only a full and honest weight; you 
       shall have only a full and honest measure, so that your days may be 
       long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

       (Deu 25:16 NRSV)  For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, 
       are abhorrent to the LORD your God.

       (Deu 25:17 NRSV)  Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey out 
       of Egypt,

       (Deu 25:18 NRSV)  how he attacked you on the way, when you were faint 
       and weary, and struck down all who lagged behind you; he did not fear 





       God.

       (Deu 25:19 NRSV)  Therefore when the LORD your God has given you rest 
       from all your enemies on every hand, in the land that the LORD your 
       God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the 
       remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; do not forget.

       (Deu 26:1 NRSV)  When you have come into the land that the LORD your 
       God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, 
       and settle in it,

       (Deu 26:2 NRSV)  you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of 
       the ground, which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is 
       giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that 
       the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his name.

       (Deu 26:3 NRSV)  You shall go to the priest who is in office at that 
       time, and say to him, "Today I declare to the LORD your God that I 
       have come into the land that the LORD swore to our ancestors to give 
       us."

       (Deu 26:4 NRSV)  When the priest takes the basket from your hand and 
       sets it down before the altar of the LORD your God,

       (Deu 26:5 NRSV)  you shall make this response before the LORD your 
       God: "A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and 
       lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great 
       nation, mighty and populous.

       (Deu 26:6 NRSV)  When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted 
       us, by imposing hard labor on us,

       (Deu 26:7 NRSV)  we cried to the LORD, the God of our ancestors; the 
       LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our 
       oppression.

       (Deu 26:8 NRSV)  The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand 
       and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with 
       signs and wonders;

       (Deu 26:9 NRSV)  and he brought us into this place and gave us this 
       land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

       (Deu 26:10 NRSV)  So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground 
       that you, O LORD, have given me." You shall set it down before the 
       LORD your God and bow down before the LORD your God.

       (Deu 26:11 NRSV)  Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens 
       who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the 
       LORD your God has given to you and to your house.

       (Deu 26:12 NRSV)  When you have finished paying all the tithe of your 
       produce in the third year (which is the year of the tithe), giving it 
       to the Levites, the aliens, the orphans, and the widows, so that they 
       may eat their fill within your towns,





       (Deu 26:13 NRSV)  then you shall say before the LORD your God: "I have 
       removed the sacred portion from the house, and I have given it to the 
       Levites, the resident aliens, the orphans, and the widows, in 
       accordance with your entire commandment that you commanded me; I have 
       neither transgressed nor forgotten any of your commandments:

       (Deu 26:14 NRSV)  I have not eaten of it while in mourning; I have not 
       removed any of it while I was unclean; and I have not offered any of 
       it to the dead. I have obeyed the LORD my God, doing just as you 
       commanded me.

       (Deu 26:15 NRSV)  Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, 
       and bless your people Israel and the ground that you have given us, as 
       you swore to our ancestors--a land flowing with milk and honey."

       (Deu 26:16 NRSV)  This very day the LORD your God is commanding you to 
       observe these statutes and ordinances; so observe them diligently with 
       all your heart and with all your soul.

       (Deu 26:17 NRSV)  Today you have obtained the Lord's agreement: to be 
       your God; and for you to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his 
       commandments, and his ordinances, and to obey him.

       (Deu 26:18 NRSV)  Today the LORD has obtained your agreement: to be 
       his treasured people, as he promised you, and to keep his 
       commandments;

       (Deu 26:19 NRSV)  for him to set you high above all nations that he 
       has made, in praise and in fame and in honor; and for you to be a 
       people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised.

       (Deu 27:1 NRSV)  Then Moses and the elders of Israel charged all the 
       people as follows: Keep the entire commandment that I am commanding 
       you today.

       (Deu 27:2 NRSV)  On the day that you cross over the Jordan into the 
       land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall set up large 
       stones and cover them with plaster.

       (Deu 27:3 NRSV)  You shall write on them all the words of this law 
       when you have crossed over, to enter the land that the LORD your God 
       is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the LORD, the 
       God of your ancestors, promised you.

       (Deu 27:4 NRSV)  So when you have crossed over the Jordan, you shall 
       set up these stones, about which I am commanding you today, on Mount 
       Ebal, and you shall cover them with plaster.

       (Deu 27:5 NRSV)  And you shall build an altar there to the LORD your 
       God, an altar of stones on which you have not used an iron tool.

       (Deu 27:6 NRSV)  You must build the altar of the LORD your God of 
       unhewn stones. Then offer up burnt offerings on it to the LORD your 
       God,

       (Deu 27:7 NRSV)  make sacrifices of well-being, and eat them there, 





       rejoicing before the LORD your God.

       (Deu 27:8 NRSV)  You shall write on the stones all the words of this 
       law very clearly.

       (Deu 27:9 NRSV)  Then Moses and the levitical priests spoke to all 
       Israel, saying: Keep silence and hear, O Israel! This very day you 
       have become the people of the LORD your God.

       (Deu 27:10 NRSV)  Therefore obey the LORD your God, observing his 
       commandments and his statutes that I am commanding you today.

       (Deu 27:11 NRSV)  The same day Moses charged the people as follows:

       (Deu 27:12 NRSV)  When you have crossed over the Jordan, these shall 
       stand on Mount Gerizim for the blessing of the people: Simeon, Levi, 
       Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.

       (Deu 27:13 NRSV)  And these shall stand on Mount Ebal for the curse: 
       Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

       (Deu 27:14 NRSV)  Then the Levites shall declare in a loud voice to 
       all the Israelites:

       (Deu 27:15 NRSV)  "Cursed be anyone who makes an idol or casts an 
       image, anything abhorrent to the LORD, the work of an artisan, and 
       sets it up in secret." All the people shall respond, saying, "Amen!"

       (Deu 27:16 NRSV)  "Cursed be anyone who dishonors father or mother." 
       All the people shall say, "Amen!"

       (Deu 27:17 NRSV)  "Cursed be anyone who moves a neighbor's boundary 
       marker." All the people shall say, "Amen!"

       (Deu 27:18 NRSV)  "Cursed be anyone who misleads a blind person on the 
       road." All the people shall say, "Amen!"

       (Deu 27:19 NRSV)  "Cursed be anyone who deprives the alien, the 
       orphan, and the widow of justice." All the people shall say, "Amen!"

       (Deu 27:20 NRSV)  "Cursed be anyone who lies with his father's wife, 
       because he has violated his father's rights." All the people shall 
       say, "Amen!"

       (Deu 27:21 NRSV)  "Cursed be anyone who lies with any animal." All the 
       people shall say, "Amen!"

       (Deu 27:22 NRSV)  "Cursed be anyone who lies with his sister, whether 
       the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother." All the 
       people shall say, "Amen!"

       (Deu 27:23 NRSV)  "Cursed be anyone who lies with his mother-in-law." 
       All the people shall say, "Amen!"

       (Deu 27:24 NRSV)  "Cursed be anyone who strikes down a neighbor in 
       secret." All the people shall say, "Amen!"






       (Deu 27:25 NRSV)  "Cursed be anyone who takes a bribe to shed innocent 
       blood." All the people shall say, "Amen!"

       (Deu 27:26 NRSV)  "Cursed be anyone who does not uphold the words of 
       this law by observing them." All the people shall say, "Amen!"

       (Deu 28:1 NRSV)  If you will only obey the LORD your God, by 
       diligently observing all his commandments that I am commanding you 
       today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of 
       the earth;

       (Deu 28:2 NRSV)  all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake 
       you, if you obey the LORD your God:

       (Deu 28:3 NRSV)  Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall 
       you be in the field.

       (Deu 28:4 NRSV)  Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb, the fruit of 
       your ground, and the fruit of your livestock, both the increase of 
       your cattle and the issue of your flock.

       (Deu 28:5 NRSV)  Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

       (Deu 28:6 NRSV)  Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed 
       shall you be when you go out.

       (Deu 28:7 NRSV)  The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you 
       to be defeated before you; they shall come out against you one way, 
       and flee before you seven ways.

       (Deu 28:8 NRSV)  The LORD will command the blessing upon you in your 
       barns, and in all that you undertake; he will bless you in the land 
       that the LORD your God is giving you.

       (Deu 28:9 NRSV)  The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he 
       has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God 
       and walk in his ways.

       (Deu 28:10 NRSV)  All the peoples of the earth shall see that you are 
       called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you.

       (Deu 28:11 NRSV)  The LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the 
       fruit of your womb, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit 
       of your ground in the land that the LORD swore to your ancestors to 
       give you.

       (Deu 28:12 NRSV)  The LORD will open for you his rich storehouse, the 
       heavens, to give the rain of your land in its season and to bless all 
       your undertakings. You will lend to many nations, but you will not 
       borrow.

       (Deu 28:13 NRSV)  The LORD will make you the head, and not the tail; 
       you shall be only at the top, and not at the bottom--if you obey the 
       commandments of the LORD your God, which I am commanding you today, by 
       diligently observing them,






       (Deu 28:14 NRSV)  and if you do not turn aside from any of the words 
       that I am commanding you today, either to the right or to the left, 
       following other gods to serve them.

       (Deu 28:15 NRSV)  But if you will not obey the LORD your God by 
       diligently observing all his commandments and decrees, which I am 
       commanding you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and 
       overtake you:

       (Deu 28:16 NRSV)  Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall 
       you be in the field.

       (Deu 28:17 NRSV)  Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

       (Deu 28:18 NRSV)  Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb, the fruit of 
       your ground, the increase of your cattle and the issue of your flock.

       (Deu 28:19 NRSV)  Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed 
       shall you be when you go out.

       (Deu 28:20 NRSV)  The LORD will send upon you disaster, panic, and 
       frustration in everything you attempt to do, until you are destroyed 
       and perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you 
       have forsaken me.

       (Deu 28:21 NRSV)  The LORD will make the pestilence cling to you until 
       it has consumed you off the land that you are entering to possess.

       (Deu 28:22 NRSV)  The LORD will afflict you with consumption, fever, 
       inflammation, with fiery heat and drought, and with blight and mildew; 
       they shall pursue you until you perish.

       (Deu 28:23 NRSV)  The sky over your head shall be bronze, and the 
       earth under you iron.

       (Deu 28:24 NRSV)  The LORD will change the rain of your land into 
       powder, and only dust shall come down upon you from the sky until you 
       are destroyed.

       (Deu 28:25 NRSV)  The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your 
       enemies; you shall go out against them one way and flee before them 
       seven ways. You shall become an object of horror to all the kingdoms 
       of the earth.

       (Deu 28:26 NRSV)  Your corpses shall be food for every bird of the air 
       and animal of the earth, and there shall be no one to frighten them 
       away.

       (Deu 28:27 NRSV)  The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt, 
       with ulcers, scurvy, and itch, of which you cannot be healed.

       (Deu 28:28 NRSV)  The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness, 
       and confusion of mind;

       (Deu 28:29 NRSV)  you shall grope about at noon as blind people grope 





       in darkness, but you shall be unable to find your way; and you shall 
       be continually abused and robbed, without anyone to help.

       (Deu 28:30 NRSV)  You shall become engaged to a woman, but another man 
       shall lie with her. You shall build a house, but not live in it. You 
       shall plant a vineyard, but not enjoy its fruit.

       (Deu 28:31 NRSV)  Your ox shall be butchered before your eyes, but you 
       shall not eat of it. Your donkey shall be stolen in front of you, and 
       shall not be restored to you. Your sheep shall be given to your 
       enemies, without anyone to help you.

       (Deu 28:32 NRSV)  Your sons and daughters shall be given to another 
       people, while you look on; you will strain your eyes looking for them 
       all day but be powerless to do anything.

       (Deu 28:33 NRSV)  A people whom you do not know shall eat up the fruit 
       of your ground and of all your labors; you shall be continually abused 
       and crushed,

       (Deu 28:34 NRSV)  and driven mad by the sight that your eyes shall 
       see.

       (Deu 28:35 NRSV)  The LORD will strike you on the knees and on the 
       legs with grievous boils of which you cannot be healed, from the sole 
       of your foot to the crown of your head.

       (Deu 28:36 NRSV)  The LORD will bring you, and the king whom you set 
       over you, to a nation that neither you nor your ancestors have known, 
       where you shall serve other gods, of wood and stone.

       (Deu 28:37 NRSV)  You shall become an object of horror, a proverb, and 
       a byword among all the peoples where the LORD will lead you.

       (Deu 28:38 NRSV)  You shall carry much seed into the field but shall 
       gather little in, for the locust shall consume it.

       (Deu 28:39 NRSV)  You shall plant vineyards and dress them, but you 
       shall neither drink the wine nor gather the grapes, for the worm shall 
       eat them.

       (Deu 28:40 NRSV)  You shall have olive trees throughout all your 
       territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil, for your 
       olives shall drop off.

       (Deu 28:41 NRSV)  You shall have sons and daughters, but they shall 
       not remain yours, for they shall go into captivity.

       (Deu 28:42 NRSV)  All your trees and the fruit of your ground the 
       cicada shall take over.

       (Deu 28:43 NRSV)  Aliens residing among you shall ascend above you 
       higher and higher, while you shall descend lower and lower.

       (Deu 28:44 NRSV)  They shall lend to you but you shall not lend to 
       them; they shall be the head and you shall be the tail.






       (Deu 28:45 NRSV)  All these curses shall come upon you, pursuing and 
       overtaking you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the 
       LORD your God, by observing the commandments and the decrees that he 
       commanded you.

       (Deu 28:46 NRSV)  They shall be among you and your descendants as a 
       sign and a portent forever.

       (Deu 28:47 NRSV)  Because you did not serve the LORD your God joyfully 
       and with gladness of heart for the abundance of everything,

       (Deu 28:48 NRSV)  therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD 
       will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and lack of 
       everything. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has 
       destroyed you.

       (Deu 28:49 NRSV)  The LORD will bring a nation from far away, from the 
       end of the earth, to swoop down on you like an eagle, a nation whose 
       language you do not understand,

       (Deu 28:50 NRSV)  a grim-faced nation showing no respect to the old or 
       favor to the young.

       (Deu 28:51 NRSV)  It shall consume the fruit of your livestock and the 
       fruit of your ground until you are destroyed, leaving you neither 
       grain, wine, and oil, nor the increase of your cattle and the issue of 
       your flock, until it has made you perish.

       (Deu 28:52 NRSV)  It shall besiege you in all your towns until your 
       high and fortified walls, in which you trusted, come down throughout 
       your land; it shall besiege you in all your towns throughout the land 
       that the LORD your God has given you.

       (Deu 28:53 NRSV)  In the desperate straits to which the enemy siege 
       reduces you, you will eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of your 
       own sons and daughters whom the LORD your God has given you.

       (Deu 28:54 NRSV)  Even the most refined and gentle of men among you 
       will begrudge food to his own brother, to the wife whom he embraces, 
       and to the last of his remaining children,

       (Deu 28:55 NRSV)  giving to none of them any of the flesh of his 
       children whom he is eating, because nothing else remains to him, in 
       the desperate straits to which the enemy siege will reduce you in all 
       your towns.

       (Deu 28:56 NRSV)  She who is the most refined and gentle among you, so 
       gentle and refined that she does not venture to set the sole of her 
       foot on the ground, will begrudge food to the husband whom she 
       embraces, to her own son, and to her own daughter,

       (Deu 28:57 NRSV)  begrudging even the afterbirth that comes out from 
       between her thighs, and the children that she bears, because she is 
       eating them in secret for lack of anything else, in the desperate 
       straits to which the enemy siege will reduce you in your towns.






       (Deu 28:58 NRSV)  If you do not diligently observe all the words of 
       this law that are written in this book, fearing this glorious and 
       awesome name, the LORD your God,

       (Deu 28:59 NRSV)  then the LORD will overwhelm both you and your 
       offspring with severe and lasting afflictions and grievous and lasting 
       maladies.

       (Deu 28:60 NRSV)  He will bring back upon you all the diseases of 
       Egypt, of which you were in dread, and they shall cling to you.

       (Deu 28:61 NRSV)  Every other malady and affliction, even though not 
       recorded in the book of this law, the LORD will inflict on you until 
       you are destroyed.

       (Deu 28:62 NRSV)  Although once you were as numerous as the stars in 
       heaven, you shall be left few in number, because you did not obey the 
       LORD your God.

       (Deu 28:63 NRSV)  And just as the LORD took delight in making you 
       prosperous and numerous, so the LORD will take delight in bringing you 
       to ruin and destruction; you shall be plucked off the land that you 
       are entering to possess.

       (Deu 28:64 NRSV)  The LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from 
       one end of the earth to the other; and there you shall serve other 
       gods, of wood and stone, which neither you nor your ancestors have 
       known.

       (Deu 28:65 NRSV)  Among those nations you shall find no ease, no 
       resting place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you 
       a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a languishing spirit.

       (Deu 28:66 NRSV)  Your life shall hang in doubt before you; night and 
       day you shall be in dread, with no assurance of your life.

       (Deu 28:67 NRSV)  In the morning you shall say, "If only it were 
       evening!" and at evening you shall say, "If only it were 
       morning!"--because of the dread that your heart shall feel and the 
       sights that your eyes shall see.

       (Deu 28:68 NRSV)  The LORD will bring you back in ships to Egypt, by a 
       route that I promised you would never see again; and there you shall 
       offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, 
       but there will be no buyer.

       (Deu 29:1 NRSV)  These are the words of the covenant that the LORD 
       commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in the land of Moab, in 
       addition to the covenant that he had made with them at Horeb.

       (Deu 29:2 NRSV)  Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: You have 
       seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to 
       Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land,

       (Deu 29:3 NRSV)  the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and 





       those great wonders.

       (Deu 29:4 NRSV)  But to this day the LORD has not given you a mind to 
       understand, or eyes to see, or ears to hear.

       (Deu 29:5 NRSV)  I have led you forty years in the wilderness. The 
       clothes on your back have not worn out, and the sandals on your feet 
       have not worn out;

       (Deu 29:6 NRSV)  you have not eaten bread, and you have not drunk wine 
       or strong drink--so that you may know that I am the LORD your God.

       (Deu 29:7 NRSV)  When you came to this place, King Sihon of Heshbon 
       and King Og of Bashan came out against us for battle, but we defeated 
       them.

       (Deu 29:8 NRSV)  We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to 
       the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

       (Deu 29:9 NRSV)  Therefore diligently observe the words of this 
       covenant, in order that you may succeed in everything that you do.

       (Deu 29:10 NRSV)  You stand assembled today, all of you, before the 
       LORD your God--the leaders of your tribes, your elders, and your 
       officials, all the men of Israel,

       (Deu 29:11 NRSV)  your children, your women, and the aliens who are in 
       your camp, both those who cut your wood and those who draw your 
       water--

       (Deu 29:12 NRSV)  to enter into the covenant of the LORD your God, 
       sworn by an oath, which the LORD your God is making with you today;

       (Deu 29:13 NRSV)  in order that he may establish you today as his 
       people, and that he may be your God, as he promised you and as he 
       swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

       (Deu 29:14 NRSV)  I am making this covenant, sworn by an oath, not 
       only with you who stand here with us today before the LORD our God,

       (Deu 29:15 NRSV)  but also with those who are not here with us today.

       (Deu 29:16 NRSV)  You know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how 
       we came through the midst of the nations through which you passed.

       (Deu 29:17 NRSV)  You have seen their detestable things, the filthy 
       idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold, that were among them.

       (Deu 29:18 NRSV)  It may be that there is among you a man or woman, or 
       a family or tribe, whose heart is already turning away from the LORD 
       our God to serve the gods of those nations. It may be that there is 
       among you a root sprouting poisonous and bitter growth.

       (Deu 29:19 NRSV)  All who hear the words of this oath and bless 
       themselves, thinking in their hearts, "We are safe even though we go 
       our own stubborn ways" (thus bringing disaster on moist and dry 





       alike)--

       (Deu 29:20 NRSV)  the LORD will be unwilling to pardon them, for the 
       Lord's anger and passion will smoke against them. All the curses 
       written in this book will descend on them, and the LORD will blot out 
       their names from under heaven.

       (Deu 29:21 NRSV)  The LORD will single them out from all the tribes of 
       Israel for calamity, in accordance with all the curses of the covenant 
       written in this book of the law.

       (Deu 29:22 NRSV)  The next generation, your children who rise up after 
       you, as well as the foreigner who comes from a distant country, will 
       see the devastation of that land and the afflictions with which the 
       LORD has afflicted it--

       (Deu 29:23 NRSV)  all its soil burned out by sulfur and salt, nothing 
       planted, nothing sprouting, unable to support any vegetation, like the 
       destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD 
       destroyed in his fierce anger--

       (Deu 29:24 NRSV)  they and indeed all the nations will wonder, "Why 
       has the LORD done thus to this land? What caused this great display of 
       anger?"

       (Deu 29:25 NRSV)  They will conclude, "It is because they abandoned 
       the covenant of the LORD, the God of their ancestors, which he made 
       with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.

       (Deu 29:26 NRSV)  They turned and served other gods, worshiping them, 
       gods whom they had not known and whom he had not allotted to them;

       (Deu 29:27 NRSV)  so the anger of the LORD was kindled against that 
       land, bringing on it every curse written in this book.

       (Deu 29:28 NRSV)  The LORD uprooted them from their land in anger, 
       fury, and great wrath, and cast them into another land, as is now the 
       case."

       (Deu 29:29 NRSV)  The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but 
       the revealed things belong to us and to our children forever, to 
       observe all the words of this law.

       (Deu 30:1 NRSV)  When all these things have happened to you, the 
       blessings and the curses that I have set before you, if you call them 
       to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God has driven you,

       (Deu 30:2 NRSV)  and return to the LORD your God, and you and your 
       children obey him with all your heart and with all your soul, just as 
       I am commanding you today,

       (Deu 30:3 NRSV)  then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and 
       have compassion on you, gathering you again from all the peoples among 
       whom the LORD your God has scattered you.

       (Deu 30:4 NRSV)  Even if you are exiled to the ends of the world, from 





       there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there he will bring 
       you back.

       (Deu 30:5 NRSV)  The LORD your God will bring you into the land that 
       your ancestors possessed, and you will possess it; he will make you 
       more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors.

       (Deu 30:6 NRSV)  Moreover, the LORD your God will circumcise your 
       heart and the heart of your descendants, so that you will love the 
       LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order 
       that you may live.

       (Deu 30:7 NRSV)  The LORD your God will put all these curses on your 
       enemies and on the adversaries who took advantage of you.

       (Deu 30:8 NRSV)  Then you shall again obey the LORD, observing all his 
       commandments that I am commanding you today,

       (Deu 30:9 NRSV)  and the LORD your God will make you abundantly 
       prosperous in all your undertakings, in the fruit of your body, in the 
       fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil. For the LORD 
       will again take delight in prospering you, just as he delighted in 
       prospering your ancestors,

       (Deu 30:10 NRSV)  when you obey the LORD your God by observing his 
       commandments and decrees that are written in this book of the law, 
       because you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all 
       your soul.

       (Deu 30:11 NRSV)  Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you 
       today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away.

       (Deu 30:12 NRSV)  It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will 
       go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and 
       observe it?"

       (Deu 30:13 NRSV)  Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 
       "Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us 
       so that we may hear it and observe it?"

       (Deu 30:14 NRSV)  No, the word is very near to you; it is in your 
       mouth and in your heart for you to observe.

       (Deu 30:15 NRSV)  See, I have set before you today life and 
       prosperity, death and adversity.

       (Deu 30:16 NRSV)  If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God 
       that I am commanding you today, by loving the LORD your God, walking 
       in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, 
       then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will 
       bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.

       (Deu 30:17 NRSV)  But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, 
       but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them,

       (Deu 30:18 NRSV)  I declare to you today that you shall perish; you 





       shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to 
       enter and possess.

       (Deu 30:19 NRSV)  I call heaven and earth to witness against you today 
       that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. 
       Choose life so that you and your descendants may live,

       (Deu 30:20 NRSV)  loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and holding 
       fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that 
       you may live in the land that the LORD swore to give to your 
       ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

       (Deu 31:1 NRSV)  When Moses had finished speaking all these words to 
       all Israel,

       (Deu 31:2 NRSV)  he said to them: "I am now one hundred twenty years 
       old. I am no longer able to get about, and the LORD has told me, 'You 
       shall not cross over this Jordan.'

       (Deu 31:3 NRSV)  The LORD your God himself will cross over before you. 
       He will destroy these nations before you, and you shall dispossess 
       them. Joshua also will cross over before you, as the LORD promised.

       (Deu 31:4 NRSV)  The LORD will do to them as he did to Sihon and Og, 
       the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them.

       (Deu 31:5 NRSV)  The LORD will give them over to you and you shall 
       deal with them in full accord with the command that I have given to 
       you.

       (Deu 31:6 NRSV)  Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, 
       because it is the LORD your God who goes with you; he will not fail 
       you or forsake you."

       (Deu 31:7 NRSV)  Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the 
       sight of all Israel: "Be strong and bold, for you are the one who will 
       go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their 
       ancestors to give them; and you will put them in possession of it.

       (Deu 31:8 NRSV)  It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with 
       you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."

       (Deu 31:9 NRSV)  Then Moses wrote down this law, and gave it to the 
       priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the 
       LORD, and to all the elders of Israel.

       (Deu 31:10 NRSV)  Moses commanded them: "Every seventh year, in the 
       scheduled year of remission, during the festival of booths,

       (Deu 31:11 NRSV)  when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your 
       God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before 
       all Israel in their hearing.

       (Deu 31:12 NRSV)  Assemble the people--men, women, and children, as 
       well as the aliens residing in your towns--so that they may hear and 
       learn to fear the LORD your God and to observe diligently all the 





       words of this law,

       (Deu 31:13 NRSV)  and so that their children, who have not known it, 
       may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in 
       the land that you are crossing over the Jordan to possess."

       (Deu 31:14 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses, "Your time to die is near; 
       call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, so that I 
       may commission him." So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves 
       in the tent of meeting,

       (Deu 31:15 NRSV)  and the LORD appeared at the tent in a pillar of 
       cloud; the pillar of cloud stood at the entrance to the tent.

       (Deu 31:16 NRSV)  The LORD said to Moses, "Soon you will lie down with 
       your ancestors. Then this people will begin to prostitute themselves 
       to the foreign gods in their midst, the gods of the land into which 
       they are going; they will forsake me, breaking my covenant that I have 
       made with them.

       (Deu 31:17 NRSV)  My anger will be kindled against them in that day. I 
       will forsake them and hide my face from them; they will become easy 
       prey, and many terrible troubles will come upon them. In that day they 
       will say, 'Have not these troubles come upon us because our God is not 
       in our midst?'

       (Deu 31:18 NRSV)  On that day I will surely hide my face on account of 
       all the evil they have done by turning to other gods.

       (Deu 31:19 NRSV)  Now therefore write this song, and teach it to the 
       Israelites; put it in their mouths, in order that this song may be a 
       witness for me against the Israelites.

       (Deu 31:20 NRSV)  For when I have brought them into the land flowing 
       with milk and honey, which I promised on oath to their ancestors, and 
       they have eaten their fill and grown fat, they will turn to other gods 
       and serve them, despising me and breaking my covenant.

       (Deu 31:21 NRSV)  And when many terrible troubles come upon them, this 
       song will confront them as a witness, because it will not be lost from 
       the mouths of their descendants. For I know what they are inclined to 
       do even now, before I have brought them into the land that I promised 
       them on oath."

       (Deu 31:22 NRSV)  That very day Moses wrote this song and taught it to 
       the Israelites.

       (Deu 31:23 NRSV)  Then the LORD commissioned Joshua son of Nun and 
       said, "Be strong and bold, for you shall bring the Israelites into the 
       land that I promised them; I will be with you."

       (Deu 31:24 NRSV)  When Moses had finished writing down in a book the 
       words of this law to the very end,

       (Deu 31:25 NRSV)  Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of 
       the covenant of the LORD, saying,






       (Deu 31:26 NRSV)  "Take this book of the law and put it beside the ark 
       of the covenant of the LORD your God; let it remain there as a witness 
       against you.

       (Deu 31:27 NRSV)  For I know well how rebellious and stubborn you are. 
       If you already have been so rebellious toward the LORD while I am 
       still alive among you, how much more after my death!

       (Deu 31:28 NRSV)  Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and 
       your officials, so that I may recite these words in their hearing and 
       call heaven and earth to witness against them.

       (Deu 31:29 NRSV)  For I know that after my death you will surely act 
       corruptly, turning aside from the way that I have commanded you. In 
       time to come trouble will befall you, because you will do what is evil 
       in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger through the work of 
       your hands."

       (Deu 31:30 NRSV)  Then Moses recited the words of this song, to the 
       very end, in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel:

       (Deu 32:1 NRSV)  Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; let the earth 
       hear the words of my mouth.

       (Deu 32:2 NRSV)  May my teaching drop like the rain, my speech 
       condense like the dew; like gentle rain on grass, like showers on new 
       growth.

       (Deu 32:3 NRSV)  For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe 
       greatness to our God!

       (Deu 32:4 NRSV)  The Rock, his work is perfect, and all his ways are 
       just. A faithful God, without deceit, just and upright is he;

       (Deu 32:5 NRSV)  yet his degenerate children have dealt falsely with 
       him, a perverse and crooked generation.

       (Deu 32:6 NRSV)  Do you thus repay the LORD, O foolish and senseless 
       people? Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and 
       established you?

       (Deu 32:7 NRSV)  Remember the days of old, consider the years long 
       past; ask your father, and he will inform you; your elders, and they 
       will tell you.

       (Deu 32:8 NRSV)  When the Most High apportioned the nations, when he 
       divided humankind, he fixed the boundaries of the peoples according to 
       the number of the gods;

       (Deu 32:9 NRSV)  the Lord's own portion was his people, Jacob his 
       allotted share.

       (Deu 32:10 NRSV)  He sustained him in a desert land, in a howling 
       wilderness waste; he shielded him, cared for him, guarded him as the 
       apple of his eye.






       (Deu 32:11 NRSV)  As an eagle stirs up its nest, and hovers over its 
       young; as it spreads its wings, takes them up, and bears them aloft on 
       its pinions,

       (Deu 32:12 NRSV)  the LORD alone guided him; no foreign god was with 
       him.

       (Deu 32:13 NRSV)  He set him atop the heights of the land, and fed him 
       with produce of the field; he nursed him with honey from the crags, 
       with oil from flinty rock;

       (Deu 32:14 NRSV)  curds from the herd, and milk from the flock, with 
       fat of lambs and rams; Bashan bulls and goats, together with the 
       choicest wheat-- you drank fine wine from the blood of grapes.

       (Deu 32:15 NRSV)  Jacob ate his fill; Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked. 
       You grew fat, bloated, and gorged! He abandoned God who made him, and 
       scoffed at the Rock of his salvation.

       (Deu 32:16 NRSV)  They made him jealous with strange gods, with 
       abhorrent things they provoked him.

       (Deu 32:17 NRSV)  They sacrificed to demons, not God, to deities they 
       had never known, to new ones recently arrived, whom your ancestors had 
       not feared.

       (Deu 32:18 NRSV)  You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you; you 
       forgot the God who gave you birth.

       (Deu 32:19 NRSV)  The LORD saw it, and was jealous he spurned his sons 
       and daughters.

       (Deu 32:20 NRSV)  He said: I will hide my face from them, I will see 
       what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation, children 
       in whom there is no faithfulness.

       (Deu 32:21 NRSV)  They made me jealous with what is no god, provoked 
       me with their idols. So I will make them jealous with what is no 
       people, provoke them with a foolish nation.

       (Deu 32:22 NRSV)  For a fire is kindled by my anger, and burns to the 
       depths of Sheol; it devours the earth and its increase, and sets on 
       fire the foundations of the mountains.

       (Deu 32:23 NRSV)  I will heap disasters upon them, spend my arrows 
       against them:

       (Deu 32:24 NRSV)  wasting hunger, burning consumption, bitter 
       pestilence. The teeth of beasts I will send against them, with venom 
       of things crawling in the dust.

       (Deu 32:25 NRSV)  In the street the sword shall bereave, and in the 
       chambers terror, for young man and woman alike, nursing child and old 
       gray head.





       (Deu 32:26 NRSV)  I thought to scatter them and blot out the memory of 
       them from humankind;

       (Deu 32:27 NRSV)  but I feared provocation by the enemy, for their 
       adversaries might misunderstand and say, "Our hand is triumphant; it 
       was not the LORD who did all this."

       (Deu 32:28 NRSV)  They are a nation void of sense; there is no 
       understanding in them.

       (Deu 32:29 NRSV)  If they were wise, they would understand this; they 
       would discern what the end would be.

       (Deu 32:30 NRSV)  How could one have routed a thousand, and two put a 
       myriad to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, the LORD had given 
       them up?

       (Deu 32:31 NRSV)  Indeed their rock is not like our Rock; our enemies 
       are fools.

       (Deu 32:32 NRSV)  Their vine comes from the vinestock of Sodom, from 
       the vineyards of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of poison, their 
       clusters are bitter;

       (Deu 32:33 NRSV)  their wine is the poison of serpents, the cruel 
       venom of asps.

       (Deu 32:34 NRSV)  Is not this laid up in store with me, sealed up in 
       my treasuries?

       (Deu 32:35 NRSV)  Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when 
       their foot shall slip; because the day of their calamity is at hand, 
       their doom comes swiftly.

       (Deu 32:36 NRSV)  Indeed the LORD will vindicate his people, have 
       compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone, 
       neither bond nor free remaining.

       (Deu 32:37 NRSV)  Then he will say: Where are their gods, the rock in 
       which they took refuge,

       (Deu 32:38 NRSV)  who ate the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the 
       wine of their libations? Let them rise up and help you, let them be 
       your protection!

       (Deu 32:39 NRSV)  See now that I, even I, am he; there is no god 
       besides me. I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and no one 
       can deliver from my hand.

       (Deu 32:40 NRSV)  For I lift up my hand to heaven, and swear: As I 
       live forever,

       (Deu 32:41 NRSV)  when I whet my flashing sword, and my hand takes 
       hold on judgment; I will take vengeance on my adversaries, and will 
       repay those who hate me.





       (Deu 32:42 NRSV)  I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword 
       shall devour flesh-- with the blood of the slain and the captives, 
       from the long-haired enemy.

       (Deu 32:43 NRSV)  Praise, O heavens, his people, worship him, all you 
       gods! For he will avenge the blood of his children, and take vengeance 
       on his adversaries; he will repay those who hate him, and cleanse the 
       land for his people.

       (Deu 32:44 NRSV)  Moses came and recited all the words of this song in 
       the hearing of the people, he and Joshua son of Nun.

       (Deu 32:45 NRSV)  When Moses had finished reciting all these words to 
       all Israel,

       (Deu 32:46 NRSV)  he said to them: "Take to heart all the words that I 
       am giving in witness against you today; give them as a command to your 
       children, so that they may diligently observe all the words of this 
       law.

       (Deu 32:47 NRSV)  This is no trifling matter for you, but rather your 
       very life; through it you may live long in the land that you are 
       crossing over the Jordan to possess."

       (Deu 32:48 NRSV)  On that very day the LORD addressed Moses as 
       follows:

       (Deu 32:49 NRSV)  "Ascend this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, 
       which is in the land of Moab, across from Jericho, and view the land 
       of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites for a possession;

       (Deu 32:50 NRSV)  you shall die there on the mountain that you ascend 
       and shall be gathered to your kin, as your brother Aaron died on Mount 
       Hor and was gathered to his kin;

       (Deu 32:51 NRSV)  because both of you broke faith with me among the 
       Israelites at the waters of Meribath-kadesh in the wilderness of Zin, 
       by failing to maintain my holiness among the Israelites.

       (Deu 32:52 NRSV)  Although you may view the land from a distance, you 
       shall not enter it--the land that I am giving to the Israelites."

       (Deu 33:1 NRSV)  This is the blessing with which Moses, the man of 
       God, blessed the Israelites before his death.

       (Deu 33:2 NRSV)  He said: The LORD came from Sinai, and dawned from 
       Seir upon us; he shone forth from Mount Paran. With him were myriads 
       of holy ones; at his right, a host of his own.

       (Deu 33:3 NRSV)  Indeed, O favorite among peoples, all his holy ones 
       were in your charge; they marched at your heels, accepted direction 
       from you.

       (Deu 33:4 NRSV)  Moses charged us with the law, as a possession for 
       the assembly of Jacob.





       (Deu 33:5 NRSV)  There arose a king in Jeshurun, when the leaders of 
       the people assembled-- the united tribes of Israel.

       (Deu 33:6 NRSV)  May Reuben live, and not die out, even though his 
       numbers are few.

       (Deu 33:7 NRSV)  And this he said of Judah: O LORD, give heed to 
       Judah, and bring him to his people; strengthen his hands for him, and 
       be a help against his adversaries.

       (Deu 33:8 NRSV)  And of Levi he said: Give to Levi your Thummim, and 
       your Urim to your loyal one, whom you tested at Massah, with whom you 
       contended at the waters of Meribah;

       (Deu 33:9 NRSV)  who said of his father and mother, "I regard them 
       not"; he ignored his kin, and did not acknowledge his children. For 
       they observed your word, and kept your covenant.

       (Deu 33:10 NRSV)  They teach Jacob your ordinances, and Israel your 
       law; they place incense before you, and whole burnt offerings on your 
       altar.

       (Deu 33:11 NRSV)  Bless, O LORD, his substance, and accept the work of 
       his hands; crush the loins of his adversaries, of those that hate him, 
       so that they do not rise again.

       (Deu 33:12 NRSV)  Of Benjamin he said: The beloved of the LORD rests 
       in safety-- the High God surrounds him all day long-- the beloved 
       rests between his shoulders.

       (Deu 33:13 NRSV)  And of Joseph he said: Blessed by the LORD be his 
       land, with the choice gifts of heaven above, and of the deep that lies 
       beneath;

       (Deu 33:14 NRSV)  with the choice fruits of the sun, and the rich 
       yield of the months;

       (Deu 33:15 NRSV)  with the finest produce of the ancient mountains, 
       and the abundance of the everlasting hills;

       (Deu 33:16 NRSV)  with the choice gifts of the earth and its fullness, 
       and the favor of the one who dwells on Sinai. Let these come on the 
       head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.

       (Deu 33:17 NRSV)  A firstborn bull--majesty is his! His horns are the 
       horns of a wild ox; with them he gores the peoples, driving them to 
       the ends of the earth; such are the myriads of Ephraim, such the 
       thousands of Manasseh.

       (Deu 33:18 NRSV)  And of Zebulun he said: Rejoice, Zebulun, in your 
       going out; and Issachar, in your tents.

       (Deu 33:19 NRSV)  They call peoples to the mountain; there they offer 
       the right sacrifices; for they suck the affluence of the seas and the 
       hidden treasures of the sand.





       (Deu 33:20 NRSV)  And of Gad he said: Blessed be the enlargement of 
       Gad! Gad lives like a lion; he tears at arm and scalp.

       (Deu 33:21 NRSV)  He chose the best for himself, for there a 
       commander's allotment was reserved; he came at the head of the people, 
       he executed the justice of the LORD, and his ordinances for Israel.

       (Deu 33:22 NRSV)  And of Dan he said: Dan is a lion's whelp that leaps 
       forth from Bashan.

       (Deu 33:23 NRSV)  And of Naphtali he said: O Naphtali, sated with 
       favor, full of the blessing of the LORD, possess the west and the 
       south.

       (Deu 33:24 NRSV)  And of Asher he said: Most blessed of sons be Asher; 
       may he be the favorite of his brothers, and may he dip his foot in 
       oil.

       (Deu 33:25 NRSV)  Your bars are iron and bronze; and as your days, so 
       is your strength.

       (Deu 33:26 NRSV)  There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides 
       through the heavens to your help, majestic through the skies.

       (Deu 33:27 NRSV)  He subdues the ancient gods, shatters the forces of 
       old; he drove out the enemy before you, and said, "Destroy!"

       (Deu 33:28 NRSV)  So Israel lives in safety, untroubled is Jacob's 
       abode in a land of grain and wine, where the heavens drop down dew.

       (Deu 33:29 NRSV)  Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people 
       saved by the LORD, the shield of your help, and the sword of your 
       triumph! Your enemies shall come fawning to you, and you shall tread 
       on their backs.

       (Deu 34:1 NRSV)  Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount 
       Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the LORD 
       showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan,

       (Deu 34:2 NRSV)  all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all 
       the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,

       (Deu 34:3 NRSV)  the Negeb, and the Plain--that is, the valley of 
       Jericho, the city of palm trees--as far as Zoar.

       (Deu 34:4 NRSV)  The LORD said to him, "This is the land of which I 
       swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to 
       your descendants'; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall 
       not cross over there."

       (Deu 34:5 NRSV)  Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in 
       the land of Moab, at the Lord's command.

       (Deu 34:6 NRSV)  He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, 
       opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day.





       (Deu 34:7 NRSV)  Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; 
       his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated.

       (Deu 34:8 NRSV)  The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab 
       thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.

       (Deu 34:9 NRSV)  Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, 
       because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed 
       him, doing as the LORD had commanded Moses.

       (Deu 34:10 NRSV)  Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel 
       like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.

       (Deu 34:11 NRSV)  He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that 
       the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and 
       all his servants and his entire land,

       (Deu 34:12 NRSV)  and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying 
       displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

       (Josh 1:1 NRSV)  After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the 
       LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying,

       (Josh 1:2 NRSV)  "My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the 
       Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to 
       them, to the Israelites.

       (Josh 1:3 NRSV)  Every place that the sole of your foot will tread 
       upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses.

       (Josh 1:4 NRSV)  From the wilderness and the Lebanon as far as the 
       great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, to the 
       Great Sea in the west shall be your territory.

       (Josh 1:5 NRSV)  No one shall be able to stand against you all the 
       days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will 
       not fail you or forsake you.

       (Josh 1:6 NRSV)  Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this 
       people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to 
       give them.

       (Josh 1:7 NRSV)  Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to 
       act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded 
       you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you 
       may be successful wherever you go.

       (Josh 1:8 NRSV)  This book of the law shall not depart out of your 
       mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be 
       careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then 
       you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful.

       (Josh 1:9 NRSV)  I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do 
       not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you 
       wherever you go."





       (Josh 1:10 NRSV)  Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people,

       (Josh 1:11 NRSV)  "Pass through the camp, and command the people: 
       'Prepare your provisions; for in three days you are to cross over the 
       Jordan, to go in to take possession of the land that the LORD your God 
       gives you to possess.'"

       (Josh 1:12 NRSV)  To the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe 
       of Manasseh Joshua said,

       (Josh 1:13 NRSV)  "Remember the word that Moses the servant of the 
       LORD commanded you, saying, 'The LORD your God is providing you a 
       place of rest, and will give you this land.'

       (Josh 1:14 NRSV)  Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock 
       shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan. But 
       all the warriors among you shall cross over armed before your kindred 
       and shall help them,

       (Josh 1:15 NRSV)  until the LORD gives rest to your kindred as well as 
       to you, and they too take possession of the land that the LORD your 
       God is giving them. Then you shall return to your own land and take 
       possession of it, the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you 
       beyond the Jordan to the east."

       (Josh 1:16 NRSV)  They answered Joshua: "All that you have commanded 
       us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.

       (Josh 1:17 NRSV)  Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will 
       obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you, as he was with 
       Moses!

       (Josh 1:18 NRSV)  Whoever rebels against your orders and disobeys your 
       words, whatever you command, shall be put to death. Only be strong and 
       courageous."

       (Josh 2:1 NRSV)  Then Joshua son of Nun sent two men secretly from 
       Shittim as spies, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho." So 
       they went, and entered the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, 
       and spent the night there.

       (Josh 2:2 NRSV)  The king of Jericho was told, "Some Israelites have 
       come here tonight to search out the land."

       (Josh 2:3 NRSV)  Then the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab, "Bring 
       out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they 
       have come only to search out the whole land."

       (Josh 2:4 NRSV)  But the woman took the two men and hid them. Then she 
       said, "True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they came 
       from.

       (Josh 2:5 NRSV)  And when it was time to close the gate at dark, the 
       men went out. Where the men went I do not know. Pursue them quickly, 
       for you can overtake them."





       (Josh 2:6 NRSV)  She had, however, brought them up to the roof and 
       hidden them with the stalks of flax that she had laid out on the roof.

       (Josh 2:7 NRSV)  So the men pursued them on the way to the Jordan as 
       far as the fords. As soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was 
       shut.

       (Josh 2:8 NRSV)  Before they went to sleep, she came up to them on the 
       roof

       (Josh 2:9 NRSV)  and said to the men: "I know that the LORD has given 
       you the land, and that dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the 
       inhabitants of the land melt in fear before you.

       (Josh 2:10 NRSV)  For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of 
       the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to 
       the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon 
       and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.

       (Josh 2:11 NRSV)  As soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there 
       was no courage left in any of us because of you. The LORD your God is 
       indeed God in heaven above and on earth below.

       (Josh 2:12 NRSV)  Now then, since I have dealt kindly with you, swear 
       to me by the LORD that you in turn will deal kindly with my family. 
       Give me a sign of good faith

       (Josh 2:13 NRSV)  that you will spare my father and mother, my 
       brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our 
       lives from death."

       (Josh 2:14 NRSV)  The men said to her, "Our life for yours! If you do 
       not tell this business of ours, then we will deal kindly and 
       faithfully with you when the LORD gives us the land."

       (Josh 2:15 NRSV)  Then she let them down by a rope through the window, 
       for her house was on the outer side of the city wall and she resided 
       within the wall itself.

       (Josh 2:16 NRSV)  She said to them, "Go toward the hill country, so 
       that the pursuers may not come upon you. Hide yourselves there three 
       days, until the pursuers have returned; then afterward you may go your 
       way."

       (Josh 2:17 NRSV)  The men said to her, "We will be released from this 
       oath that you have made us swear to you

       (Josh 2:18 NRSV)  if we invade the land and you do not tie this 
       crimson cord in the window through which you let us down, and you do 
       not gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and 
       all your family.

       (Josh 2:19 NRSV)  If any of you go out of the doors of your house into 
       the street, they shall be responsible for their own death, and we 
       shall be innocent; but if a hand is laid upon any who are with you in 
       the house, we shall bear the responsibility for their death.






       (Josh 2:20 NRSV)  But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall 
       be released from this oath that you made us swear to you."

       (Josh 2:21 NRSV)  She said, "According to your words, so be it." She 
       sent them away and they departed. Then she tied the crimson cord in 
       the window.

       (Josh 2:22 NRSV)  They departed and went into the hill country and 
       stayed there three days, until the pursuers returned. The pursuers had 
       searched all along the way and found nothing.

       (Josh 2:23 NRSV)  Then the two men came down again from the hill 
       country. They crossed over, came to Joshua son of Nun, and told him 
       all that had happened to them.

       (Josh 2:24 NRSV)  They said to Joshua, "Truly the LORD has given all 
       the land into our hands; moreover all the inhabitants of the land melt 
       in fear before us."

       (Josh 3:1 NRSV)  Early in the morning Joshua rose and set out from 
       Shittim with all the Israelites, and they came to the Jordan. They 
       camped there before crossing over.

       (Josh 3:2 NRSV)  At the end of three days the officers went through 
       the camp

       (Josh 3:3 NRSV)  and commanded the people, "When you see the ark of 
       the covenant of the LORD your God being carried by the levitical 
       priests, then you shall set out from your place. Follow it,

       (Josh 3:4 NRSV)  so that you may know the way you should go, for you 
       have not passed this way before. Yet there shall be a space between 
       you and it, a distance of about two thousand cubits; do not come any 
       nearer to it."

       (Josh 3:5 NRSV)  Then Joshua said to the people, "Sanctify yourselves; 
       for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you."

       (Josh 3:6 NRSV)  To the priests Joshua said, "Take up the ark of the 
       covenant, and pass on in front of the people." So they took up the ark 
       of the covenant and went in front of the people.

       (Josh 3:7 NRSV)  The LORD said to Joshua, "This day I will begin to 
       exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I 
       will be with you as I was with Moses.

       (Josh 3:8 NRSV)  You are the one who shall command the priests who 
       bear the ark of the covenant, 'When you come to the edge of the waters 
       of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.'"

       (Josh 3:9 NRSV)  Joshua then said to the Israelites, "Draw near and 
       hear the words of the LORD your God."

       (Josh 3:10 NRSV)  Joshua said, "By this you shall know that among you 
       is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the 





       Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and 
       Jebusites:

       (Josh 3:11 NRSV)  the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth 
       is going to pass before you into the Jordan.

       (Josh 3:12 NRSV)  So now select twelve men from the tribes of Israel, 
       one from each tribe.

       (Josh 3:13 NRSV)  When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear 
       the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of 
       the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing from above shall be cut 
       off; they shall stand in a single heap."

       (Josh 3:14 NRSV)  When the people set out from their tents to cross 
       over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in 
       front of the people.

       (Josh 3:15 NRSV)  Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout 
       the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the 
       Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the 
       edge of the water,

       (Josh 3:16 NRSV)  the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up 
       in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, 
       while those flowing toward the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were 
       wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

       (Josh 3:17 NRSV)  While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, 
       the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood on dry 
       ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished 
       crossing over the Jordan.

       (Josh 4:1 NRSV)  When the entire nation had finished crossing over the 
       Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua:

       (Josh 4:2 NRSV)  "Select twelve men from the people, one from each 
       tribe,

       (Josh 4:3 NRSV)  and command them, 'Take twelve stones from here out 
       of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests' feet 
       stood, carry them over with you, and lay them down in the place where 
       you camp tonight.'"

       (Josh 4:4 NRSV)  Then Joshua summoned the twelve men from the 
       Israelites, whom he had appointed, one from each tribe.

       (Josh 4:5 NRSV)  Joshua said to them, "Pass on before the ark of the 
       LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a 
       stone on his shoulder, one for each of the tribes of the Israelites,

       (Josh 4:6 NRSV)  so that this may be a sign among you. When your 
       children ask in time to come, 'What do those stones mean to you?'

       (Josh 4:7 NRSV)  then you shall tell them that the waters of the 
       Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the covenant of the LORD. 





       When it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut 
       off. So these stones shall be to the Israelites a memorial forever."

       (Josh 4:8 NRSV)  The Israelites did as Joshua commanded. They took up 
       twelve stones out of the middle of the Jordan, according to the number 
       of the tribes of the Israelites, as the LORD told Joshua, carried them 
       over with them to the place where they camped, and laid them down 
       there.

       (Josh 4:9 NRSV)  (Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the 
       Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of 
       the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day.)

       (Josh 4:10 NRSV)  The priests who bore the ark remained standing in 
       the middle of the Jordan, until everything was finished that the LORD 
       commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had 
       commanded Joshua. The people crossed over in haste.

       (Josh 4:11 NRSV)  As soon as all the people had finished crossing 
       over, the ark of the LORD, and the priests, crossed over in front of 
       the people.

       (Josh 4:12 NRSV)  The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of 
       Manasseh crossed over armed before the Israelites, as Moses had 
       ordered them.

       (Josh 4:13 NRSV)  About forty thousand armed for war crossed over 
       before the LORD to the plains of Jericho for battle.

       (Josh 4:14 NRSV)  On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of 
       all Israel; and they stood in awe of him, as they had stood in awe of 
       Moses, all the days of his life.

       (Josh 4:15 NRSV)  The LORD said to Joshua,

       (Josh 4:16 NRSV)  "Command the priests who bear the ark of the 
       covenant, to come up out of the Jordan."

       (Josh 4:17 NRSV)  Joshua therefore commanded the priests, "Come up out 
       of the Jordan."

       (Josh 4:18 NRSV)  When the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of 
       the LORD came up from the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the 
       priests' feet touched dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to 
       their place and overflowed all its banks, as before.

       (Josh 4:19 NRSV)  The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth 
       day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border 
       of Jericho.

       (Josh 4:20 NRSV)  Those twelve stones, which they had taken out of the 
       Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal,

       (Josh 4:21 NRSV)  saying to the Israelites, "When your children ask 
       their parents in time to come, 'What do these stones mean?'





       (Josh 4:22 NRSV)  then you shall let your children know, 'Israel 
       crossed over the Jordan here on dry ground.'

       (Josh 4:23 NRSV)  For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the 
       Jordan for you until you crossed over, as the LORD your God did to the 
       Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we crossed over,

       (Josh 4:24 NRSV)  so that all the peoples of the earth may know that 
       the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may fear the LORD your 
       God forever."

       (Josh 5:1 NRSV)  When all the kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan 
       to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites by the sea, heard 
       that the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the Israelites 
       until they had crossed over, their hearts melted, and there was no 
       longer any spirit in them, because of the Israelites.

       (Josh 5:2 NRSV)  At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make flint 
       knives and circumcise the Israelites a second time."

       (Josh 5:3 NRSV)  So Joshua made flint knives, and circumcised the 
       Israelites at Gibeath-haaraloth.

       (Josh 5:4 NRSV)  This is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all 
       the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the warriors, had 
       died during the journey through the wilderness after they had come out 
       of Egypt.

       (Josh 5:5 NRSV)  Although all the people who came out had been 
       circumcised, yet all the people born on the journey through the 
       wilderness after they had come out of Egypt had not been circumcised.

       (Josh 5:6 NRSV)  For the Israelites traveled forty years in the 
       wilderness, until all the nation, the warriors who came out of Egypt, 
       perished, not having listened to the voice of the LORD. To them the 
       LORD swore that he would not let them see the land that he had sworn 
       to their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.

       (Josh 5:7 NRSV)  So it was their children, whom he raised up in their 
       place, that Joshua circumcised; for they were uncircumcised, because 
       they had not been circumcised on the way.

       (Josh 5:8 NRSV)  When the circumcising of all the nation was done, 
       they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed.

       (Josh 5:9 NRSV)  The LORD said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away 
       from you the disgrace of Egypt." And so that place is called Gilgal to 
       this day.

       (Josh 5:10 NRSV)  While the Israelites were camped in Gilgal they kept 
       the passover in the evening on the fourteenth day of the month in the 
       plains of Jericho.

       (Josh 5:11 NRSV)  On the day after the passover, on that very day, 
       they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain.





       (Josh 5:12 NRSV)  The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of 
       the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops 
       of the land of Canaan that year.

       (Josh 5:13 NRSV)  Once when Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up and 
       saw a man standing before him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua 
       went to him and said to him, "Are you one of us, or one of our 
       adversaries?"

       (Josh 5:14 NRSV)  He replied, "Neither; but as commander of the army 
       of the LORD I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth 
       and worshiped, and he said to him, "What do you command your servant, 
       my lord?"

       (Josh 5:15 NRSV)  The commander of the army of the LORD said to 
       Joshua, "Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you 
       stand is holy." And Joshua did so.

       (Josh 6:1 NRSV)  Now Jericho was shut up inside and out because of the 
       Israelites; no one came out and no one went in.

       (Josh 6:2 NRSV)  The LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have handed Jericho 
       over to you, along with its king and soldiers.

       (Josh 6:3 NRSV)  You shall march around the city, all the warriors 
       circling the city once. Thus you shall do for six days,

       (Josh 6:4 NRSV)  with seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' 
       horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the 
       city seven times, the priests blowing the trumpets.

       (Josh 6:5 NRSV)  When they make a long blast with the ram's horn, as 
       soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall 
       shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down 
       flat, and all the people shall charge straight ahead."

       (Josh 6:6 NRSV)  So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said to 
       them, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and have seven priests carry 
       seven trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark of the LORD."

       (Josh 6:7 NRSV)  To the people he said, "Go forward and march around 
       the city; have the armed men pass on before the ark of the LORD."

       (Josh 6:8 NRSV)  As Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests 
       carrying the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the LORD went 
       forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the 
       LORD following them.

       (Josh 6:9 NRSV)  And the armed men went before the priests who blew 
       the trumpets; the rear guard came after the ark, while the trumpets 
       blew continually.

       (Josh 6:10 NRSV)  To the people Joshua gave this command: "You shall 
       not shout or let your voice be heard, nor shall you utter a word, 
       until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout."





       (Josh 6:11 NRSV)  So the ark of the LORD went around the city, 
       circling it once; and they came into the camp, and spent the night in 
       the camp.

       (Josh 6:12 NRSV)  Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the 
       priests took up the ark of the LORD.

       (Josh 6:13 NRSV)  The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of 
       rams' horns before the ark of the LORD passed on, blowing the trumpets 
       continually. The armed men went before them, and the rear guard came 
       after the ark of the LORD, while the trumpets blew continually.

       (Josh 6:14 NRSV)  On the second day they marched around the city once 
       and then returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

       (Josh 6:15 NRSV)  On the seventh day they rose early, at dawn, and 
       marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on 
       that day that they marched around the city seven times.

       (Josh 6:16 NRSV)  And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown 
       the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout! For the LORD has 
       given you the city.

       (Josh 6:17 NRSV)  The city and all that is in it shall be devoted to 
       the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are 
       with her in her house shall live because she hid the messengers we 
       sent.

       (Josh 6:18 NRSV)  As for you, keep away from the things devoted to 
       destruction, so as not to covet and take any of the devoted things and 
       make the camp of Israel an object for destruction, bringing trouble 
       upon it.

       (Josh 6:19 NRSV)  But all silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and 
       iron, are sacred to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the 
       LORD."

       (Josh 6:20 NRSV)  So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. 
       As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpets, they raised a 
       great shout, and the wall fell down flat; so the people charged 
       straight ahead into the city and captured it.

       (Josh 6:21 NRSV)  Then they devoted to destruction by the edge of the 
       sword all in the city, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, 
       and donkeys.

       (Josh 6:22 NRSV)  Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the 
       land, "Go into the prostitute's house, and bring the woman out of it 
       and all who belong to her, as you swore to her."

       (Josh 6:23 NRSV)  So the young men who had been spies went in and 
       brought Rahab out, along with her father, her mother, her brothers, 
       and all who belonged to her--they brought all her kindred out--and set 
       them outside the camp of Israel.

       (Josh 6:24 NRSV)  They burned down the city, and everything in it; 





       only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put 
       into the treasury of the house of the LORD.

       (Josh 6:25 NRSV)  But Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all 
       who belonged to her, Joshua spared. Her family has lived in Israel 
       ever since. For she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out 
       Jericho.

       (Josh 6:26 NRSV)  Joshua then pronounced this oath, saying, "Cursed 
       before the LORD be anyone who tries to build this city--this Jericho! 
       At the cost of his firstborn he shall lay its foundation, and at the 
       cost of his youngest he shall set up its gates!"

       (Josh 6:27 NRSV)  So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was in all 
       the land.

       (Josh 7:1 NRSV)  But the Israelites broke faith in regard to the 
       devoted things: Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the 
       tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things; and the anger of the 
       LORD burned against the Israelites.

       (Josh 7:2 NRSV)  Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near 
       Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, "Go up and spy out the 
       land." And the men went up and spied out Ai.

       (Josh 7:3 NRSV)  Then they returned to Joshua and said to him, "Not 
       all the people need go up; about two or three thousand men should go 
       up and attack Ai. Since they are so few, do not make the whole people 
       toil up there."

       (Josh 7:4 NRSV)  So about three thousand of the people went up there; 
       and they fled before the men of Ai.

       (Josh 7:5 NRSV)  The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them, 
       chasing them from outside the gate as far as Shebarim and killing them 
       on the slope. The hearts of the people melted and turned to water.

       (Josh 7:6 NRSV)  Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the ground 
       on his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, he and the 
       elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads.

       (Josh 7:7 NRSV)  Joshua said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Why have you brought this 
       people across the Jordan at all, to hand us over to the Amorites so as 
       to destroy us? Would that we had been content to settle beyond the 
       Jordan!

       (Josh 7:8 NRSV)  O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has turned 
       their backs to their enemies!

       (Josh 7:9 NRSV)  The Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land 
       will hear of it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. 
       Then what will you do for your great name?"

       (Josh 7:10 NRSV)  The LORD said to Joshua, "Stand up! Why have you 
       fallen upon your face?





       (Josh 7:11 NRSV)  Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my 
       covenant that I imposed on them. They have taken some of the devoted 
       things; they have stolen, they have acted deceitfully, and they have 
       put them among their own belongings.

       (Josh 7:12 NRSV)  Therefore the Israelites are unable to stand before 
       their enemies; they turn their backs to their enemies, because they 
       have become a thing devoted for destruction themselves. I will be with 
       you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.

       (Josh 7:13 NRSV)  Proceed to sanctify the people, and say, 'Sanctify 
       yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 
       "There are devoted things among you, O Israel; you will be unable to 
       stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from 
       among you."

       (Josh 7:14 NRSV)  In the morning therefore you shall come forward 
       tribe by tribe. The tribe that the LORD takes shall come near by 
       clans, the clan that the LORD takes shall come near by households, and 
       the household that the LORD takes shall come near one by one.

       (Josh 7:15 NRSV)  And the one who is taken as having the devoted 
       things shall be burned with fire, together with all that he has, for 
       having transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and for having done an 
       outrageous thing in Israel.'"

       (Josh 7:16 NRSV)  So Joshua rose early in the morning, and brought 
       Israel near tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was taken.

       (Josh 7:17 NRSV)  He brought near the clans of Judah, and the clan of 
       the Zerahites was taken; and he brought near the clan of the 
       Zerahites, family by family, and Zabdi was taken.

       (Josh 7:18 NRSV)  And he brought near his household one by one, and 
       Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, 
       was taken.

       (Josh 7:19 NRSV)  Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to 
       the LORD God of Israel and make confession to him. Tell me now what 
       you have done; do not hide it from me."

       (Josh 7:20 NRSV)  And Achan answered Joshua, "It is true; I am the one 
       who sinned against the LORD God of Israel. This is what I did:

       (Josh 7:21 NRSV)  when I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from 
       Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 
       fifty shekels, then I coveted them and took them. They now lie hidden 
       in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath."

       (Josh 7:22 NRSV)  So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; 
       and there it was, hidden in his tent with the silver underneath.

       (Josh 7:23 NRSV)  They took them out of the tent and brought them to 
       Joshua and all the Israelites; and they spread them out before the 
       LORD.





       (Josh 7:24 NRSV)  Then Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan son 
       of Zerah, with the silver, the mantle, and the bar of gold, with his 
       sons and daughters, with his oxen, donkeys, and sheep, and his tent 
       and all that he had; and they brought them up to the Valley of Achor.

       (Josh 7:25 NRSV)  Joshua said, "Why did you bring trouble on us? The 
       LORD is bringing trouble on you today." And all Israel stoned him to 
       death; they burned them with fire, cast stones on them,

       (Josh 7:26 NRSV)  and raised over him a great heap of stones that 
       remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his burning anger. 
       Therefore that place to this day is called the Valley of Achor.

       (Josh 8:1 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Do not fear or be 
       dismayed; take all the fighting men with you, and go up now to Ai. 
       See, I have handed over to you the king of Ai with his people, his 
       city, and his land.

       (Josh 8:2 NRSV)  You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho 
       and its king; only its spoil and its livestock you may take as booty 
       for yourselves. Set an ambush against the city, behind it."

       (Josh 8:3 NRSV)  So Joshua and all the fighting men set out to go up 
       against Ai. Joshua chose thirty thousand warriors and sent them out by 
       night

       (Josh 8:4 NRSV)  with the command, "You shall lie in ambush against 
       the city, behind it; do not go very far from the city, but all of you 
       stay alert.

       (Josh 8:5 NRSV)  I and all the people who are with me will approach 
       the city. When they come out against us, as before, we shall flee from 
       them.

       (Josh 8:6 NRSV)  They will come out after us until we have drawn them 
       away from the city; for they will say, 'They are fleeing from us, as 
       before.' While we flee from them,

       (Josh 8:7 NRSV)  you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city; 
       for the LORD your God will give it into your hand.

       (Josh 8:8 NRSV)  And when you have taken the city, you shall set the 
       city on fire, doing as the LORD has ordered; see, I have commanded 
       you."

       (Josh 8:9 NRSV)  So Joshua sent them out; and they went to the place 
       of ambush, and lay between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai; but 
       Joshua spent that night in the camp.

       (Josh 8:10 NRSV)  In the morning Joshua rose early and mustered the 
       people, and went up, with the elders of Israel, before the people to 
       Ai.

       (Josh 8:11 NRSV)  All the fighting men who were with him went up, and 
       drew near before the city, and camped on the north side of Ai, with a 
       ravine between them and Ai.






       (Josh 8:12 NRSV)  Taking about five thousand men, he set them in 
       ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.

       (Josh 8:13 NRSV)  So they stationed the forces, the main encampment 
       that was north of the city and its rear guard west of the city. But 
       Joshua spent that night in the valley.

       (Josh 8:14 NRSV)  When the king of Ai saw this, he and all his people, 
       the inhabitants of the city, hurried out early in the morning to the 
       meeting place facing the Arabah to meet Israel in battle; but he did 
       not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city.

       (Josh 8:15 NRSV)  And Joshua and all Israel made a pretense of being 
       beaten before them, and fled in the direction of the wilderness.

       (Josh 8:16 NRSV)  So all the people who were in the city were called 
       together to pursue them, and as they pursued Joshua they were drawn 
       away from the city.

       (Josh 8:17 NRSV)  There was not a man left in Ai or Bethel who did not 
       go out after Israel; they left the city open, and pursued Israel.

       (Josh 8:18 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Stretch out the sword 
       that is in your hand toward Ai; for I will give it into your hand." 
       And Joshua stretched out the sword that was in his hand toward the 
       city.

       (Josh 8:19 NRSV)  As soon as he stretched out his hand, the troops in 
       ambush rose quickly out of their place and rushed forward. They 
       entered the city, took it, and at once set the city on fire.

       (Josh 8:20 NRSV)  So when the men of Ai looked back, the smoke of the 
       city was rising to the sky. They had no power to flee this way or 
       that, for the people who fled to the wilderness turned back against 
       the pursuers.

       (Josh 8:21 NRSV)  When Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had 
       taken the city and that the smoke of the city was rising, then they 
       turned back and struck down the men of Ai.

       (Josh 8:22 NRSV)  And the others came out from the city against them; 
       so they were surrounded by Israelites, some on one side, and some on 
       the other; and Israel struck them down until no one was left who 
       survived or escaped.

       (Josh 8:23 NRSV)  But the king of Ai was taken alive and brought to 
       Joshua.

       (Josh 8:24 NRSV)  When Israel had finished slaughtering all the 
       inhabitants of Ai in the open wilderness where they pursued them, and 
       when all of them to the very last had fallen by the edge of the sword, 
       all Israel returned to Ai, and attacked it with the edge of the sword.

       (Josh 8:25 NRSV)  The total of those who fell that day, both men and 
       women, was twelve thousand--all the people of Ai.






       (Josh 8:26 NRSV)  For Joshua did not draw back his hand, with which he 
       stretched out the sword, until he had utterly destroyed all the 
       inhabitants of Ai.

       (Josh 8:27 NRSV)  Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel 
       took as their booty, according to the word of the LORD that he had 
       issued to Joshua.

       (Josh 8:28 NRSV)  So Joshua burned Ai, and made it forever a heap of 
       ruins, as it is to this day.

       (Josh 8:29 NRSV)  And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until 
       evening; and at sunset Joshua commanded, and they took his body down 
       from the tree, threw it down at the entrance of the gate of the city, 
       and raised over it a great heap of stones, which stands there to this 
       day.

       (Josh 8:30 NRSV)  Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the 
       LORD, the God of Israel,

       (Josh 8:31 NRSV)  just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded 
       the Israelites, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, "an 
       altar of unhewn stones, on which no iron tool has been used"; and they 
       offered on it burnt offerings to the LORD, and sacrificed offerings of 
       well-being.

       (Josh 8:32 NRSV)  And there, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua 
       wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written.

       (Josh 8:33 NRSV)  All Israel, alien as well as citizen, with their 
       elders and officers and their judges, stood on opposite sides of the 
       ark in front of the levitical priests who carried the ark of the 
       covenant of the LORD, half of them in front of Mount Gerizim and half 
       of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had 
       commanded at the first, that they should bless the people of Israel.

       (Josh 8:34 NRSV)  And afterward he read all the words of the law, 
       blessings and curses, according to all that is written in the book of 
       the law.

       (Josh 8:35 NRSV)  There was not a word of all that Moses commanded 
       that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the 
       women, and the little ones, and the aliens who resided among them.

       (Josh 9:1 NRSV)  Now when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan in 
       the hill country and in the lowland all along the coast of the Great 
       Sea toward Lebanon--the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the 
       Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites--heard of this,

       (Josh 9:2 NRSV)  they gathered together with one accord to fight 
       Joshua and Israel.

       (Josh 9:3 NRSV)  But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua 
       had done to Jericho and to Ai,





       (Josh 9:4 NRSV)  they on their part acted with cunning: they went and 
       prepared provisions, and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and 
       wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended,

       (Josh 9:5 NRSV)  with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and 
       worn-out clothes; and all their provisions were dry and moldy.

       (Josh 9:6 NRSV)  They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal, and said 
       to him and to the Israelites, "We have come from a far country; so now 
       make a treaty with us."

       (Josh 9:7 NRSV)  But the Israelites said to the Hivites, "Perhaps you 
       live among us; then how can we make a treaty with you?"

       (Josh 9:8 NRSV)  They said to Joshua, "We are your servants." And 
       Joshua said to them, "Who are you? And where do you come from?"

       (Josh 9:9 NRSV)  They said to him, "Your servants have come from a 
       very far country, because of the name of the LORD your God; for we 
       have heard a report of him, of all that he did in Egypt,

       (Josh 9:10 NRSV)  and of all that he did to the two kings of the 
       Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, King Sihon of Heshbon, and King 
       Og of Bashan who lived in Ashtaroth.

       (Josh 9:11 NRSV)  So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country 
       said to us, 'Take provisions in your hand for the journey; go to meet 
       them, and say to them, "We are your servants; come now, make a treaty 
       with us."'

       (Josh 9:12 NRSV)  Here is our bread; it was still warm when we took it 
       from our houses as our food for the journey, on the day we set out to 
       come to you, but now, see, it is dry and moldy;

       (Josh 9:13 NRSV)  these wineskins were new when we filled them, and 
       see, they are burst; and these garments and sandals of ours are worn 
       out from the very long journey."

       (Josh 9:14 NRSV)  So the leaders partook of their provisions, and did 
       not ask direction from the LORD.

       (Josh 9:15 NRSV)  And Joshua made peace with them, guaranteeing their 
       lives by a treaty; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath 
       to them.

       (Josh 9:16 NRSV)  But when three days had passed after they had made a 
       treaty with them, they heard that they were their neighbors and were 
       living among them.

       (Josh 9:17 NRSV)  So the Israelites set out and reached their cities 
       on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, 
       and Kiriath-jearim.

       (Josh 9:18 NRSV)  But the Israelites did not attack them, because the 
       leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD, the God of 
       Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders.






       (Josh 9:19 NRSV)  But all the leaders said to all the congregation, 
       "We have sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we must 
       not touch them.

       (Josh 9:20 NRSV)  This is what we will do to them: We will let them 
       live, so that wrath may not come upon us, because of the oath that we 
       swore to them."

       (Josh 9:21 NRSV)  The leaders said to them, "Let them live." So they 
       became hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the congregation, 
       as the leaders had decided concerning them.

       (Josh 9:22 NRSV)  Joshua summoned them, and said to them, "Why did you 
       deceive us, saying, 'We are very far from you,' while in fact you are 
       living among us?

       (Josh 9:23 NRSV)  Now therefore you are cursed, and some of you shall 
       always be slaves, hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of 
       my God."

       (Josh 9:24 NRSV)  They answered Joshua, "Because it was told to your 
       servants for a certainty that the LORD your God had commanded his 
       servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the 
       inhabitants of the land before you; so we were in great fear for our 
       lives because of you, and did this thing.

       (Josh 9:25 NRSV)  And now we are in your hand: do as it seems good and 
       right in your sight to do to us."

       (Josh 9:26 NRSV)  This is what he did for them: he saved them from the 
       Israelites; and they did not kill them.

       (Josh 9:27 NRSV)  But on that day Joshua made them hewers of wood and 
       drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the LORD, 
       to continue to this day, in the place that he should choose.

       (Josh 10:1 NRSV)  When King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem heard how Joshua 
       had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king 
       as he had done to Jericho and its king, and how the inhabitants of 
       Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them,

       (Josh 10:2 NRSV)  he became greatly frightened, because Gibeon was a 
       large city, like one of the royal cities, and was larger than Ai, and 
       all its men were warriors.

       (Josh 10:3 NRSV)  So King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent a message to 
       King Hoham of Hebron, to King Piram of Jarmuth, to King Japhia of 
       Lachish, and to King Debir of Eglon, saying,

       (Josh 10:4 NRSV)  "Come up and help me, and let us attack Gibeon; for 
       it has made peace with Joshua and with the Israelites."

       (Josh 10:5 NRSV)  Then the five kings of the Amorites--the king of 
       Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of 
       Lachish, and the king of Eglon--gathered their forces, and went up 





       with all their armies and camped against Gibeon, and made war against 
       it.

       (Josh 10:6 NRSV)  And the Gibeonites sent to Joshua at the camp in 
       Gilgal, saying, "Do not abandon your servants; come up to us quickly, 
       and save us, and help us; for all the kings of the Amorites who live 
       in the hill country are gathered against us."

       (Josh 10:7 NRSV)  So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the 
       fighting force with him, all the mighty warriors.

       (Josh 10:8 NRSV)  The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not fear them, for I 
       have handed them over to you; not one of them shall stand before you."

       (Josh 10:9 NRSV)  So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up 
       all night from Gilgal.

       (Josh 10:10 NRSV)  And the LORD threw them into a panic before Israel, 
       who inflicted a great slaughter on them at Gibeon, chased them by the 
       way of the ascent of Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah 
       and Makkedah.

       (Josh 10:11 NRSV)  As they fled before Israel, while they were going 
       down the slope of Beth-horon, the LORD threw down huge stones from 
       heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who 
       died because of the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the 
       sword.

       (Josh 10:12 NRSV)  On the day when the LORD gave the Amorites over to 
       the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD; and he said in the sight of 
       Israel, "Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and Moon, in the valley of 
       Aijalon."

       (Josh 10:13 NRSV)  And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, 
       until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written 
       in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in midheaven, and did not hurry 
       to set for about a whole day.

       (Josh 10:14 NRSV)  There has been no day like it before or since, when 
       the LORD heeded a human voice; for the LORD fought for Israel.

       (Josh 10:15 NRSV)  Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to 
       the camp at Gilgal.

       (Josh 10:16 NRSV)  Meanwhile, these five kings fled and hid themselves 
       in the cave at Makkedah.

       (Josh 10:17 NRSV)  And it was told Joshua, "The five kings have been 
       found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah."

       (Josh 10:18 NRSV)  Joshua said, "Roll large stones against the mouth 
       of the cave, and set men by it to guard them;

       (Josh 10:19 NRSV)  but do not stay there yourselves; pursue your 
       enemies, and attack them from the rear. Do not let them enter their 
       towns, for the LORD your God has given them into your hand."






       (Josh 10:20 NRSV)  When Joshua and the Israelites had finished 
       inflicting a very great slaughter on them, until they were wiped out, 
       and when the survivors had entered into the fortified towns,

       (Josh 10:21 NRSV)  all the people returned safe to Joshua in the camp 
       at Makkedah; no one dared to speak against any of the Israelites.

       (Josh 10:22 NRSV)  Then Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave, and 
       bring those five kings out to me from the cave."

       (Josh 10:23 NRSV)  They did so, and brought the five kings out to him 
       from the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of 
       Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.

       (Josh 10:24 NRSV)  When they brought the kings out to Joshua, Joshua 
       summoned all the Israelites, and said to the chiefs of the warriors 
       who had gone with him, "Come near, put your feet on the necks of these 
       kings." Then they came near and put their feet on their necks.

       (Josh 10:25 NRSV)  And Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid or 
       dismayed; be strong and courageous; for thus the LORD will do to all 
       the enemies against whom you fight."

       (Josh 10:26 NRSV)  Afterward Joshua struck them down and put them to 
       death, and he hung them on five trees. And they hung on the trees 
       until evening.

       (Josh 10:27 NRSV)  At sunset Joshua commanded, and they took them down 
       from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden 
       themselves; they set large stones against the mouth of the cave, which 
       remain to this very day.

       (Josh 10:28 NRSV)  Joshua took Makkedah on that day, and struck it and 
       its king with the edge of the sword; he utterly destroyed every person 
       in it; he left no one remaining. And he did to the king of Makkedah as 
       he had done to the king of Jericho.

       (Josh 10:29 NRSV)  Then Joshua passed on from Makkedah, and all Israel 
       with him, to Libnah, and fought against Libnah.

       (Josh 10:30 NRSV)  The LORD gave it also and its king into the hand of 
       Israel; and he struck it with the edge of the sword, and every person 
       in it; he left no one remaining in it; and he did to its king as he 
       had done to the king of Jericho.

       (Josh 10:31 NRSV)  Next Joshua passed on from Libnah, and all Israel 
       with him, to Lachish, and laid siege to it, and assaulted it.

       (Josh 10:32 NRSV)  The LORD gave Lachish into the hand of Israel, and 
       he took it on the second day, and struck it with the edge of the 
       sword, and every person in it, as he had done to Libnah.

       (Josh 10:33 NRSV)  Then King Horam of Gezer came up to help Lachish; 
       and Joshua struck him and his people, leaving him no survivors.





       (Josh 10:34 NRSV)  From Lachish Joshua passed on with all Israel to 
       Eglon; and they laid siege to it, and assaulted it;

       (Josh 10:35 NRSV)  and they took it that day, and struck it with the 
       edge of the sword; and every person in it he utterly destroyed that 
       day, as he had done to Lachish.

       (Josh 10:36 NRSV)  Then Joshua went up with all Israel from Eglon to 
       Hebron; they assaulted it,

       (Josh 10:37 NRSV)  and took it, and struck it with the edge of the 
       sword, and its king and its towns, and every person in it; he left no 
       one remaining, just as he had done to Eglon, and utterly destroyed it 
       with every person in it.

       (Josh 10:38 NRSV)  Then Joshua, with all Israel, turned back to Debir 
       and assaulted it,

       (Josh 10:39 NRSV)  and he took it with its king and all its towns; 
       they struck them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed 
       every person in it; he left no one remaining; just as he had done to 
       Hebron, and, as he had done to Libnah and its king, so he did to Debir 
       and its king.

       (Josh 10:40 NRSV)  So Joshua defeated the whole land, the hill country 
       and the Negeb and the lowland and the slopes, and all their kings; he 
       left no one remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the 
       LORD God of Israel commanded.

       (Josh 10:41 NRSV)  And Joshua defeated them from Kadesh-barnea to 
       Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, as far as Gibeon.

       (Josh 10:42 NRSV)  Joshua took all these kings and their land at one 
       time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel.

       (Josh 10:43 NRSV)  Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to 
       the camp at Gilgal.

       (Josh 11:1 NRSV)  When King Jabin of Hazor heard of this, he sent to 
       King Jobab of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Achshaph,

       (Josh 11:2 NRSV)  and to the kings who were in the northern hill 
       country, and in the Arabah south of Chinneroth, and in the lowland, 
       and in Naphoth-dor on the west,

       (Josh 11:3 NRSV)  to the Canaanites in the east and the west, the 
       Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites in the hill 
       country, and the Hivites under Hermon in the land of Mizpah.

       (Josh 11:4 NRSV)  They came out, with all their troops, a great army, 
       in number like the sand on the seashore, with very many horses and 
       chariots.

       (Josh 11:5 NRSV)  All these kings joined their forces, and came and 
       camped together at the waters of Merom, to fight with Israel.





       (Josh 11:6 NRSV)  And the LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of 
       them, for tomorrow at this time I will hand over all of them, slain, 
       to Israel; you shall hamstring their horses, and burn their chariots 
       with fire."

       (Josh 11:7 NRSV)  So Joshua came suddenly upon them with all his 
       fighting force, by the waters of Merom, and fell upon them.

       (Josh 11:8 NRSV)  And the LORD handed them over to Israel, who 
       attacked them and chased them as far as Great Sidon and 
       Misrephoth-maim, and eastward as far as the valley of Mizpeh. They 
       struck them down, until they had left no one remaining.

       (Josh 11:9 NRSV)  And Joshua did to them as the LORD commanded him; he 
       hamstrung their horses, and burned their chariots with fire.

       (Josh 11:10 NRSV)  Joshua turned back at that time, and took Hazor, 
       and struck its king down with the sword. Before that time Hazor was 
       the head of all those kingdoms.

       (Josh 11:11 NRSV)  And they put to the sword all who were in it, 
       utterly destroying them; there was no one left who breathed, and he 
       burned Hazor with fire.

       (Josh 11:12 NRSV)  And all the towns of those kings, and all their 
       kings, Joshua took, and struck them with the edge of the sword, 
       utterly destroying them, as Moses the servant of the LORD had 
       commanded.

       (Josh 11:13 NRSV)  But Israel burned none of the towns that stood on 
       mounds except Hazor, which Joshua did burn.

       (Josh 11:14 NRSV)  All the spoil of these towns, and the livestock, 
       the Israelites took for their booty; but all the people they struck 
       down with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, and 
       they did not leave any who breathed.

       (Josh 11:15 NRSV)  As the LORD had commanded his servant Moses, so 
       Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did; he left nothing undone of 
       all that the LORD had commanded Moses.

       (Josh 11:16 NRSV)  So Joshua took all that land: the hill country and 
       all the Negeb and all the land of Goshen and the lowland and the 
       Arabah and the hill country of Israel and its lowland,

       (Josh 11:17 NRSV)  from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, as far 
       as Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He took all 
       their kings, struck them down, and put them to death.

       (Josh 11:18 NRSV)  Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

       (Josh 11:19 NRSV)  There was not a town that made peace with the 
       Israelites, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon; all were 
       taken in battle.

       (Josh 11:20 NRSV)  For it was the Lord's doing to harden their hearts 





       so that they would come against Israel in battle, in order that they 
       might be utterly destroyed, and might receive no mercy, but be 
       exterminated, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

       (Josh 11:21 NRSV)  At that time Joshua came and wiped out the Anakim 
       from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from 
       all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of 
       Israel; Joshua utterly destroyed them with their towns.

       (Josh 11:22 NRSV)  None of the Anakim was left in the land of the 
       Israelites; some remained only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod.

       (Josh 11:23 NRSV)  So Joshua took the whole land, according to all 
       that the LORD had spoken to Moses; and Joshua gave it for an 
       inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the 
       land had rest from war.

       (Josh 12:1 NRSV)  Now these are the kings of the land, whom the 
       Israelites defeated, whose land they occupied beyond the Jordan toward 
       the east, from the Wadi Arnon to Mount Hermon, with all the Arabah 
       eastward:

       (Josh 12:2 NRSV)  King Sihon of the Amorites who lived at Heshbon, and 
       ruled from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Wadi Arnon, and from the 
       middle of the valley as far as the river Jabbok, the boundary of the 
       Ammonites, that is, half of Gilead,

       (Josh 12:3 NRSV)  and the Arabah to the Sea of Chinneroth eastward, 
       and in the direction of Beth-jeshimoth, to the sea of the Arabah, the 
       Dead Sea, southward to the foot of the slopes of Pisgah;

       (Josh 12:4 NRSV)  and King Og of Bashan, one of the last of the 
       Rephaim, who lived at Ashtaroth and at Edrei

       (Josh 12:5 NRSV)  and ruled over Mount Hermon and Salecah and all 
       Bashan to the boundary of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and over 
       half of Gilead to the boundary of King Sihon of Heshbon.

       (Josh 12:6 NRSV)  Moses, the servant of the LORD, and the Israelites 
       defeated them; and Moses the servant of the LORD gave their land for a 
       possession to the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of 
       Manasseh.

       (Josh 12:7 NRSV)  The following are the kings of the land whom Joshua 
       and the Israelites defeated on the west side of the Jordan, from 
       Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, that rises toward 
       Seir (and Joshua gave their land to the tribes of Israel as a 
       possession according to their allotments,

       (Josh 12:8 NRSV)  in the hill country, in the lowland, in the Arabah, 
       in the slopes, in the wilderness, and in the Negeb, the land of the 
       Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites):

       (Josh 12:9 NRSV)  the king of Jericho one the king of Ai, which is 
       next to Bethel one





       (Josh 12:10 NRSV)  the king of Jerusalem one the king of Hebron one

       (Josh 12:11 NRSV)  the king of Jarmuth one the king of Lachish one

       (Josh 12:12 NRSV)  the king of Eglon one the king of Gezer one

       (Josh 12:13 NRSV)  the king of Debir one the king of Geder one

       (Josh 12:14 NRSV)  the king of Hormah one the king of Arad one

       (Josh 12:15 NRSV)  the king of Libnah one the king of Adullam one

       (Josh 12:16 NRSV)  the king of Makkedah one the king of Bethel one

       (Josh 12:17 NRSV)  the king of Tappuah one the king of Hepher one

       (Josh 12:18 NRSV)  the king of Aphek one the king of Lasharon one

       (Josh 12:19 NRSV)  the king of Madon one the king of Hazor one

       (Josh 12:20 NRSV)  the king of Shimron-meron one the king of Achshaph 
       one

       (Josh 12:21 NRSV)  the king of Taanach one the king of Megiddo one

       (Josh 12:22 NRSV)  the king of Kedesh one the king of Jokneam in 
       Carmel one

       (Josh 12:23 NRSV)  the king of Dor in Naphath-dor one the king of 
       Goiim in Galilee, one

       (Josh 12:24 NRSV)  the king of Tirzah one thirty-one kings in all.

       (Josh 13:1 NRSV)  Now Joshua was old and advanced in years; and the 
       LORD said to him, "You are old and advanced in years, and very much of 
       the land still remains to be possessed.

       (Josh 13:2 NRSV)  This is the land that still remains: all the regions 
       of the Philistines, and all those of the Geshurites

       (Josh 13:3 NRSV)  (from the Shihor, which is east of Egypt, northward 
       to the boundary of Ekron, it is reckoned as Canaanite; there are five 
       rulers of the Philistines, those of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and 
       Ekron), and those of the Avvim,

       (Josh 13:4 NRSV)  in the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and 
       Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians, to Aphek, to the boundary of the 
       Amorites,

       (Josh 13:5 NRSV)  and the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, 
       toward the east, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo-hamath,

       (Josh 13:6 NRSV)  all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon 
       to Misrephoth-maim, even all the Sidonians. I will myself drive them 
       out from before the Israelites; only allot the land to Israel for an 
       inheritance, as I have commanded you.






       (Josh 13:7 NRSV)  Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance to 
       the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh."

       (Josh 13:8 NRSV)  With the other half-tribe of Manasseh the Reubenites 
       and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, 
       beyond the Jordan eastward, as Moses the servant of the LORD gave 
       them:

       (Josh 13:9 NRSV)  from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Wadi Arnon, 
       and the town that is in the middle of the valley, and all the 
       tableland from Medeba as far as Dibon;

       (Josh 13:10 NRSV)  and all the cities of King Sihon of the Amorites, 
       who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the boundary of the Ammonites;

       (Josh 13:11 NRSV)  and Gilead, and the region of the Geshurites and 
       Maacathites, and all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah;

       (Josh 13:12 NRSV)  all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in 
       Ashtaroth and in Edrei (he alone was left of the survivors of the 
       Rephaim); these Moses had defeated and driven out.

       (Josh 13:13 NRSV)  Yet the Israelites did not drive out the Geshurites 
       or the Maacathites; but Geshur and Maacath live within Israel to this 
       day.

       (Josh 13:14 NRSV)  To the tribe of Levi alone Moses gave no 
       inheritance; the offerings by fire to the LORD God of Israel are their 
       inheritance, as he said to them.

       (Josh 13:15 NRSV)  Moses gave an inheritance to the tribe of the 
       Reubenites according to their clans.

       (Josh 13:16 NRSV)  Their territory was from Aroer, which is on the 
       edge of the Wadi Arnon, and the town that is in the middle of the 
       valley, and all the tableland by Medeba;

       (Josh 13:17 NRSV)  with Heshbon, and all its towns that are in the 
       tableland; Dibon, and Bamoth-baal, and Beth-baal-meon,

       (Josh 13:18 NRSV)  and Jahaz, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath,

       (Josh 13:19 NRSV)  and Kiriathaim, and Sibmah, and Zereth-shahar on 
       the hill of the valley,

       (Josh 13:20 NRSV)  and Beth-peor, and the slopes of Pisgah, and 
       Beth-jeshimoth,

       (Josh 13:21 NRSV)  that is, all the towns of the tableland, and all 
       the kingdom of King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, 
       whom Moses defeated with the leaders of Midian, Evi and Rekem and Zur 
       and Hur and Reba, as princes of Sihon, who lived in the land.

       (Josh 13:22 NRSV)  Along with the rest of those they put to death, the 
       Israelites also put to the sword Balaam son of Beor, who practiced 





       divination.

       (Josh 13:23 NRSV)  And the border of the Reubenites was the Jordan and 
       its banks. This was the inheritance of the Reubenites, according to 
       their families with their towns and villages.

       (Josh 13:24 NRSV)  Moses gave an inheritance also to the tribe of the 
       Gadites, according to their families.

       (Josh 13:25 NRSV)  Their territory was Jazer, and all the towns of 
       Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites, to Aroer, which is east of 
       Rabbah,

       (Josh 13:26 NRSV)  and from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and 
       from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir,

       (Josh 13:27 NRSV)  and in the valley Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, 
       and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of King Sihon of Heshbon, the 
       Jordan and its banks, as far as the lower end of the Sea of 
       Chinnereth, eastward beyond the Jordan.

       (Josh 13:28 NRSV)  This is the inheritance of the Gadites according to 
       their clans, with their towns and villages.

       (Josh 13:29 NRSV)  Moses gave an inheritance to the half-tribe of 
       Manasseh; it was allotted to the half-tribe of the Manassites 
       according to their families.

       (Josh 13:30 NRSV)  Their territory extended from Mahanaim, through all 
       Bashan, the whole kingdom of King Og of Bashan, and all the 
       settlements of Jair, which are in Bashan, sixty towns,

       (Josh 13:31 NRSV)  and half of Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the 
       towns of the kingdom of Og in Bashan; these were allotted to the 
       people of Machir son of Manasseh according to their clans--for half 
       the Machirites.

       (Josh 13:32 NRSV)  These are the inheritances that Moses distributed 
       in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan east of Jericho.

       (Josh 13:33 NRSV)  But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; 
       the LORD God of Israel is their inheritance, as he said to them.

       (Josh 14:1 NRSV)  These are the inheritances that the Israelites 
       received in the land of Canaan, which the priest Eleazar, and Joshua 
       son of Nun, and the heads of the families of the tribes of the 
       Israelites distributed to them.

       (Josh 14:2 NRSV)  Their inheritance was by lot, as the LORD had 
       commanded Moses for the nine and one-half tribes.

       (Josh 14:3 NRSV)  For Moses had given an inheritance to the two and 
       one-half tribes beyond the Jordan; but to the Levites he gave no 
       inheritance among them.

       (Josh 14:4 NRSV)  For the people of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh 





       and Ephraim; and no portion was given to the Levites in the land, but 
       only towns to live in, with their pasture lands for their flocks and 
       herds.

       (Josh 14:5 NRSV)  The Israelites did as the LORD commanded Moses; they 
       allotted the land.

       (Josh 14:6 NRSV)  Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal; 
       and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, "You know what 
       the LORD said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you 
       and me.

       (Josh 14:7 NRSV)  I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the 
       LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land; and I brought him 
       an honest report.

       (Josh 14:8 NRSV)  But my companions who went up with me made the heart 
       of the people melt; yet I wholeheartedly followed the LORD my God.

       (Josh 14:9 NRSV)  And Moses swore on that day, saying, 'Surely the 
       land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you 
       and your children forever, because you have wholeheartedly followed 
       the LORD my God.'

       (Josh 14:10 NRSV)  And now, as you see, the LORD has kept me alive, as 
       he said, these forty-five years since the time that the LORD spoke 
       this word to Moses, while Israel was journeying through the 
       wilderness; and here I am today, eighty-five years old.

       (Josh 14:11 NRSV)  I am still as strong today as I was on the day that 
       Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war, 
       and for going and coming.

       (Josh 14:12 NRSV)  So now give me this hill country of which the LORD 
       spoke on that day; for you heard on that day how the Anakim were 
       there, with great fortified cities; it may be that the LORD will be 
       with me, and I shall drive them out, as the LORD said."

       (Josh 14:13 NRSV)  Then Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb 
       son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.

       (Josh 14:14 NRSV)  So Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb son of 
       Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholeheartedly 
       followed the LORD, the God of Israel.

       (Josh 14:15 NRSV)  Now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba; 
       this Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim. And the land had rest 
       from war.

       (Josh 15:1 NRSV)  The lot for the tribe of the people of Judah 
       according to their families reached southward to the boundary of Edom, 
       to the wilderness of Zin at the farthest south.

       (Josh 15:2 NRSV)  And their south boundary ran from the end of the 
       Dead Sea, from the bay that faces southward;





       (Josh 15:3 NRSV)  it goes out southward of the ascent of Akrabbim, 
       passes along to Zin, and goes up south of Kadesh-barnea, along by 
       Hezron, up to Addar, makes a turn to Karka,

       (Josh 15:4 NRSV)  passes along to Azmon, goes out by the Wadi of 
       Egypt, and comes to its end at the sea. This shall be your south 
       boundary.

       (Josh 15:5 NRSV)  And the east boundary is the Dead Sea, to the mouth 
       of the Jordan. And the boundary on the north side runs from the bay of 
       the sea at the mouth of the Jordan;

       (Josh 15:6 NRSV)  and the boundary goes up to Beth-hoglah, and passes 
       along north of Beth-arabah; and the boundary goes up to the Stone of 
       Bohan, Reuben's son;

       (Josh 15:7 NRSV)  and the boundary goes up to Debir from the Valley of 
       Achor, and so northward, turning toward Gilgal, which is opposite the 
       ascent of Adummim, which is on the south side of the valley; and the 
       boundary passes along to the waters of En-shemesh, and ends at 
       En-rogel;

       (Josh 15:8 NRSV)  then the boundary goes up by the valley of the son 
       of Hinnom at the southern slope of the Jebusites (that is, Jerusalem); 
       and the boundary goes up to the top of the mountain that lies over 
       against the valley of Hinnom, on the west, at the northern end of the 
       valley of Rephaim;

       (Josh 15:9 NRSV)  then the boundary extends from the top of the 
       mountain to the spring of the Waters of Nephtoah, and from there to 
       the towns of Mount Ephron; then the boundary bends around to Baalah 
       (that is, Kiriath-jearim);

       (Josh 15:10 NRSV)  and the boundary circles west of Baalah to Mount 
       Seir, passes along to the northern slope of Mount Jearim (that is, 
       Chesalon), and goes down to Beth-shemesh, and passes along by Timnah;

       (Josh 15:11 NRSV)  the boundary goes out to the slope of the hill 
       north of Ekron, then the boundary bends around to Shikkeron, and 
       passes along to Mount Baalah, and goes out to Jabneel; then the 
       boundary comes to an end at the sea.

       (Josh 15:12 NRSV)  And the west boundary was the Mediterranean with 
       its coast. This is the boundary surrounding the people of Judah 
       according to their families.

       (Josh 15:13 NRSV)  According to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, 
       he gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion among the people of Judah, 
       Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron (Arba was the father of Anak).

       (Josh 15:14 NRSV)  And Caleb drove out from there the three sons of 
       Anak: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak.

       (Josh 15:15 NRSV)  From there he went up against the inhabitants of 
       Debir; now the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-sepher.





       (Josh 15:16 NRSV)  And Caleb said, "Whoever attacks Kiriath-sepher and 
       takes it, to him I will give my daughter Achsah as wife."

       (Josh 15:17 NRSV)  Othniel son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took 
       it; and he gave him his daughter Achsah as wife.

       (Josh 15:18 NRSV)  When she came to him, she urged him to ask her 
       father for a field. As she dismounted from her donkey, Caleb said to 
       her, "What do you wish?"

       (Josh 15:19 NRSV)  She said to him, "Give me a present; since you have 
       set me in the land of the Negeb, give me springs of water as well." So 
       Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

       (Josh 15:20 NRSV)  This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people 
       of Judah according to their families.

       (Josh 15:21 NRSV)  The towns belonging to the tribe of the people of 
       Judah in the extreme South, toward the boundary of Edom, were Kabzeel, 
       Eder, Jagur,

       (Josh 15:22 NRSV)  Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah,

       (Josh 15:23 NRSV)  Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan,

       (Josh 15:24 NRSV)  Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,

       (Josh 15:25 NRSV)  Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hezron (that is, Hazor),

       (Josh 15:26 NRSV)  Amam, Shema, Moladah,

       (Josh 15:27 NRSV)  Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pelet,

       (Josh 15:28 NRSV)  Hazar-shual, Beer-sheba, Biziothiah,

       (Josh 15:29 NRSV)  Baalah, Iim, Ezem,

       (Josh 15:30 NRSV)  Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah,

       (Josh 15:31 NRSV)  Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah,

       (Josh 15:32 NRSV)  Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon: in all, 
       twenty-nine towns, with their villages.

       (Josh 15:33 NRSV)  And in the Lowland, Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,

       (Josh 15:34 NRSV)  Zanoah, En-gannim, Tappuah, Enam,

       (Josh 15:35 NRSV)  Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,

       (Josh 15:36 NRSV)  Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, Gederothaim: fourteen 
       towns with their villages.

       (Josh 15:37 NRSV)  Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad,

       (Josh 15:38 NRSV)  Dilan, Mizpeh, Jokthe-el,






       (Josh 15:39 NRSV)  Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,

       (Josh 15:40 NRSV)  Cabbon, Lahmam, Chitlish,

       (Josh 15:41 NRSV)  Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah: sixteen 
       towns with their villages.

       (Josh 15:42 NRSV)  Libnah, Ether, Ashan,

       (Josh 15:43 NRSV)  Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib,

       (Josh 15:44 NRSV)  Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah: nine towns with their 
       villages.

       (Josh 15:45 NRSV)  Ekron, with its dependencies and its villages;

       (Josh 15:46 NRSV)  from Ekron to the sea, all that were near Ashdod, 
       with their villages.

       (Josh 15:47 NRSV)  Ashdod, its towns and its villages; Gaza, its towns 
       and its villages; to the Wadi of Egypt, and the Great Sea with its 
       coast.

       (Josh 15:48 NRSV)  And in the hill country, Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,

       (Josh 15:49 NRSV)  Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (that is, Debir),

       (Josh 15:50 NRSV)  Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim,

       (Josh 15:51 NRSV)  Goshen, Holon, and Giloh: eleven towns with their 
       villages.

       (Josh 15:52 NRSV)  Arab, Dumah, Eshan,

       (Josh 15:53 NRSV)  Janim, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah,

       (Josh 15:54 NRSV)  Humtah, Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior: 
       nine towns with their villages.

       (Josh 15:55 NRSV)  Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,

       (Josh 15:56 NRSV)  Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah,

       (Josh 15:57 NRSV)  Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah: ten towns with their 
       villages.

       (Josh 15:58 NRSV)  Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor,

       (Josh 15:59 NRSV)  Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon: six towns with 
       their villages.

       (Josh 15:60 NRSV)  Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), and Rabbah: 
       two towns with their villages.

       (Josh 15:61 NRSV)  In the wilderness, Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah,






       (Josh 15:62 NRSV)  Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En-gedi: six towns 
       with their villages.

       (Josh 15:63 NRSV)  But the people of Judah could not drive out the 
       Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so the Jebusites live with 
       the people of Judah in Jerusalem to this day.

       (Josh 16:1 NRSV)  The allotment of the Josephites went from the Jordan 
       by Jericho, east of the waters of Jericho, into the wilderness, going 
       up from Jericho into the hill country to Bethel;

       (Josh 16:2 NRSV)  then going from Bethel to Luz, it passes along to 
       Ataroth, the territory of the Archites;

       (Josh 16:3 NRSV)  then it goes down westward to the territory of the 
       Japhletites, as far as the territory of Lower Beth-horon, then to 
       Gezer, and it ends at the sea.

       (Josh 16:4 NRSV)  The Josephites--Manasseh and Ephraim--received their 
       inheritance.

       (Josh 16:5 NRSV)  The territory of the Ephraimites by their families 
       was as follows: the boundary of their inheritance on the east was 
       Ataroth-addar as far as Upper Beth-horon,

       (Josh 16:6 NRSV)  and the boundary goes from there to the sea; on the 
       north is Michmethath; then on the east the boundary makes a turn 
       toward Taanath-shiloh, and passes along beyond it on the east to 
       Janoah,

       (Josh 16:7 NRSV)  then it goes down from Janoah to Ataroth and to 
       Naarah, and touches Jericho, ending at the Jordan.

       (Josh 16:8 NRSV)  From Tappuah the boundary goes westward to the Wadi 
       Kanah, and ends at the sea. Such is the inheritance of the tribe of 
       the Ephraimites by their families,

       (Josh 16:9 NRSV)  together with the towns that were set apart for the 
       Ephraimites within the inheritance of the Manassites, all those towns 
       with their villages.

       (Josh 16:10 NRSV)  They did not, however, drive out the Canaanites who 
       lived in Gezer: so the Canaanites have lived within Ephraim to this 
       day but have been made to do forced labor.

       (Josh 17:1 NRSV)  Then allotment was made to the tribe of Manasseh, 
       for he was the firstborn of Joseph. To Machir the firstborn of 
       Manasseh, the father of Gilead, were allotted Gilead and Bashan, 
       because he was a warrior.

       (Josh 17:2 NRSV)  And allotments were made to the rest of the tribe of 
       Manasseh, by their families, Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, 
       and Shemida; these were the male descendants of Manasseh son of 
       Joseph, by their families.





       (Josh 17:3 NRSV)  Now Zelophehad son of Hepher son of Gilead son of 
       Machir son of Manasseh had no sons, but only daughters; and these are 
       the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

       (Josh 17:4 NRSV)  They came before the priest Eleazar and Joshua son 
       of Nun and the leaders, and said, "The LORD commanded Moses to give us 
       an inheritance along with our male kin." So according to the 
       commandment of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among the kinsmen 
       of their father.

       (Josh 17:5 NRSV)  Thus there fell to Manasseh ten portions, besides 
       the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is on the other side of the 
       Jordan,

       (Josh 17:6 NRSV)  because the daughters of Manasseh received an 
       inheritance along with his sons. The land of Gilead was allotted to 
       the rest of the Manassites.

       (Josh 17:7 NRSV)  The territory of Manasseh reached from Asher to 
       Michmethath, which is east of Shechem; then the boundary goes along 
       southward to the inhabitants of En-tappuah.

       (Josh 17:8 NRSV)  The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but the 
       town of Tappuah on the boundary of Manasseh belonged to the 
       Ephraimites.

       (Josh 17:9 NRSV)  Then the boundary went down to the Wadi Kanah. The 
       towns here, to the south of the wadi, among the towns of Manasseh, 
       belong to Ephraim. Then the boundary of Manasseh goes along the north 
       side of the wadi and ends at the sea.

       (Josh 17:10 NRSV)  The land to the south is Ephraim's and that to the 
       north is Manasseh's, with the sea forming its boundary; on the north 
       Asher is reached, and on the east Issachar.

       (Josh 17:11 NRSV)  Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh had Beth-shean 
       and its villages, Ibleam and its villages, the inhabitants of Dor and 
       its villages, the inhabitants of En-dor and its villages, the 
       inhabitants of Taanach and its villages, and the inhabitants of 
       Megiddo and its villages (the third is Naphath).

       (Josh 17:12 NRSV)  Yet the Manassites could not take possession of 
       those towns; but the Canaanites continued to live in that land.

       (Josh 17:13 NRSV)  But when the Israelites grew strong, they put the 
       Canaanites to forced labor, but did not utterly drive them out.

       (Josh 17:14 NRSV)  The tribe of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, "Why 
       have you given me but one lot and one portion as an inheritance, since 
       we are a numerous people, whom all along the LORD has blessed?"

       (Josh 17:15 NRSV)  And Joshua said to them, "If you are a numerous 
       people, go up to the forest, and clear ground there for yourselves in 
       the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, since the hill country of 
       Ephraim is too narrow for you."





       (Josh 17:16 NRSV)  The tribe of Joseph said, "The hill country is not 
       enough for us; yet all the Canaanites who live in the plain have 
       chariots of iron, both those in Beth-shean and its villages and those 
       in the Valley of Jezreel."

       (Josh 17:17 NRSV)  Then Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim 
       and Manasseh, "You are indeed a numerous people, and have great power; 
       you shall not have one lot only,

       (Josh 17:18 NRSV)  but the hill country shall be yours, for though it 
       is a forest, you shall clear it and possess it to its farthest 
       borders; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have 
       chariots of iron, and though they are strong."

       (Josh 18:1 NRSV)  Then the whole congregation of the Israelites 
       assembled at Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there. The land 
       lay subdued before them.

       (Josh 18:2 NRSV)  There remained among the Israelites seven tribes 
       whose inheritance had not yet been apportioned.

       (Josh 18:3 NRSV)  So Joshua said to the Israelites, "How long will you 
       be slack about going in and taking possession of the land that the 
       LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given you?

       (Josh 18:4 NRSV)  Provide three men from each tribe, and I will send 
       them out that they may begin to go throughout the land, writing a 
       description of it with a view to their inheritances. Then come back to 
       me.

       (Josh 18:5 NRSV)  They shall divide it into seven portions, Judah 
       continuing in its territory on the south, and the house of Joseph in 
       their territory on the north.

       (Josh 18:6 NRSV)  You shall describe the land in seven divisions and 
       bring the description here to me; and I will cast lots for you here 
       before the LORD our God.

       (Josh 18:7 NRSV)  The Levites have no portion among you, for the 
       priesthood of the LORD is their heritage; and Gad and Reuben and the 
       half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the 
       Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them."

       (Josh 18:8 NRSV)  So the men started on their way; and Joshua charged 
       those who went to write the description of the land, saying, "Go 
       throughout the land and write a description of it, and come back to 
       me; and I will cast lots for you here before the LORD in Shiloh."

       (Josh 18:9 NRSV)  So the men went and traversed the land and set down 
       in a book a description of it by towns in seven divisions; then they 
       came back to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh,

       (Josh 18:10 NRSV)  and Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the 
       LORD; and there Joshua apportioned the land to the Israelites, to each 
       a portion.





       (Josh 18:11 NRSV)  The lot of the tribe of Benjamin according to its 
       families came up, and the territory allotted to it fell between the 
       tribe of Judah and the tribe of Joseph.

       (Josh 18:12 NRSV)  On the north side their boundary began at the 
       Jordan; then the boundary goes up to the slope of Jericho on the 
       north, then up through the hill country westward; and it ends at the 
       wilderness of Beth-aven.

       (Josh 18:13 NRSV)  From there the boundary passes along southward in 
       the direction of Luz, to the slope of Luz (that is, Bethel), then the 
       boundary goes down to Ataroth-addar, on the mountain that lies south 
       of Lower Beth-horon.

       (Josh 18:14 NRSV)  Then the boundary goes in another direction, 
       turning on the western side southward from the mountain that lies to 
       the south, opposite Beth-horon, and it ends at Kiriath-baal (that is, 
       Kiriath-jearim), a town belonging to the tribe of Judah. This forms 
       the western side.

       (Josh 18:15 NRSV)  The southern side begins at the outskirts of 
       Kiriath-jearim; and the boundary goes from there to Ephron, to the 
       spring of the Waters of Nephtoah;

       (Josh 18:16 NRSV)  then the boundary goes down to the border of the 
       mountain that overlooks the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is at 
       the north end of the valley of Rephaim; and it then goes down the 
       valley of Hinnom, south of the slope of the Jebusites, and downward to 
       En-rogel;

       (Josh 18:17 NRSV)  then it bends in a northerly direction going on to 
       En-shemesh, and from there goes to Geliloth, which is opposite the 
       ascent of Adummim; then it goes down to the Stone of Bohan, Reuben's 
       son;

       (Josh 18:18 NRSV)  and passing on to the north of the slope of 
       Beth-arabah it goes down to the Arabah;

       (Josh 18:19 NRSV)  then the boundary passes on to the north of the 
       slope of Beth-hoglah; and the boundary ends at the northern bay of the 
       Dead Sea, at the south end of the Jordan: this is the southern border.

       (Josh 18:20 NRSV)  The Jordan forms its boundary on the eastern side. 
       This is the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin, according to its 
       families, boundary by boundary all around.

       (Josh 18:21 NRSV)  Now the towns of the tribe of Benjamin according to 
       their families were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz,

       (Josh 18:22 NRSV)  Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,

       (Josh 18:23 NRSV)  Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,

       (Josh 18:24 NRSV)  Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba--twelve towns with 
       their villages:





       (Josh 18:25 NRSV)  Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,

       (Josh 18:26 NRSV)  Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah,

       (Josh 18:27 NRSV)  Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,

       (Josh 18:28 NRSV)  Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah 
       and Kiriath-jearim--fourteen towns with their villages. This is the 
       inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin according to its families.

       (Josh 19:1 NRSV)  The second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of 
       Simeon, according to its families; its inheritance lay within the 
       inheritance of the tribe of Judah.

       (Josh 19:2 NRSV)  It had for its inheritance Beer-sheba, Sheba, 
       Moladah,

       (Josh 19:3 NRSV)  Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem,

       (Josh 19:4 NRSV)  Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,

       (Josh 19:5 NRSV)  Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah,

       (Josh 19:6 NRSV)  Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen--thirteen towns with 
       their villages;

       (Josh 19:7 NRSV)  Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan--four towns with their 
       villages;

       (Josh 19:8 NRSV)  together with all the villages all around these 
       towns as far as Baalath-beer, Ramah of the Negeb. This was the 
       inheritance of the tribe of Simeon according to its families.

       (Josh 19:9 NRSV)  The inheritance of the tribe of Simeon formed part 
       of the territory of Judah; because the portion of the tribe of Judah 
       was too large for them, the tribe of Simeon obtained an inheritance 
       within their inheritance.

       (Josh 19:10 NRSV)  The third lot came up for the tribe of Zebulun, 
       according to its families. The boundary of its inheritance reached as 
       far as Sarid;

       (Josh 19:11 NRSV)  then its boundary goes up westward, and on to 
       Maralah, and touches Dabbesheth, then the wadi that is east of 
       Jokneam;

       (Josh 19:12 NRSV)  from Sarid it goes in the other direction eastward 
       toward the sunrise to the boundary of Chisloth-tabor; from there it 
       goes to Daberath, then up to Japhia;

       (Josh 19:13 NRSV)  from there it passes along on the east toward the 
       sunrise to Gath-hepher, to Eth-kazin, and going on to Rimmon it bends 
       toward Neah;

       (Josh 19:14 NRSV)  then on the north the boundary makes a turn to 
       Hannathon, and it ends at the valley of Iphtah-el;






       (Josh 19:15 NRSV)  and Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and 
       Bethlehem--twelve towns with their villages.

       (Josh 19:16 NRSV)  This is the inheritance of the tribe of Zebulun, 
       according to its families--these towns with their villages.

       (Josh 19:17 NRSV)  The fourth lot came out for Issachar, for the tribe 
       of Issachar, according to its families.

       (Josh 19:18 NRSV)  Its territory included Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem,

       (Josh 19:19 NRSV)  Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,

       (Josh 19:20 NRSV)  Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez,

       (Josh 19:21 NRSV)  Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, Beth-pazzez;

       (Josh 19:22 NRSV)  the boundary also touches Tabor, Shahazumah, and 
       Beth-shemesh, and its boundary ends at the Jordan--sixteen towns with 
       their villages.

       (Josh 19:23 NRSV)  This is the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar, 
       according to its families--the towns with their villages.

       (Josh 19:24 NRSV)  The fifth lot came out for the tribe of Asher 
       according to its families.

       (Josh 19:25 NRSV)  Its boundary included Helkath, Hali, Beten, 
       Achshaph,

       (Josh 19:26 NRSV)  Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal; on the west it 
       touches Carmel and Shihor-libnath,

       (Josh 19:27 NRSV)  then it turns eastward, goes to Beth-dagon, and 
       touches Zebulun and the valley of Iphtah-el northward to Beth-emek and 
       Neiel; then it continues in the north to Cabul,

       (Josh 19:28 NRSV)  Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, Kanah, as far as Great Sidon;

       (Josh 19:29 NRSV)  then the boundary turns to Ramah, reaching to the 
       fortified city of Tyre; then the boundary turns to Hosah, and it ends 
       at the sea; Mahalab, Achzib,

       (Josh 19:30 NRSV)  Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob--twenty-two towns with 
       their villages.

       (Josh 19:31 NRSV)  This is the inheritance of the tribe of Asher 
       according to its families--these towns with their villages.

       (Josh 19:32 NRSV)  The sixth lot came out for the tribe of Naphtali, 
       for the tribe of Naphtali, according to its families.

       (Josh 19:33 NRSV)  And its boundary ran from Heleph, from the oak in 
       Zaanannim, and Adami-nekeb, and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum; and it 
       ended at the Jordan;






       (Josh 19:34 NRSV)  then the boundary turns westward to Aznoth-tabor, 
       and goes from there to Hukkok, touching Zebulun at the south, and 
       Asher on the west, and Judah on the east at the Jordan.

       (Josh 19:35 NRSV)  The fortified towns are Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, 
       Rakkath, Chinnereth,

       (Josh 19:36 NRSV)  Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,

       (Josh 19:37 NRSV)  Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor,

       (Josh 19:38 NRSV)  Iron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and 
       Beth-shemesh--nineteen towns with their villages.

       (Josh 19:39 NRSV)  This is the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali 
       according to its families--the towns with their villages.

       (Josh 19:40 NRSV)  The seventh lot came out for the tribe of Dan, 
       according to its families.

       (Josh 19:41 NRSV)  The territory of its inheritance included Zorah, 
       Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh,

       (Josh 19:42 NRSV)  Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,

       (Josh 19:43 NRSV)  Elon, Timnah, Ekron,

       (Josh 19:44 NRSV)  Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,

       (Josh 19:45 NRSV)  Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon,

       (Josh 19:46 NRSV)  Me-jarkon, and Rakkon at the border opposite Joppa.

       (Josh 19:47 NRSV)  When the territory of the Danites was lost to them, 
       the Danites went up and fought against Leshem, and after capturing it 
       and putting it to the sword, they took possession of it and settled in 
       it, calling Leshem, Dan, after their ancestor Dan.

       (Josh 19:48 NRSV)  This is the inheritance of the tribe of Dan, 
       according to their families--these towns with their villages.

       (Josh 19:49 NRSV)  When they had finished distributing the several 
       territories of the land as inheritances, the Israelites gave an 
       inheritance among them to Joshua son of Nun.

       (Josh 19:50 NRSV)  By command of the LORD they gave him the town that 
       he asked for, Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim; he rebuilt 
       the town, and settled in it.

       (Josh 19:51 NRSV)  These are the inheritances that the priest Eleazar 
       and Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the families of the tribes of 
       the Israelites distributed by lot at Shiloh before the LORD, at the 
       entrance of the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing the land.

       (Josh 20:1 NRSV)  Then the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying,






       (Josh 20:2 NRSV)  "Say to the Israelites, 'Appoint the cities of 
       refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses,

       (Josh 20:3 NRSV)  so that anyone who kills a person without intent or 
       by mistake may flee there; they shall be for you a refuge from the 
       avenger of blood.

       (Josh 20:4 NRSV)  The slayer shall flee to one of these cities and 
       shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and explain the 
       case to the elders of that city; then the fugitive shall be taken into 
       the city, and given a place, and shall remain with them.

       (Josh 20:5 NRSV)  And if the avenger of blood is in pursuit, they 
       shall not give up the slayer, because the neighbor was killed by 
       mistake, there having been no enmity between them before.

       (Josh 20:6 NRSV)  The slayer shall remain in that city until there is 
       a trial before the congregation, until the death of the one who is 
       high priest at the time: then the slayer may return home, to the town 
       in which the deed was done.'"

       (Josh 20:7 NRSV)  So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill 
       country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and 
       Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

       (Josh 20:8 NRSV)  And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they 
       appointed Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland, from the tribe of 
       Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in 
       Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh.

       (Josh 20:9 NRSV)  These were the cities designated for all the 
       Israelites, and for the aliens residing among them, that anyone who 
       killed a person without intent could flee there, so as not to die by 
       the hand of the avenger of blood, until there was a trial before the 
       congregation.

       (Josh 21:1 NRSV)  Then the heads of the families of the Levites came 
       to the priest Eleazar and to Joshua son of Nun and to the heads of the 
       families of the tribes of the Israelites;

       (Josh 21:2 NRSV)  they said to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, 
       "The LORD commanded through Moses that we be given towns to live in, 
       along with their pasture lands for our livestock."

       (Josh 21:3 NRSV)  So by command of the LORD the Israelites gave to the 
       Levites the following towns and pasture lands out of their 
       inheritance.

       (Josh 21:4 NRSV)  The lot came out for the families of the Kohathites. 
       So those Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest received by 
       lot thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.

       (Josh 21:5 NRSV)  The rest of the Kohathites received by lot ten towns 
       from the families of the tribe of Ephraim, from the tribe of Dan, and 
       the half-tribe of Manasseh.






       (Josh 21:6 NRSV)  The Gershonites received by lot thirteen towns from 
       the families of the tribe of Issachar, from the tribe of Asher, from 
       the tribe of Naphtali, and from the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

       (Josh 21:7 NRSV)  The Merarites according to their families received 
       twelve towns from the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the tribe 
       of Zebulun.

       (Josh 21:8 NRSV)  These towns and their pasture lands the Israelites 
       gave by lot to the Levites, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.

       (Josh 21:9 NRSV)  Out of the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Simeon 
       they gave the following towns mentioned by name,

       (Josh 21:10 NRSV)  which went to the descendants of Aaron, one of the 
       families of the Kohathites who belonged to the Levites, since the lot 
       fell to them first.

       (Josh 21:11 NRSV)  They gave them Kiriath-arba (Arba being the father 
       of Anak), that is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, along with the 
       pasture lands around it.

       (Josh 21:12 NRSV)  But the fields of the town and its villages had 
       been given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his holding.

       (Josh 21:13 NRSV)  To the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave 
       Hebron, the city of refuge for the slayer, with its pasture lands, 
       Libnah with its pasture lands,

       (Josh 21:14 NRSV)  Jattir with its pasture lands, Eshtemoa with its 
       pasture lands,

       (Josh 21:15 NRSV)  Holon with its pasture lands, Debir with its 
       pasture lands,

       (Josh 21:16 NRSV)  Ain with its pasture lands, Juttah with its pasture 
       lands, and Beth-shemesh with its pasture lands--nine towns out of 
       these two tribes.

       (Josh 21:17 NRSV)  Out of the tribe of Benjamin: Gibeon with its 
       pasture lands, Geba with its pasture lands,

       (Josh 21:18 NRSV)  Anathoth with its pasture lands, and Almon with its 
       pasture lands--four towns.

       (Josh 21:19 NRSV)  The towns of the descendants of Aaron--the 
       priests--were thirteen in all, with their pasture lands.

       (Josh 21:20 NRSV)  As to the rest of the Kohathites belonging to the 
       Kohathite families of the Levites, the towns allotted to them were out 
       of the tribe of Ephraim.

       (Josh 21:21 NRSV)  To them were given Shechem, the city of refuge for 
       the slayer, with its pasture lands in the hill country of Ephraim, 
       Gezer with its pasture lands,






       (Josh 21:22 NRSV)  Kibzaim with its pasture lands, and Beth-horon with 
       its pasture lands--four towns.

       (Josh 21:23 NRSV)  Out of the tribe of Dan: Elteke with its pasture 
       lands, Gibbethon with its pasture lands,

       (Josh 21:24 NRSV)  Aijalon with its pasture lands, Gath-rimmon with 
       its pasture lands--four towns.

       (Josh 21:25 NRSV)  Out of the half-tribe of Manasseh: Taanach with its 
       pasture lands, and Gath-rimmon with its pasture lands--two towns.

       (Josh 21:26 NRSV)  The towns of the families of the rest of the 
       Kohathites were ten in all, with their pasture lands.

       (Josh 21:27 NRSV)  To the Gershonites, one of the families of the 
       Levites, were given out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan 
       with its pasture lands, the city of refuge for the slayer, and 
       Beeshterah with its pasture lands--two towns.

       (Josh 21:28 NRSV)  Out of the tribe of Issachar: Kishion with its 
       pasture lands, Daberath with its pasture lands,

       (Josh 21:29 NRSV)  Jarmuth with its pasture lands, En-gannim with its 
       pasture lands--four towns;

       (Josh 21:30 NRSV)  Out of the tribe of Asher: Mishal with its pasture 
       lands, Abdon with its pasture lands,

       (Josh 21:31 NRSV)  Helkath with its pasture lands, and Rehob with its 
       pasture lands--four towns.

       (Josh 21:32 NRSV)  Out of the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee 
       with its pasture lands, the city of refuge for the slayer, Hammoth-dor 
       with its pasture lands, and Kartan with its pasture lands--three 
       towns.

       (Josh 21:33 NRSV)  The towns of the several families of the 
       Gershonites were in all thirteen, with their pasture lands.

       (Josh 21:34 NRSV)  To the rest of the Levites--the Merarite 
       families--were given out of the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam with its 
       pasture lands, Kartah with its pasture lands,

       (Josh 21:35 NRSV)  Dimnah with its pasture lands, Nahalal with its 
       pasture lands--four towns.

       (Josh 21:36 NRSV)  Out of the tribe of Reuben: Bezer with its pasture 
       lands, Jahzah with its pasture lands,

       (Josh 21:37 NRSV)  Kedemoth with its pasture lands, and Mephaath with 
       its pasture lands--four towns.

       (Josh 21:38 NRSV)  Out of the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead with its 
       pasture lands, the city of refuge for the slayer, Mahanaim with its 





       pasture lands,

       (Josh 21:39 NRSV)  Heshbon with its pasture lands, Jazer with its 
       pasture lands--four towns in all.

       (Josh 21:40 NRSV)  As for the towns of the several Merarite families, 
       that is, the remainder of the families of the Levites, those allotted 
       to them were twelve in all.

       (Josh 21:41 NRSV)  The towns of the Levites within the holdings of the 
       Israelites were in all forty-eight towns with their pasture lands.

       (Josh 21:42 NRSV)  Each of these towns had its pasture lands around 
       it; so it was with all these towns.

       (Josh 21:43 NRSV)  Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he 
       swore to their ancestors that he would give them; and having taken 
       possession of it, they settled there.

       (Josh 21:44 NRSV)  And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as 
       he had sworn to their ancestors; not one of all their enemies had 
       withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their 
       hands.

       (Josh 21:45 NRSV)  Not one of all the good promises that the LORD had 
       made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.

       (Josh 22:1 NRSV)  Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, 
       and the half-tribe of Manasseh,

       (Josh 22:2 NRSV)  and said to them, "You have observed all that Moses 
       the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed me in all that 
       I have commanded you;

       (Josh 22:3 NRSV)  you have not forsaken your kindred these many days, 
       down to this day, but have been careful to keep the charge of the LORD 
       your God.

       (Josh 22:4 NRSV)  And now the LORD your God has given rest to your 
       kindred, as he promised them; therefore turn and go to your tents in 
       the land where your possession lies, which Moses the servant of the 
       LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan.

       (Josh 22:5 NRSV)  Take good care to observe the commandment and 
       instruction that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love 
       the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, 
       and to hold fast to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with 
       all your soul."

       (Josh 22:6 NRSV)  So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they 
       went to their tents.

       (Josh 22:7 NRSV)  Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses 
       had given a possession in Bashan; but to the other half Joshua had 
       given a possession beside their fellow Israelites in the land west of 
       the Jordan. And when Joshua sent them away to their tents and blessed 





       them,

       (Josh 22:8 NRSV)  he said to them, "Go back to your tents with much 
       wealth, and with very much livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, and 
       iron, and with a great quantity of clothing; divide the spoil of your 
       enemies with your kindred."

       (Josh 22:9 NRSV)  So the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe 
       of Manasseh returned home, parting from the Israelites at Shiloh, 
       which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, their own 
       land of which they had taken possession by command of the LORD through 
       Moses.

       (Josh 22:10 NRSV)  When they came to the region near the Jordan that 
       lies in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites and the Gadites and the 
       half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of 
       great size.

       (Josh 22:11 NRSV)  The Israelites heard that the Reubenites and the 
       Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had built an altar at the 
       frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region near the Jordan, on the 
       side that belongs to the Israelites.

       (Josh 22:12 NRSV)  And when the people of Israel heard of it, the 
       whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh, to make war 
       against them.

       (Josh 22:13 NRSV)  Then the Israelites sent the priest Phinehas son of 
       Eleazar to the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of 
       Manasseh, in the land of Gilead,

       (Josh 22:14 NRSV)  and with him ten chiefs, one from each of the 
       tribal families of Israel, every one of them the head of a family 
       among the clans of Israel.

       (Josh 22:15 NRSV)  They came to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the 
       half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and they said to them,

       (Josh 22:16 NRSV)  "Thus says the whole congregation of the LORD, 
       'What is this treachery that you have committed against the God of 
       Israel in turning away today from following the LORD, by building 
       yourselves an altar today in rebellion against the LORD?

       (Josh 22:17 NRSV)  Have we not had enough of the sin at Peor from 
       which even yet we have not cleansed ourselves, and for which a plague 
       came upon the congregation of the LORD,

       (Josh 22:18 NRSV)  that you must turn away today from following the 
       LORD! If you rebel against the LORD today, he will be angry with the 
       whole congregation of Israel tomorrow.

       (Josh 22:19 NRSV)  But now, if your land is unclean, cross over into 
       the Lord's land where the Lord's tabernacle now stands, and take for 
       yourselves a possession among us; only do not rebel against the LORD, 
       or rebel against us by building yourselves an altar other than the 
       altar of the LORD our God.






       (Josh 22:20 NRSV)  Did not Achan son of Zerah break faith in the 
       matter of the devoted things, and wrath fell upon all the congregation 
       of Israel? And he did not perish alone for his iniquity!'"

       (Josh 22:21 NRSV)  Then the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the 
       half-tribe of Manasseh said in answer to the heads of the families of 
       Israel,

       (Josh 22:22 NRSV)  "The LORD, God of gods! The LORD, God of gods! He 
       knows; and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion or in breach 
       of faith toward the LORD, do not spare us today

       (Josh 22:23 NRSV)  for building an altar to turn away from following 
       the LORD; or if we did so to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings 
       or offerings of well-being on it, may the LORD himself take vengeance.

       (Josh 22:24 NRSV)  No! We did it from fear that in time to come your 
       children might say to our children, 'What have you to do with the 
       LORD, the God of Israel?

       (Josh 22:25 NRSV)  For the LORD has made the Jordan a boundary between 
       us and you, you Reubenites and Gadites; you have no portion in the 
       LORD.' So your children might make our children cease to worship the 
       LORD.

       (Josh 22:26 NRSV)  Therefore we said, 'Let us now build an altar, not 
       for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice,

       (Josh 22:27 NRSV)  but to be a witness between us and you, and between 
       the generations after us, that we do perform the service of the LORD 
       in his presence with our burnt offerings and sacrifices and offerings 
       of well-being; so that your children may never say to our children in 
       time to come, "You have no portion in the LORD."'

       (Josh 22:28 NRSV)  And we thought, If this should be said to us or to 
       our descendants in time to come, we could say, 'Look at this copy of 
       the altar of the LORD, which our ancestors made, not for burnt 
       offerings, nor for sacrifice, but to be a witness between us and you.'

       (Josh 22:29 NRSV)  Far be it from us that we should rebel against the 
       LORD, and turn away this day from following the LORD by building an 
       altar for burnt offering, grain offering, or sacrifice, other than the 
       altar of the LORD our God that stands before his tabernacle!"

       (Josh 22:30 NRSV)  When the priest Phinehas and the chiefs of the 
       congregation, the heads of the families of Israel who were with him, 
       heard the words that the Reubenites and the Gadites and the Manassites 
       spoke, they were satisfied.

       (Josh 22:31 NRSV)  The priest Phinehas son of Eleazar said to the 
       Reubenites and the Gadites and the Manassites, "Today we know that the 
       LORD is among us, because you have not committed this treachery 
       against the LORD; now you have saved the Israelites from the hand of 
       the LORD."





       (Josh 22:32 NRSV)  Then the priest Phinehas son of Eleazar and the 
       chiefs returned from the Reubenites and the Gadites in the land of 
       Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the Israelites, and brought back word 
       to them.

       (Josh 22:33 NRSV)  The report pleased the Israelites; and the 
       Israelites blessed God and spoke no more of making war against them, 
       to destroy the land where the Reubenites and the Gadites were settled.

       (Josh 22:34 NRSV)  The Reubenites and the Gadites called the altar 
       Witness; "For," said they, "it is a witness between us that the LORD 
       is God."

       (Josh 23:1 NRSV)  A long time afterward, when the LORD had given rest 
       to Israel from all their enemies all around, and Joshua was old and 
       well advanced in years,

       (Josh 23:2 NRSV)  Joshua summoned all Israel, their elders and heads, 
       their judges and officers, and said to them, "I am now old and well 
       advanced in years;

       (Josh 23:3 NRSV)  and you have seen all that the LORD your God has 
       done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the LORD your God 
       who has fought for you.

       (Josh 23:4 NRSV)  I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your 
       tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I 
       have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west.

       (Josh 23:5 NRSV)  The LORD your God will push them back before you, 
       and drive them out of your sight; and you shall possess their land, as 
       the LORD your God promised you.

       (Josh 23:6 NRSV)  Therefore be very steadfast to observe and do all 
       that is written in the book of the law of Moses, turning aside from it 
       neither to the right nor to the left,

       (Josh 23:7 NRSV)  so that you may not be mixed with these nations left 
       here among you, or make mention of the names of their gods, or swear 
       by them, or serve them, or bow yourselves down to them,

       (Josh 23:8 NRSV)  but hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have done 
       to this day.

       (Josh 23:9 NRSV)  For the LORD has driven out before you great and 
       strong nations; and as for you, no one has been able to withstand you 
       to this day.

       (Josh 23:10 NRSV)  One of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is 
       the LORD your God who fights for you, as he promised you.

       (Josh 23:11 NRSV)  Be very careful, therefore, to love the LORD your 
       God.

       (Josh 23:12 NRSV)  For if you turn back, and join the survivors of 
       these nations left here among you, and intermarry with them, so that 





       you marry their women and they yours,

       (Josh 23:13 NRSV)  know assuredly that the LORD your God will not 
       continue to drive out these nations before you; but they shall be a 
       snare and a trap for you, a scourge on your sides, and thorns in your 
       eyes, until you perish from this good land that the LORD your God has 
       given you.

       (Josh 23:14 NRSV)  "And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, 
       and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one thing 
       has failed of all the good things that the LORD your God promised 
       concerning you; all have come to pass for you, not one of them has 
       failed.

       (Josh 23:15 NRSV)  But just as all the good things that the LORD your 
       God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the LORD 
       will bring upon you all the bad things, until he has destroyed you 
       from this good land that the LORD your God has given you.

       (Josh 23:16 NRSV)  If you transgress the covenant of the LORD your 
       God, which he enjoined on you, and go and serve other gods and bow 
       down to them, then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, 
       and you shall perish quickly from the good land that he has given to 
       you."

       (Josh 24:1 NRSV)  Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to 
       Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the 
       officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God.

       (Josh 24:2 NRSV)  And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the 
       LORD, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors--Terah and his sons 
       Abraham and Nahor--lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods.

       (Josh 24:3 NRSV)  Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the 
       River and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his 
       offspring many. I gave him Isaac;

       (Josh 24:4 NRSV)  and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau the 
       hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down 
       to Egypt.

       (Josh 24:5 NRSV)  Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt 
       with what I did in its midst; and afterwards I brought you out.

       (Josh 24:6 NRSV)  When I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, you came 
       to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued your ancestors with chariots and 
       horsemen to the Red Sea.

       (Josh 24:7 NRSV)  When they cried out to the LORD, he put darkness 
       between you and the Egyptians, and made the sea come upon them and 
       cover them; and your eyes saw what I did to Egypt. Afterwards you 
       lived in the wilderness a long time.

       (Josh 24:8 NRSV)  Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who 
       lived on the other side of the Jordan; they fought with you, and I 
       handed them over to you, and you took possession of their land, and I 





       destroyed them before you.

       (Josh 24:9 NRSV)  Then King Balak son of Zippor of Moab, set out to 
       fight against Israel. He sent and invited Balaam son of Beor to curse 
       you,

       (Josh 24:10 NRSV)  but I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he 
       blessed you; so I rescued you out of his hand.

       (Josh 24:11 NRSV)  When you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, 
       the citizens of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the 
       Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the 
       Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I handed them over to you.

       (Josh 24:12 NRSV)  I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove out 
       before you the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or 
       by your bow.

       (Josh 24:13 NRSV)  I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and 
       towns that you had not built, and you live in them; you eat the fruit 
       of vineyards and oliveyards that you did not plant.

       (Josh 24:14 NRSV)  "Now therefore revere the LORD, and serve him in 
       sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors 
       served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.

       (Josh 24:15 NRSV)  Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose 
       this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served 
       in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose 
       land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the 
       LORD."

       (Josh 24:16 NRSV)  Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that 
       we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods;

       (Josh 24:17 NRSV)  for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our 
       ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and 
       who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the 
       way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed;

       (Josh 24:18 NRSV)  and the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, 
       the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the 
       LORD, for he is our God."

       (Josh 24:19 NRSV)  But Joshua said to the people, "You cannot serve 
       the LORD, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not 
       forgive your transgressions or your sins.

       (Josh 24:20 NRSV)  If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, 
       then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done 
       you good."

       (Josh 24:21 NRSV)  And the people said to Joshua, "No, we will serve 
       the LORD!"

       (Josh 24:22 NRSV)  Then Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses 





       against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD, to serve him." And 
       they said, "We are witnesses."

       (Josh 24:23 NRSV)  He said, "Then put away the foreign gods that are 
       among you, and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel."

       (Josh 24:24 NRSV)  The people said to Joshua, "The LORD our God we 
       will serve, and him we will obey."

       (Josh 24:25 NRSV)  So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, 
       and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem.

       (Josh 24:26 NRSV)  Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of 
       God; and he took a large stone, and set it up there under the oak in 
       the sanctuary of the LORD.

       (Josh 24:27 NRSV)  Joshua said to all the people, "See, this stone 
       shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of the 
       LORD that he spoke to us; therefore it shall be a witness against you, 
       if you deal falsely with your God."

       (Josh 24:28 NRSV)  So Joshua sent the people away to their 
       inheritances.

       (Josh 24:29 NRSV)  After these things Joshua son of Nun, the servant 
       of the LORD, died, being one hundred ten years old.

       (Josh 24:30 NRSV)  They buried him in his own inheritance at 
       Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount 
       Gaash.

       (Josh 24:31 NRSV)  Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and 
       all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the 
       work that the LORD did for Israel.

       (Josh 24:32 NRSV)  The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had 
       brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem, in the portion of 
       ground that Jacob had bought from the children of Hamor, the father of 
       Shechem, for one hundred pieces of money; it became an inheritance of 
       the descendants of Joseph.

       (Josh 24:33 NRSV)  Eleazar son of Aaron died; and they buried him at 
       Gibeah, the town of his son Phinehas, which had been given him in the 
       hill country of Ephraim.

       (Judg 1:1 NRSV)  After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of 
       the LORD, "Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to 
       fight against them?"

       (Judg 1:2 NRSV)  The LORD said, "Judah shall go up. I hereby give the 
       land into his hand."

       (Judg 1:3 NRSV)  Judah said to his brother Simeon, "Come up with me 
       into the territory allotted to me, that we may fight against the 
       Canaanites; then I too will go with you into the territory allotted to 
       you." So Simeon went with him.






       (Judg 1:4 NRSV)  Then Judah went up and the LORD gave the Canaanites 
       and the Perizzites into their hand; and they defeated ten thousand of 
       them at Bezek.

       (Judg 1:5 NRSV)  They came upon Adoni-bezek at Bezek, and fought 
       against him, and defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

       (Judg 1:6 NRSV)  Adoni-bezek fled; but they pursued him, and caught 
       him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.

       (Judg 1:7 NRSV)  Adoni-bezek said, "Seventy kings with their thumbs 
       and big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table; as I have 
       done, so God has paid me back." They brought him to Jerusalem, and he 
       died there.

       (Judg 1:8 NRSV)  Then the people of Judah fought against Jerusalem and 
       took it. They put it to the sword and set the city on fire.

       (Judg 1:9 NRSV)  Afterward the people of Judah went down to fight 
       against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, in the Negeb, 
       and in the lowland.

       (Judg 1:10 NRSV)  Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in 
       Hebron (the name of Hebron was formerly Kiriath-arba); and they 
       defeated Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai.

       (Judg 1:11 NRSV)  From there they went against the inhabitants of 
       Debir (the name of Debir was formerly Kiriath-sepher).

       (Judg 1:12 NRSV)  Then Caleb said, "Whoever attacks Kiriath-sepher and 
       takes it, I will give him my daughter Achsah as wife."

       (Judg 1:13 NRSV)  And Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, 
       took it; and he gave him his daughter Achsah as wife.

       (Judg 1:14 NRSV)  When she came to him, she urged him to ask her 
       father for a field. As she dismounted from her donkey, Caleb said to 
       her, "What do you wish?"

       (Judg 1:15 NRSV)  She said to him, "Give me a present; since you have 
       set me in the land of the Negeb, give me also Gulloth-mayim." So Caleb 
       gave her Upper Gulloth and Lower Gulloth.

       (Judg 1:16 NRSV)  The descendants of Hobab the Kenite, Moses' 
       father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the city of palms 
       into the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the Negeb near Arad. Then 
       they went and settled with the Amalekites.

       (Judg 1:17 NRSV)  Judah went with his brother Simeon, and they 
       defeated the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath, and devoted it to 
       destruction. So the city was called Hormah.

       (Judg 1:18 NRSV)  Judah took Gaza with its territory, Ashkelon with 
       its territory, and Ekron with its territory.





       (Judg 1:19 NRSV)  The LORD was with Judah, and he took possession of 
       the hill country, but could not drive out the inhabitants of the 
       plain, because they had chariots of iron.

       (Judg 1:20 NRSV)  Hebron was given to Caleb, as Moses had said; and he 
       drove out from it the three sons of Anak.

       (Judg 1:21 NRSV)  But the Benjaminites did not drive out the Jebusites 
       who lived in Jerusalem; so the Jebusites have lived in Jerusalem among 
       the Benjaminites to this day.

       (Judg 1:22 NRSV)  The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel; and 
       the LORD was with them.

       (Judg 1:23 NRSV)  The house of Joseph sent out spies to Bethel (the 
       name of the city was formerly Luz).

       (Judg 1:24 NRSV)  When the spies saw a man coming out of the city, 
       they said to him, "Show us the way into the city, and we will deal 
       kindly with you."

       (Judg 1:25 NRSV)  So he showed them the way into the city; and they 
       put the city to the sword, but they let the man and all his family go.

       (Judg 1:26 NRSV)  So the man went to the land of the Hittites and 
       built a city, and named it Luz; that is its name to this day.

       (Judg 1:27 NRSV)  Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of 
       Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the 
       inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and 
       its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; but the 
       Canaanites continued to live in that land.

       (Judg 1:28 NRSV)  When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to 
       forced labor, but did not in fact drive them out.

       (Judg 1:29 NRSV)  And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who 
       lived in Gezer; but the Canaanites lived among them in Gezer.

       (Judg 1:30 NRSV)  Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, 
       or the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites lived among them, 
       and became subject to forced labor.

       (Judg 1:31 NRSV)  Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, or 
       the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab, or of Achzib, or of Helbah, or 
       of Aphik, or of Rehob;

       (Judg 1:32 NRSV)  but the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the 
       inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.

       (Judg 1:33 NRSV)  Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of 
       Beth-shemesh, or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, but lived among the 
       Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; nevertheless the inhabitants 
       of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became subject to forced labor for 
       them.





       (Judg 1:34 NRSV)  The Amorites pressed the Danites back into the hill 
       country; they did not allow them to come down to the plain.

       (Judg 1:35 NRSV)  The Amorites continued to live in Har-heres, in 
       Aijalon, and in Shaalbim, but the hand of the house of Joseph rested 
       heavily on them, and they became subject to forced labor.

       (Judg 1:36 NRSV)  The border of the Amorites ran from the ascent of 
       Akrabbim, from Sela and upward.

       (Judg 2:1 NRSV)  Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to 
       Bochim, and said, "I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you into 
       the land that I had promised to your ancestors. I said, 'I will never 
       break my covenant with you.

       (Judg 2:2 NRSV)  For your part, do not make a covenant with the 
       inhabitants of this land; tear down their altars.' But you have not 
       obeyed my command. See what you have done!

       (Judg 2:3 NRSV)  So now I say, I will not drive them out before you; 
       but they shall become adversaries to you, and their gods shall be a 
       snare to you."

       (Judg 2:4 NRSV)  When the angel of the LORD spoke these words to all 
       the Israelites, the people lifted up their voices and wept.

       (Judg 2:5 NRSV)  So they named that place Bochim, and there they 
       sacrificed to the LORD.

       (Judg 2:6 NRSV)  When Joshua dismissed the people, the Israelites all 
       went to their own inheritances to take possession of the land.

       (Judg 2:7 NRSV)  The people worshiped the LORD all the days of Joshua, 
       and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all 
       the great work that the LORD had done for Israel.

       (Judg 2:8 NRSV)  Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at 
       the age of one hundred ten years.

       (Judg 2:9 NRSV)  So they buried him within the bounds of his 
       inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of 
       Mount Gaash.

       (Judg 2:10 NRSV)  Moreover, that whole generation was gathered to 
       their ancestors, and another generation grew up after them, who did 
       not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel.

       (Judg 2:11 NRSV)  Then the Israelites did what was evil in the sight 
       of the LORD and worshiped the Baals;

       (Judg 2:12 NRSV)  and they abandoned the LORD, the God of their 
       ancestors, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; they 
       followed other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were all 
       around them, and bowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD to 
       anger.





       (Judg 2:13 NRSV)  They abandoned the LORD, and worshiped Baal and the 
       Astartes.

       (Judg 2:14 NRSV)  So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, 
       and he gave them over to plunderers who plundered them, and he sold 
       them into the power of their enemies all around, so that they could no 
       longer withstand their enemies.

       (Judg 2:15 NRSV)  Whenever they marched out, the hand of the LORD was 
       against them to bring misfortune, as the LORD had warned them and 
       sworn to them; and they were in great distress.

       (Judg 2:16 NRSV)  Then the LORD raised up judges, who delivered them 
       out of the power of those who plundered them.

       (Judg 2:17 NRSV)  Yet they did not listen even to their judges; for 
       they lusted after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned 
       aside from the way in which their ancestors had walked, who had obeyed 
       the commandments of the LORD; they did not follow their example.

       (Judg 2:18 NRSV)  Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, the 
       LORD was with the judge, and he delivered them from the hand of their 
       enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD would be moved to pity 
       by their groaning because of those who persecuted and oppressed them.

       (Judg 2:19 NRSV)  But whenever the judge died, they would relapse and 
       behave worse than their ancestors, following other gods, worshiping 
       them and bowing down to them. They would not drop any of their 
       practices or their stubborn ways.

       (Judg 2:20 NRSV)  So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel; 
       and he said, "Because this people have transgressed my covenant that I 
       commanded their ancestors, and have not obeyed my voice,

       (Judg 2:21 NRSV)  I will no longer drive out before them any of the 
       nations that Joshua left when he died."

       (Judg 2:22 NRSV)  In order to test Israel, whether or not they would 
       take care to walk in the way of the LORD as their ancestors did,

       (Judg 2:23 NRSV)  the LORD had left those nations, not driving them 
       out at once, and had not handed them over to Joshua.

       (Judg 3:1 NRSV)  Now these are the nations that the LORD left to test 
       all those in Israel who had no experience of any war in Canaan

       (Judg 3:2 NRSV)  (it was only that successive generations of 
       Israelites might know war, to teach those who had no experience of it 
       before):

       (Judg 3:3 NRSV)  the five lords of the Philistines, and all the 
       Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount 
       Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath.

       (Judg 3:4 NRSV)  They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether 
       Israel would obey the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded 





       their ancestors by Moses.

       (Judg 3:5 NRSV)  So the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, the 
       Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the 
       Jebusites;

       (Judg 3:6 NRSV)  and they took their daughters as wives for 
       themselves, and their own daughters they gave to their sons; and they 
       worshiped their gods.

       (Judg 3:7 NRSV)  The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the 
       LORD, forgetting the LORD their God, and worshiping the Baals and the 
       Asherahs.

       (Judg 3:8 NRSV)  Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against 
       Israel, and he sold them into the hand of King Cushan-rishathaim of 
       Aram-naharaim; and the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim eight 
       years.

       (Judg 3:9 NRSV)  But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, the 
       LORD raised up a deliverer for the Israelites, who delivered them, 
       Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

       (Judg 3:10 NRSV)  The spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged 
       Israel; he went out to war, and the LORD gave King Cushan-rishathaim 
       of Aram into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim.

       (Judg 3:11 NRSV)  So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel son 
       of Kenaz died.

       (Judg 3:12 NRSV)  The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight 
       of the LORD; and the LORD strengthened King Eglon of Moab against 
       Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the LORD.

       (Judg 3:13 NRSV)  In alliance with the Ammonites and the Amalekites, 
       he went and defeated Israel; and they took possession of the city of 
       palms.

       (Judg 3:14 NRSV)  So the Israelites served King Eglon of Moab eighteen 
       years.

       (Judg 3:15 NRSV)  But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, the 
       LORD raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud son of Gera, the 
       Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The Israelites sent tribute by him to 
       King Eglon of Moab.

       (Judg 3:16 NRSV)  Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a 
       cubit in length; and he fastened it on his right thigh under his 
       clothes.

       (Judg 3:17 NRSV)  Then he presented the tribute to King Eglon of Moab. 
       Now Eglon was a very fat man.

       (Judg 3:18 NRSV)  When Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he 
       sent the people who carried the tribute on their way.





       (Judg 3:19 NRSV)  But he himself turned back at the sculptured stones 
       near Gilgal, and said, "I have a secret message for you, O king." So 
       the king said, "Silence!" and all his attendants went out from his 
       presence.

       (Judg 3:20 NRSV)  Ehud came to him, while he was sitting alone in his 
       cool roof chamber, and said, "I have a message from God for you." So 
       he rose from his seat.

       (Judg 3:21 NRSV)  Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword 
       from his right thigh, and thrust it into Eglon's belly;

       (Judg 3:22 NRSV)  the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat 
       closed over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly; 
       and the dirt came out.

       (Judg 3:23 NRSV)  Then Ehud went out into the vestibule, and closed 
       the doors of the roof chamber on him, and locked them.

       (Judg 3:24 NRSV)  After he had gone, the servants came. When they saw 
       that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, "He must 
       be relieving himself in the cool chamber."

       (Judg 3:25 NRSV)  So they waited until they were embarrassed. When he 
       still did not open the doors of the roof chamber, they took the key 
       and opened them. There was their lord lying dead on the floor.

       (Judg 3:26 NRSV)  Ehud escaped while they delayed, and passed beyond 
       the sculptured stones, and escaped to Seirah.

       (Judg 3:27 NRSV)  When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill 
       country of Ephraim; and the Israelites went down with him from the 
       hill country, having him at their head.

       (Judg 3:28 NRSV)  He said to them, "Follow after me; for the LORD has 
       given your enemies the Moabites into your hand." So they went down 
       after him, and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, 
       and allowed no one to cross over.

       (Judg 3:29 NRSV)  At that time they killed about ten thousand of the 
       Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; no one escaped.

       (Judg 3:30 NRSV)  So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of 
       Israel. And the land had rest eighty years.

       (Judg 3:31 NRSV)  After him came Shamgar son of Anath, who killed six 
       hundred of the Philistines with an oxgoad. He too delivered Israel.

       (Judg 4:1 NRSV)  The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight 
       of the LORD, after Ehud died.

       (Judg 4:2 NRSV)  So the LORD sold them into the hand of King Jabin of 
       Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, 
       who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim.

       (Judg 4:3 NRSV)  Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help; 





       for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the 
       Israelites cruelly twenty years.

       (Judg 4:4 NRSV)  At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of 
       Lappidoth, was judging Israel.

       (Judg 4:5 NRSV)  She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between 
       Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites 
       came up to her for judgment.

       (Judg 4:6 NRSV)  She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from 
       Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, "The LORD, the God of Israel, 
       commands you, 'Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand 
       from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun.

       (Judg 4:7 NRSV)  I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, 
       to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I 
       will give him into your hand.'"

       (Judg 4:8 NRSV)  Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, I will 
       go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go."

       (Judg 4:9 NRSV)  And she said, "I will surely go with you; 
       nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your 
       glory, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." Then 
       Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.

       (Judg 4:10 NRSV)  Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and 
       ten thousand warriors went up behind him; and Deborah went up with 
       him.

       (Judg 4:11 NRSV)  Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the other 
       Kenites, that is, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, 
       and had encamped as far away as Elon-bezaanannim, which is near 
       Kedesh.

       (Judg 4:12 NRSV)  When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had 
       gone up to Mount Tabor,

       (Judg 4:13 NRSV)  Sisera called out all his chariots, nine hundred 
       chariots of iron, and all the troops who were with him, from 
       Harosheth-ha-goiim to the Wadi Kishon.

       (Judg 4:14 NRSV)  Then Deborah said to Barak, "Up! For this is the day 
       on which the LORD has given Sisera into your hand. The LORD is indeed 
       going out before you." So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten 
       thousand warriors following him.

       (Judg 4:15 NRSV)  And the LORD threw Sisera and all his chariots and 
       all his army into a panic before Barak; Sisera got down from his 
       chariot and fled away on foot,

       (Judg 4:16 NRSV)  while Barak pursued the chariots and the army to 
       Harosheth-ha-goiim. All the army of Sisera fell by the sword; no one 
       was left.





       (Judg 4:17 NRSV)  Now Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent of Jael 
       wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between King Jabin of 
       Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite.

       (Judg 4:18 NRSV)  Jael came out to meet Sisera, and said to him, "Turn 
       aside, my lord, turn aside to me; have no fear." So he turned aside to 
       her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug.

       (Judg 4:19 NRSV)  Then he said to her, "Please give me a little water 
       to drink; for I am thirsty." So she opened a skin of milk and gave him 
       a drink and covered him.

       (Judg 4:20 NRSV)  He said to her, "Stand at the entrance of the tent, 
       and if anybody comes and asks you, 'Is anyone here?' say, 'No.'"

       (Judg 4:21 NRSV)  But Jael wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a 
       hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his 
       temple, until it went down into the ground--he was lying fast asleep 
       from weariness--and he died.

       (Judg 4:22 NRSV)  Then, as Barak came in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went 
       out to meet him, and said to him, "Come, and I will show you the man 
       whom you are seeking." So he went into her tent; and there was Sisera 
       lying dead, with the tent peg in his temple.

       (Judg 4:23 NRSV)  So on that day God subdued King Jabin of Canaan 
       before the Israelites.

       (Judg 4:24 NRSV)  Then the hand of the Israelites bore harder and 
       harder on King Jabin of Canaan, until they destroyed King Jabin of 
       Canaan.

       (Judg 5:1 NRSV)  Then Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang on that 
       day, saying:

       (Judg 5:2 NRSV)  "When locks are long in Israel, when the people offer 
       themselves willingly-- bless the LORD!

       (Judg 5:3 NRSV)  "Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes; to the LORD I 
       will sing, I will make melody to the LORD, the God of Israel.

       (Judg 5:4 NRSV)  "LORD, when you went out from Seir, when you marched 
       from the region of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens poured, 
       the clouds indeed poured water.

       (Judg 5:5 NRSV)  The mountains quaked before the LORD, the One of 
       Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel.

       (Judg 5:6 NRSV)  "In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of 
       Jael, caravans ceased and travelers kept to the byways.

       (Judg 5:7 NRSV)  The peasantry prospered in Israel, they grew fat on 
       plunder, because you arose, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel.

       (Judg 5:8 NRSV)  When new gods were chosen, then war was in the gates. 
       Was shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel?






       (Judg 5:9 NRSV)  My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel who 
       offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless the LORD.

       (Judg 5:10 NRSV)  "Tell of it, you who ride on white donkeys, you who 
       sit on rich carpets and you who walk by the way.

       (Judg 5:11 NRSV)  To the sound of musicians at the watering places, 
       there they repeat the triumphs of the LORD, the triumphs of his 
       peasantry in Israel. "Then down to the gates marched the people of the 
       LORD.

       (Judg 5:12 NRSV)  "Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, utter a song! 
       Arise, Barak, lead away your captives, O son of Abinoam.

       (Judg 5:13 NRSV)  Then down marched the remnant of the noble; the 
       people of the LORD marched down for him against the mighty.

       (Judg 5:14 NRSV)  From Ephraim they set out into the valley, following 
       you, Benjamin, with your kin; from Machir marched down the commanders, 
       and from Zebulun those who bear the marshal's staff;

       (Judg 5:15 NRSV)  the chiefs of Issachar came with Deborah, and 
       Issachar faithful to Barak; into the valley they rushed out at his 
       heels. Among the clans of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.

       (Judg 5:16 NRSV)  Why did you tarry among the sheepfolds, to hear the 
       piping for the flocks? Among the clans of Reuben there were great 
       searchings of heart.

       (Judg 5:17 NRSV)  Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan; and Dan, why did he 
       abide with the ships? Asher sat still at the coast of the sea, 
       settling down by his landings.

       (Judg 5:18 NRSV)  Zebulun is a people that scorned death; Naphtali 
       too, on the heights of the field.

       (Judg 5:19 NRSV)  "The kings came, they fought; then fought the kings 
       of Canaan, at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; they got no spoils of 
       silver.

       (Judg 5:20 NRSV)  The stars fought from heaven, from their courses 
       they fought against Sisera.

       (Judg 5:21 NRSV)  The torrent Kishon swept them away, the onrushing 
       torrent, the torrent Kishon. March on, my soul, with might!

       (Judg 5:22 NRSV)  "Then loud beat the horses' hoofs with the 
       galloping, galloping of his steeds.

       (Judg 5:23 NRSV)  "Curse Meroz, says the angel of the LORD, curse 
       bitterly its inhabitants, because they did not come to the help of the 
       LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.

       (Judg 5:24 NRSV)  "Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber 
       the Kenite, of tent-dwelling women most blessed.






       (Judg 5:25 NRSV)  He asked water and she gave him milk, she brought 
       him curds in a lordly bowl.

       (Judg 5:26 NRSV)  She put her hand to the tent peg and her right hand 
       to the workmen's mallet; she struck Sisera a blow, she crushed his 
       head, she shattered and pierced his temple.

       (Judg 5:27 NRSV)  He sank, he fell, he lay still at her feet; at her 
       feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell dead.

       (Judg 5:28 NRSV)  "Out of the window she peered, the mother of Sisera 
       gazed through the lattice: 'Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why 
       tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?'

       (Judg 5:29 NRSV)  Her wisest ladies make answer, indeed, she answers 
       the question herself:

       (Judg 5:30 NRSV)  'Are they not finding and dividing the spoil?-- A 
       girl or two for every man; spoil of dyed stuffs for Sisera, spoil of 
       dyed stuffs embroidered, two pieces of dyed work embroidered for my 
       neck as spoil?'

       (Judg 5:31 NRSV)  "So perish all your enemies, O LORD! But may your 
       friends be like the sun as it rises in its might." And the land had 
       rest forty years.

       (Judg 6:1 NRSV)  The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the 
       LORD, and the LORD gave them into the hand of Midian seven years.

       (Judg 6:2 NRSV)  The hand of Midian prevailed over Israel; and because 
       of Midian the Israelites provided for themselves hiding places in the 
       mountains, caves and strongholds.

       (Judg 6:3 NRSV)  For whenever the Israelites put in seed, the 
       Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the east would come up 
       against them.

       (Judg 6:4 NRSV)  They would encamp against them and destroy the 
       produce of the land, as far as the neighborhood of Gaza, and leave no 
       sustenance in Israel, and no sheep or ox or donkey.

       (Judg 6:5 NRSV)  For they and their livestock would come up, and they 
       would even bring their tents, as thick as locusts; neither they nor 
       their camels could be counted; so they wasted the land as they came 
       in.

       (Judg 6:6 NRSV)  Thus Israel was greatly impoverished because of 
       Midian; and the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help.

       (Judg 6:7 NRSV)  When the Israelites cried to the LORD on account of 
       the Midianites,

       (Judg 6:8 NRSV)  the LORD sent a prophet to the Israelites; and he 
       said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I led you up 
       from Egypt, and brought you out of the house of slavery;






       (Judg 6:9 NRSV)  and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians, 
       and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before 
       you, and gave you their land;

       (Judg 6:10 NRSV)  and I said to you, 'I am the LORD your God; you 
       shall not pay reverence to the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you 
       live.' But you have not given heed to my voice."

       (Judg 6:11 NRSV)  Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the oak 
       at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon 
       was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the 
       Midianites.

       (Judg 6:12 NRSV)  The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to 
       him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty warrior."

       (Judg 6:13 NRSV)  Gideon answered him, "But sir, if the LORD is with 
       us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his 
       wonderful deeds that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, 'Did not 
       the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has cast us off, 
       and given us into the hand of Midian."

       (Judg 6:14 NRSV)  Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go in this 
       might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby 
       commission you."

       (Judg 6:15 NRSV)  He responded, "But sir, how can I deliver Israel? My 
       clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."

       (Judg 6:16 NRSV)  The LORD said to him, "But I will be with you, and 
       you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them."

       (Judg 6:17 NRSV)  Then he said to him, "If now I have found favor with 
       you, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me.

       (Judg 6:18 NRSV)  Do not depart from here until I come to you, and 
       bring out my present, and set it before you." And he said, "I will 
       stay until you return."

       (Judg 6:19 NRSV)  So Gideon went into his house and prepared a kid, 
       and unleavened cakes from an ephah of flour; the meat he put in a 
       basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under 
       the oak and presented them.

       (Judg 6:20 NRSV)  The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the 
       unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour out the broth." 
       And he did so.

       (Judg 6:21 NRSV)  Then the angel of the LORD reached out the tip of 
       the staff that was in his hand, and touched the meat and the 
       unleavened cakes; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the 
       meat and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of the LORD vanished from 
       his sight.

       (Judg 6:22 NRSV)  Then Gideon perceived that it was the angel of the 





       LORD; and Gideon said, "Help me, Lord GOD! For I have seen the angel 
       of the LORD face to face."

       (Judg 6:23 NRSV)  But the LORD said to him, "Peace be to you; do not 
       fear, you shall not die."

       (Judg 6:24 NRSV)  Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and 
       called it, The LORD is peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, 
       which belongs to the Abiezrites.

       (Judg 6:25 NRSV)  That night the LORD said to him, "Take your father's 
       bull, the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal 
       that belongs to your father, and cut down the sacred pole that is 
       beside it;

       (Judg 6:26 NRSV)  and build an altar to the LORD your God on the top 
       of the stronghold here, in proper order; then take the second bull, 
       and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the sacred pole that 
       you shall cut down."

       (Judg 6:27 NRSV)  So Gideon took ten of his servants, and did as the 
       LORD had told him; but because he was too afraid of his family and the 
       townspeople to do it by day, he did it by night.

       (Judg 6:28 NRSV)  When the townspeople rose early in the morning, the 
       altar of Baal was broken down, and the sacred pole beside it was cut 
       down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that had been 
       built.

       (Judg 6:29 NRSV)  So they said to one another, "Who has done this?" 
       After searching and inquiring, they were told, "Gideon son of Joash 
       did it."

       (Judg 6:30 NRSV)  Then the townspeople said to Joash, "Bring out your 
       son, so that he may die, for he has pulled down the altar of Baal and 
       cut down the sacred pole beside it."

       (Judg 6:31 NRSV)  But Joash said to all who were arrayed against him, 
       "Will you contend for Baal? Or will you defend his cause? Whoever 
       contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let 
       him contend for himself, because his altar has been pulled down."

       (Judg 6:32 NRSV)  Therefore on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, 
       that is to say, "Let Baal contend against him," because he pulled down 
       his altar.

       (Judg 6:33 NRSV)  Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the 
       people of the east came together, and crossing the Jordan they 
       encamped in the Valley of Jezreel.

       (Judg 6:34 NRSV)  But the spirit of the LORD took possession of 
       Gideon; and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out 
       to follow him.

       (Judg 6:35 NRSV)  He sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they 
       too were called out to follow him. He also sent messengers to Asher, 





       Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them.

       (Judg 6:36 NRSV)  Then Gideon said to God, "In order to see whether 
       you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said,

       (Judg 6:37 NRSV)  I am going to lay a fleece of wool on the threshing 
       floor; if there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the 
       ground, then I shall know that you will deliver Israel by my hand, as 
       you have said."

       (Judg 6:38 NRSV)  And it was so. When he rose early next morning and 
       squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a 
       bowl with water.

       (Judg 6:39 NRSV)  Then Gideon said to God, "Do not let your anger burn 
       against me, let me speak one more time; let me, please, make trial 
       with the fleece just once more; let it be dry only on the fleece, and 
       on all the ground let there be dew."

       (Judg 6:40 NRSV)  And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece 
       only, and on all the ground there was dew.

       (Judg 7:1 NRSV)  Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the troops 
       that were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod; 
       and the camp of Midian was north of them, below the hill of Moreh, in 
       the valley.

       (Judg 7:2 NRSV)  The LORD said to Gideon, "The troops with you are too 
       many for me to give the Midianites into their hand. Israel would only 
       take the credit away from me, saying, 'My own hand has delivered me.'

       (Judg 7:3 NRSV)  Now therefore proclaim this in the hearing of the 
       troops, 'Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home.'" Thus 
       Gideon sifted them out; twenty-two thousand returned, and ten thousand 
       remained.

       (Judg 7:4 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Gideon, "The troops are still 
       too many; take them down to the water and I will sift them out for you 
       there. When I say, 'This one shall go with you,' he shall go with you; 
       and when I say, 'This one shall not go with you,' he shall not go."

       (Judg 7:5 NRSV)  So he brought the troops down to the water; and the 
       LORD said to Gideon, "All those who lap the water with their tongues, 
       as a dog laps, you shall put to one side; all those who kneel down to 
       drink, putting their hands to their mouths, you shall put to the other 
       side."

       (Judg 7:6 NRSV)  The number of those that lapped was three hundred; 
       but all the rest of the troops knelt down to drink water.

       (Judg 7:7 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Gideon, "With the three hundred 
       that lapped I will deliver you, and give the Midianites into your 
       hand. Let all the others go to their homes."

       (Judg 7:8 NRSV)  So he took the jars of the troops from their hands, 
       and their trumpets; and he sent all the rest of Israel back to their 





       own tents, but retained the three hundred. The camp of Midian was 
       below him in the valley.

       (Judg 7:9 NRSV)  That same night the LORD said to him, "Get up, attack 
       the camp; for I have given it into your hand.

       (Judg 7:10 NRSV)  But if you fear to attack, go down to the camp with 
       your servant Purah;

       (Judg 7:11 NRSV)  and you shall hear what they say, and afterward your 
       hands shall be strengthened to attack the camp." Then he went down 
       with his servant Purah to the outposts of the armed men that were in 
       the camp.

       (Judg 7:12 NRSV)  The Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people 
       of the east lay along the valley as thick as locusts; and their camels 
       were without number, countless as the sand on the seashore.

       (Judg 7:13 NRSV)  When Gideon arrived, there was a man telling a dream 
       to his comrade; and he said, "I had a dream, and in it a cake of 
       barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came to the tent, 
       and struck it so that it fell; it turned upside down, and the tent 
       collapsed."

       (Judg 7:14 NRSV)  And his comrade answered, "This is no other than the 
       sword of Gideon son of Joash, a man of Israel; into his hand God has 
       given Midian and all the army."

       (Judg 7:15 NRSV)  When Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its 
       interpretation, he worshiped; and he returned to the camp of Israel, 
       and said, "Get up; for the LORD has given the army of Midian into your 
       hand."

       (Judg 7:16 NRSV)  After he divided the three hundred men into three 
       companies, and put trumpets into the hands of all of them, and empty 
       jars, with torches inside the jars,

       (Judg 7:17 NRSV)  he said to them, "Look at me, and do the same; when 
       I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do.

       (Judg 7:18 NRSV)  When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, 
       then you also blow the trumpets around the whole camp, and shout, 'For 
       the LORD and for Gideon!'"

       (Judg 7:19 NRSV)  So Gideon and the hundred who were with him came to 
       the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when 
       they had just set the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed 
       the jars that were in their hands.

       (Judg 7:20 NRSV)  So the three companies blew the trumpets and broke 
       the jars, holding in their left hands the torches, and in their right 
       hands the trumpets to blow; and they cried, "A sword for the LORD and 
       for Gideon!"

       (Judg 7:21 NRSV)  Every man stood in his place all around the camp, 
       and all the men in camp ran; they cried out and fled.






       (Judg 7:22 NRSV)  When they blew the three hundred trumpets, the LORD 
       set every man's sword against his fellow and against all the army; and 
       the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the 
       border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.

       (Judg 7:23 NRSV)  And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali 
       and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after the 
       Midianites.

       (Judg 7:24 NRSV)  Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill 
       country of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against the Midianites and 
       seize the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah, and also the 
       Jordan." So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they seized 
       the waters as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.

       (Judg 7:25 NRSV)  They captured the two captains of Midian, Oreb and 
       Zeeb; they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at 
       the wine press of Zeeb, as they pursued the Midianites. They brought 
       the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.

       (Judg 8:1 NRSV)  Then the Ephraimites said to him, "What have you done 
       to us, not to call us when you went to fight against the Midianites?" 
       And they upbraided him violently.

       (Judg 8:2 NRSV)  So he said to them, "What have I done now in 
       comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim 
       better than the vintage of Abiezer?

       (Judg 8:3 NRSV)  God has given into your hands the captains of Midian, 
       Oreb and Zeeb; what have I been able to do in comparison with you?" 
       When he said this, their anger against him subsided.

       (Judg 8:4 NRSV)  Then Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he 
       and the three hundred who were with him, exhausted and famished.

       (Judg 8:5 NRSV)  So he said to the people of Succoth, "Please give 
       some loaves of bread to my followers, for they are exhausted, and I am 
       pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian."

       (Judg 8:6 NRSV)  But the officials of Succoth said, "Do you already 
       have in your possession the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna, that we 
       should give bread to your army?"

       (Judg 8:7 NRSV)  Gideon replied, "Well then, when the LORD has given 
       Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will trample your flesh on the 
       thorns of the wilderness and on briers."

       (Judg 8:8 NRSV)  From there he went up to Penuel, and made the same 
       request of them; and the people of Penuel answered him as the people 
       of Succoth had answered.

       (Judg 8:9 NRSV)  So he said to the people of Penuel, "When I come back 
       victorious, I will break down this tower."

       (Judg 8:10 NRSV)  Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their 





       army, about fifteen thousand men, all who were left of all the army of 
       the people of the east; for one hundred twenty thousand men bearing 
       arms had fallen.

       (Judg 8:11 NRSV)  So Gideon went up by the caravan route east of Nobah 
       and Jogbehah, and attacked the army; for the army was off its guard.

       (Judg 8:12 NRSV)  Zebah and Zalmunna fled; and he pursued them and 
       took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and threw all the 
       army into a panic.

       (Judg 8:13 NRSV)  When Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by 
       the ascent of Heres,

       (Judg 8:14 NRSV)  he caught a young man, one of the people of Succoth, 
       and questioned him; and he listed for him the officials and elders of 
       Succoth, seventy-seven people.

       (Judg 8:15 NRSV)  Then he came to the people of Succoth, and said, 
       "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, 'Do 
       you already have in your possession the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna, 
       that we should give bread to your troops who are exhausted?'"

       (Judg 8:16 NRSV)  So he took the elders of the city and he took thorns 
       of the wilderness and briers and with them he trampled the people of 
       Succoth.

       (Judg 8:17 NRSV)  He also broke down the tower of Penuel, and killed 
       the men of the city.

       (Judg 8:18 NRSV)  Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, "What about the 
       men whom you killed at Tabor?" They answered, "As you are, so were 
       they, every one of them; they resembled the sons of a king."

       (Judg 8:19 NRSV)  And he replied, "They were my brothers, the sons of 
       my mother; as the LORD lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not 
       kill you."

       (Judg 8:20 NRSV)  So he said to Jether his firstborn, "Go kill them!" 
       But the boy did not draw his sword, for he was afraid, because he was 
       still a boy.

       (Judg 8:21 NRSV)  Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, "You come and kill us; 
       for as the man is, so is his strength." So Gideon proceeded to kill 
       Zebah and Zalmunna; and he took the crescents that were on the necks 
       of their camels.

       (Judg 8:22 NRSV)  Then the Israelites said to Gideon, "Rule over us, 
       you and your son and your grandson also; for you have delivered us out 
       of the hand of Midian."

       (Judg 8:23 NRSV)  Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, and 
       my son will not rule over you; the LORD will rule over you."

       (Judg 8:24 NRSV)  Then Gideon said to them, "Let me make a request of 
       you; each of you give me an earring he has taken as booty." (For the 





       enemy had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

       (Judg 8:25 NRSV)  "We will willingly give them," they answered. So 
       they spread a garment, and each threw into it an earring he had taken 
       as booty.

       (Judg 8:26 NRSV)  The weight of the golden earrings that he requested 
       was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold (apart from the 
       crescents and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings 
       of Midian, and the collars that were on the necks of their camels).

       (Judg 8:27 NRSV)  Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his town, 
       in Ophrah; and all Israel prostituted themselves to it there, and it 
       became a snare to Gideon and to his family.

       (Judg 8:28 NRSV)  So Midian was subdued before the Israelites, and 
       they lifted up their heads no more. So the land had rest forty years 
       in the days of Gideon.

       (Judg 8:29 NRSV)  Jerubbaal son of Joash went to live in his own 
       house.

       (Judg 8:30 NRSV)  Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, for 
       he had many wives.

       (Judg 8:31 NRSV)  His concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a 
       son, and he named him Abimelech.

       (Judg 8:32 NRSV)  Then Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age, and 
       was buried in the tomb of his father Joash at Ophrah of the 
       Abiezrites.

       (Judg 8:33 NRSV)  As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites relapsed and 
       prostituted themselves with the Baals, making Baal-berith their god.

       (Judg 8:34 NRSV)  The Israelites did not remember the LORD their God, 
       who had rescued them from the hand of all their enemies on every side;

       (Judg 8:35 NRSV)  and they did not exhibit loyalty to the house of 
       Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good that he had 
       done to Israel.

       (Judg 9:1 NRSV)  Now Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his 
       mother's kinsfolk and said to them and to the whole clan of his 
       mother's family,

       (Judg 9:2 NRSV)  "Say in the hearing of all the lords of Shechem, 
       'Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal 
       rule over you, or that one rule over you?' Remember also that I am 
       your bone and your flesh."

       (Judg 9:3 NRSV)  So his mother's kinsfolk spoke all these words on his 
       behalf in the hearing of all the lords of Shechem; and their hearts 
       inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, "He is our brother."

       (Judg 9:4 NRSV)  They gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the 





       temple of Baal-berith with which Abimelech hired worthless and 
       reckless fellows, who followed him.

       (Judg 9:5 NRSV)  He went to his father's house at Ophrah, and killed 
       his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, on one stone; but 
       Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived, for he hid himself.

       (Judg 9:6 NRSV)  Then all the lords of Shechem and all Beth-millo came 
       together, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the 
       pillar at Shechem.

       (Judg 9:7 NRSV)  When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on the 
       top of Mount Gerizim, and cried aloud and said to them, "Listen to me, 
       you lords of Shechem, so that God may listen to you.

       (Judg 9:8 NRSV)  The trees once went out to anoint a king over 
       themselves. So they said to the olive tree, 'Reign over us.'

       (Judg 9:9 NRSV)  The olive tree answered them, 'Shall I stop producing 
       my rich oil by which gods and mortals are honored, and go to sway over 
       the trees?'

       (Judg 9:10 NRSV)  Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'You come and 
       reign over us.'

       (Judg 9:11 NRSV)  But the fig tree answered them, 'Shall I stop 
       producing my sweetness and my delicious fruit, and go to sway over the 
       trees?'

       (Judg 9:12 NRSV)  Then the trees said to the vine, 'You come and reign 
       over us.'

       (Judg 9:13 NRSV)  But the vine said to them, 'Shall I stop producing 
       my wine that cheers gods and mortals, and go to sway over the trees?'

       (Judg 9:14 NRSV)  So all the trees said to the bramble, 'You come and 
       reign over us.'

       (Judg 9:15 NRSV)  And the bramble said to the trees, 'If in good faith 
       you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my 
       shade; but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the 
       cedars of Lebanon.'

       (Judg 9:16 NRSV)  "Now therefore, if you acted in good faith and honor 
       when you made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with 
       Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to him as his actions 
       deserved--

       (Judg 9:17 NRSV)  for my father fought for you, and risked his life, 
       and rescued you from the hand of Midian;

       (Judg 9:18 NRSV)  but you have risen up against my father's house this 
       day, and have killed his sons, seventy men on one stone, and have made 
       Abimelech, the son of his slave woman, king over the lords of Shechem, 
       because he is your kinsman--





       (Judg 9:19 NRSV)  if, I say, you have acted in good faith and honor 
       with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, 
       and let him also rejoice in you;

       (Judg 9:20 NRSV)  but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and 
       devour the lords of Shechem, and Beth-millo; and let fire come out 
       from the lords of Shechem, and from Beth-millo, and devour Abimelech."

       (Judg 9:21 NRSV)  Then Jotham ran away and fled, going to Beer, where 
       he remained for fear of his brother Abimelech.

       (Judg 9:22 NRSV)  Abimelech ruled over Israel three years.

       (Judg 9:23 NRSV)  But God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and 
       the lords of Shechem; and the lords of Shechem dealt treacherously 
       with Abimelech.

       (Judg 9:24 NRSV)  This happened so that the violence done to the 
       seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be avenged and their blood be laid on 
       their brother Abimelech, who killed them, and on the lords of Shechem, 
       who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers.

       (Judg 9:25 NRSV)  So, out of hostility to him, the lords of Shechem 
       set ambushes on the mountain tops. They robbed all who passed by them 
       along that way; and it was reported to Abimelech.

       (Judg 9:26 NRSV)  When Gaal son of Ebed moved into Shechem with his 
       kinsfolk, the lords of Shechem put confidence in him.

       (Judg 9:27 NRSV)  They went out into the field and gathered the grapes 
       from their vineyards, trod them, and celebrated. Then they went into 
       the temple of their god, ate and drank, and ridiculed Abimelech.

       (Judg 9:28 NRSV)  Gaal son of Ebed said, "Who is Abimelech, and who 
       are we of Shechem, that we should serve him? Did not the son of 
       Jerubbaal and Zebul his officer serve the men of Hamor father of 
       Shechem? Why then should we serve him?

       (Judg 9:29 NRSV)  If only this people were under my command! Then I 
       would remove Abimelech; I would say to him, 'Increase your army, and 
       come out.'"

       (Judg 9:30 NRSV)  When Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of 
       Gaal son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.

       (Judg 9:31 NRSV)  He sent messengers to Abimelech at Arumah, saying, 
       "Look, Gaal son of Ebed and his kinsfolk have come to Shechem, and 
       they are stirring up the city against you.

       (Judg 9:32 NRSV)  Now therefore, go by night, you and the troops that 
       are with you, and lie in wait in the fields.

       (Judg 9:33 NRSV)  Then early in the morning, as soon as the sun rises, 
       get up and rush on the city; and when he and the troops that are with 
       him come out against you, you may deal with them as best you can."





       (Judg 9:34 NRSV)  So Abimelech and all the troops with him got up by 
       night and lay in wait against Shechem in four companies.

       (Judg 9:35 NRSV)  When Gaal son of Ebed went out and stood in the 
       entrance of the gate of the city, Abimelech and the troops with him 
       rose from the ambush.

       (Judg 9:36 NRSV)  And when Gaal saw them, he said to Zebul, "Look, 
       people are coming down from the mountain tops!" And Zebul said to him, 
       "The shadows on the mountains look like people to you."

       (Judg 9:37 NRSV)  Gaal spoke again and said, "Look, people are coming 
       down from Tabbur-erez, and one company is coming from the direction of 
       Elon-meonenim."

       (Judg 9:38 NRSV)  Then Zebul said to him, "Where is your boast now, 
       you who said, 'Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?' Are not 
       these the troops you made light of? Go out now and fight with them."

       (Judg 9:39 NRSV)  So Gaal went out at the head of the lords of 
       Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.

       (Judg 9:40 NRSV)  Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him. Many 
       fell wounded, up to the entrance of the gate.

       (Judg 9:41 NRSV)  So Abimelech resided at Arumah; and Zebul drove out 
       Gaal and his kinsfolk, so that they could not live on at Shechem.

       (Judg 9:42 NRSV)  On the following day the people went out into the 
       fields. When Abimelech was told,

       (Judg 9:43 NRSV)  he took his troops and divided them into three 
       companies, and lay in wait in the fields. When he looked and saw the 
       people coming out of the city, he rose against them and killed them.

       (Judg 9:44 NRSV)  Abimelech and the company that was with him rushed 
       forward and stood at the entrance of the gate of the city, while the 
       two companies rushed on all who were in the fields and killed them.

       (Judg 9:45 NRSV)  Abimelech fought against the city all that day; he 
       took the city, and killed the people that were in it; and he razed the 
       city and sowed it with salt.

       (Judg 9:46 NRSV)  When all the lords of the Tower of Shechem heard of 
       it, they entered the stronghold of the temple of El-berith.

       (Judg 9:47 NRSV)  Abimelech was told that all the lords of the Tower 
       of Shechem were gathered together.

       (Judg 9:48 NRSV)  So Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the 
       troops that were with him. Abimelech took an ax in his hand, cut down 
       a bundle of brushwood, and took it up and laid it on his shoulder. 
       Then he said to the troops with him, "What you have seen me do, do 
       quickly, as I have done."

       (Judg 9:49 NRSV)  So every one of the troops cut down a bundle and 





       following Abimelech put it against the stronghold, and they set the 
       stronghold on fire over them, so that all the people of the Tower of 
       Shechem also died, about a thousand men and women.

       (Judg 9:50 NRSV)  Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and encamped against 
       Thebez, and took it.

       (Judg 9:51 NRSV)  But there was a strong tower within the city, and 
       all the men and women and all the lords of the city fled to it and 
       shut themselves in; and they went to the roof of the tower.

       (Judg 9:52 NRSV)  Abimelech came to the tower, and fought against it, 
       and came near to the entrance of the tower to burn it with fire.

       (Judg 9:53 NRSV)  But a certain woman threw an upper millstone on 
       Abimelech's head, and crushed his skull.

       (Judg 9:54 NRSV)  Immediately he called to the young man who carried 
       his armor and said to him, "Draw your sword and kill me, so people 
       will not say about me, 'A woman killed him.'" So the young man thrust 
       him through, and he died.

       (Judg 9:55 NRSV)  When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, 
       they all went home.

       (Judg 9:56 NRSV)  Thus God repaid Abimelech for the crime he committed 
       against his father in killing his seventy brothers;

       (Judg 9:57 NRSV)  and God also made all the wickedness of the people 
       of Shechem fall back on their heads, and on them came the curse of 
       Jotham son of Jerubbaal.

       (Judg 10:1 NRSV)  After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah son of Dodo, a man 
       of Issachar, who lived at Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim, rose 
       to deliver Israel.

       (Judg 10:2 NRSV)  He judged Israel twenty-three years. Then he died, 
       and was buried at Shamir.

       (Judg 10:3 NRSV)  After him came Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel 
       twenty-two years.

       (Judg 10:4 NRSV)  He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys; and 
       they had thirty towns, which are in the land of Gilead, and are called 
       Havvoth-jair to this day.

       (Judg 10:5 NRSV)  Jair died, and was buried in Kamon.

       (Judg 10:6 NRSV)  The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight 
       of the LORD, worshiping the Baals and the Astartes, the gods of Aram, 
       the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and 
       the gods of the Philistines. Thus they abandoned the LORD, and did not 
       worship him.

       (Judg 10:7 NRSV)  So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, 
       and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of 





       the Ammonites,

       (Judg 10:8 NRSV)  and they crushed and oppressed the Israelites that 
       year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites that were 
       beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.

       (Judg 10:9 NRSV)  The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight 
       against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim; 
       so that Israel was greatly distressed.

       (Judg 10:10 NRSV)  So the Israelites cried to the LORD, saying, "We 
       have sinned against you, because we have abandoned our God and have 
       worshiped the Baals."

       (Judg 10:11 NRSV)  And the LORD said to the Israelites, "Did I not 
       deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the 
       Ammonites and from the Philistines?

       (Judg 10:12 NRSV)  The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the 
       Maonites, oppressed you; and you cried to me, and I delivered you out 
       of their hand.

       (Judg 10:13 NRSV)  Yet you have abandoned me and worshiped other gods; 
       therefore I will deliver you no more.

       (Judg 10:14 NRSV)  Go and cry to the gods whom you have chosen; let 
       them deliver you in the time of your distress."

       (Judg 10:15 NRSV)  And the Israelites said to the LORD, "We have 
       sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you; but deliver us this day!"

       (Judg 10:16 NRSV)  So they put away the foreign gods from among them 
       and worshiped the LORD; and he could no longer bear to see Israel 
       suffer.

       (Judg 10:17 NRSV)  Then the Ammonites were called to arms, and they 
       encamped in Gilead; and the Israelites came together, and they 
       encamped at Mizpah.

       (Judg 10:18 NRSV)  The commanders of the people of Gilead said to one 
       another, "Who will begin the fight against the Ammonites? He shall be 
       head over all the inhabitants of Gilead."

       (Judg 11:1 NRSV)  Now Jephthah the Gileadite, the son of a prostitute, 
       was a mighty warrior. Gilead was the father of Jephthah.

       (Judg 11:2 NRSV)  Gilead's wife also bore him sons; and when his 
       wife's sons grew up, they drove Jephthah away, saying to him, "You 
       shall not inherit anything in our father's house; for you are the son 
       of another woman."

       (Judg 11:3 NRSV)  Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in 
       the land of Tob. Outlaws collected around Jephthah and went raiding 
       with him.

       (Judg 11:4 NRSV)  After a time the Ammonites made war against Israel.






       (Judg 11:5 NRSV)  And when the Ammonites made war against Israel, the 
       elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of Tob.

       (Judg 11:6 NRSV)  They said to Jephthah, "Come and be our commander, 
       so that we may fight with the Ammonites."

       (Judg 11:7 NRSV)  But Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, "Are you 
       not the very ones who rejected me and drove me out of my father's 
       house? So why do you come to me now when you are in trouble?"

       (Judg 11:8 NRSV)  The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, 
       "Nevertheless, we have now turned back to you, so that you may go with 
       us and fight with the Ammonites, and become head over us, over all the 
       inhabitants of Gilead."

       (Judg 11:9 NRSV)  Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, "If you bring 
       me home again to fight with the Ammonites, and the LORD gives them 
       over to me, I will be your head."

       (Judg 11:10 NRSV)  And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "The 
       LORD will be witness between us; we will surely do as you say."

       (Judg 11:11 NRSV)  So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the 
       people made him head and commander over them; and Jephthah spoke all 
       his words before the LORD at Mizpah.

       (Judg 11:12 NRSV)  Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the 
       Ammonites and said, "What is there between you and me, that you have 
       come to me to fight against my land?"

       (Judg 11:13 NRSV)  The king of the Ammonites answered the messengers 
       of Jephthah, "Because Israel, on coming from Egypt, took away my land 
       from the Arnon to the Jabbok and to the Jordan; now therefore restore 
       it peaceably."

       (Judg 11:14 NRSV)  Once again Jephthah sent messengers to the king of 
       the Ammonites

       (Judg 11:15 NRSV)  and said to him: "Thus says Jephthah: Israel did 
       not take away the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites,

       (Judg 11:16 NRSV)  but when they came up from Egypt, Israel went 
       through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh.

       (Judg 11:17 NRSV)  Israel then sent messengers to the king of Edom, 
       saying, 'Let us pass through your land'; but the king of Edom would 
       not listen. They also sent to the king of Moab, but he would not 
       consent. So Israel remained at Kadesh.

       (Judg 11:18 NRSV)  Then they journeyed through the wilderness, went 
       around the land of Edom and the land of Moab, arrived on the east side 
       of the land of Moab, and camped on the other side of the Arnon. They 
       did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the boundary of 
       Moab.





       (Judg 11:19 NRSV)  Israel then sent messengers to King Sihon of the 
       Amorites, king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, 'Let us pass 
       through your land to our country.'

       (Judg 11:20 NRSV)  But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his 
       territory; so Sihon gathered all his people together, and encamped at 
       Jahaz, and fought with Israel.

       (Judg 11:21 NRSV)  Then the LORD, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and 
       all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them; so 
       Israel occupied all the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that 
       country.

       (Judg 11:22 NRSV)  They occupied all the territory of the Amorites 
       from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.

       (Judg 11:23 NRSV)  So now the LORD, the God of Israel, has conquered 
       the Amorites for the benefit of his people Israel. Do you intend to 
       take their place?

       (Judg 11:24 NRSV)  Should you not possess what your god Chemosh gives 
       you to possess? And should we not be the ones to possess everything 
       that the LORD our God has conquered for our benefit?

       (Judg 11:25 NRSV)  Now are you any better than King Balak son of 
       Zippor of Moab? Did he ever enter into conflict with Israel, or did he 
       ever go to war with them?

       (Judg 11:26 NRSV)  While Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and 
       in Aroer and its villages, and in all the towns that are along the 
       Arnon, three hundred years, why did you not recover them within that 
       time?

       (Judg 11:27 NRSV)  It is not I who have sinned against you, but you 
       are the one who does me wrong by making war on me. Let the LORD, who 
       is judge, decide today for the Israelites or for the Ammonites."

       (Judg 11:28 NRSV)  But the king of the Ammonites did not heed the 
       message that Jephthah sent him.

       (Judg 11:29 NRSV)  Then the spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and 
       he passed through Gilead and Manasseh. He passed on to Mizpah of 
       Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites.

       (Judg 11:30 NRSV)  And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, "If 
       you will give the Ammonites into my hand,

       (Judg 11:31 NRSV)  then whoever comes out of the doors of my house to 
       meet me, when I return victorious from the Ammonites, shall be the 
       Lord's, to be offered up by me as a burnt offering."

       (Judg 11:32 NRSV)  So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight 
       against them; and the LORD gave them into his hand.

       (Judg 11:33 NRSV)  He inflicted a massive defeat on them from Aroer to 
       the neighborhood of Minnith, twenty towns, and as far as Abel-keramim. 





       So the Ammonites were subdued before the people of Israel.

       (Judg 11:34 NRSV)  Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah; and there 
       was his daughter coming out to meet him with timbrels and with 
       dancing. She was his only child; he had no son or daughter except her.

       (Judg 11:35 NRSV)  When he saw her, he tore his clothes, and said, 
       "Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low; you have become the 
       cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the LORD, 
       and I cannot take back my vow."

       (Judg 11:36 NRSV)  She said to him, "My father, if you have opened 
       your mouth to the LORD, do to me according to what has gone out of 
       your mouth, now that the LORD has given you vengeance against your 
       enemies, the Ammonites."

       (Judg 11:37 NRSV)  And she said to her father, "Let this thing be done 
       for me: Grant me two months, so that I may go and wander on the 
       mountains, and bewail my virginity, my companions and I."

       (Judg 11:38 NRSV)  "Go," he said and sent her away for two months. So 
       she departed, she and her companions, and bewailed her virginity on 
       the mountains.

       (Judg 11:39 NRSV)  At the end of two months, she returned to her 
       father, who did with her according to the vow he had made. She had 
       never slept with a man. So there arose an Israelite custom that

       (Judg 11:40 NRSV)  for four days every year the daughters of Israel 
       would go out to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

       (Judg 12:1 NRSV)  The men of Ephraim were called to arms, and they 
       crossed to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, "Why did you cross over to 
       fight against the Ammonites, and did not call us to go with you? We 
       will burn your house down over you!"

       (Judg 12:2 NRSV)  Jephthah said to them, "My people and I were engaged 
       in conflict with the Ammonites who oppressed us severely. But when I 
       called you, you did not deliver me from their hand.

       (Judg 12:3 NRSV)  When I saw that you would not deliver me, I took my 
       life in my hand, and crossed over against the Ammonites, and the LORD 
       gave them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day, to 
       fight against me?"

       (Judg 12:4 NRSV)  Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and 
       fought with Ephraim; and the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because 
       they said, "You are fugitives from Ephraim, you Gileadites--in the 
       heart of Ephraim and Manasseh."

       (Judg 12:5 NRSV)  Then the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan 
       against the Ephraimites. Whenever one of the fugitives of Ephraim 
       said, "Let me go over," the men of Gilead would say to him, "Are you 
       an Ephraimite?" When he said, "No,"

       (Judg 12:6 NRSV)  they said to him, "Then say Shibboleth," and he 





       said, "Sibboleth," for he could not pronounce it right. Then they 
       seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two 
       thousand of the Ephraimites fell at that time.

       (Judg 12:7 NRSV)  Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the 
       Gileadite died, and was buried in his town in Gilead.

       (Judg 12:8 NRSV)  After him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.

       (Judg 12:9 NRSV)  He had thirty sons. He gave his thirty daughters in 
       marriage outside his clan and brought in thirty young women from 
       outside for his sons. He judged Israel seven years.

       (Judg 12:10 NRSV)  Then Ibzan died, and was buried at Bethlehem.

       (Judg 12:11 NRSV)  After him Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel; and he 
       judged Israel ten years.

       (Judg 12:12 NRSV)  Then Elon the Zebulunite died, and was buried at 
       Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

       (Judg 12:13 NRSV)  After him Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite 
       judged Israel.

       (Judg 12:14 NRSV)  He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on 
       seventy donkeys; he judged Israel eight years.

       (Judg 12:15 NRSV)  Then Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and 
       was buried at Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of 
       the Amalekites.

       (Judg 13:1 NRSV)  The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight 
       of the LORD, and the LORD gave them into the hand of the Philistines 
       forty years.

       (Judg 13:2 NRSV)  There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of 
       the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren, having borne 
       no children.

       (Judg 13:3 NRSV)  And the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and 
       said to her, "Although you are barren, having borne no children, you 
       shall conceive and bear a son.

       (Judg 13:4 NRSV)  Now be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, or 
       to eat anything unclean,

       (Judg 13:5 NRSV)  for you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor is 
       to come on his head, for the boy shall be a nazirite to God from 
       birth. It is he who shall begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the 
       Philistines."

       (Judg 13:6 NRSV)  Then the woman came and told her husband, "A man of 
       God came to me, and his appearance was like that of an angel of God, 
       most awe-inspiring; I did not ask him where he came from, and he did 
       not tell me his name;





       (Judg 13:7 NRSV)  but he said to me, 'You shall conceive and bear a 
       son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, 
       for the boy shall be a nazirite to God from birth to the day of his 
       death.'"

       (Judg 13:8 NRSV)  Then Manoah entreated the LORD, and said, "O, LORD, 
       I pray, let the man of God whom you sent come to us again and teach us 
       what we are to do concerning the boy who will be born."

       (Judg 13:9 NRSV)  God listened to Manoah, and the angel of God came 
       again to the woman as she sat in the field; but her husband Manoah was 
       not with her.

       (Judg 13:10 NRSV)  So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, "The 
       man who came to me the other day has appeared to me."

       (Judg 13:11 NRSV)  Manoah got up and followed his wife, and came to 
       the man and said to him, "Are you the man who spoke to this woman?" 
       And he said, "I am."

       (Judg 13:12 NRSV)  Then Manoah said, "Now when your words come true, 
       what is to be the boy's rule of life; what is he to do?"

       (Judg 13:13 NRSV)  The angel of the LORD said to Manoah, "Let the 
       woman give heed to all that I said to her.

       (Judg 13:14 NRSV)  She may not eat of anything that comes from the 
       vine. She is not to drink wine or strong drink, or eat any unclean 
       thing. She is to observe everything that I commanded her."

       (Judg 13:15 NRSV)  Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "Allow us to 
       detain you, and prepare a kid for you."

       (Judg 13:16 NRSV)  The angel of the LORD said to Manoah, "If you 
       detain me, I will not eat your food; but if you want to prepare a 
       burnt offering, then offer it to the LORD." (For Manoah did not know 
       that he was the angel of the LORD.)

       (Judg 13:17 NRSV)  Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "What is 
       your name, so that we may honor you when your words come true?"

       (Judg 13:18 NRSV)  But the angel of the LORD said to him, "Why do you 
       ask my name? It is too wonderful."

       (Judg 13:19 NRSV)  So Manoah took the kid with the grain offering, and 
       offered it on the rock to the LORD, to him who works wonders.

       (Judg 13:20 NRSV)  When the flame went up toward heaven from the 
       altar, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar while 
       Manoah and his wife looked on; and they fell on their faces to the 
       ground.

       (Judg 13:21 NRSV)  The angel of the LORD did not appear again to 
       Manoah and his wife. Then Manoah realized that it was the angel of the 
       LORD.





       (Judg 13:22 NRSV)  And Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, 
       for we have seen God."

       (Judg 13:23 NRSV)  But his wife said to him, "If the LORD had meant to 
       kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain 
       offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced 
       to us such things as these."

       (Judg 13:24 NRSV)  The woman bore a son, and named him Samson. The boy 
       grew, and the LORD blessed him.

       (Judg 13:25 NRSV)  The spirit of the LORD began to stir him in 
       Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

       (Judg 14:1 NRSV)  Once Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he 
       saw a Philistine woman.

       (Judg 14:2 NRSV)  Then he came up, and told his father and mother, "I 
       saw a Philistine woman at Timnah; now get her for me as my wife."

       (Judg 14:3 NRSV)  But his father and mother said to him, "Is there not 
       a woman among your kin, or among all our people, that you must go to 
       take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to 
       his father, "Get her for me, because she pleases me."

       (Judg 14:4 NRSV)  His father and mother did not know that this was 
       from the LORD; for he was seeking a pretext to act against the 
       Philistines. At that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

       (Judg 14:5 NRSV)  Then Samson went down with his father and mother to 
       Timnah. When he came to the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion 
       roared at him.

       (Judg 14:6 NRSV)  The spirit of the LORD rushed on him, and he tore 
       the lion apart barehanded as one might tear apart a kid. But he did 
       not tell his father or his mother what he had done.

       (Judg 14:7 NRSV)  Then he went down and talked with the woman, and she 
       pleased Samson.

       (Judg 14:8 NRSV)  After a while he returned to marry her, and he 
       turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and there was a swarm of 
       bees in the body of the lion, and honey.

       (Judg 14:9 NRSV)  He scraped it out into his hands, and went on, 
       eating as he went. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some 
       to them, and they ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken 
       the honey from the carcass of the lion.

       (Judg 14:10 NRSV)  His father went down to the woman, and Samson made 
       a feast there as the young men were accustomed to do.

       (Judg 14:11 NRSV)  When the people saw him, they brought thirty 
       companions to be with him.

       (Judg 14:12 NRSV)  Samson said to them, "Let me now put a riddle to 





       you. If you can explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, 
       and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty 
       festal garments.

       (Judg 14:13 NRSV)  But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall 
       give me thirty linen garments and thirty festal garments." So they 
       said to him, "Ask your riddle; let us hear it."

       (Judg 14:14 NRSV)  He said to them, "Out of the eater came something 
       to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet." But for three days 
       they could not explain the riddle.

       (Judg 14:15 NRSV)  On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, "Coax 
       your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your 
       father's house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?"

       (Judg 14:16 NRSV)  So Samson's wife wept before him, saying, "You hate 
       me; you do not really love me. You have asked a riddle of my people, 
       but you have not explained it to me." He said to her, "Look, I have 
       not told my father or my mother. Why should I tell you?"

       (Judg 14:17 NRSV)  She wept before him the seven days that their feast 
       lasted; and because she nagged him, on the seventh day he told her. 
       Then she explained the riddle to her people.

       (Judg 14:18 NRSV)  The men of the town said to him on the seventh day 
       before the sun went down, "What is sweeter than honey? What is 
       stronger than a lion?" And he said to them, "If you had not plowed 
       with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle."

       (Judg 14:19 NRSV)  Then the spirit of the LORD rushed on him, and he 
       went down to Ashkelon. He killed thirty men of the town, took their 
       spoil, and gave the festal garments to those who had explained the 
       riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father's house.

       (Judg 14:20 NRSV)  And Samson's wife was given to his companion, who 
       had been his best man.

       (Judg 15:1 NRSV)  After a while, at the time of the wheat harvest, 
       Samson went to visit his wife, bringing along a kid. He said, "I want 
       to go into my wife's room." But her father would not allow him to go 
       in.

       (Judg 15:2 NRSV)  Her father said, "I was sure that you had rejected 
       her; so I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister 
       prettier than she? Why not take her instead?"

       (Judg 15:3 NRSV)  Samson said to them, "This time, when I do mischief 
       to the Philistines, I will be without blame."

       (Judg 15:4 NRSV)  So Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and 
       took some torches; and he turned the foxes tail to tail, and put a 
       torch between each pair of tails.

       (Judg 15:5 NRSV)  When he had set fire to the torches, he let the 
       foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burned up the 





       shocks and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive 
       groves.

       (Judg 15:6 NRSV)  Then the Philistines asked, "Who has done this?" And 
       they said, "Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has 
       taken Samson's wife and given her to his companion." So the 
       Philistines came up, and burned her and her father.

       (Judg 15:7 NRSV)  Samson said to them, "If this is what you do, I 
       swear I will not stop until I have taken revenge on you."

       (Judg 15:8 NRSV)  He struck them down hip and thigh with great 
       slaughter; and he went down and stayed in the cleft of the rock of 
       Etam.

       (Judg 15:9 NRSV)  Then the Philistines came up and encamped in Judah, 
       and made a raid on Lehi.

       (Judg 15:10 NRSV)  The men of Judah said, "Why have you come up 
       against us?" They said, "We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him 
       as he did to us."

       (Judg 15:11 NRSV)  Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the 
       cleft of the rock of Etam, and they said to Samson, "Do you not know 
       that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then have you done to 
       us?" He replied, "As they did to me, so I have done to them."

       (Judg 15:12 NRSV)  They said to him, "We have come down to bind you, 
       so that we may give you into the hands of the Philistines." Samson 
       answered them, "Swear to me that you yourselves will not attack me."

       (Judg 15:13 NRSV)  They said to him, "No, we will only bind you and 
       give you into their hands; we will not kill you." So they bound him 
       with two new ropes, and brought him up from the rock.

       (Judg 15:14 NRSV)  When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting 
       to meet him; and the spirit of the LORD rushed on him, and the ropes 
       that were on his arms became like flax that has caught fire, and his 
       bonds melted off his hands.

       (Judg 15:15 NRSV)  Then he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached 
       down and took it, and with it he killed a thousand men.

       (Judg 15:16 NRSV)  And Samson said, "With the jawbone of a donkey, 
       heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand 
       men."

       (Judg 15:17 NRSV)  When he had finished speaking, he threw away the 
       jawbone; and that place was called Ramath-lehi.

       (Judg 15:18 NRSV)  By then he was very thirsty, and he called on the 
       LORD, saying, "You have granted this great victory by the hand of your 
       servant. Am I now to die of thirst, and fall into the hands of the 
       uncircumcised?"

       (Judg 15:19 NRSV)  So God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi, 





       and water came from it. When he drank, his spirit returned, and he 
       revived. Therefore it was named En-hakkore, which is at Lehi to this 
       day.

       (Judg 15:20 NRSV)  And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines 
       twenty years.

       (Judg 16:1 NRSV)  Once Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute 
       and went in to her.

       (Judg 16:2 NRSV)  The Gazites were told, "Samson has come here." So 
       they circled around and lay in wait for him all night at the city 
       gate. They kept quiet all night, thinking, "Let us wait until the 
       light of the morning; then we will kill him."

       (Judg 16:3 NRSV)  But Samson lay only until midnight. Then at midnight 
       he rose up, took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two posts, 
       pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried 
       them to the top of the hill that is in front of Hebron.

       (Judg 16:4 NRSV)  After this he fell in love with a woman in the 
       valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

       (Judg 16:5 NRSV)  The lords of the Philistines came to her and said to 
       her, "Coax him, and find out what makes his strength so great, and how 
       we may overpower him, so that we may bind him in order to subdue him; 
       and we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."

       (Judg 16:6 NRSV)  So Delilah said to Samson, "Please tell me what 
       makes your strength so great, and how you could be bound, so that one 
       could subdue you."

       (Judg 16:7 NRSV)  Samson said to her, "If they bind me with seven 
       fresh bowstrings that are not dried out, then I shall become weak, and 
       be like anyone else."

       (Judg 16:8 NRSV)  Then the lords of the Philistines brought her seven 
       fresh bowstrings that had not dried out, and she bound him with them.

       (Judg 16:9 NRSV)  While men were lying in wait in an inner chamber, 
       she said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he 
       snapped the bowstrings, as a strand of fiber snaps when it touches the 
       fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.

       (Judg 16:10 NRSV)  Then Delilah said to Samson, "You have mocked me 
       and told me lies; please tell me how you could be bound."

       (Judg 16:11 NRSV)  He said to her, "If they bind me with new ropes 
       that have not been used, then I shall become weak, and be like anyone 
       else."

       (Judg 16:12 NRSV)  So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them, 
       and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" (The men 
       lying in wait were in an inner chamber.) But he snapped the ropes off 
       his arms like a thread.





       (Judg 16:13 NRSV)  Then Delilah said to Samson, "Until now you have 
       mocked me and told me lies; tell me how you could be bound." He said 
       to her, "If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web and make 
       it tight with the pin, then I shall become weak, and be like anyone 
       else."

       (Judg 16:14 NRSV)  So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of 
       his head and wove them into the web, and made them tight with the pin. 
       Then she said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he 
       awoke from his sleep, and pulled away the pin, the loom, and the web.

       (Judg 16:15 NRSV)  Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love 
       you,' when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me three times 
       now and have not told me what makes your strength so great."

       (Judg 16:16 NRSV)  Finally, after she had nagged him with her words 
       day after day, and pestered him, he was tired to death.

       (Judg 16:17 NRSV)  So he told her his whole secret, and said to her, 
       "A razor has never come upon my head; for I have been a nazirite to 
       God from my mother's womb. If my head were shaved, then my strength 
       would leave me; I would become weak, and be like anyone else."

       (Judg 16:18 NRSV)  When Delilah realized that he had told her his 
       whole secret, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, 
       saying, "This time come up, for he has told his whole secret to me." 
       Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and brought the 
       money in their hands.

       (Judg 16:19 NRSV)  She let him fall asleep on her lap; and she called 
       a man, and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. He began to 
       weaken, and his strength left him.

       (Judg 16:20 NRSV)  Then she said, "The Philistines are upon you, 
       Samson!" When he awoke from his sleep, he thought, "I will go out as 
       at other times, and shake myself free." But he did not know that the 
       LORD had left him.

       (Judg 16:21 NRSV)  So the Philistines seized him and gouged out his 
       eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze 
       shackles; and he ground at the mill in the prison.

       (Judg 16:22 NRSV)  But the hair of his head began to grow again after 
       it had been shaved.

       (Judg 16:23 NRSV)  Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer 
       a great sacrifice to their god Dagon, and to rejoice; for they said, 
       "Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand."

       (Judg 16:24 NRSV)  When the people saw him, they praised their god; 
       for they said, "Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager 
       of our country, who has killed many of us."

       (Judg 16:25 NRSV)  And when their hearts were merry, they said, "Call 
       Samson, and let him entertain us." So they called Samson out of the 
       prison, and he performed for them. They made him stand between the 





       pillars;

       (Judg 16:26 NRSV)  and Samson said to the attendant who held him by 
       the hand, "Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, so that I 
       may lean against them."

       (Judg 16:27 NRSV)  Now the house was full of men and women; all the 
       lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 
       three thousand men and women, who looked on while Samson performed.

       (Judg 16:28 NRSV)  Then Samson called to the LORD and said, "Lord GOD, 
       remember me and strengthen me only this once, O God, so that with this 
       one act of revenge I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes."

       (Judg 16:29 NRSV)  And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which 
       the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right 
       hand on the one and his left hand on the other.

       (Judg 16:30 NRSV)  Then Samson said, "Let me die with the 
       Philistines." He strained with all his might; and the house fell on 
       the lords and all the people who were in it. So those he killed at his 
       death were more than those he had killed during his life.

       (Judg 16:31 NRSV)  Then his brothers and all his family came down and 
       took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol 
       in the tomb of his father Manoah. He had judged Israel twenty years.

       (Judg 17:1 NRSV)  There was a man in the hill country of Ephraim whose 
       name was Micah.

       (Judg 17:2 NRSV)  He said to his mother, "The eleven hundred pieces of 
       silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse, and 
       even spoke it in my hearing,--that silver is in my possession; I took 
       it; but now I will return it to you." And his mother said, "May my son 
       be blessed by the LORD!"

       (Judg 17:3 NRSV)  Then he returned the eleven hundred pieces of silver 
       to his mother; and his mother said, "I consecrate the silver to the 
       LORD from my hand for my son, to make an idol of cast metal."

       (Judg 17:4 NRSV)  So when he returned the money to his mother, his 
       mother took two hundred pieces of silver, and gave it to the 
       silversmith, who made it into an idol of cast metal; and it was in the 
       house of Micah.

       (Judg 17:5 NRSV)  This man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod 
       and teraphim, and installed one of his sons, who became his priest.

       (Judg 17:6 NRSV)  In those days there was no king in Israel; all the 
       people did what was right in their own eyes.

       (Judg 17:7 NRSV)  Now there was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah, of 
       the clan of Judah. He was a Levite residing there.

       (Judg 17:8 NRSV)  This man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah, to 
       live wherever he could find a place. He came to the house of Micah in 





       the hill country of Ephraim to carry on his work.

       (Judg 17:9 NRSV)  Micah said to him, "From where do you come?" He 
       replied, "I am a Levite of Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to live 
       wherever I can find a place."

       (Judg 17:10 NRSV)  Then Micah said to him, "Stay with me, and be to me 
       a father and a priest, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a 
       year, a set of clothes, and your living."

       (Judg 17:11 NRSV)  The Levite agreed to stay with the man; and the 
       young man became to him like one of his sons.

       (Judg 17:12 NRSV)  So Micah installed the Levite, and the young man 
       became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.

       (Judg 17:13 NRSV)  Then Micah said, "Now I know that the LORD will 
       prosper me, because the Levite has become my priest."

       (Judg 18:1 NRSV)  In those days there was no king in Israel. And in 
       those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking for itself a territory 
       to live in; for until then no territory among the tribes of Israel had 
       been allotted to them.

       (Judg 18:2 NRSV)  So the Danites sent five valiant men from the whole 
       number of their clan, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land 
       and to explore it; and they said to them, "Go, explore the land." When 
       they came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they 
       stayed there.

       (Judg 18:3 NRSV)  While they were at Micah's house, they recognized 
       the voice of the young Levite; so they went over and asked him, "Who 
       brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your 
       business here?"

       (Judg 18:4 NRSV)  He said to them, "Micah did such and such for me, 
       and he hired me, and I have become his priest."

       (Judg 18:5 NRSV)  Then they said to him, "Inquire of God that we may 
       know whether the mission we are undertaking will succeed."

       (Judg 18:6 NRSV)  The priest replied, "Go in peace. The mission you 
       are on is under the eye of the LORD."

       (Judg 18:7 NRSV)  The five men went on, and when they came to Laish, 
       they observed the people who were there living securely, after the 
       manner of the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting, lacking nothing on 
       earth, and possessing wealth. Furthermore, they were far from the 
       Sidonians and had no dealings with Aram.

       (Judg 18:8 NRSV)  When they came to their kinsfolk at Zorah and 
       Eshtaol, they said to them, "What do you report?"

       (Judg 18:9 NRSV)  They said, "Come, let us go up against them; for we 
       have seen the land, and it is very good. Will you do nothing? Do not 
       be slow to go, but enter in and possess the land.






       (Judg 18:10 NRSV)  When you go, you will come to an unsuspecting 
       people. The land is broad--God has indeed given it into your hands--a 
       place where there is no lack of anything on earth."

       (Judg 18:11 NRSV)  Six hundred men of the Danite clan, armed with 
       weapons of war, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol,

       (Judg 18:12 NRSV)  and went up and encamped at Kiriath-jearim in 
       Judah. On this account that place is called Mahaneh-dan to this day; 
       it is west of Kiriath-jearim.

       (Judg 18:13 NRSV)  From there they passed on to the hill country of 
       Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.

       (Judg 18:14 NRSV)  Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land 
       (that is, Laish) said to their comrades, "Do you know that in these 
       buildings there are an ephod, teraphim, and an idol of cast metal? Now 
       therefore consider what you will do."

       (Judg 18:15 NRSV)  So they turned in that direction and came to the 
       house of the young Levite, at the home of Micah, and greeted him.

       (Judg 18:16 NRSV)  While the six hundred men of the Danites, armed 
       with their weapons of war, stood by the entrance of the gate,

       (Judg 18:17 NRSV)  the five men who had gone to spy out the land 
       proceeded to enter and take the idol of cast metal, the ephod, and the 
       teraphim. The priest was standing by the entrance of the gate with the 
       six hundred men armed with weapons of war.

       (Judg 18:18 NRSV)  When the men went into Micah's house and took the 
       idol of cast metal, the ephod, and the teraphim, the priest said to 
       them, "What are you doing?"

       (Judg 18:19 NRSV)  They said to him, "Keep quiet! Put your hand over 
       your mouth, and come with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is 
       it better for you to be priest to the house of one person, or to be 
       priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?"

       (Judg 18:20 NRSV)  Then the priest accepted the offer. He took the 
       ephod, the teraphim, and the idol, and went along with the people.

       (Judg 18:21 NRSV)  So they resumed their journey, putting the little 
       ones, the livestock, and the goods in front of them.

       (Judg 18:22 NRSV)  When they were some distance from the home of 
       Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah's house were called 
       out, and they overtook the Danites.

       (Judg 18:23 NRSV)  They shouted to the Danites, who turned around and 
       said to Micah, "What is the matter that you come with such a company?"

       (Judg 18:24 NRSV)  He replied, "You take my gods that I made, and the 
       priest, and go away, and what have I left? How then can you ask me, 
       'What is the matter?'"






       (Judg 18:25 NRSV)  And the Danites said to him, "You had better not 
       let your voice be heard among us or else hot-tempered fellows will 
       attack you, and you will lose your life and the lives of your 
       household."

       (Judg 18:26 NRSV)  Then the Danites went their way. When Micah saw 
       that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his 
       home.

       (Judg 18:27 NRSV)  The Danites, having taken what Micah had made, and 
       the priest who belonged to him, came to Laish, to a people quiet and 
       unsuspecting, put them to the sword, and burned down the city.

       (Judg 18:28 NRSV)  There was no deliverer, because it was far from 
       Sidon and they had no dealings with Aram. It was in the valley that 
       belongs to Beth-rehob. They rebuilt the city, and lived in it.

       (Judg 18:29 NRSV)  They named the city Dan, after their ancestor Dan, 
       who was born to Israel; but the name of the city was formerly Laish.

       (Judg 18:30 NRSV)  Then the Danites set up the idol for themselves. 
       Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priests to 
       the tribe of the Danites until the time the land went into captivity.

       (Judg 18:31 NRSV)  So they maintained as their own Micah's idol that 
       he had made, as long as the house of God was at Shiloh.

       (Judg 19:1 NRSV)  In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a 
       certain Levite, residing in the remote parts of the hill country of 
       Ephraim, took to himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.

       (Judg 19:2 NRSV)  But his concubine became angry with him, and she 
       went away from him to her father's house at Bethlehem in Judah, and 
       was there some four months.

       (Judg 19:3 NRSV)  Then her husband set out after her, to speak 
       tenderly to her and bring her back. He had with him his servant and a 
       couple of donkeys. When he reached her father's house, the girl's 
       father saw him and came with joy to meet him.

       (Judg 19:4 NRSV)  His father-in-law, the girl's father, made him stay, 
       and he remained with him three days; so they ate and drank, and he 
       stayed there.

       (Judg 19:5 NRSV)  On the fourth day they got up early in the morning, 
       and he prepared to go; but the girl's father said to his son-in-law, 
       "Fortify yourself with a bit of food, and after that you may go."

       (Judg 19:6 NRSV)  So the two men sat and ate and drank together; and 
       the girl's father said to the man, "Why not spend the night and enjoy 
       yourself?"

       (Judg 19:7 NRSV)  When the man got up to go, his father-in-law kept 
       urging him until he spent the night there again.





       (Judg 19:8 NRSV)  On the fifth day he got up early in the morning to 
       leave; and the girl's father said, "Fortify yourself." So they 
       lingered until the day declined, and the two of them ate and drank.

       (Judg 19:9 NRSV)  When the man with his concubine and his servant got 
       up to leave, his father-in-law, the girl's father, said to him, "Look, 
       the day has worn on until it is almost evening. Spend the night. See, 
       the day has drawn to a close. Spend the night here and enjoy yourself. 
       Tomorrow you can get up early in the morning for your journey, and go 
       home."

       (Judg 19:10 NRSV)  But the man would not spend the night; he got up 
       and departed, and arrived opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). He had 
       with him a couple of saddled donkeys, and his concubine was with him.

       (Judg 19:11 NRSV)  When they were near Jebus, the day was far spent, 
       and the servant said to his master, "Come now, let us turn aside to 
       this city of the Jebusites, and spend the night in it."

       (Judg 19:12 NRSV)  But his master said to him, "We will not turn aside 
       into a city of foreigners, who do not belong to the people of Israel; 
       but we will continue on to Gibeah."

       (Judg 19:13 NRSV)  Then he said to his servant, "Come, let us try to 
       reach one of these places, and spend the night at Gibeah or at Ramah."

       (Judg 19:14 NRSV)  So they passed on and went their way; and the sun 
       went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin.

       (Judg 19:15 NRSV)  They turned aside there, to go in and spend the 
       night at Gibeah. He went in and sat down in the open square of the 
       city, but no one took them in to spend the night.

       (Judg 19:16 NRSV)  Then at evening there was an old man coming from 
       his work in the field. The man was from the hill country of Ephraim, 
       and he was residing in Gibeah. (The people of the place were 
       Benjaminites.)

       (Judg 19:17 NRSV)  When the old man looked up and saw the wayfarer in 
       the open square of the city, he said, "Where are you going and where 
       do you come from?"

       (Judg 19:18 NRSV)  He answered him, "We are passing from Bethlehem in 
       Judah to the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, from which I 
       come. I went to Bethlehem in Judah; and I am going to my home. Nobody 
       has offered to take me in.

       (Judg 19:19 NRSV)  We your servants have straw and fodder for our 
       donkeys, with bread and wine for me and the woman and the young man 
       along with us. We need nothing more."

       (Judg 19:20 NRSV)  The old man said, "Peace be to you. I will care for 
       all your wants; only do not spend the night in the square."

       (Judg 19:21 NRSV)  So he brought him into his house, and fed the 
       donkeys; they washed their feet, and ate and drank.






       (Judg 19:22 NRSV)  While they were enjoying themselves, the men of the 
       city, a perverse lot, surrounded the house, and started pounding on 
       the door. They said to the old man, the master of the house, "Bring 
       out the man who came into your house, so that we may have intercourse 
       with him."

       (Judg 19:23 NRSV)  And the man, the master of the house, went out to 
       them and said to them, "No, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Since 
       this man is my guest, do not do this vile thing.

       (Judg 19:24 NRSV)  Here are my virgin daughter and his concubine; let 
       me bring them out now. Ravish them and do whatever you want to them; 
       but against this man do not do such a vile thing."

       (Judg 19:25 NRSV)  But the men would not listen to him. So the man 
       seized his concubine, and put her out to them. They wantonly raped 
       her, and abused her all through the night until the morning. And as 
       the dawn began to break, they let her go.

       (Judg 19:26 NRSV)  As morning appeared, the woman came and fell down 
       at the door of the man's house where her master was, until it was 
       light.

       (Judg 19:27 NRSV)  In the morning her master got up, opened the doors 
       of the house, and when he went out to go on his way, there was his 
       concubine lying at the door of the house, with her hands on the 
       threshold.

       (Judg 19:28 NRSV)  "Get up," he said to her, "we are going." But there 
       was no answer. Then he put her on the donkey; and the man set out for 
       his home.

       (Judg 19:29 NRSV)  When he had entered his house, he took a knife, and 
       grasping his concubine he cut her into twelve pieces, limb by limb, 
       and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel.

       (Judg 19:30 NRSV)  Then he commanded the men whom he sent, saying, 
       "Thus shall you say to all the Israelites, 'Has such a thing ever 
       happened since the day that the Israelites came up from the land of 
       Egypt until this day? Consider it, take counsel, and speak out.'"

       (Judg 20:1 NRSV)  Then all the Israelites came out, from Dan to 
       Beer-sheba, including the land of Gilead, and the congregation 
       assembled in one body before the LORD at Mizpah.

       (Judg 20:2 NRSV)  The chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of 
       Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 
       four hundred thousand foot-soldiers bearing arms.

       (Judg 20:3 NRSV)  (Now the Benjaminites heard that the people of 
       Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the Israelites said, "Tell us, how 
       did this criminal act come about?"

       (Judg 20:4 NRSV)  The Levite, the husband of the woman who was 
       murdered, answered, "I came to Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and 





       my concubine, to spend the night.

       (Judg 20:5 NRSV)  The lords of Gibeah rose up against me, and 
       surrounded the house at night. They intended to kill me, and they 
       raped my concubine until she died.

       (Judg 20:6 NRSV)  Then I took my concubine and cut her into pieces, 
       and sent her throughout the whole extent of Israel's territory; for 
       they have committed a vile outrage in Israel.

       (Judg 20:7 NRSV)  So now, you Israelites, all of you, give your advice 
       and counsel here."

       (Judg 20:8 NRSV)  All the people got up as one, saying, "We will not 
       any of us go to our tents, nor will any of us return to our houses.

       (Judg 20:9 NRSV)  But now this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will 
       go up against it by lot.

       (Judg 20:10 NRSV)  We will take ten men of a hundred throughout all 
       the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of 
       ten thousand, to bring provisions for the troops, who are going to 
       repay Gibeah of Benjamin for all the disgrace that they have done in 
       Israel."

       (Judg 20:11 NRSV)  So all the men of Israel gathered against the city, 
       united as one.

       (Judg 20:12 NRSV)  The tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe 
       of Benjamin, saying, "What crime is this that has been committed among 
       you?

       (Judg 20:13 NRSV)  Now then, hand over those scoundrels in Gibeah, so 
       that we may put them to death, and purge the evil from Israel." But 
       the Benjaminites would not listen to their kinsfolk, the Israelites.

       (Judg 20:14 NRSV)  The Benjaminites came together out of the towns to 
       Gibeah, to go out to battle against the Israelites.

       (Judg 20:15 NRSV)  On that day the Benjaminites mustered twenty-six 
       thousand armed men from their towns, besides the inhabitants of 
       Gibeah.

       (Judg 20:16 NRSV)  Of all this force, there were seven hundred picked 
       men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair, and 
       not miss.

       (Judg 20:17 NRSV)  And the Israelites, apart from Benjamin, mustered 
       four hundred thousand armed men, all of them warriors.

       (Judg 20:18 NRSV)  The Israelites proceeded to go up to Bethel, where 
       they inquired of God, "Which of us shall go up first to battle against 
       the Benjaminites?" And the LORD answered, "Judah shall go up first."

       (Judg 20:19 NRSV)  Then the Israelites got up in the morning, and 
       encamped against Gibeah.






       (Judg 20:20 NRSV)  The Israelites went out to battle against Benjamin; 
       and the Israelites drew up the battle line against them at Gibeah.

       (Judg 20:21 NRSV)  The Benjaminites came out of Gibeah, and struck 
       down on that day twenty-two thousand of the Israelites.

       (Judg 20:22 NRSV)  The Israelites took courage, and again formed the 
       battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first 
       day.

       (Judg 20:23 NRSV)  The Israelites went up and wept before the LORD 
       until the evening; and they inquired of the LORD, "Shall we again draw 
       near to battle against our kinsfolk the Benjaminites?" And the LORD 
       said, "Go up against them."

       (Judg 20:24 NRSV)  So the Israelites advanced against the Benjaminites 
       the second day.

       (Judg 20:25 NRSV)  Benjamin moved out against them from Gibeah the 
       second day, and struck down eighteen thousand of the Israelites, all 
       of them armed men.

       (Judg 20:26 NRSV)  Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went back 
       to Bethel and wept, sitting there before the LORD; they fasted that 
       day until evening. Then they offered burnt offerings and sacrifices of 
       well-being before the LORD.

       (Judg 20:27 NRSV)  And the Israelites inquired of the LORD (for the 
       ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

       (Judg 20:28 NRSV)  and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, 
       ministered before it in those days), saying, "Shall we go out once 
       more to battle against our kinsfolk the Benjaminites, or shall we 
       desist?" The LORD answered, "Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into 
       your hand."

       (Judg 20:29 NRSV)  So Israel stationed men in ambush around Gibeah.

       (Judg 20:30 NRSV)  Then the Israelites went up against the 
       Benjaminites on the third day, and set themselves in array against 
       Gibeah, as before.

       (Judg 20:31 NRSV)  When the Benjaminites went out against the army, 
       they were drawn away from the city. As before they began to inflict 
       casualties on the troops, along the main roads, one of which goes up 
       to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, as well as in the open country, 
       killing about thirty men of Israel.

       (Judg 20:32 NRSV)  The Benjaminites thought, "They are being routed 
       before us, as previously." But the Israelites said, "Let us retreat 
       and draw them away from the city toward the roads."

       (Judg 20:33 NRSV)  The main body of the Israelites drew back its 
       battle line to Baal-tamar, while those Israelites who were in ambush 
       rushed out of their place west of Geba.






       (Judg 20:34 NRSV)  There came against Gibeah ten thousand picked men 
       out of all Israel, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjaminites did 
       not realize that disaster was close upon them.

       (Judg 20:35 NRSV)  The LORD defeated Benjamin before Israel; and the 
       Israelites destroyed twenty-five thousand one hundred men of Benjamin 
       that day, all of them armed.

       (Judg 20:36 NRSV)  Then the Benjaminites saw that they were defeated. 
       The Israelites gave ground to Benjamin, because they trusted to the 
       troops in ambush that they had stationed against Gibeah.

       (Judg 20:37 NRSV)  The troops in ambush rushed quickly upon Gibeah. 
       Then they put the whole city to the sword.

       (Judg 20:38 NRSV)  Now the agreement between the main body of Israel 
       and the men in ambush was that when they sent up a cloud of smoke out 
       of the city

       (Judg 20:39 NRSV)  the main body of Israel should turn in battle. But 
       Benjamin had begun to inflict casualties on the Israelites, killing 
       about thirty of them; so they thought, "Surely they are defeated 
       before us, as in the first battle."

       (Judg 20:40 NRSV)  But when the cloud, a column of smoke, began to 
       rise out of the city, the Benjaminites looked behind them--and there 
       was the whole city going up in smoke toward the sky!

       (Judg 20:41 NRSV)  Then the main body of Israel turned, and the 
       Benjaminites were dismayed, for they saw that disaster was close upon 
       them.

       (Judg 20:42 NRSV)  Therefore they turned away from the Israelites in 
       the direction of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them, and 
       those who came out of the city were slaughtering them in between.

       (Judg 20:43 NRSV)  Cutting down the Benjaminites, they pursued them 
       from Nohah and trod them down as far as a place east of Gibeah.

       (Judg 20:44 NRSV)  Eighteen thousand Benjaminites fell, all of them 
       courageous fighters.

       (Judg 20:45 NRSV)  When they turned and fled toward the wilderness to 
       the rock of Rimmon, five thousand of them were cut down on the main 
       roads, and they were pursued as far as Gidom, and two thousand of them 
       were slain.

       (Judg 20:46 NRSV)  So all who fell that day of Benjamin were 
       twenty-five thousand arms-bearing men, all of them courageous 
       fighters.

       (Judg 20:47 NRSV)  But six hundred turned and fled toward the 
       wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and remained at the rock of Rimmon 
       for four months.





       (Judg 20:48 NRSV)  Meanwhile, the Israelites turned back against the 
       Benjaminites, and put them to the sword--the city, the people, the 
       animals, and all that remained. Also the remaining towns they set on 
       fire.

       (Judg 21:1 NRSV)  Now the Israelites had sworn at Mizpah, "No one of 
       us shall give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin."

       (Judg 21:2 NRSV)  And the people came to Bethel, and sat there until 
       evening before God, and they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly.

       (Judg 21:3 NRSV)  They said, "O LORD, the God of Israel, why has it 
       come to pass that today there should be one tribe lacking in Israel?"

       (Judg 21:4 NRSV)  On the next day, the people got up early, and built 
       an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and sacrifices of 
       well-being.

       (Judg 21:5 NRSV)  Then the Israelites said, "Which of all the tribes 
       of Israel did not come up in the assembly to the LORD?" For a solemn 
       oath had been taken concerning whoever did not come up to the LORD to 
       Mizpah, saying, "That one shall be put to death."

       (Judg 21:6 NRSV)  But the Israelites had compassion for Benjamin their 
       kin, and said, "One tribe is cut off from Israel this day.

       (Judg 21:7 NRSV)  What shall we do for wives for those who are left, 
       since we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them any of our 
       daughters as wives?"

       (Judg 21:8 NRSV)  Then they said, "Is there anyone from the tribes of 
       Israel who did not come up to the LORD to Mizpah?" It turned out that 
       no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp, to the assembly.

       (Judg 21:9 NRSV)  For when the roll was called among the people, not 
       one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there.

       (Judg 21:10 NRSV)  So the congregation sent twelve thousand soldiers 
       there and commanded them, "Go, put the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead to 
       the sword, including the women and the little ones.

       (Judg 21:11 NRSV)  This is what you shall do; every male and every 
       woman that has lain with a male you shall devote to destruction."

       (Judg 21:12 NRSV)  And they found among the inhabitants of 
       Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins who had never slept with a 
       man and brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of 
       Canaan.

       (Judg 21:13 NRSV)  Then the whole congregation sent word to the 
       Benjaminites who were at the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to 
       them.

       (Judg 21:14 NRSV)  Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them 
       the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead; but 
       they did not suffice for them.






       (Judg 21:15 NRSV)  The people had compassion on Benjamin because the 
       LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

       (Judg 21:16 NRSV)  So the elders of the congregation said, "What shall 
       we do for wives for those who are left, since there are no women left 
       in Benjamin?"

       (Judg 21:17 NRSV)  And they said, "There must be heirs for the 
       survivors of Benjamin, in order that a tribe may not be blotted out 
       from Israel.

       (Judg 21:18 NRSV)  Yet we cannot give any of our daughters to them as 
       wives." For the Israelites had sworn, "Cursed be anyone who gives a 
       wife to Benjamin."

       (Judg 21:19 NRSV)  So they said, "Look, the yearly festival of the 
       LORD is taking place at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east 
       of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of 
       Lebonah."

       (Judg 21:20 NRSV)  And they instructed the Benjaminites, saying, "Go 
       and lie in wait in the vineyards,

       (Judg 21:21 NRSV)  and watch; when the young women of Shiloh come out 
       to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards and each of you 
       carry off a wife for himself from the young women of Shiloh, and go to 
       the land of Benjamin.

       (Judg 21:22 NRSV)  Then if their fathers or their brothers come to 
       complain to us, we will say to them, 'Be generous and allow us to have 
       them; because we did not capture in battle a wife for each man. But 
       neither did you incur guilt by giving your daughters to them.'"

       (Judg 21:23 NRSV)  The Benjaminites did so; they took wives for each 
       of them from the dancers whom they abducted. Then they went and 
       returned to their territory, and rebuilt the towns, and lived in them.

       (Judg 21:24 NRSV)  So the Israelites departed from there at that time 
       by tribes and families, and they went out from there to their own 
       territories.

       (Judg 21:25 NRSV)  In those days there was no king in Israel; all the 
       people did what was right in their own eyes.

       (Ruth 1:1 NRSV)  In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine 
       in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to live in 
       the country of Moab, he and his wife and two sons.

       (Ruth 1:2 NRSV)  The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his 
       wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion; 
       they were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the 
       country of Moab and remained there.

       (Ruth 1:3 NRSV)  But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she 
       was left with her two sons.






       (Ruth 1:4 NRSV)  These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was 
       Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. When they had lived there about 
       ten years,

       (Ruth 1:5 NRSV)  both Mahlon and Chilion also died, so that the woman 
       was left without her two sons and her husband.

       (Ruth 1:6 NRSV)  Then she started to return with her daughters-in-law 
       from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab 
       that the LORD had considered his people and given them food.

       (Ruth 1:7 NRSV)  So she set out from the place where she had been 
       living, she and her two daughters-in-law, and they went on their way 
       to go back to the land of Judah.

       (Ruth 1:8 NRSV)  But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back 
       each of you to your mother's house. May the LORD deal kindly with you, 
       as you have dealt with the dead and with me.

       (Ruth 1:9 NRSV)  The LORD grant that you may find security, each of 
       you in the house of your husband." Then she kissed them, and they wept 
       aloud.

       (Ruth 1:10 NRSV)  They said to her, "No, we will return with you to 
       your people."

       (Ruth 1:11 NRSV)  But Naomi said, "Turn back, my daughters, why will 
       you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that they may become 
       your husbands?

       (Ruth 1:12 NRSV)  Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too 
       old to have a husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me, even 
       if I should have a husband tonight and bear sons,

       (Ruth 1:13 NRSV)  would you then wait until they were grown? Would you 
       then refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, it has been far more 
       bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the LORD has turned 
       against me."

       (Ruth 1:14 NRSV)  Then they wept aloud again. Orpah kissed her 
       mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

       (Ruth 1:15 NRSV)  So she said, "See, your sister-in-law has gone back 
       to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law."

       (Ruth 1:16 NRSV)  But Ruth said, "Do not press me to leave you or to 
       turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you 
       lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my 
       God.

       (Ruth 1:17 NRSV)  Where you die, I will die-- there will I be buried. 
       May the LORD do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death 
       parts me from you!"

       (Ruth 1:18 NRSV)  When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with 





       her, she said no more to her.

       (Ruth 1:19 NRSV)  So the two of them went on until they came to 
       Bethlehem. When they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred 
       because of them; and the women said, "Is this Naomi?"

       (Ruth 1:20 NRSV)  She said to them, "Call me no longer Naomi, call me 
       Mara, for the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me.

       (Ruth 1:21 NRSV)  I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back 
       empty; why call me Naomi when the LORD has dealt harshly with me, and 
       the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?"

       (Ruth 1:22 NRSV)  So Naomi returned together with Ruth the Moabite, 
       her daughter-in-law, who came back with her from the country of Moab. 
       They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

       (Ruth 2:1 NRSV)  Now Naomi had a kinsman on her husband's side, a 
       prominent rich man, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.

       (Ruth 2:2 NRSV)  And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, "Let me go to the 
       field and glean among the ears of grain, behind someone in whose sight 
       I may find favor." She said to her, "Go, my daughter."

       (Ruth 2:3 NRSV)  So she went. She came and gleaned in the field behind 
       the reapers. As it happened, she came to the part of the field 
       belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.

       (Ruth 2:4 NRSV)  Just then Boaz came from Bethlehem. He said to the 
       reapers, "The LORD be with you." They answered, "The LORD bless you."

       (Ruth 2:5 NRSV)  Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of 
       the reapers, "To whom does this young woman belong?"

       (Ruth 2:6 NRSV)  The servant who was in charge of the reapers 
       answered, "She is the Moabite who came back with Naomi from the 
       country of Moab.

       (Ruth 2:7 NRSV)  She said, 'Please, let me glean and gather among the 
       sheaves behind the reapers.' So she came, and she has been on her feet 
       from early this morning until now, without resting even for a moment."

       (Ruth 2:8 NRSV)  Then Boaz said to Ruth, "Now listen, my daughter, do 
       not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to 
       my young women.

       (Ruth 2:9 NRSV)  Keep your eyes on the field that is being reaped, and 
       follow behind them. I have ordered the young men not to bother you. If 
       you get thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men 
       have drawn."

       (Ruth 2:10 NRSV)  Then she fell prostrate, with her face to the 
       ground, and said to him, "Why have I found favor in your sight, that 
       you should take notice of me, when I am a foreigner?"

       (Ruth 2:11 NRSV)  But Boaz answered her, "All that you have done for 





       your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told 
       me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and 
       came to a people that you did not know before.

       (Ruth 2:12 NRSV)  May the LORD reward you for your deeds, and may you 
       have a full reward from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings 
       you have come for refuge!"

       (Ruth 2:13 NRSV)  Then she said, "May I continue to find favor in your 
       sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your 
       servant, even though I am not one of your servants."

       (Ruth 2:14 NRSV)  At mealtime Boaz said to her, "Come here, and eat 
       some of this bread, and dip your morsel in the sour wine." So she sat 
       beside the reapers, and he heaped up for her some parched grain. She 
       ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over.

       (Ruth 2:15 NRSV)  When she got up to glean, Boaz instructed his young 
       men, "Let her glean even among the standing sheaves, and do not 
       reproach her.

       (Ruth 2:16 NRSV)  You must also pull out some handfuls for her from 
       the bundles, and leave them for her to glean, and do not rebuke her."

       (Ruth 2:17 NRSV)  So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she 
       beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.

       (Ruth 2:18 NRSV)  She picked it up and came into the town, and her 
       mother-in-law saw how much she had gleaned. Then she took out and gave 
       her what was left over after she herself had been satisfied.

       (Ruth 2:19 NRSV)  Her mother-in-law said to her, "Where did you glean 
       today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice 
       of you." So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and 
       said, "The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz."

       (Ruth 2:20 NRSV)  Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "Blessed be 
       he by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the 
       dead!" Naomi also said to her, "The man is a relative of ours, one of 
       our nearest kin."

       (Ruth 2:21 NRSV)  Then Ruth the Moabite said, "He even said to me, 
       'Stay close by my servants, until they have finished all my harvest.'"

       (Ruth 2:22 NRSV)  Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, "It is 
       better, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, otherwise 
       you might be bothered in another field."

       (Ruth 2:23 NRSV)  So she stayed close to the young women of Boaz, 
       gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests; and she lived 
       with her mother-in-law.

       (Ruth 3:1 NRSV)  Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, I 
       need to seek some security for you, so that it may be well with you.

       (Ruth 3:2 NRSV)  Now here is our kinsman Boaz, with whose young women 





       you have been working. See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the 
       threshing floor.

       (Ruth 3:3 NRSV)  Now wash and anoint yourself, and put on your best 
       clothes and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself 
       known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.

       (Ruth 3:4 NRSV)  When he lies down, observe the place where he lies; 
       then, go and uncover his feet and lie down; and he will tell you what 
       to do."

       (Ruth 3:5 NRSV)  She said to her, "All that you tell me I will do."

       (Ruth 3:6 NRSV)  So she went down to the threshing floor and did just 
       as her mother-in-law had instructed her.

       (Ruth 3:7 NRSV)  When Boaz had eaten and drunk, and he was in a 
       contented mood, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. 
       Then she came stealthily and uncovered his feet, and lay down.

       (Ruth 3:8 NRSV)  At midnight the man was startled, and turned over, 
       and there, lying at his feet, was a woman!

       (Ruth 3:9 NRSV)  He said, "Who are you?" And she answered, "I am Ruth, 
       your servant; spread your cloak over your servant, for you are 
       next-of-kin."

       (Ruth 3:10 NRSV)  He said, "May you be blessed by the LORD, my 
       daughter; this last instance of your loyalty is better than the first; 
       you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich.

       (Ruth 3:11 NRSV)  And now, my daughter, do not be afraid, I will do 
       for you all that you ask, for all the assembly of my people know that 
       you are a worthy woman.

       (Ruth 3:12 NRSV)  But now, though it is true that I am a near kinsman, 
       there is another kinsman more closely related than I.

       (Ruth 3:13 NRSV)  Remain this night, and in the morning, if he will 
       act as next-of-kin for you, good; let him do it. If he is not willing 
       to act as next-of-kin for you, then, as the LORD lives, I will act as 
       next-of-kin for you. Lie down until the morning."

       (Ruth 3:14 NRSV)  So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up 
       before one person could recognize another; for he said, "It must not 
       be known that the woman came to the threshing floor."

       (Ruth 3:15 NRSV)  Then he said, "Bring the cloak you are wearing and 
       hold it out." So she held it, and he measured out six measures of 
       barley, and put it on her back; then he went into the city.

       (Ruth 3:16 NRSV)  She came to her mother-in-law, who said, "How did 
       things go with you, my daughter?" Then she told her all that the man 
       had done for her,

       (Ruth 3:17 NRSV)  saying, "He gave me these six measures of barley, 





       for he said, 'Do not go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.'"

       (Ruth 3:18 NRSV)  She replied, "Wait, my daughter, until you learn how 
       the matter turns out, for the man will not rest, but will settle the 
       matter today."

       (Ruth 4:1 NRSV)  No sooner had Boaz gone up to the gate and sat down 
       there than the next-of-kin, of whom Boaz had spoken, came passing by. 
       So Boaz said, "Come over, friend; sit down here." And he went over and 
       sat down.

       (Ruth 4:2 NRSV)  Then Boaz took ten men of the elders of the city, and 
       said, "Sit down here"; so they sat down.

       (Ruth 4:3 NRSV)  He then said to the next-of-kin, "Naomi, who has come 
       back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that 
       belonged to our kinsman Elimelech.

       (Ruth 4:4 NRSV)  So I thought I would tell you of it, and say: Buy it 
       in the presence of those sitting here, and in the presence of the 
       elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will 
       not, tell me, so that I may know; for there is no one prior to you to 
       redeem it, and I come after you." So he said, "I will redeem it."

       (Ruth 4:5 NRSV)  Then Boaz said, "The day you acquire the field from 
       the hand of Naomi, you are also acquiring Ruth the Moabite, the widow 
       of the dead man, to maintain the dead man's name on his inheritance."

       (Ruth 4:6 NRSV)  At this, the next-of-kin said, "I cannot redeem it 
       for myself without damaging my own inheritance. Take my right of 
       redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it."

       (Ruth 4:7 NRSV)  Now this was the custom in former times in Israel 
       concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one 
       took off a sandal and gave it to the other; this was the manner of 
       attesting in Israel.

       (Ruth 4:8 NRSV)  So when the next-of-kin said to Boaz, "Acquire it for 
       yourself," he took off his sandal.

       (Ruth 4:9 NRSV)  Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, 
       "Today you are witnesses that I have acquired from the hand of Naomi 
       all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and 
       Mahlon.

       (Ruth 4:10 NRSV)  I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, the wife of 
       Mahlon, to be my wife, to maintain the dead man's name on his 
       inheritance, in order that the name of the dead may not be cut off 
       from his kindred and from the gate of his native place; today you are 
       witnesses."

       (Ruth 4:11 NRSV)  Then all the people who were at the gate, along with 
       the elders, said, "We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who 
       is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built up 
       the house of Israel. May you produce children in Ephrathah and bestow 
       a name in Bethlehem;






       (Ruth 4:12 NRSV)  and, through the children that the LORD will give 
       you by this young woman, may your house be like the house of Perez, 
       whom Tamar bore to Judah."

       (Ruth 4:13 NRSV)  So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When they 
       came together, the LORD made her conceive, and she bore a son.

       (Ruth 4:14 NRSV)  Then the women said to Naomi, "Blessed be the LORD, 
       who has not left you this day without next-of-kin; and may his name be 
       renowned in Israel!

       (Ruth 4:15 NRSV)  He shall be to you a restorer of life and a 
       nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who 
       is more to you than seven sons, has borne him."

       (Ruth 4:16 NRSV)  Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom, 
       and became his nurse.

       (Ruth 4:17 NRSV)  The women of the neighborhood gave him a name, 
       saying, "A son has been born to Naomi." They named him Obed; he became 
       the father of Jesse, the father of David.

       (Ruth 4:18 NRSV)  Now these are the descendants of Perez: Perez became 
       the father of Hezron,

       (Ruth 4:19 NRSV)  Hezron of Ram, Ram of Amminadab,

       (Ruth 4:20 NRSV)  Amminadab of Nahshon, Nahshon of Salmon,

       (Ruth 4:21 NRSV)  Salmon of Boaz, Boaz of Obed,

       (Ruth 4:22 NRSV)  Obed of Jesse, and Jesse of David.

       (1 Sam 1:1 NRSV)  There was a certain man of Ramathaim, a Zuphite from 
       the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham son 
       of Elihu son of Tohu son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.

       (1 Sam 1:2 NRSV)  He had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, 
       and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah 
       had no children.

       (1 Sam 1:3 NRSV)  Now this man used to go up year by year from his 
       town to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts at Shiloh, where 
       the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the LORD.

       (1 Sam 1:4 NRSV)  On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give 
       portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters;

       (1 Sam 1:5 NRSV)  but to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he 
       loved her, though the LORD had closed her womb.

       (1 Sam 1:6 NRSV)  Her rival used to provoke her severely, to irritate 
       her, because the LORD had closed her womb.

       (1 Sam 1:7 NRSV)  So it went on year by year; as often as she went up 





       to the house of the LORD, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah 
       wept and would not eat.

       (1 Sam 1:8 NRSV)  Her husband Elkanah said to her, "Hannah, why do you 
       weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you 
       than ten sons?"

       (1 Sam 1:9 NRSV)  After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah 
       rose and presented herself before the LORD. Now Eli the priest was 
       sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the LORD.

       (1 Sam 1:10 NRSV)  She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD, 
       and wept bitterly.

       (1 Sam 1:11 NRSV)  She made this vow: "O LORD of hosts, if only you 
       will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not 
       forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then 
       I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death. He 
       shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his 
       head."

       (1 Sam 1:12 NRSV)  As she continued praying before the LORD, Eli 
       observed her mouth.

       (1 Sam 1:13 NRSV)  Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, 
       but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunk.

       (1 Sam 1:14 NRSV)  So Eli said to her, "How long will you make a 
       drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine."

       (1 Sam 1:15 NRSV)  But Hannah answered, "No, my lord, I am a woman 
       deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I 
       have been pouring out my soul before the LORD.

       (1 Sam 1:16 NRSV)  Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, 
       for I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this 
       time."

       (1 Sam 1:17 NRSV)  Then Eli answered, "Go in peace; the God of Israel 
       grant the petition you have made to him."

       (1 Sam 1:18 NRSV)  And she said, "Let your servant find favor in your 
       sight." Then the woman went to her quarters, ate and drank with her 
       husband, and her countenance was sad no longer.

       (1 Sam 1:19 NRSV)  They rose early in the morning and worshiped before 
       the LORD; then they went back to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew 
       his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her.

       (1 Sam 1:20 NRSV)  In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She 
       named him Samuel, for she said, "I have asked him of the LORD."

       (1 Sam 1:21 NRSV)  The man Elkanah and all his household went up to 
       offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and to pay his vow.

       (1 Sam 1:22 NRSV)  But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her 





       husband, "As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, that he 
       may appear in the presence of the LORD, and remain there forever; I 
       will offer him as a nazirite for all time."

       (1 Sam 1:23 NRSV)  Her husband Elkanah said to her, "Do what seems 
       best to you, wait until you have weaned him; only--may the LORD 
       establish his word." So the woman remained and nursed her son, until 
       she weaned him.

       (1 Sam 1:24 NRSV)  When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, 
       along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of 
       wine. She brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh; and the 
       child was young.

       (1 Sam 1:25 NRSV)  Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought 
       the child to Eli.

       (1 Sam 1:26 NRSV)  And she said, "Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I 
       am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the 
       LORD.

       (1 Sam 1:27 NRSV)  For this child I prayed; and the LORD has granted 
       me the petition that I made to him.

       (1 Sam 1:28 NRSV)  Therefore I have lent him to the LORD; as long as 
       he lives, he is given to the LORD." She left him there for the LORD.

       (1 Sam 2:1 NRSV)  Hannah prayed and said, "My heart exults in the 
       LORD; my strength is exalted in my God. My mouth derides my enemies, 
       because I rejoice in my victory.

       (1 Sam 2:2 NRSV)  "There is no Holy One like the LORD, no one besides 
       you; there is no Rock like our God.

       (1 Sam 2:3 NRSV)  Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come 
       from your mouth; for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him 
       actions are weighed.

       (1 Sam 2:4 NRSV)  The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble 
       gird on strength.

       (1 Sam 2:5 NRSV)  Those who were full have hired themselves out for 
       bread, but those who were hungry are fat with spoil. The barren has 
       borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn.

       (1 Sam 2:6 NRSV)  The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to 
       Sheol and raises up.

       (1 Sam 2:7 NRSV)  The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, 
       he also exalts.

       (1 Sam 2:8 NRSV)  He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the 
       needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a 
       seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and on 
       them he has set the world.





       (1 Sam 2:9 NRSV)  "He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but 
       the wicked shall be cut off in darkness; for not by might does one 
       prevail.

       (1 Sam 2:10 NRSV)  The LORD! His adversaries shall be shattered; the 
       Most High will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the 
       earth; he will give strength to his king, and exalt the power of his 
       anointed."

       (1 Sam 2:11 NRSV)  Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, while the boy 
       remained to minister to the LORD, in the presence of the priest Eli.

       (1 Sam 2:12 NRSV)  Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels; they had no 
       regard for the LORD

       (1 Sam 2:13 NRSV)  or for the duties of the priests to the people. 
       When anyone offered sacrifice, the priest's servant would come, while 
       the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand,

       (1 Sam 2:14 NRSV)  and he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or 
       caldron, or pot; all that the fork brought up the priest would take 
       for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who 
       came there.

       (1 Sam 2:15 NRSV)  Moreover, before the fat was burned, the priest's 
       servant would come and say to the one who was sacrificing, "Give meat 
       for the priest to roast; for he will not accept boiled meat from you, 
       but only raw."

       (1 Sam 2:16 NRSV)  And if the man said to him, "Let them burn the fat 
       first, and then take whatever you wish," he would say, "No, you must 
       give it now; if not, I will take it by force."

       (1 Sam 2:17 NRSV)  Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the 
       sight of the LORD; for they treated the offerings of the LORD with 
       contempt.

       (1 Sam 2:18 NRSV)  Samuel was ministering before the LORD, a boy 
       wearing a linen ephod.

       (1 Sam 2:19 NRSV)  His mother used to make for him a little robe and 
       take it to him each year, when she went up with her husband to offer 
       the yearly sacrifice.

       (1 Sam 2:20 NRSV)  Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, 
       "May the LORD repay you with children by this woman for the gift that 
       she made to the LORD"; and then they would return to their home.

       (1 Sam 2:21 NRSV)  And the LORD took note of Hannah; she conceived and 
       bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew up in the 
       presence of the LORD.

       (1 Sam 2:22 NRSV)  Now Eli was very old. He heard all that his sons 
       were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who served 
       at the entrance to the tent of meeting.





       (1 Sam 2:23 NRSV)  He said to them, "Why do you do such things? For I 
       hear of your evil dealings from all these people.

       (1 Sam 2:24 NRSV)  No, my sons; it is not a good report that I hear 
       the people of the LORD spreading abroad.

       (1 Sam 2:25 NRSV)  If one person sins against another, someone can 
       intercede for the sinner with the LORD; but if someone sins against 
       the LORD, who can make intercession?" But they would not listen to the 
       voice of their father; for it was the will of the LORD to kill them.

       (1 Sam 2:26 NRSV)  Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in 
       stature and in favor with the LORD and with the people.

       (1 Sam 2:27 NRSV)  A man of God came to Eli and said to him, "Thus the 
       LORD has said, 'I revealed myself to the family of your ancestor in 
       Egypt when they were slaves to the house of Pharaoh.

       (1 Sam 2:28 NRSV)  I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be 
       my priest, to go up to my altar, to offer incense, to wear an ephod 
       before me; and I gave to the family of your ancestor all my offerings 
       by fire from the people of Israel.

       (1 Sam 2:29 NRSV)  Why then look with greedy eye at my sacrifices and 
       my offerings that I commanded, and honor your sons more than me by 
       fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my 
       people Israel?'

       (1 Sam 2:30 NRSV)  Therefore the LORD the God of Israel declares: 'I 
       promised that your family and the family of your ancestor should go in 
       and out before me forever'; but now the LORD declares: 'Far be it from 
       me; for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me 
       shall be treated with contempt.

       (1 Sam 2:31 NRSV)  See, a time is coming when I will cut off your 
       strength and the strength of your ancestor's family, so that no one in 
       your family will live to old age.

       (1 Sam 2:32 NRSV)  Then in distress you will look with greedy eye on 
       all the prosperity that shall be bestowed upon Israel; and no one in 
       your family shall ever live to old age.

       (1 Sam 2:33 NRSV)  The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from 
       my altar shall be spared to weep out his eyes and grieve his heart; 
       all the members of your household shall die by the sword.

       (1 Sam 2:34 NRSV)  The fate of your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, 
       shall be the sign to you--both of them shall die on the same day.

       (1 Sam 2:35 NRSV)  I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who 
       shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. I will build 
       him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed one 
       forever.

       (1 Sam 2:36 NRSV)  Everyone who is left in your family shall come to 
       implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread, and shall say, 





       Please put me in one of the priest's places, that I may eat a morsel 
       of bread.'"

       (1 Sam 3:1 NRSV)  Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD under 
       Eli. The word of the LORD was rare in those days; visions were not 
       widespread.

       (1 Sam 3:2 NRSV)  At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow 
       dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room;

       (1 Sam 3:3 NRSV)  the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was 
       lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.

       (1 Sam 3:4 NRSV)  Then the LORD called, "Samuel! Samuel!" and he said, 
       "Here I am!"

       (1 Sam 3:5 NRSV)  and ran to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called 
       me." But he said, "I did not call; lie down again." So he went and lay 
       down.

       (1 Sam 3:6 NRSV)  The LORD called again, "Samuel!" Samuel got up and 
       went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I 
       did not call, my son; lie down again."

       (1 Sam 3:7 NRSV)  Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word 
       of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.

       (1 Sam 3:8 NRSV)  The LORD called Samuel again, a third time. And he 
       got up and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then 
       Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy.

       (1 Sam 3:9 NRSV)  Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and if 
       he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is 
       listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

       (1 Sam 3:10 NRSV)  Now the LORD came and stood there, calling as 
       before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is 
       listening."

       (1 Sam 3:11 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Samuel, "See, I am about to 
       do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of 
       it tingle.

       (1 Sam 3:12 NRSV)  On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I 
       have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.

       (1 Sam 3:13 NRSV)  For I have told him that I am about to punish his 
       house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were 
       blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.

       (1 Sam 3:14 NRSV)  Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the 
       iniquity of Eli's house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering 
       forever."

       (1 Sam 3:15 NRSV)  Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the 
       doors of the house of the LORD. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision 





       to Eli.

       (1 Sam 3:16 NRSV)  But Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son." 
       He said, "Here I am."

       (1 Sam 3:17 NRSV)  Eli said, "What was it that he told you? Do not 
       hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide 
       anything from me of all that he told you."

       (1 Sam 3:18 NRSV)  So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from 
       him. Then he said, "It is the LORD; let him do what seems good to 
       him."

       (1 Sam 3:19 NRSV)  As Samuel grew up, the LORD was with him and let 
       none of his words fall to the ground.

       (1 Sam 3:20 NRSV)  And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that 
       Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the LORD.

       (1 Sam 3:21 NRSV)  The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, for the 
       LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD.

       (1 Sam 4:1 NRSV)  And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. In those 
       days the Philistines mustered for war against Israel, and Israel went 
       out to battle against them; they encamped at Ebenezer, and the 
       Philistines encamped at Aphek.

       (1 Sam 4:2 NRSV)  The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and 
       when the battle was joined, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, 
       who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle.

       (1 Sam 4:3 NRSV)  When the troops came to the camp, the elders of 
       Israel said, "Why has the LORD put us to rout today before the 
       Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD here 
       from Shiloh, so that he may come among us and save us from the power 
       of our enemies."

       (1 Sam 4:4 NRSV)  So the people sent to Shiloh, and brought from there 
       the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who is enthroned on the 
       cherubim. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with 
       the ark of the covenant of God.

       (1 Sam 4:5 NRSV)  When the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into 
       the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded.

       (1 Sam 4:6 NRSV)  When the Philistines heard the noise of the 
       shouting, they said, "What does this great shouting in the camp of the 
       Hebrews mean?" When they learned that the ark of the LORD had come to 
       the camp,

       (1 Sam 4:7 NRSV)  the Philistines were afraid; for they said, "Gods 
       have come into the camp." They also said, "Woe to us! For nothing like 
       this has happened before.

       (1 Sam 4:8 NRSV)  Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of 
       these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with 





       every sort of plague in the wilderness.

       (1 Sam 4:9 NRSV)  Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, in order 
       not to become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men 
       and fight."

       (1 Sam 4:10 NRSV)  So the Philistines fought; Israel was defeated, and 
       they fled, everyone to his home. There was a very great slaughter, for 
       there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers.

       (1 Sam 4:11 NRSV)  The ark of God was captured; and the two sons of 
       Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

       (1 Sam 4:12 NRSV)  A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line, and 
       came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn and with earth upon 
       his head.

       (1 Sam 4:13 NRSV)  When he arrived, Eli was sitting upon his seat by 
       the road watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. When the 
       man came into the city and told the news, all the city cried out.

       (1 Sam 4:14 NRSV)  When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, 
       "What is this uproar?" Then the man came quickly and told Eli.

       (1 Sam 4:15 NRSV)  Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes 
       were set, so that he could not see.

       (1 Sam 4:16 NRSV)  The man said to Eli, "I have just come from the 
       battle; I fled from the battle today." He said, "How did it go, my 
       son?"

       (1 Sam 4:17 NRSV)  The messenger replied, "Israel has fled before the 
       Philistines, and there has also been a great slaughter among the 
       troops; your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark 
       of God has been captured."

       (1 Sam 4:18 NRSV)  When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over 
       backward from his seat by the side of the gate; and his neck was 
       broken and he died, for he was an old man, and heavy. He had judged 
       Israel forty years.

       (1 Sam 4:19 NRSV)  Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was 
       pregnant, about to give birth. When she heard the news that the ark of 
       God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were 
       dead, she bowed and gave birth; for her labor pains overwhelmed her.

       (1 Sam 4:20 NRSV)  As she was about to die, the women attending her 
       said to her, "Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son." But she did 
       not answer or give heed.

       (1 Sam 4:21 NRSV)  She named the child Ichabod, meaning, "The glory 
       has departed from Israel," because the ark of God had been captured 
       and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

       (1 Sam 4:22 NRSV)  She said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for 
       the ark of God has been captured."






       (1 Sam 5:1 NRSV)  When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they 
       brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod;

       (1 Sam 5:2 NRSV)  then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought 
       it into the house of Dagon and placed it beside Dagon.

       (1 Sam 5:3 NRSV)  When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, 
       there was Dagon, fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of 
       the LORD. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place.

       (1 Sam 5:4 NRSV)  But when they rose early on the next morning, Dagon 
       had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD, and 
       the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off upon the 
       threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.

       (1 Sam 5:5 NRSV)  This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter 
       the house of Dagon do not step on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to 
       this day.

       (1 Sam 5:6 NRSV)  The hand of the LORD was heavy upon the people of 
       Ashdod, and he terrified and struck them with tumors, both in Ashdod 
       and in its territory.

       (1 Sam 5:7 NRSV)  And when the inhabitants of Ashdod saw how things 
       were, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with 
       us; for his hand is heavy on us and on our god Dagon."

       (1 Sam 5:8 NRSV)  So they sent and gathered together all the lords of 
       the Philistines, and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the God 
       of Israel?" The inhabitants of Gath replied, "Let the ark of God be 
       moved on to us." So they moved the ark of the God of Israel to Gath.

       (1 Sam 5:9 NRSV)  But after they had brought it to Gath, the hand of 
       the LORD was against the city, causing a very great panic; he struck 
       the inhabitants of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke 
       out on them.

       (1 Sam 5:10 NRSV)  So they sent the ark of the God of Israel to Ekron. 
       But when the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, 
       "Why have they brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to 
       kill us and our people?"

       (1 Sam 5:11 NRSV)  They sent therefore and gathered together all the 
       lords of the Philistines, and said, "Send away the ark of the God of 
       Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us 
       and our people." For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole 
       city. The hand of God was very heavy there;

       (1 Sam 5:12 NRSV)  those who did not die were stricken with tumors, 
       and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

       (1 Sam 6:1 NRSV)  The ark of the LORD was in the country of the 
       Philistines seven months.

       (1 Sam 6:2 NRSV)  Then the Philistines called for the priests and the 





       diviners and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us 
       what we should send with it to its place."

       (1 Sam 6:3 NRSV)  They said, "If you send away the ark of the God of 
       Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt 
       offering. Then you will be healed and will be ransomed; will not his 
       hand then turn from you?"

       (1 Sam 6:4 NRSV)  And they said, "What is the guilt offering that we 
       shall return to him?" They answered, "Five gold tumors and five gold 
       mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines; for the 
       same plague was upon all of you and upon your lords.

       (1 Sam 6:5 NRSV)  So you must make images of your tumors and images of 
       your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel; 
       perhaps he will lighten his hand on you and your gods and your land.

       (1 Sam 6:6 NRSV)  Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians 
       and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had made fools of them, 
       did they not let the people go, and they departed?

       (1 Sam 6:7 NRSV)  Now then, get ready a new cart and two milch cows 
       that have never borne a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take 
       their calves home, away from them.

       (1 Sam 6:8 NRSV)  Take the ark of the LORD and place it on the cart, 
       and put in a box at its side the figures of gold, which you are 
       returning to him as a guilt offering. Then send it off, and let it go 
       its way.

       (1 Sam 6:9 NRSV)  And watch; if it goes up on the way to its own land, 
       to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm; but if 
       not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it 
       happened to us by chance."

       (1 Sam 6:10 NRSV)  The men did so; they took two milch cows and yoked 
       them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.

       (1 Sam 6:11 NRSV)  They put the ark of the LORD on the cart, and the 
       box with the gold mice and the images of their tumors.

       (1 Sam 6:12 NRSV)  The cows went straight in the direction of 
       Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went; they turned 
       neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines 
       went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh.

       (1 Sam 6:13 NRSV)  Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their 
       wheat harvest in the valley. When they looked up and saw the ark, they 
       went with rejoicing to meet it.

       (1 Sam 6:14 NRSV)  The cart came into the field of Joshua of 
       Beth-shemesh, and stopped there. A large stone was there; so they 
       split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering 
       to the LORD.

       (1 Sam 6:15 NRSV)  The Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the 





       box that was beside it, in which were the gold objects, and set them 
       upon the large stone. Then the people of Beth-shemesh offered burnt 
       offerings and presented sacrifices on that day to the LORD.

       (1 Sam 6:16 NRSV)  When the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they 
       returned that day to Ekron.

       (1 Sam 6:17 NRSV)  These are the gold tumors, which the Philistines 
       returned as a guilt offering to the LORD: one for Ashdod, one for 
       Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron;

       (1 Sam 6:18 NRSV)  also the gold mice, according to the number of all 
       the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both 
       fortified cities and unwalled villages. The great stone, beside which 
       they set down the ark of the LORD, is a witness to this day in the 
       field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.

       (1 Sam 6:19 NRSV)  The descendants of Jeconiah did not rejoice with 
       the people of Beth-shemesh when they greeted the ark of the LORD; and 
       he killed seventy men of them. The people mourned because the LORD had 
       made a great slaughter among the people.

       (1 Sam 6:20 NRSV)  Then the people of Beth-shemesh said, "Who is able 
       to stand before the LORD, this holy God? To whom shall he go so that 
       we may be rid of him?"

       (1 Sam 6:21 NRSV)  So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of 
       Kiriath-jearim, saying, "The Philistines have returned the ark of the 
       LORD. Come down and take it up to you."

       (1 Sam 7:1 NRSV)  And the people of Kiriath-jearim came and took up 
       the ark of the LORD, and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the 
       hill. They consecrated his son, Eleazar, to have charge of the ark of 
       the LORD.

       (1 Sam 7:2 NRSV)  From the day that the ark was lodged at 
       Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the 
       house of Israel lamented after the LORD.

       (1 Sam 7:3 NRSV)  Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, "If you 
       are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the 
       foreign gods and the Astartes from among you. Direct your heart to the 
       LORD, and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of 
       the Philistines."

       (1 Sam 7:4 NRSV)  So Israel put away the Baals and the Astartes, and 
       they served the LORD only.

       (1 Sam 7:5 NRSV)  Then Samuel said, "Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and 
       I will pray to the LORD for you."

       (1 Sam 7:6 NRSV)  So they gathered at Mizpah, and drew water and 
       poured it out before the LORD. They fasted that day, and said, "We 
       have sinned against the LORD." And Samuel judged the people of Israel 
       at Mizpah.





       (1 Sam 7:7 NRSV)  When the Philistines heard that the people of Israel 
       had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against 
       Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it they were afraid of 
       the Philistines.

       (1 Sam 7:8 NRSV)  The people of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease 
       to cry out to the LORD our God for us, and pray that he may save us 
       from the hand of the Philistines."

       (1 Sam 7:9 NRSV)  So Samuel took a sucking lamb and offered it as a 
       whole burnt offering to the LORD; Samuel cried out to the LORD for 
       Israel, and the LORD answered him.

       (1 Sam 7:10 NRSV)  As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the 
       Philistines drew near to attack Israel; but the LORD thundered with a 
       mighty voice that day against the Philistines and threw them into 
       confusion; and they were routed before Israel.

       (1 Sam 7:11 NRSV)  And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and 
       pursued the Philistines, and struck them down as far as beyond 
       Beth-car.

       (1 Sam 7:12 NRSV)  Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between 
       Mizpah and Jeshanah, and named it Ebenezer; for he said, "Thus far the 
       LORD has helped us."

       (1 Sam 7:13 NRSV)  So the Philistines were subdued and did not again 
       enter the territory of Israel; the hand of the LORD was against the 
       Philistines all the days of Samuel.

       (1 Sam 7:14 NRSV)  The towns that the Philistines had taken from 
       Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath; and Israel 
       recovered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was 
       peace also between Israel and the Amorites.

       (1 Sam 7:15 NRSV)  Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

       (1 Sam 7:16 NRSV)  He went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, 
       Gilgal, and Mizpah; and he judged Israel in all these places.

       (1 Sam 7:17 NRSV)  Then he would come back to Ramah, for his home was 
       there; he administered justice there to Israel, and built there an 
       altar to the LORD.

       (1 Sam 8:1 NRSV)  When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over 
       Israel.

       (1 Sam 8:2 NRSV)  The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name 
       of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beer-sheba.

       (1 Sam 8:3 NRSV)  Yet his sons did not follow in his ways, but turned 
       aside after gain; they took bribes and perverted justice.

       (1 Sam 8:4 NRSV)  Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and 
       came to Samuel at Ramah,





       (1 Sam 8:5 NRSV)  and said to him, "You are old and your sons do not 
       follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like 
       other nations."

       (1 Sam 8:6 NRSV)  But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, 
       "Give us a king to govern us." Samuel prayed to the LORD,

       (1 Sam 8:7 NRSV)  and the LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of 
       the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected 
       you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.

       (1 Sam 8:8 NRSV)  Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought 
       them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, 
       so also they are doing to you.

       (1 Sam 8:9 NRSV)  Now then, listen to their voice; only--you shall 
       solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign 
       over them."

       (1 Sam 8:10 NRSV)  So Samuel reported all the words of the LORD to the 
       people who were asking him for a king.

       (1 Sam 8:11 NRSV)  He said, "These will be the ways of the king who 
       will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his 
       chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots;

       (1 Sam 8:12 NRSV)  and he will appoint for himself commanders of 
       thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and 
       to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the 
       equipment of his chariots.

       (1 Sam 8:13 NRSV)  He will take your daughters to be perfumers and 
       cooks and bakers.

       (1 Sam 8:14 NRSV)  He will take the best of your fields and vineyards 
       and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers.

       (1 Sam 8:15 NRSV)  He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your 
       vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers.

       (1 Sam 8:16 NRSV)  He will take your male and female slaves, and the 
       best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work.

       (1 Sam 8:17 NRSV)  He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you 
       shall be his slaves.

       (1 Sam 8:18 NRSV)  And in that day you will cry out because of your 
       king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the LORD will not 
       answer you in that day."

       (1 Sam 8:19 NRSV)  But the people refused to listen to the voice of 
       Samuel; they said, "No! but we are determined to have a king over us,

       (1 Sam 8:20 NRSV)  so that we also may be like other nations, and that 
       our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles."





       (1 Sam 8:21 NRSV)  When Samuel had heard all the words of the people, 
       he repeated them in the ears of the LORD.

       (1 Sam 8:22 NRSV)  The LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to their voice and 
       set a king over them." Samuel then said to the people of Israel, "Each 
       of you return home."

       (1 Sam 9:1 NRSV)  There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish son 
       of Abiel son of Zeror son of Becorath son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a 
       man of wealth.

       (1 Sam 9:2 NRSV)  He had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young 
       man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than 
       he; he stood head and shoulders above everyone else.

       (1 Sam 9:3 NRSV)  Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, had strayed. 
       So Kish said to his son Saul, "Take one of the boys with you; go and 
       look for the donkeys."

       (1 Sam 9:4 NRSV)  He passed through the hill country of Ephraim and 
       passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. And 
       they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then 
       he passed through the land of Benjamin, but they did not find them.

       (1 Sam 9:5 NRSV)  When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to the 
       boy who was with him, "Let us turn back, or my father will stop 
       worrying about the donkeys and worry about us."

       (1 Sam 9:6 NRSV)  But he said to him, "There is a man of God in this 
       town; he is a man held in honor. Whatever he says always comes true. 
       Let us go there now; perhaps he will tell us about the journey on 
       which we have set out."

       (1 Sam 9:7 NRSV)  Then Saul replied to the boy, "But if we go, what 
       can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is 
       no present to bring to the man of God. What have we?"

       (1 Sam 9:8 NRSV)  The boy answered Saul again, "Here, I have with me a 
       quarter shekel of silver; I will give it to the man of God, to tell us 
       our way."

       (1 Sam 9:9 NRSV)  (Formerly in Israel, anyone who went to inquire of 
       God would say, "Come, let us go to the seer"; for the one who is now 
       called a prophet was formerly called a seer.)

       (1 Sam 9:10 NRSV)  Saul said to the boy, "Good; come, let us go." So 
       they went to the town where the man of God was.

       (1 Sam 9:11 NRSV)  As they went up the hill to the town, they met some 
       girls coming out to draw water, and said to them, "Is the seer here?"

       (1 Sam 9:12 NRSV)  They answered, "Yes, there he is just ahead of you. 
       Hurry; he has come just now to the town, because the people have a 
       sacrifice today at the shrine.

       (1 Sam 9:13 NRSV)  As soon as you enter the town, you will find him, 





       before he goes up to the shrine to eat. For the people will not eat 
       until he comes, since he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those eat 
       who are invited. Now go up, for you will meet him immediately."

       (1 Sam 9:14 NRSV)  So they went up to the town. As they were entering 
       the town, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the 
       shrine.

       (1 Sam 9:15 NRSV)  Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed 
       to Samuel:

       (1 Sam 9:16 NRSV)  "Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man 
       from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be ruler over 
       my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the 
       Philistines; for I have seen the suffering of my people, because their 
       outcry has come to me."

       (1 Sam 9:17 NRSV)  When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD told him, "Here is 
       the man of whom I spoke to you. He it is who shall rule over my 
       people."

       (1 Sam 9:18 NRSV)  Then Saul approached Samuel inside the gate, and 
       said, "Tell me, please, where is the house of the seer?"

       (1 Sam 9:19 NRSV)  Samuel answered Saul, "I am the seer; go up before 
       me to the shrine, for today you shall eat with me, and in the morning 
       I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind.

       (1 Sam 9:20 NRSV)  As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, 
       give no further thought to them, for they have been found. And on whom 
       is all Israel's desire fixed, if not on you and on all your ancestral 
       house?"

       (1 Sam 9:21 NRSV)  Saul answered, "I am only a Benjaminite, from the 
       least of the tribes of Israel, and my family is the humblest of all 
       the families of the tribe of Benjamin. Why then have you spoken to me 
       in this way?"

       (1 Sam 9:22 NRSV)  Then Samuel took Saul and his servant-boy and 
       brought them into the hall, and gave them a place at the head of those 
       who had been invited, of whom there were about thirty.

       (1 Sam 9:23 NRSV)  And Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the portion I 
       gave you, the one I asked you to put aside."

       (1 Sam 9:24 NRSV)  The cook took up the thigh and what went with it 
       and set them before Saul. Samuel said, "See, what was kept is set 
       before you. Eat; for it is set before you at the appointed time, so 
       that you might eat with the guests." So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

       (1 Sam 9:25 NRSV)  When they came down from the shrine into the town, 
       a bed was spread for Saul on the roof, and he lay down to sleep.

       (1 Sam 9:26 NRSV)  Then at the break of dawn Samuel called to Saul 
       upon the roof, "Get up, so that I may send you on your way." Saul got 
       up, and both he and Samuel went out into the street.






       (1 Sam 9:27 NRSV)  As they were going down to the outskirts of the 
       town, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the boy to go on before us, and when 
       he has passed on, stop here yourself for a while, that I may make 
       known to you the word of God."

       (1 Sam 10:1 NRSV)  Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on his 
       head, and kissed him; he said, "The LORD has anointed you ruler over 
       his people Israel. You shall reign over the people of the LORD and you 
       will save them from the hand of their enemies all around. Now this 
       shall be the sign to you that the LORD has anointed you ruler over his 
       heritage:

       (1 Sam 10:2 NRSV)  When you depart from me today you will meet two men 
       by Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; they will say 
       to you, 'The donkeys that you went to seek are found, and now your 
       father has stopped worrying about them and is worrying about you, 
       saying: What shall I do about my son?'

       (1 Sam 10:3 NRSV)  Then you shall go on from there further and come to 
       the oak of Tabor; three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you 
       there, one carrying three kids, another carrying three loaves of 
       bread, and another carrying a skin of wine.

       (1 Sam 10:4 NRSV)  They will greet you and give you two loaves of 
       bread, which you shall accept from them.

       (1 Sam 10:5 NRSV)  After that you shall come to Gibeath-elohim, at the 
       place where the Philistine garrison is; there, as you come to the 
       town, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the shrine 
       with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre playing in front of them; they 
       will be in a prophetic frenzy.

       (1 Sam 10:6 NRSV)  Then the spirit of the LORD will possess you, and 
       you will be in a prophetic frenzy along with them and be turned into a 
       different person.

       (1 Sam 10:7 NRSV)  Now when these signs meet you, do whatever you see 
       fit to do, for God is with you.

       (1 Sam 10:8 NRSV)  And you shall go down to Gilgal ahead of me; then I 
       will come down to you to present burnt offerings and offer sacrifices 
       of well-being. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show 
       you what you shall do."

       (1 Sam 10:9 NRSV)  As he turned away to leave Samuel, God gave him 
       another heart; and all these signs were fulfilled that day.

       (1 Sam 10:10 NRSV)  When they were going from there to Gibeah, a band 
       of prophets met him; and the spirit of God possessed him, and he fell 
       into a prophetic frenzy along with them.

       (1 Sam 10:11 NRSV)  When all who knew him before saw how he prophesied 
       with the prophets, the people said to one another, "What has come over 
       the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?"





       (1 Sam 10:12 NRSV)  A man of the place answered, "And who is their 
       father?" Therefore it became a proverb, "Is Saul also among the 
       prophets?"

       (1 Sam 10:13 NRSV)  When his prophetic frenzy had ended, he went home.

       (1 Sam 10:14 NRSV)  Saul's uncle said to him and to the boy, "Where 
       did you go?" And he replied, "To seek the donkeys; and when we saw 
       they were not to be found, we went to Samuel."

       (1 Sam 10:15 NRSV)  Saul's uncle said, "Tell me what Samuel said to 
       you."

       (1 Sam 10:16 NRSV)  Saul said to his uncle, "He told us that the 
       donkeys had been found." But about the matter of the kingship, of 
       which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him anything.

       (1 Sam 10:17 NRSV)  Samuel summoned the people to the LORD at Mizpah

       (1 Sam 10:18 NRSV)  and said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of 
       Israel, 'I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the 
       hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were 
       oppressing you.'

       (1 Sam 10:19 NRSV)  But today you have rejected your God, who saves 
       you from all your calamities and your distresses; and you have said, 
       'No! but set a king over us.' Now therefore present yourselves before 
       the LORD by your tribes and by your clans."

       (1 Sam 10:20 NRSV)  Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, 
       and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot.

       (1 Sam 10:21 NRSV)  He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its 
       families, and the family of the Matrites was taken by lot. Finally he 
       brought the family of the Matrites near man by man, and Saul the son 
       of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be 
       found.

       (1 Sam 10:22 NRSV)  So they inquired again of the LORD, "Did the man 
       come here?" and the LORD said, "See, he has hidden himself among the 
       baggage."

       (1 Sam 10:23 NRSV)  Then they ran and brought him from there. When he 
       took his stand among the people, he was head and shoulders taller than 
       any of them.

       (1 Sam 10:24 NRSV)  Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see the one 
       whom the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the 
       people." And all the people shouted, "Long live the king!"

       (1 Sam 10:25 NRSV)  Samuel told the people the rights and duties of 
       the kingship; and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the 
       LORD. Then Samuel sent all the people back to their homes.

       (1 Sam 10:26 NRSV)  Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him 
       went warriors whose hearts God had touched.






       (1 Sam 10:27 NRSV)  But some worthless fellows said, "How can this man 
       save us?" They despised him and brought him no present. But he held 
       his peace. Now Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been grievously 
       oppressing the Gadites and the Reubenites. He would gouge out the 
       right eye of each of them and would not grant Israel a deliverer. No 
       one was left of the Israelites across the Jordan whose right eye 
       Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had not gouged out. But there were 
       seven thousand men who had escaped from the Ammonites and had entered 
       Jabesh-gilead.

       (1 Sam 11:1 NRSV)  About a month later, Nahash the Ammonite went up 
       and besieged Jabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, 
       "Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you."

       (1 Sam 11:2 NRSV)  But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, "On this 
       condition I will make a treaty with you, namely that I gouge out 
       everyone's right eye, and thus put disgrace upon all Israel."

       (1 Sam 11:3 NRSV)  The elders of Jabesh said to him, "Give us seven 
       days' respite that we may send messengers through all the territory of 
       Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will give ourselves up 
       to you."

       (1 Sam 11:4 NRSV)  When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, they 
       reported the matter in the hearing of the people; and all the people 
       wept aloud.

       (1 Sam 11:5 NRSV)  Now Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen; 
       and Saul said, "What is the matter with the people, that they are 
       weeping?" So they told him the message from the inhabitants of Jabesh.

       (1 Sam 11:6 NRSV)  And the spirit of God came upon Saul in power when 
       he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled.

       (1 Sam 11:7 NRSV)  He took a yoke of oxen, and cut them in pieces and 
       sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by messengers, 
       saying, "Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it 
       be done to his oxen!" Then the dread of the LORD fell upon the people, 
       and they came out as one.

       (1 Sam 11:8 NRSV)  When he mustered them at Bezek, those from Israel 
       were three hundred thousand, and those from Judah seventy thousand.

       (1 Sam 11:9 NRSV)  They said to the messengers who had come, "Thus 
       shall you say to the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead: 'Tomorrow, by the 
       time the sun is hot, you shall have deliverance.'" When the messengers 
       came and told the inhabitants of Jabesh, they rejoiced.

       (1 Sam 11:10 NRSV)  So the inhabitants of Jabesh said, "Tomorrow we 
       will give ourselves up to you, and you may do to us whatever seems 
       good to you."

       (1 Sam 11:11 NRSV)  The next day Saul put the people in three 
       companies. At the morning watch they came into the camp and cut down 
       the Ammonites until the heat of the day; and those who survived were 





       scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

       (1 Sam 11:12 NRSV)  The people said to Samuel, "Who is it that said, 
       'Shall Saul reign over us?' Give them to us so that we may put them to 
       death."

       (1 Sam 11:13 NRSV)  But Saul said, "No one shall be put to death this 
       day, for today the LORD has brought deliverance to Israel."

       (1 Sam 11:14 NRSV)  Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to 
       Gilgal and there renew the kingship."

       (1 Sam 11:15 NRSV)  So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they 
       made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they sacrificed 
       offerings of well-being before the LORD, and there Saul and all the 
       Israelites rejoiced greatly.

       (1 Sam 12:1 NRSV)  Samuel said to all Israel, "I have listened to you 
       in all that you have said to me, and have set a king over you.

       (1 Sam 12:2 NRSV)  See, it is the king who leads you now; I am old and 
       gray, but my sons are with you. I have led you from my youth until 
       this day.

       (1 Sam 12:3 NRSV)  Here I am; testify against me before the LORD and 
       before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I 
       taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose 
       hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? Testify against me 
       and I will restore it to you."

       (1 Sam 12:4 NRSV)  They said, "You have not defrauded us or oppressed 
       us or taken anything from the hand of anyone."

       (1 Sam 12:5 NRSV)  He said to them, "The LORD is witness against you, 
       and his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything 
       in my hand." And they said, "He is witness."

       (1 Sam 12:6 NRSV)  Samuel said to the people, "The LORD is witness, 
       who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors up out of the 
       land of Egypt.

       (1 Sam 12:7 NRSV)  Now therefore take your stand, so that I may enter 
       into judgment with you before the LORD, and I will declare to you all 
       the saving deeds of the LORD that he performed for you and for your 
       ancestors.

       (1 Sam 12:8 NRSV)  When Jacob went into Egypt and the Egyptians 
       oppressed them, then your ancestors cried to the LORD and the LORD 
       sent Moses and Aaron, who brought forth your ancestors out of Egypt, 
       and settled them in this place.

       (1 Sam 12:9 NRSV)  But they forgot the LORD their God; and he sold 
       them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of King Jabin of 
       Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the 
       king of Moab; and they fought against them.





       (1 Sam 12:10 NRSV)  Then they cried to the LORD, and said, 'We have 
       sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served the Baals 
       and the Astartes; but now rescue us out of the hand of our enemies, 
       and we will serve you.'

       (1 Sam 12:11 NRSV)  And the LORD sent Jerubbaal and Barak, and 
       Jephthah, and Samson, and rescued you out of the hand of your enemies 
       on every side; and you lived in safety.

       (1 Sam 12:12 NRSV)  But when you saw that King Nahash of the Ammonites 
       came against you, you said to me, 'No, but a king shall reign over 
       us,' though the LORD your God was your king.

       (1 Sam 12:13 NRSV)  See, here is the king whom you have chosen, for 
       whom you have asked; see, the LORD has set a king over you.

       (1 Sam 12:14 NRSV)  If you will fear the LORD and serve him and heed 
       his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, and if 
       both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your 
       God, it will be well;

       (1 Sam 12:15 NRSV)  but if you will not heed the voice of the LORD, 
       but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the 
       LORD will be against you and your king.

       (1 Sam 12:16 NRSV)  Now therefore take your stand and see this great 
       thing that the LORD will do before your eyes.

       (1 Sam 12:17 NRSV)  Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call 
       upon the LORD, that he may send thunder and rain; and you shall know 
       and see that the wickedness that you have done in the sight of the 
       LORD is great in demanding a king for yourselves."

       (1 Sam 12:18 NRSV)  So Samuel called upon the LORD, and the LORD sent 
       thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the LORD 
       and Samuel.

       (1 Sam 12:19 NRSV)  All the people said to Samuel, "Pray to the LORD 
       your God for your servants, so that we may not die; for we have added 
       to all our sins the evil of demanding a king for ourselves."

       (1 Sam 12:20 NRSV)  And Samuel said to the people, "Do not be afraid; 
       you have done all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the 
       LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;

       (1 Sam 12:21 NRSV)  and do not turn aside after useless things that 
       cannot profit or save, for they are useless.

       (1 Sam 12:22 NRSV)  For the LORD will not cast away his people, for 
       his great name's sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you a 
       people for himself.

       (1 Sam 12:23 NRSV)  Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I 
       should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you; and I will 
       instruct you in the good and the right way.





       (1 Sam 12:24 NRSV)  Only fear the LORD, and serve him faithfully with 
       all your heart; for consider what great things he has done for you.

       (1 Sam 12:25 NRSV)  But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept 
       away, both you and your king."

       (1 Sam 13:1 NRSV)  Saul was . . . years old when he began to reign; 
       and he reigned . . . and two years over Israel.

       (1 Sam 13:2 NRSV)  Saul chose three thousand out of Israel; two 
       thousand were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, 
       and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin; the rest of 
       the people he sent home to their tents.

       (1 Sam 13:3 NRSV)  Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines 
       that was at Geba; and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the 
       trumpet throughout all the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear!"

       (1 Sam 13:4 NRSV)  When all Israel heard that Saul had defeated the 
       garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become odious to 
       the Philistines, the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.

       (1 Sam 13:5 NRSV)  The Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, 
       thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and troops like 
       the sand on the seashore in multitude; they came up and encamped at 
       Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven.

       (1 Sam 13:6 NRSV)  When the Israelites saw that they were in distress 
       (for the troops were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves 
       and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns.

       (1 Sam 13:7 NRSV)  Some Hebrews crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad 
       and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him 
       trembling.

       (1 Sam 13:8 NRSV)  He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel; 
       but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people began to slip away 
       from Saul.

       (1 Sam 13:9 NRSV)  So Saul said, "Bring the burnt offering here to me, 
       and the offerings of well-being." And he offered the burnt offering.

       (1 Sam 13:10 NRSV)  As soon as he had finished offering the burnt 
       offering, Samuel arrived; and Saul went out to meet him and salute 
       him.

       (1 Sam 13:11 NRSV)  Samuel said, "What have you done?" Saul replied, 
       "When I saw that the people were slipping away from me, and that you 
       did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines were 
       mustering at Michmash,

       (1 Sam 13:12 NRSV)  I said, 'Now the Philistines will come down upon 
       me at Gilgal, and I have not entreated the favor of the LORD'; so I 
       forced myself, and offered the burnt offering."

       (1 Sam 13:13 NRSV)  Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly; you 





       have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which he commanded 
       you. The LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever,

       (1 Sam 13:14 NRSV)  but now your kingdom will not continue; the LORD 
       has sought out a man after his own heart; and the LORD has appointed 
       him to be ruler over his people, because you have not kept what the 
       LORD commanded you."

       (1 Sam 13:15 NRSV)  And Samuel left and went on his way from Gilgal. 
       The rest of the people followed Saul to join the army; they went up 
       from Gilgal toward Gibeah of Benjamin. Saul counted the people who 
       were present with him, about six hundred men.

       (1 Sam 13:16 NRSV)  Saul, his son Jonathan, and the people who were 
       present with them stayed in Geba of Benjamin; but the Philistines 
       encamped at Michmash.

       (1 Sam 13:17 NRSV)  And raiders came out of the camp of the 
       Philistines in three companies; one company turned toward Ophrah, to 
       the land of Shual,

       (1 Sam 13:18 NRSV)  another company turned toward Beth-horon, and 
       another company turned toward the mountain that looks down upon the 
       valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

       (1 Sam 13:19 NRSV)  Now there was no smith to be found throughout all 
       the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, "The Hebrews must not 
       make swords or spears for themselves";

       (1 Sam 13:20 NRSV)  so all the Israelites went down to the Philistines 
       to sharpen their plowshare, mattocks, axes, or sickles;

       (1 Sam 13:21 NRSV)  The charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the 
       plowshares and for the mattocks, and one-third of a shekel for 
       sharpening the axes and for setting the goads.

       (1 Sam 13:22 NRSV)  So on the day of the battle neither sword nor 
       spear was to be found in the possession of any of the people with Saul 
       and Jonathan; but Saul and his son Jonathan had them.

       (1 Sam 13:23 NRSV)  Now a garrison of the Philistines had gone out to 
       the pass of Michmash.

       (1 Sam 14:1 NRSV)  One day Jonathan son of Saul said to the young man 
       who carried his armor, "Come, let us go over to the Philistine 
       garrison on the other side." But he did not tell his father.

       (1 Sam 14:2 NRSV)  Saul was staying in the outskirts of Gibeah under 
       the pomegranate tree that is at Migron; the troops that were with him 
       were about six hundred men,

       (1 Sam 14:3 NRSV)  along with Ahijah son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, 
       son of Phinehas son of Eli, the priest of the LORD in Shiloh, carrying 
       an ephod. Now the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.

       (1 Sam 14:4 NRSV)  In the pass, by which Jonathan tried to go over to 





       the Philistine garrison, there was a rocky crag on one side and a 
       rocky crag on the other; the name of the one was Bozez, and the name 
       of the other Seneh.

       (1 Sam 14:5 NRSV)  One crag rose on the north in front of Michmash, 
       and the other on the south in front of Geba.

       (1 Sam 14:6 NRSV)  Jonathan said to the young man who carried his 
       armor, "Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; 
       it may be that the LORD will act for us; for nothing can hinder the 
       LORD from saving by many or by few."

       (1 Sam 14:7 NRSV)  His armor-bearer said to him, "Do all that your 
       mind inclines to. I am with you; as your mind is, so is mine."

       (1 Sam 14:8 NRSV)  Then Jonathan said, "Now we will cross over to 
       those men and will show ourselves to them.

       (1 Sam 14:9 NRSV)  If they say to us, 'Wait until we come to you,' 
       then we will stand still in our place, and we will not go up to them.

       (1 Sam 14:10 NRSV)  But if they say, 'Come up to us,' then we will go 
       up; for the LORD has given them into our hand. That will be the sign 
       for us."

       (1 Sam 14:11 NRSV)  So both of them showed themselves to the garrison 
       of the Philistines; and the Philistines said, "Look, Hebrews are 
       coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves."

       (1 Sam 14:12 NRSV)  The men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his 
       armor-bearer, saying, "Come up to us, and we will show you something." 
       Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, "Come up after me; for the LORD has 
       given them into the hand of Israel."

       (1 Sam 14:13 NRSV)  Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, 
       with his armor-bearer following after him. The Philistines fell before 
       Jonathan, and his armor-bearer, coming after him, killed them.

       (1 Sam 14:14 NRSV)  In that first slaughter Jonathan and his 
       armor-bearer killed about twenty men within an area about half a 
       furrow long in an acre of land.

       (1 Sam 14:15 NRSV)  There was a panic in the camp, in the field, and 
       among all the people; the garrison and even the raiders trembled; the 
       earth quaked; and it became a very great panic.

       (1 Sam 14:16 NRSV)  Saul's lookouts in Gibeah of Benjamin were 
       watching as the multitude was surging back and forth.

       (1 Sam 14:17 NRSV)  Then Saul said to the troops that were with him, 
       "Call the roll and see who has gone from us." When they had called the 
       roll, Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there.

       (1 Sam 14:18 NRSV)  Saul said to Ahijah, "Bring the ark of God here." 
       For at that time the ark of God went with the Israelites.





       (1 Sam 14:19 NRSV)  While Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult 
       in the camp of the Philistines increased more and more; and Saul said 
       to the priest, "Withdraw your hand."

       (1 Sam 14:20 NRSV)  Then Saul and all the people who were with him 
       rallied and went into the battle; and every sword was against the 
       other, so that there was very great confusion.

       (1 Sam 14:21 NRSV)  Now the Hebrews who previously had been with the 
       Philistines and had gone up with them into the camp turned and joined 
       the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.

       (1 Sam 14:22 NRSV)  Likewise, when all the Israelites who had gone 
       into hiding in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines 
       were fleeing, they too followed closely after them in the battle.

       (1 Sam 14:23 NRSV)  So the LORD gave Israel the victory that day. The 
       battle passed beyond Beth-aven, and the troops with Saul numbered 
       altogether about ten thousand men. The battle spread out over the hill 
       country of Ephraim.

       (1 Sam 14:24 NRSV)  Now Saul committed a very rash act on that day. He 
       had laid an oath on the troops, saying, "Cursed be anyone who eats 
       food before it is evening and I have been avenged on my enemies." So 
       none of the troops tasted food.

       (1 Sam 14:25 NRSV)  All the troops came upon a honeycomb; and there 
       was honey on the ground.

       (1 Sam 14:26 NRSV)  When the troops came upon the honeycomb, the honey 
       was dripping out; but they did not put their hands to their mouths, 
       for they feared the oath.

       (1 Sam 14:27 NRSV)  But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the 
       troops with the oath; so he extended the staff that was in his hand, 
       and dipped the tip of it in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his 
       mouth; and his eyes brightened.

       (1 Sam 14:28 NRSV)  Then one of the soldiers said, "Your father 
       strictly charged the troops with an oath, saying, 'Cursed be anyone 
       who eats food this day.' And so the troops are faint."

       (1 Sam 14:29 NRSV)  Then Jonathan said, "My father has troubled the 
       land; see how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of 
       this honey.

       (1 Sam 14:30 NRSV)  How much better if today the troops had eaten 
       freely of the spoil taken from their enemies; for now the slaughter 
       among the Philistines has not been great."

       (1 Sam 14:31 NRSV)  After they had struck down the Philistines that 
       day from Michmash to Aijalon, the troops were very faint;

       (1 Sam 14:32 NRSV)  so the troops flew upon the spoil, and took sheep 
       and oxen and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground; and the 
       troops ate them with the blood.






       (1 Sam 14:33 NRSV)  Then it was reported to Saul, "Look, the troops 
       are sinning against the LORD by eating with the blood." And he said, 
       "You have dealt treacherously; roll a large stone before me here."

       (1 Sam 14:34 NRSV)  Saul said, "Disperse yourselves among the troops, 
       and say to them, 'Let all bring their oxen or their sheep, and 
       slaughter them here, and eat; and do not sin against the LORD by 
       eating with the blood.'" So all of the troops brought their oxen with 
       them that night, and slaughtered them there.

       (1 Sam 14:35 NRSV)  And Saul built an altar to the LORD; it was the 
       first altar that he built to the LORD.

       (1 Sam 14:36 NRSV)  Then Saul said, "Let us go down after the 
       Philistines by night and despoil them until the morning light; let us 
       not leave one of them." They said, "Do whatever seems good to you." 
       But the priest said, "Let us draw near to God here."

       (1 Sam 14:37 NRSV)  So Saul inquired of God, "Shall I go down after 
       the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?" But he 
       did not answer him that day.

       (1 Sam 14:38 NRSV)  Saul said, "Come here, all you leaders of the 
       people; and let us find out how this sin has arisen today.

       (1 Sam 14:39 NRSV)  For as the LORD lives who saves Israel, even if it 
       is in my son Jonathan, he shall surely die!" But there was no one 
       among all the people who answered him.

       (1 Sam 14:40 NRSV)  He said to all Israel, "You shall be on one side, 
       and I and my son Jonathan will be on the other side." The people said 
       to Saul, "Do what seems good to you."

       (1 Sam 14:41 NRSV)  Then Saul said, "O LORD God of Israel, why have 
       you not answered your servant today? If this guilt is in me or in my 
       son Jonathan, O LORD God of Israel, give Urim; but if this guilt is in 
       your people Israel, give Thummim." And Jonathan and Saul were 
       indicated by the lot, but the people were cleared.

       (1 Sam 14:42 NRSV)  Then Saul said, "Cast the lot between me and my 
       son Jonathan." And Jonathan was taken.

       (1 Sam 14:43 NRSV)  Then Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have 
       done." Jonathan told him, "I tasted a little honey with the tip of the 
       staff that was in my hand; here I am, I will die."

       (1 Sam 14:44 NRSV)  Saul said, "God do so to me and more also; you 
       shall surely die, Jonathan!"

       (1 Sam 14:45 NRSV)  Then the people said to Saul, "Shall Jonathan die, 
       who has accomplished this great victory in Israel? Far from it! As the 
       LORD lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground; for he 
       has worked with God today." So the people ransomed Jonathan, and he 
       did not die.





       (1 Sam 14:46 NRSV)  Then Saul withdrew from pursuing the Philistines; 
       and the Philistines went to their own place.

       (1 Sam 14:47 NRSV)  When Saul had taken the kingship over Israel, he 
       fought against all his enemies on every side--against Moab, against 
       the Ammonites, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against 
       the Philistines; wherever he turned he routed them.

       (1 Sam 14:48 NRSV)  He did valiantly, and struck down the Amalekites, 
       and rescued Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them.

       (1 Sam 14:49 NRSV)  Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and 
       Malchishua; and the names of his two daughters were these: the name of 
       the firstborn was Merab, and the name of the younger, Michal.

       (1 Sam 14:50 NRSV)  The name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam daughter of 
       Ahimaaz. And the name of the commander of his army was Abner son of 
       Ner, Saul's uncle;

       (1 Sam 14:51 NRSV)  Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of 
       Abner was the son of Abiel.

       (1 Sam 14:52 NRSV)  There was hard fighting against the Philistines 
       all the days of Saul; and when Saul saw any strong or valiant warrior, 
       he took him into his service.

       (1 Sam 15:1 NRSV)  Samuel said to Saul, "The LORD sent me to anoint 
       you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of 
       the LORD.

       (1 Sam 15:2 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'I will punish the 
       Amalekites for what they did in opposing the Israelites when they came 
       up out of Egypt.

       (1 Sam 15:3 NRSV)  Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all 
       that they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child 
       and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'"

       (1 Sam 15:4 NRSV)  So Saul summoned the people, and numbered them in 
       Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers, and ten thousand soldiers 
       of Judah.

       (1 Sam 15:5 NRSV)  Saul came to the city of the Amalekites and lay in 
       wait in the valley.

       (1 Sam 15:6 NRSV)  Saul said to the Kenites, "Go! Leave! Withdraw from 
       among the Amalekites, or I will destroy you with them; for you showed 
       kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt." 
       So the Kenites withdrew from the Amalekites.

       (1 Sam 15:7 NRSV)  Saul defeated the Amalekites, from Havilah as far 
       as Shur, which is east of Egypt.

       (1 Sam 15:8 NRSV)  He took King Agag of the Amalekites alive, but 
       utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.





       (1 Sam 15:9 NRSV)  Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of 
       the sheep and of the cattle and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and 
       all that was valuable, and would not utterly destroy them; all that 
       was despised and worthless they utterly destroyed.

       (1 Sam 15:10 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to Samuel:

       (1 Sam 15:11 NRSV)  "I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned 
       back from following me, and has not carried out my commands." Samuel 
       was angry; and he cried out to the LORD all night.

       (1 Sam 15:12 NRSV)  Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, and 
       Samuel was told, "Saul went to Carmel, where he set up a monument for 
       himself, and on returning he passed on down to Gilgal."

       (1 Sam 15:13 NRSV)  When Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to him, "May 
       you be blessed by the LORD; I have carried out the command of the 
       LORD."

       (1 Sam 15:14 NRSV)  But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of 
       sheep in my ears, and the lowing of cattle that I hear?"

       (1 Sam 15:15 NRSV)  Saul said, "They have brought them from the 
       Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the 
       cattle, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; but the rest we have 
       utterly destroyed."

       (1 Sam 15:16 NRSV)  Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stop! I will tell you 
       what the LORD said to me last night." He replied, "Speak."

       (1 Sam 15:17 NRSV)  Samuel said, "Though you are little in your own 
       eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed 
       you king over Israel.

       (1 Sam 15:18 NRSV)  And the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go, 
       utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them 
       until they are consumed.'

       (1 Sam 15:19 NRSV)  Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? 
       Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do what was evil in the sight 
       of the LORD?"

       (1 Sam 15:20 NRSV)  Saul said to Samuel, "I have obeyed the voice of 
       the LORD, I have gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me, I have 
       brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have utterly destroyed the 
       Amalekites.

       (1 Sam 15:21 NRSV)  But from the spoil the people took sheep and 
       cattle, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to 
       the LORD your God in Gilgal."

       (1 Sam 15:22 NRSV)  And Samuel said, "Has the LORD as great delight in 
       burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? 
       Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of 
       rams.





       (1 Sam 15:23 NRSV)  For rebellion is no less a sin than divination, 
       and stubbornness is like iniquity and idolatry. Because you have 
       rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being 
       king."

       (1 Sam 15:24 NRSV)  Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned; for I have 
       transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I 
       feared the people and obeyed their voice.

       (1 Sam 15:25 NRSV)  Now therefore, I pray, pardon my sin, and return 
       with me, so that I may worship the LORD."

       (1 Sam 15:26 NRSV)  Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you; 
       for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected 
       you from being king over Israel."

       (1 Sam 15:27 NRSV)  As Samuel turned to go away, Saul caught hold of 
       the hem of his robe, and it tore.

       (1 Sam 15:28 NRSV)  And Samuel said to him, "The LORD has torn the 
       kingdom of Israel from you this very day, and has given it to a 
       neighbor of yours, who is better than you.

       (1 Sam 15:29 NRSV)  Moreover the Glory of Israel will not recant or 
       change his mind; for he is not a mortal, that he should change his 
       mind."

       (1 Sam 15:30 NRSV)  Then Saul said, "I have sinned; yet honor me now 
       before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, 
       so that I may worship the LORD your God."

       (1 Sam 15:31 NRSV)  So Samuel turned back after Saul; and Saul 
       worshiped the LORD.

       (1 Sam 15:32 NRSV)  Then Samuel said, "Bring Agag king of the 
       Amalekites here to me." And Agag came to him haltingly. Agag said, 
       "Surely this is the bitterness of death."

       (1 Sam 15:33 NRSV)  But Samuel said, "As your sword has made women 
       childless, so your mother shall be childless among women." And Samuel 
       hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.

       (1 Sam 15:34 NRSV)  Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his 
       house in Gibeah of Saul.

       (1 Sam 15:35 NRSV)  Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his 
       death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD was sorry that he 
       had made Saul king over Israel.

       (1 Sam 16:1 NRSV)  The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve 
       over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your 
       horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, 
       for I have provided for myself a king among his sons."

       (1 Sam 16:2 NRSV)  Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he 
       will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, 'I 





       have come to sacrifice to the LORD.'

       (1 Sam 16:3 NRSV)  Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you 
       what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to 
       you."

       (1 Sam 16:4 NRSV)  Samuel did what the LORD commanded, and came to 
       Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and 
       said, "Do you come peaceably?"

       (1 Sam 16:5 NRSV)  He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to 
       the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And 
       he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

       (1 Sam 16:6 NRSV)  When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, 
       "Surely the Lord's anointed is now before the LORD."

       (1 Sam 16:7 NRSV)  But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his 
       appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected 
       him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the 
       outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."

       (1 Sam 16:8 NRSV)  Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass 
       before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one."

       (1 Sam 16:9 NRSV)  Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, 
       "Neither has the LORD chosen this one."

       (1 Sam 16:10 NRSV)  Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, 
       and Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen any of these."

       (1 Sam 16:11 NRSV)  Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" 
       And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the 
       sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not 
       sit down until he comes here."

       (1 Sam 16:12 NRSV)  He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and 
       had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said, "Rise and anoint 
       him; for this is the one."

       (1 Sam 16:13 NRSV)  Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him 
       in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the LORD came 
       mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and 
       went to Ramah.

       (1 Sam 16:14 NRSV)  Now the spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and 
       an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.

       (1 Sam 16:15 NRSV)  And Saul's servants said to him, "See now, an evil 
       spirit from God is tormenting you.

       (1 Sam 16:16 NRSV)  Let our lord now command the servants who attend 
       you to look for someone who is skillful in playing the lyre; and when 
       the evil spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will 
       feel better."





       (1 Sam 16:17 NRSV)  So Saul said to his servants, "Provide for me 
       someone who can play well, and bring him to me."

       (1 Sam 16:18 NRSV)  One of the young men answered, "I have seen a son 
       of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, 
       a warrior, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence; and the LORD 
       is with him."

       (1 Sam 16:19 NRSV)  So Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, "Send 
       me your son David who is with the sheep."

       (1 Sam 16:20 NRSV)  Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of 
       wine, and a kid, and sent them by his son David to Saul.

       (1 Sam 16:21 NRSV)  And David came to Saul, and entered his service. 
       Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer.

       (1 Sam 16:22 NRSV)  Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Let David remain in 
       my service, for he has found favor in my sight."

       (1 Sam 16:23 NRSV)  And whenever the evil spirit from God came upon 
       Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand, and Saul would 
       be relieved and feel better, and the evil spirit would depart from 
       him.

       (1 Sam 17:1 NRSV)  Now the Philistines gathered their armies for 
       battle; they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and 
       encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim.

       (1 Sam 17:2 NRSV)  Saul and the Israelites gathered and encamped in 
       the valley of Elah, and formed ranks against the Philistines.

       (1 Sam 17:3 NRSV)  The Philistines stood on the mountain on the one 
       side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a 
       valley between them.

       (1 Sam 17:4 NRSV)  And there came out from the camp of the Philistines 
       a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a 
       span.

       (1 Sam 17:5 NRSV)  He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was 
       armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand 
       shekels of bronze.

       (1 Sam 17:6 NRSV)  He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin 
       of bronze slung between his shoulders.

       (1 Sam 17:7 NRSV)  The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, 
       and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his 
       shield-bearer went before him.

       (1 Sam 17:8 NRSV)  He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why 
       have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and 
       are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him 
       come down to me.





       (1 Sam 17:9 NRSV)  If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we 
       will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then 
       you shall be our servants and serve us."

       (1 Sam 17:10 NRSV)  And the Philistine said, "Today I defy the ranks 
       of Israel! Give me a man, that we may fight together."

       (1 Sam 17:11 NRSV)  When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the 
       Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

       (1 Sam 17:12 NRSV)  Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of 
       Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of 
       Saul the man was already old and advanced in years.

       (1 Sam 17:13 NRSV)  The three eldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul 
       to the battle; the names of his three sons who went to the battle were 
       Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

       (1 Sam 17:14 NRSV)  David was the youngest; the three eldest followed 
       Saul,

       (1 Sam 17:15 NRSV)  but David went back and forth from Saul to feed 
       his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

       (1 Sam 17:16 NRSV)  For forty days the Philistine came forward and 
       took his stand, morning and evening.

       (1 Sam 17:17 NRSV)  Jesse said to his son David, "Take for your 
       brothers an ephah of this parched grain and these ten loaves, and 
       carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers;

       (1 Sam 17:18 NRSV)  also take these ten cheeses to the commander of 
       their thousand. See how your brothers fare, and bring some token from 
       them."

       (1 Sam 17:19 NRSV)  Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, 
       were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.

       (1 Sam 17:20 NRSV)  David rose early in the morning, left the sheep 
       with a keeper, took the provisions, and went as Jesse had commanded 
       him. He came to the encampment as the army was going forth to the 
       battle line, shouting the war cry.

       (1 Sam 17:21 NRSV)  Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, 
       army against army.

       (1 Sam 17:22 NRSV)  David left the things in charge of the keeper of 
       the baggage, ran to the ranks, and went and greeted his brothers.

       (1 Sam 17:23 NRSV)  As he talked with them, the champion, the 
       Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the 
       Philistines, and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.

       (1 Sam 17:24 NRSV)  All the Israelites, when they saw the man, fled 
       from him and were very much afraid.





       (1 Sam 17:25 NRSV)  The Israelites said, "Have you seen this man who 
       has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. The king will 
       greatly enrich the man who kills him, and will give him his daughter 
       and make his family free in Israel."

       (1 Sam 17:26 NRSV)  David said to the men who stood by him, "What 
       shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away 
       the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine 
       that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

       (1 Sam 17:27 NRSV)  The people answered him in the same way, "So shall 
       it be done for the man who kills him."

       (1 Sam 17:28 NRSV)  His eldest brother Eliab heard him talking to the 
       men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David. He said, "Why have 
       you come down? With whom have you left those few sheep in the 
       wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart; for 
       you have come down just to see the battle."

       (1 Sam 17:29 NRSV)  David said, "What have I done now? It was only a 
       question."

       (1 Sam 17:30 NRSV)  He turned away from him toward another and spoke 
       in the same way; and the people answered him again as before.

       (1 Sam 17:31 NRSV)  When the words that David spoke were heard, they 
       repeated them before Saul; and he sent for him.

       (1 Sam 17:32 NRSV)  David said to Saul, "Let no one's heart fail 
       because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine."

       (1 Sam 17:33 NRSV)  Saul said to David, "You are not able to go 
       against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and 
       he has been a warrior from his youth."

       (1 Sam 17:34 NRSV)  But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep 
       sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a 
       lamb from the flock,

       (1 Sam 17:35 NRSV)  I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the 
       lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by 
       the jaw, strike it down, and kill it.

       (1 Sam 17:36 NRSV)  Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and 
       this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has 
       defied the armies of the living God."

       (1 Sam 17:37 NRSV)  David said, "The LORD, who saved me from the paw 
       of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand 
       of this Philistine." So Saul said to David, "Go, and may the LORD be 
       with you!"

       (1 Sam 17:38 NRSV)  Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze 
       helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail.

       (1 Sam 17:39 NRSV)  David strapped Saul's sword over the armor, and he 





       tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to 
       Saul, "I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them." So David 
       removed them.

       (1 Sam 17:40 NRSV)  Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five 
       smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd's bag, in 
       the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the 
       Philistine.

       (1 Sam 17:41 NRSV)  The Philistine came on and drew near to David, 
       with his shield-bearer in front of him.

       (1 Sam 17:42 NRSV)  When the Philistine looked and saw David, he 
       disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in 
       appearance.

       (1 Sam 17:43 NRSV)  The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that 
       you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his 
       gods.

       (1 Sam 17:44 NRSV)  The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I 
       will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals 
       of the field."

       (1 Sam 17:45 NRSV)  But David said to the Philistine, "You come to me 
       with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the 
       LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

       (1 Sam 17:46 NRSV)  This very day the LORD will deliver you into my 
       hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will 
       give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds 
       of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth 
       may know that there is a God in Israel,

       (1 Sam 17:47 NRSV)  and that all this assembly may know that the LORD 
       does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's and he 
       will give you into our hand."

       (1 Sam 17:48 NRSV)  When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, 
       David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.

       (1 Sam 17:49 NRSV)  David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, 
       slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank 
       into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.

       (1 Sam 17:50 NRSV)  So David prevailed over the Philistine with a 
       sling and a stone, striking down the Philistine and killing him; there 
       was no sword in David's hand.

       (1 Sam 17:51 NRSV)  Then David ran and stood over the Philistine; he 
       grasped his sword, drew it out of its sheath, and killed him; then he 
       cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion 
       was dead, they fled.

       (1 Sam 17:52 NRSV)  The troops of Israel and Judah rose up with a 
       shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of 





       Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim 
       as far as Gath and Ekron.

       (1 Sam 17:53 NRSV)  The Israelites came back from chasing the 
       Philistines, and they plundered their camp.

       (1 Sam 17:54 NRSV)  David took the head of the Philistine and brought 
       it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent.

       (1 Sam 17:55 NRSV)  When Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, 
       he said to Abner, the commander of the army, "Abner, whose son is this 
       young man?" Abner said, "As your soul lives, O king, I do not know."

       (1 Sam 17:56 NRSV)  The king said, "Inquire whose son the stripling 
       is."

       (1 Sam 17:57 NRSV)  On David's return from killing the Philistine, 
       Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the 
       Philistine in his hand.

       (1 Sam 17:58 NRSV)  Saul said to him, "Whose son are you, young man?" 
       And David answered, "I am the son of your servant Jesse the 
       Bethlehemite."

       (1 Sam 18:1 NRSV)  When David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul 
       of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as 
       his own soul.

       (1 Sam 18:2 NRSV)  Saul took him that day and would not let him return 
       to his father's house.

       (1 Sam 18:3 NRSV)  Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because 
       he loved him as his own soul.

       (1 Sam 18:4 NRSV)  Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that he was 
       wearing, and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and 
       his bow and his belt.

       (1 Sam 18:5 NRSV)  David went out and was successful wherever Saul 
       sent him; as a result, Saul set him over the army. And all the people, 
       even the servants of Saul, approved.

       (1 Sam 18:6 NRSV)  As they were coming home, when David returned from 
       killing the Philistine, the women came out of all the towns of Israel, 
       singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs 
       of joy, and with musical instruments.

       (1 Sam 18:7 NRSV)  And the women sang to one another as they made 
       merry, "Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands."

       (1 Sam 18:8 NRSV)  Saul was very angry, for this saying displeased 
       him. He said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me 
       they have ascribed thousands; what more can he have but the kingdom?"

       (1 Sam 18:9 NRSV)  So Saul eyed David from that day on.





       (1 Sam 18:10 NRSV)  The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon 
       Saul, and he raved within his house, while David was playing the lyre, 
       as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand;

       (1 Sam 18:11 NRSV)  and Saul threw the spear, for he thought, "I will 
       pin David to the wall." But David eluded him twice.

       (1 Sam 18:12 NRSV)  Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was 
       with him but had departed from Saul.

       (1 Sam 18:13 NRSV)  So Saul removed him from his presence, and made 
       him a commander of a thousand; and David marched out and came in, 
       leading the army.

       (1 Sam 18:14 NRSV)  David had success in all his undertakings; for the 
       LORD was with him.

       (1 Sam 18:15 NRSV)  When Saul saw that he had great success, he stood 
       in awe of him.

       (1 Sam 18:16 NRSV)  But all Israel and Judah loved David; for it was 
       he who marched out and came in leading them.

       (1 Sam 18:17 NRSV)  Then Saul said to David, "Here is my elder 
       daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife; only be valiant for 
       me and fight the Lord's battles." For Saul thought, "I will not raise 
       a hand against him; let the Philistines deal with him."

       (1 Sam 18:18 NRSV)  David said to Saul, "Who am I and who are my 
       kinsfolk, my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to 
       the king?"

       (1 Sam 18:19 NRSV)  But at the time when Saul's daughter Merab should 
       have been given to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a 
       wife.

       (1 Sam 18:20 NRSV)  Now Saul's daughter Michal loved David. Saul was 
       told, and the thing pleased him.

       (1 Sam 18:21 NRSV)  Saul thought, "Let me give her to him that she may 
       be a snare for him and that the hand of the Philistines may be against 
       him." Therefore Saul said to David a second time, "You shall now be my 
       son-in-law."

       (1 Sam 18:22 NRSV)  Saul commanded his servants, "Speak to David in 
       private and say, 'See, the king is delighted with you, and all his 
       servants love you; now then, become the king's son-in-law.'"

       (1 Sam 18:23 NRSV)  So Saul's servants reported these words to David 
       in private. And David said, "Does it seem to you a little thing to 
       become the king's son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man and of no 
       repute?"

       (1 Sam 18:24 NRSV)  The servants of Saul told him, "This is what David 
       said."





       (1 Sam 18:25 NRSV)  Then Saul said, "Thus shall you say to David, 'The 
       king desires no marriage present except a hundred foreskins of the 
       Philistines, that he may be avenged on the king's enemies.'" Now Saul 
       planned to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.

       (1 Sam 18:26 NRSV)  When his servants told David these words, David 
       was well pleased to be the king's son-in-law. Before the time had 
       expired,

       (1 Sam 18:27 NRSV)  David rose and went, along with his men, and 
       killed one hundred of the Philistines; and David brought their 
       foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might 
       become the king's son-in-law. Saul gave him his daughter Michal as a 
       wife.

       (1 Sam 18:28 NRSV)  But when Saul realized that the LORD was with 
       David, and that Saul's daughter Michal loved him,

       (1 Sam 18:29 NRSV)  Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul was 
       David's enemy from that time forward.

       (1 Sam 18:30 NRSV)  Then the commanders of the Philistines came out to 
       battle; and as often as they came out, David had more success than all 
       the servants of Saul, so that his fame became very great.

       (1 Sam 19:1 NRSV)  Saul spoke with his son Jonathan and with all his 
       servants about killing David. But Saul's son Jonathan took great 
       delight in David.

       (1 Sam 19:2 NRSV)  Jonathan told David, "My father Saul is trying to 
       kill you; therefore be on guard tomorrow morning; stay in a secret 
       place and hide yourself.

       (1 Sam 19:3 NRSV)  I will go out and stand beside my father in the 
       field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you; if I 
       learn anything I will tell you."

       (1 Sam 19:4 NRSV)  Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul, 
       saying to him, "The king should not sin against his servant David, 
       because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have been 
       of good service to you;

       (1 Sam 19:5 NRSV)  for he took his life in his hand when he attacked 
       the Philistine, and the LORD brought about a great victory for all 
       Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced; why then will you sin against an 
       innocent person by killing David without cause?"

       (1 Sam 19:6 NRSV)  Saul heeded the voice of Jonathan; Saul swore, "As 
       the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death."

       (1 Sam 19:7 NRSV)  So Jonathan called David and related all these 
       things to him. Jonathan then brought David to Saul, and he was in his 
       presence as before.

       (1 Sam 19:8 NRSV)  Again there was war, and David went out to fight 
       the Philistines. He launched a heavy attack on them, so that they fled 





       before him.

       (1 Sam 19:9 NRSV)  Then an evil spirit from the LORD came upon Saul, 
       as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand, while David was 
       playing music.

       (1 Sam 19:10 NRSV)  Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the 
       spear; but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. 
       David fled and escaped that night.

       (1 Sam 19:11 NRSV)  Saul sent messengers to David's house to keep 
       watch over him, planning to kill him in the morning. David's wife 
       Michal told him, "If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you 
       will be killed."

       (1 Sam 19:12 NRSV)  So Michal let David down through the window; he 
       fled away and escaped.

       (1 Sam 19:13 NRSV)  Michal took an idol and laid it on the bed; she 
       put a net of goats' hair on its head, and covered it with the clothes.

       (1 Sam 19:14 NRSV)  When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, 
       "He is sick."

       (1 Sam 19:15 NRSV)  Then Saul sent the messengers to see David for 
       themselves. He said, "Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill 
       him."

       (1 Sam 19:16 NRSV)  When the messengers came in, the idol was in the 
       bed, with the covering of goats' hair on its head.

       (1 Sam 19:17 NRSV)  Saul said to Michal, "Why have you deceived me 
       like this, and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?" Michal 
       answered Saul, "He said to me, 'Let me go; why should I kill you?'"

       (1 Sam 19:18 NRSV)  Now David fled and escaped; he came to Samuel at 
       Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. He and Samuel went 
       and settled at Naioth.

       (1 Sam 19:19 NRSV)  Saul was told, "David is at Naioth in Ramah."

       (1 Sam 19:20 NRSV)  Then Saul sent messengers to take David. When they 
       saw the company of the prophets in a frenzy, with Samuel standing in 
       charge of them, the spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, 
       and they also fell into a prophetic frenzy.

       (1 Sam 19:21 NRSV)  When Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and 
       they also fell into a frenzy. Saul sent messengers again the third 
       time, and they also fell into a frenzy.

       (1 Sam 19:22 NRSV)  Then he himself went to Ramah. He came to the 
       great well that is in Secu; he asked, "Where are Samuel and David?" 
       And someone said, "They are at Naioth in Ramah."

       (1 Sam 19:23 NRSV)  He went there, toward Naioth in Ramah; and the 
       spirit of God came upon him. As he was going, he fell into a prophetic 





       frenzy, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

       (1 Sam 19:24 NRSV)  He too stripped off his clothes, and he too fell 
       into a frenzy before Samuel. He lay naked all that day and all that 
       night. Therefore it is said, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

       (1 Sam 20:1 NRSV)  David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came before 
       Jonathan and said, "What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my 
       sin against your father that he is trying to take my life?"

       (1 Sam 20:2 NRSV)  He said to him, "Far from it! You shall not die. My 
       father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me; 
       and why should my father hide this from me? Never!"

       (1 Sam 20:3 NRSV)  But David also swore, "Your father knows well that 
       you like me; and he thinks, 'Do not let Jonathan know this, or he will 
       be grieved.' But truly, as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, 
       there is but a step between me and death."

       (1 Sam 20:4 NRSV)  Then Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you say, I 
       will do for you."

       (1 Sam 20:5 NRSV)  David said to Jonathan, "Tomorrow is the new moon, 
       and I should not fail to sit with the king at the meal; but let me go, 
       so that I may hide in the field until the third evening.

       (1 Sam 20:6 NRSV)  If your father misses me at all, then say, 'David 
       earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city; for there is 
       a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.'

       (1 Sam 20:7 NRSV)  If he says, 'Good!' it will be well with your 
       servant; but if he is angry, then know that evil has been determined 
       by him.

       (1 Sam 20:8 NRSV)  Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you 
       have brought your servant into a sacred covenant with you. But if 
       there is guilt in me, kill me yourself; why should you bring me to 
       your father?"

       (1 Sam 20:9 NRSV)  Jonathan said, "Far be it from you! If I knew that 
       it was decided by my father that evil should come upon you, would I 
       not tell you?"

       (1 Sam 20:10 NRSV)  Then David said to Jonathan, "Who will tell me if 
       your father answers you harshly?"

       (1 Sam 20:11 NRSV)  Jonathan replied to David, "Come, let us go out 
       into the field." So they both went out into the field.

       (1 Sam 20:12 NRSV)  Jonathan said to David, "By the LORD, the God of 
       Israel! When I have sounded out my father, about this time tomorrow, 
       or on the third day, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not 
       then send and disclose it to you?

       (1 Sam 20:13 NRSV)  But if my father intends to do you harm, the LORD 
       do so to Jonathan, and more also, if I do not disclose it to you, and 





       send you away, so that you may go in safety. May the LORD be with you, 
       as he has been with my father.

       (1 Sam 20:14 NRSV)  If I am still alive, show me the faithful love of 
       the LORD; but if I die,

       (1 Sam 20:15 NRSV)  never cut off your faithful love from my house, 
       even if the LORD were to cut off every one of the enemies of David 
       from the face of the earth."

       (1 Sam 20:16 NRSV)  Thus Jonathan made a covenant with the house of 
       David, saying, "May the LORD seek out the enemies of David."

       (1 Sam 20:17 NRSV)  Jonathan made David swear again by his love for 
       him; for he loved him as he loved his own life.

       (1 Sam 20:18 NRSV)  Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon; 
       you will be missed, because your place will be empty.

       (1 Sam 20:19 NRSV)  On the day after tomorrow, you shall go a long way 
       down; go to the place where you hid yourself earlier, and remain 
       beside the stone there.

       (1 Sam 20:20 NRSV)  I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as 
       though I shot at a mark.

       (1 Sam 20:21 NRSV)  Then I will send the boy, saying, 'Go, find the 
       arrows.' If I say to the boy, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of 
       you, collect them,' then you are to come, for, as the LORD lives, it 
       is safe for you and there is no danger.

       (1 Sam 20:22 NRSV)  But if I say to the young man, 'Look, the arrows 
       are beyond you,' then go; for the LORD has sent you away.

       (1 Sam 20:23 NRSV)  As for the matter about which you and I have 
       spoken, the LORD is witness between you and me forever."

       (1 Sam 20:24 NRSV)  So David hid himself in the field. When the new 
       moon came, the king sat at the feast to eat.

       (1 Sam 20:25 NRSV)  The king sat upon his seat, as at other times, 
       upon the seat by the wall. Jonathan stood, while Abner sat by Saul's 
       side; but David's place was empty.

       (1 Sam 20:26 NRSV)  Saul did not say anything that day; for he 
       thought, "Something has befallen him; he is not clean, surely he is 
       not clean."

       (1 Sam 20:27 NRSV)  But on the second day, the day after the new moon, 
       David's place was empty. And Saul said to his son Jonathan, "Why has 
       the son of Jesse not come to the feast, either yesterday or today?"

       (1 Sam 20:28 NRSV)  Jonathan answered Saul, "David earnestly asked 
       leave of me to go to Bethlehem;

       (1 Sam 20:29 NRSV)  he said, 'Let me go; for our family is holding a 





       sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So 
       now, if I have found favor in your sight, let me get away, and see my 
       brothers.' For this reason he has not come to the king's table."

       (1 Sam 20:30 NRSV)  Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan. He 
       said to him, "You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know 
       that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the 
       shame of your mother's nakedness?

       (1 Sam 20:31 NRSV)  For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the 
       earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Now send and 
       bring him to me, for he shall surely die."

       (1 Sam 20:32 NRSV)  Then Jonathan answered his father Saul, "Why 
       should he be put to death? What has he done?"

       (1 Sam 20:33 NRSV)  But Saul threw his spear at him to strike him; so 
       Jonathan knew that it was the decision of his father to put David to 
       death.

       (1 Sam 20:34 NRSV)  Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and 
       ate no food on the second day of the month, for he was grieved for 
       David, and because his father had disgraced him.

       (1 Sam 20:35 NRSV)  In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to 
       the appointment with David, and with him was a little boy.

       (1 Sam 20:36 NRSV)  He said to the boy, "Run and find the arrows that 
       I shoot." As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

       (1 Sam 20:37 NRSV)  When the boy came to the place where Jonathan's 
       arrow had fallen, Jonathan called after the boy and said, "Is the 
       arrow not beyond you?"

       (1 Sam 20:38 NRSV)  Jonathan called after the boy, "Hurry, be quick, 
       do not linger." So Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows and came to 
       his master.

       (1 Sam 20:39 NRSV)  But the boy knew nothing; only Jonathan and David 
       knew the arrangement.

       (1 Sam 20:40 NRSV)  Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said to 
       him, "Go and carry them to the city."

       (1 Sam 20:41 NRSV)  As soon as the boy had gone, David rose from 
       beside the stone heap and prostrated himself with his face to the 
       ground. He bowed three times, and they kissed each other, and wept 
       with each other; David wept the more.

       (1 Sam 20:42 NRSV)  Then Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, since 
       both of us have sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, 'The LORD shall 
       be between me and you, and between my descendants and your 
       descendants, forever.'" He got up and left; and Jonathan went into the 
       city.

       (1 Sam 21:1 NRSV)  David came to Nob to the priest Ahimelech. 





       Ahimelech came trembling to meet David, and said to him, "Why are you 
       alone, and no one with you?"

       (1 Sam 21:2 NRSV)  David said to the priest Ahimelech, "The king has 
       charged me with a matter, and said to me, 'No one must know anything 
       of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged 
       you.' I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such 
       a place.

       (1 Sam 21:3 NRSV)  Now then, what have you at hand? Give me five 
       loaves of bread, or whatever is here."

       (1 Sam 21:4 NRSV)  The priest answered David, "I have no ordinary 
       bread at hand, only holy bread--provided that the young men have kept 
       themselves from women."

       (1 Sam 21:5 NRSV)  David answered the priest, "Indeed women have been 
       kept from us as always when I go on an expedition; the vessels of the 
       young men are holy even when it is a common journey; how much more 
       today will their vessels be holy?"

       (1 Sam 21:6 NRSV)  So the priest gave him the holy bread; for there 
       was no bread there except the bread of the Presence, which is removed 
       from before the LORD, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is 
       taken away.

       (1 Sam 21:7 NRSV)  Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there 
       that day, detained before the LORD; his name was Doeg the Edomite, the 
       chief of Saul's shepherds.

       (1 Sam 21:8 NRSV)  David said to Ahimelech, "Is there no spear or 
       sword here with you? I did not bring my sword or my weapons with me, 
       because the king's business required haste."

       (1 Sam 21:9 NRSV)  The priest said, "The sword of Goliath the 
       Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, is here wrapped in 
       a cloth behind the ephod; if you will take that, take it, for there is 
       none here except that one." David said, "There is none like it; give 
       it to me."

       (1 Sam 21:10 NRSV)  David rose and fled that day from Saul; he went to 
       King Achish of Gath.

       (1 Sam 21:11 NRSV)  The servants of Achish said to him, "Is this not 
       David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in 
       dances, 'Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands'?"

       (1 Sam 21:12 NRSV)  David took these words to heart and was very much 
       afraid of King Achish of Gath.

       (1 Sam 21:13 NRSV)  So he changed his behavior before them; he 
       pretended to be mad when in their presence. He scratched marks on the 
       doors of the gate, and let his spittle run down his beard.

       (1 Sam 21:14 NRSV)  Achish said to his servants, "Look, you see the 
       man is mad; why then have you brought him to me?






       (1 Sam 21:15 NRSV)  Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this 
       fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into 
       my house?"

       (1 Sam 22:1 NRSV)  David left there and escaped to the cave of 
       Adullam; when his brothers and all his father's house heard of it, 
       they went down there to him.

       (1 Sam 22:2 NRSV)  Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was 
       in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he 
       became captain over them. Those who were with him numbered about four 
       hundred.

       (1 Sam 22:3 NRSV)  David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. He said to 
       the king of Moab, "Please let my father and mother come to you, until 
       I know what God will do for me."

       (1 Sam 22:4 NRSV)  He left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed 
       with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.

       (1 Sam 22:5 NRSV)  Then the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not remain 
       in the stronghold; leave, and go into the land of Judah." So David 
       left, and went into the forest of Hereth.

       (1 Sam 22:6 NRSV)  Saul heard that David and those who were with him 
       had been located. Saul was sitting at Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree 
       on the height, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were 
       standing around him.

       (1 Sam 22:7 NRSV)  Saul said to his servants who stood around him, 
       "Hear now, you Benjaminites; will the son of Jesse give every one of 
       you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands 
       and commanders of hundreds?

       (1 Sam 22:8 NRSV)  Is that why all of you have conspired against me? 
       No one discloses to me when my son makes a league with the son of 
       Jesse, none of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has 
       stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as he is doing 
       today."

       (1 Sam 22:9 NRSV)  Doeg the Edomite, who was in charge of Saul's 
       servants, answered, "I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to 
       Ahimelech son of Ahitub;

       (1 Sam 22:10 NRSV)  he inquired of the LORD for him, gave him 
       provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine."

       (1 Sam 22:11 NRSV)  The king sent for the priest Ahimelech son of 
       Ahitub and for all his father's house, the priests who were at Nob; 
       and all of them came to the king.

       (1 Sam 22:12 NRSV)  Saul said, "Listen now, son of Ahitub." He 
       answered, "Here I am, my lord."

       (1 Sam 22:13 NRSV)  Saul said to him, "Why have you conspired against 





       me, you and the son of Jesse, by giving him bread and a sword, and by 
       inquiring of God for him, so that he has risen against me, to lie in 
       wait, as he is doing today?"

       (1 Sam 22:14 NRSV)  Then Ahimelech answered the king, "Who among all 
       your servants is so faithful as David? He is the king's son-in-law, 
       and is quick to do your bidding, and is honored in your house.

       (1 Sam 22:15 NRSV)  Is today the first time that I have inquired of 
       God for him? By no means! Do not let the king impute anything to his 
       servant or to any member of my father's house; for your servant has 
       known nothing of all this, much or little."

       (1 Sam 22:16 NRSV)  The king said, "You shall surely die, Ahimelech, 
       you and all your father's house."

       (1 Sam 22:17 NRSV)  The king said to the guard who stood around him, 
       "Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because their hand also is 
       with David; they knew that he fled, and did not disclose it to me." 
       But the servants of the king would not raise their hand to attack the 
       priests of the LORD.

       (1 Sam 22:18 NRSV)  Then the king said to Doeg, "You, Doeg, turn and 
       attack the priests." Doeg the Edomite turned and attacked the priests; 
       on that day he killed eighty-five who wore the linen ephod.

       (1 Sam 22:19 NRSV)  Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; 
       men and women, children and infants, oxen, donkeys, and sheep, he put 
       to the sword.

       (1 Sam 22:20 NRSV)  But one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub, 
       named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.

       (1 Sam 22:21 NRSV)  Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the 
       priests of the LORD.

       (1 Sam 22:22 NRSV)  David said to Abiathar, "I knew on that day, when 
       Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I am 
       responsible for the lives of all your father's house.

       (1 Sam 22:23 NRSV)  Stay with me, and do not be afraid; for the one 
       who seeks my life seeks your life; you will be safe with me."

       (1 Sam 23:1 NRSV)  Now they told David, "The Philistines are fighting 
       against Keilah, and are robbing the threshing floors."

       (1 Sam 23:2 NRSV)  David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I go and attack 
       these Philistines?" The LORD said to David, "Go and attack the 
       Philistines and save Keilah."

       (1 Sam 23:3 NRSV)  But David's men said to him, "Look, we are afraid 
       here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the 
       armies of the Philistines?"

       (1 Sam 23:4 NRSV)  Then David inquired of the LORD again. The LORD 
       answered him, "Yes, go down to Keilah; for I will give the Philistines 





       into your hand."

       (1 Sam 23:5 NRSV)  So David and his men went to Keilah, fought with 
       the Philistines, brought away their livestock, and dealt them a heavy 
       defeat. Thus David rescued the inhabitants of Keilah.

       (1 Sam 23:6 NRSV)  When Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at 
       Keilah, he came down with an ephod in his hand.

       (1 Sam 23:7 NRSV)  Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. 
       And Saul said, "God has given him into my hand; for he has shut 
       himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars."

       (1 Sam 23:8 NRSV)  Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to 
       Keilah, to besiege David and his men.

       (1 Sam 23:9 NRSV)  When David learned that Saul was plotting evil 
       against him, he said to the priest Abiathar, "Bring the ephod here."

       (1 Sam 23:10 NRSV)  David said, "O LORD, the God of Israel, your 
       servant has heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the 
       city on my account.

       (1 Sam 23:11 NRSV)  And now, will Saul come down as your servant has 
       heard? O LORD, the God of Israel, I beseech you, tell your servant." 
       The LORD said, "He will come down."

       (1 Sam 23:12 NRSV)  Then David said, "Will the men of Keilah surrender 
       me and my men into the hand of Saul?" The LORD said, "They will 
       surrender you."

       (1 Sam 23:13 NRSV)  Then David and his men, who were about six 
       hundred, set out and left Keilah; they wandered wherever they could 
       go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up 
       the expedition.

       (1 Sam 23:14 NRSV)  David remained in the strongholds in the 
       wilderness, in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought 
       him every day, but the LORD did not give him into his hand.

       (1 Sam 23:15 NRSV)  David was in the Wilderness of Ziph at Horesh when 
       he learned that Saul had come out to seek his life.

       (1 Sam 23:16 NRSV)  Saul's son Jonathan set out and came to David at 
       Horesh; there he strengthened his hand through the LORD.

       (1 Sam 23:17 NRSV)  He said to him, "Do not be afraid; for the hand of 
       my father Saul shall not find you; you shall be king over Israel, and 
       I shall be second to you; my father Saul also knows that this is so."

       (1 Sam 23:18 NRSV)  Then the two of them made a covenant before the 
       LORD; David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.

       (1 Sam 23:19 NRSV)  Then some Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and 
       said, "David is hiding among us in the strongholds of Horesh, on the 
       hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon.






       (1 Sam 23:20 NRSV)  Now, O king, whenever you wish to come down, do 
       so; and our part will be to surrender him into the king's hand."

       (1 Sam 23:21 NRSV)  Saul said, "May you be blessed by the LORD for 
       showing me compassion!

       (1 Sam 23:22 NRSV)  Go and make sure once more; find out exactly where 
       he is, and who has seen him there; for I am told that he is very 
       cunning.

       (1 Sam 23:23 NRSV)  Look around and learn all the hiding places where 
       he lurks, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go 
       with you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all 
       the thousands of Judah."

       (1 Sam 23:24 NRSV)  So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. 
       David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the 
       south of Jeshimon.

       (1 Sam 23:25 NRSV)  Saul and his men went to search for him. When 
       David was told, he went down to the rock and stayed in the wilderness 
       of Maon. When Saul heard that, he pursued David into the wilderness of 
       Maon.

       (1 Sam 23:26 NRSV)  Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David 
       and his men on the other side of the mountain. David was hurrying to 
       get away from Saul, while Saul and his men were closing in on David 
       and his men to capture them.

       (1 Sam 23:27 NRSV)  Then a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Hurry and 
       come; for the Philistines have made a raid on the land."

       (1 Sam 23:28 NRSV)  So Saul stopped pursuing David, and went against 
       the Philistines; therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape.

       (1 Sam 23:29 NRSV)  David then went up from there, and lived in the 
       strongholds of En-gedi.

       (1 Sam 24:1 NRSV)  When Saul returned from following the Philistines, 
       he was told, "David is in the wilderness of En-gedi."

       (1 Sam 24:2 NRSV)  Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all 
       Israel, and went to look for David and his men in the direction of the 
       Rocks of the Wild Goats.

       (1 Sam 24:3 NRSV)  He came to the sheepfolds beside the road, where 
       there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and 
       his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave.

       (1 Sam 24:4 NRSV)  The men of David said to him, "Here is the day of 
       which the LORD said to you, 'I will give your enemy into your hand, 
       and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.'" Then David went and 
       stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's cloak.

       (1 Sam 24:5 NRSV)  Afterward David was stricken to the heart because 





       he had cut off a corner of Saul's cloak.

       (1 Sam 24:6 NRSV)  He said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should 
       do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to raise my hand 
       against him; for he is the Lord's anointed."

       (1 Sam 24:7 NRSV)  So David scolded his men severely and did not 
       permit them to attack Saul. Then Saul got up and left the cave, and 
       went on his way.

       (1 Sam 24:8 NRSV)  Afterwards David also rose up and went out of the 
       cave and called after Saul, "My lord the king!" When Saul looked 
       behind him, David bowed with his face to the ground, and did 
       obeisance.

       (1 Sam 24:9 NRSV)  David said to Saul, "Why do you listen to the words 
       of those who say, 'David seeks to do you harm'?

       (1 Sam 24:10 NRSV)  This very day your eyes have seen how the LORD 
       gave you into my hand in the cave; and some urged me to kill you, but 
       I spared you. I said, 'I will not raise my hand against my lord; for 
       he is the Lord's anointed.'

       (1 Sam 24:11 NRSV)  See, my father, see the corner of your cloak in my 
       hand; for by the fact that I cut off the corner of your cloak, and did 
       not kill you, you may know for certain that there is no wrong or 
       treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you are 
       hunting me to take my life.

       (1 Sam 24:12 NRSV)  May the LORD judge between me and you! May the 
       LORD avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you.

       (1 Sam 24:13 NRSV)  As the ancient proverb says, 'Out of the wicked 
       comes forth wickedness'; but my hand shall not be against you.

       (1 Sam 24:14 NRSV)  Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom 
       do you pursue? A dead dog? A single flea?

       (1 Sam 24:15 NRSV)  May the LORD therefore be judge, and give sentence 
       between me and you. May he see to it, and plead my cause, and 
       vindicate me against you."

       (1 Sam 24:16 NRSV)  When David had finished speaking these words to 
       Saul, Saul said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" Saul lifted up 
       his voice and wept.

       (1 Sam 24:17 NRSV)  He said to David, "You are more righteous than I; 
       for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil.

       (1 Sam 24:18 NRSV)  Today you have explained how you have dealt well 
       with me, in that you did not kill me when the LORD put me into your 
       hands.

       (1 Sam 24:19 NRSV)  For who has ever found an enemy, and sent the 
       enemy safely away? So may the LORD reward you with good for what you 
       have done to me this day.






       (1 Sam 24:20 NRSV)  Now I know that you shall surely be king, and that 
       the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.

       (1 Sam 24:21 NRSV)  Swear to me therefore by the LORD that you will 
       not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not wipe out my 
       name from my father's house."

       (1 Sam 24:22 NRSV)  So David swore this to Saul. Then Saul went home; 
       but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

       (1 Sam 25:1 NRSV)  Now Samuel died; and all Israel assembled and 
       mourned for him. They buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David got 
       up and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

       (1 Sam 25:2 NRSV)  There was a man in Maon, whose property was in 
       Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a 
       thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

       (1 Sam 25:3 NRSV)  Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of 
       his wife Abigail. The woman was clever and beautiful, but the man was 
       surly and mean; he was a Calebite.

       (1 Sam 25:4 NRSV)  David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was 
       shearing his sheep.

       (1 Sam 25:5 NRSV)  So David sent ten young men; and David said to the 
       young men, "Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my 
       name.

       (1 Sam 25:6 NRSV)  Thus you shall salute him: 'Peace be to you, and 
       peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.

       (1 Sam 25:7 NRSV)  I hear that you have shearers; now your shepherds 
       have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing, 
       all the time they were in Carmel.

       (1 Sam 25:8 NRSV)  Ask your young men, and they will tell you. 
       Therefore let my young men find favor in your sight; for we have come 
       on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants 
       and to your son David.'"

       (1 Sam 25:9 NRSV)  When David's young men came, they said all this to 
       Nabal in the name of David; and then they waited.

       (1 Sam 25:10 NRSV)  But Nabal answered David's servants, "Who is 
       David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are 
       breaking away from their masters.

       (1 Sam 25:11 NRSV)  Shall I take my bread and my water and the meat 
       that I have butchered for my shearers, and give it to men who come 
       from I do not know where?"

       (1 Sam 25:12 NRSV)  So David's young men turned away, and came back 
       and told him all this.





       (1 Sam 25:13 NRSV)  David said to his men, "Every man strap on his 
       sword!" And every one of them strapped on his sword; David also 
       strapped on his sword; and about four hundred men went up after David, 
       while two hundred remained with the baggage.

       (1 Sam 25:14 NRSV)  But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's 
       wife, "David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our 
       master; and he shouted insults at them.

       (1 Sam 25:15 NRSV)  Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered 
       no harm, and we never missed anything when we were in the fields, as 
       long as we were with them;

       (1 Sam 25:16 NRSV)  they were a wall to us both by night and by day, 
       all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.

       (1 Sam 25:17 NRSV)  Now therefore know this and consider what you 
       should do; for evil has been decided against our master and against 
       all his house; he is so ill-natured that no one can speak to him."

       (1 Sam 25:18 NRSV)  Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves, 
       two skins of wine, five sheep ready dressed, five measures of parched 
       grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs. 
       She loaded them on donkeys

       (1 Sam 25:19 NRSV)  and said to her young men, "Go on ahead of me; I 
       am coming after you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

       (1 Sam 25:20 NRSV)  As she rode on the donkey and came down under 
       cover of the mountain, David and his men came down toward her; and she 
       met them.

       (1 Sam 25:21 NRSV)  Now David had said, "Surely it was in vain that I 
       protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing 
       was missed of all that belonged to him; but he has returned me evil 
       for good.

       (1 Sam 25:22 NRSV)  God do so to David and more also, if by morning I 
       leave so much as one male of all who belong to him."

       (1 Sam 25:23 NRSV)  When Abigail saw David, she hurried and alighted 
       from the donkey, fell before David on her face, bowing to the ground.

       (1 Sam 25:24 NRSV)  She fell at his feet and said, "Upon me alone, my 
       lord, be the guilt; please let your servant speak in your ears, and 
       hear the words of your servant.

       (1 Sam 25:25 NRSV)  My lord, do not take seriously this ill-natured 
       fellow, Nabal; for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and 
       folly is with him; but I, your servant, did not see the young men of 
       my lord, whom you sent.

       (1 Sam 25:26 NRSV)  Now then, my lord, as the LORD lives, and as you 
       yourself live, since the LORD has restrained you from bloodguilt and 
       from taking vengeance with your own hand, now let your enemies and 
       those who seek to do evil to my lord be like Nabal.






       (1 Sam 25:27 NRSV)  And now let this present that your servant has 
       brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord.

       (1 Sam 25:28 NRSV)  Please forgive the trespass of your servant; for 
       the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord is 
       fighting the battles of the LORD; and evil shall not be found in you 
       so long as you live.

       (1 Sam 25:29 NRSV)  If anyone should rise up to pursue you and to seek 
       your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the 
       living under the care of the LORD your God; but the lives of your 
       enemies he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling.

       (1 Sam 25:30 NRSV)  When the LORD has done to my lord according to all 
       the good that he has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you 
       prince over Israel,

       (1 Sam 25:31 NRSV)  my lord shall have no cause of grief, or pangs of 
       conscience, for having shed blood without cause or for having saved 
       himself. And when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, then remember 
       your servant."

       (1 Sam 25:32 NRSV)  David said to Abigail, "Blessed be the LORD, the 
       God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today!

       (1 Sam 25:33 NRSV)  Blessed be your good sense, and blessed be you, 
       who have kept me today from bloodguilt and from avenging myself by my 
       own hand!

       (1 Sam 25:34 NRSV)  For as surely as the LORD the God of Israel lives, 
       who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and 
       come to meet me, truly by morning there would not have been left to 
       Nabal so much as one male."

       (1 Sam 25:35 NRSV)  Then David received from her hand what she had 
       brought him; he said to her, "Go up to your house in peace; see, I 
       have heeded your voice, and I have granted your petition."

       (1 Sam 25:36 NRSV)  Abigail came to Nabal; he was holding a feast in 
       his house, like the feast of a king. Nabal's heart was merry within 
       him, for he was very drunk; so she told him nothing at all until the 
       morning light.

       (1 Sam 25:37 NRSV)  In the morning, when the wine had gone out of 
       Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him; 
       he became like a stone.

       (1 Sam 25:38 NRSV)  About ten days later the LORD struck Nabal, and he 
       died.

       (1 Sam 25:39 NRSV)  When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, 
       "Blessed be the LORD who has judged the case of Nabal's insult to me, 
       and has kept back his servant from evil; the LORD has returned the 
       evildoing of Nabal upon his own head." Then David sent and wooed 
       Abigail, to make her his wife.






       (1 Sam 25:40 NRSV)  When David's servants came to Abigail at Carmel, 
       they said to her, "David has sent us to you to take you to him as his 
       wife."

       (1 Sam 25:41 NRSV)  She rose and bowed down, with her face to the 
       ground, and said, "Your servant is a slave to wash the feet of the 
       servants of my lord."

       (1 Sam 25:42 NRSV)  Abigail got up hurriedly and rode away on a 
       donkey; her five maids attended her. She went after the messengers of 
       David and became his wife.

       (1 Sam 25:43 NRSV)  David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel; both of 
       them became his wives.

       (1 Sam 25:44 NRSV)  Saul had given his daughter Michal, David's wife, 
       to Palti son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

       (1 Sam 26:1 NRSV)  Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, 
       "David is in hiding on the hill of Hachilah, which is opposite 
       Jeshimon."

       (1 Sam 26:2 NRSV)  So Saul rose and went down to the Wilderness of 
       Ziph, with three thousand chosen men of Israel, to seek David in the 
       Wilderness of Ziph.

       (1 Sam 26:3 NRSV)  Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is 
       opposite Jeshimon beside the road. But David remained in the 
       wilderness. When he learned that Saul came after him into the 
       wilderness,

       (1 Sam 26:4 NRSV)  David sent out spies, and learned that Saul had 
       indeed arrived.

       (1 Sam 26:5 NRSV)  Then David set out and came to the place where Saul 
       had encamped; and David saw the place where Saul lay, with Abner son 
       of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the 
       encampment, while the army was encamped around him.

       (1 Sam 26:6 NRSV)  Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to 
       Joab's brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, "Who will go down with me into 
       the camp to Saul?" Abishai said, "I will go down with you."

       (1 Sam 26:7 NRSV)  So David and Abishai went to the army by night; 
       there Saul lay sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in 
       the ground at his head; and Abner and the army lay around him.

       (1 Sam 26:8 NRSV)  Abishai said to David, "God has given your enemy 
       into your hand today; now therefore let me pin him to the ground with 
       one stroke of the spear; I will not strike him twice."

       (1 Sam 26:9 NRSV)  But David said to Abishai, "Do not destroy him; for 
       who can raise his hand against the Lord's anointed, and be guiltless?"

       (1 Sam 26:10 NRSV)  David said, "As the LORD lives, the LORD will 





       strike him down; or his day will come to die; or he will go down into 
       battle and perish.

       (1 Sam 26:11 NRSV)  The LORD forbid that I should raise my hand 
       against the Lord's anointed; but now take the spear that is at his 
       head, and the water jar, and let us go."

       (1 Sam 26:12 NRSV)  So David took the spear that was at Saul's head 
       and the water jar, and they went away. No one saw it, or knew it, nor 
       did anyone awake; for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from 
       the LORD had fallen upon them.

       (1 Sam 26:13 NRSV)  Then David went over to the other side, and stood 
       on top of a hill far away, with a great distance between them.

       (1 Sam 26:14 NRSV)  David called to the army and to Abner son of Ner, 
       saying, "Abner! Will you not answer?" Then Abner replied, "Who are you 
       that calls to the king?"

       (1 Sam 26:15 NRSV)  David said to Abner, "Are you not a man? Who is 
       like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord 
       the king? For one of the people came in to destroy your lord the king.

       (1 Sam 26:16 NRSV)  This thing that you have done is not good. As the 
       LORD lives, you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over 
       your lord, the Lord's anointed. See now, where is the king's spear, or 
       the water jar that was at his head?"

       (1 Sam 26:17 NRSV)  Saul recognized David's voice, and said, "Is this 
       your voice, my son David?" David said, "It is my voice, my lord, O 
       king."

       (1 Sam 26:18 NRSV)  And he added, "Why does my lord pursue his 
       servant? For what have I done? What guilt is on my hands?

       (1 Sam 26:19 NRSV)  Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words 
       of his servant. If it is the LORD who has stirred you up against me, 
       may he accept an offering; but if it is mortals, may they be cursed 
       before the LORD, for they have driven me out today from my share in 
       the heritage of the LORD, saying, 'Go, serve other gods.'

       (1 Sam 26:20 NRSV)  Now therefore, do not let my blood fall to the 
       ground, away from the presence of the LORD; for the king of Israel has 
       come out to seek a single flea, like one who hunts a partridge in the 
       mountains."

       (1 Sam 26:21 NRSV)  Then Saul said, "I have done wrong; come back, my 
       son David, for I will never harm you again, because my life was 
       precious in your sight today; I have been a fool, and have made a 
       great mistake."

       (1 Sam 26:22 NRSV)  David replied, "Here is the spear, O king! Let one 
       of the young men come over and get it.

       (1 Sam 26:23 NRSV)  The LORD rewards everyone for his righteousness 
       and his faithfulness; for the LORD gave you into my hand today, but I 





       would not raise my hand against the Lord's anointed.

       (1 Sam 26:24 NRSV)  As your life was precious today in my sight, so 
       may my life be precious in the sight of the LORD, and may he rescue me 
       from all tribulation."

       (1 Sam 26:25 NRSV)  Then Saul said to David, "Blessed be you, my son 
       David! You will do many things and will succeed in them." So David 
       went his way, and Saul returned to his place.

       (1 Sam 27:1 NRSV)  David said in his heart, "I shall now perish one 
       day by the hand of Saul; there is nothing better for me than to escape 
       to the land of the Philistines; then Saul will despair of seeking me 
       any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his 
       hand."

       (1 Sam 27:2 NRSV)  So David set out and went over, he and the six 
       hundred men who were with him, to King Achish son of Maoch of Gath.

       (1 Sam 27:3 NRSV)  David stayed with Achish at Gath, he and his 
       troops, every man with his household, and David with his two wives, 
       Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's widow.

       (1 Sam 27:4 NRSV)  When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he 
       no longer sought for him.

       (1 Sam 27:5 NRSV)  Then David said to Achish, "If I have found favor 
       in your sight, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, so 
       that I may live there; for why should your servant live in the royal 
       city with you?"

       (1 Sam 27:6 NRSV)  So that day Achish gave him Ziklag; therefore 
       Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.

       (1 Sam 27:7 NRSV)  The length of time that David lived in the country 
       of the Philistines was one year and four months.

       (1 Sam 27:8 NRSV)  Now David and his men went up and made raids on the 
       Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for these were the 
       landed settlements from Telam on the way to Shur and on to the land of 
       Egypt.

       (1 Sam 27:9 NRSV)  David struck the land, leaving neither man nor 
       woman alive, but took away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the 
       camels, and the clothing, and came back to Achish.

       (1 Sam 27:10 NRSV)  When Achish asked, "Against whom have you made a 
       raid today?" David would say, "Against the Negeb of Judah," or 
       "Against the Negeb of the Jerahmeelites," or, "Against the Negeb of 
       the Kenites."

       (1 Sam 27:11 NRSV)  David left neither man nor woman alive to be 
       brought back to Gath, thinking, "They might tell about us, and say, 
       'David has done so and so.'" Such was his practice all the time he 
       lived in the country of the Philistines.





       (1 Sam 27:12 NRSV)  Achish trusted David, thinking, "He has made 
       himself utterly abhorrent to his people Israel; therefore he shall 
       always be my servant."

       (1 Sam 28:1 NRSV)  In those days the Philistines gathered their forces 
       for war, to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, "You know, of 
       course, that you and your men are to go out with me in the army."

       (1 Sam 28:2 NRSV)  David said to Achish, "Very well, then you shall 
       know what your servant can do." Achish said to David, "Very well, I 
       will make you my bodyguard for life."

       (1 Sam 28:3 NRSV)  Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for 
       him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. Saul had expelled the 
       mediums and the wizards from the land.

       (1 Sam 28:4 NRSV)  The Philistines assembled, and came and encamped at 
       Shunem. Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa.

       (1 Sam 28:5 NRSV)  When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was 
       afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.

       (1 Sam 28:6 NRSV)  When Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not 
       answer him, not by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets.

       (1 Sam 28:7 NRSV)  Then Saul said to his servants, "Seek out for me a 
       woman who is a medium, so that I may go to her and inquire of her." 
       His servants said to him, "There is a medium at Endor."

       (1 Sam 28:8 NRSV)  So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes 
       and went there, he and two men with him. They came to the woman by 
       night. And he said, "Consult a spirit for me, and bring up for me the 
       one whom I name to you."

       (1 Sam 28:9 NRSV)  The woman said to him, "Surely you know what Saul 
       has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the wizards from the 
       land. Why then are you laying a snare for my life to bring about my 
       death?"

       (1 Sam 28:10 NRSV)  But Saul swore to her by the LORD, "As the LORD 
       lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing."

       (1 Sam 28:11 NRSV)  Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for 
       you?" He answered, "Bring up Samuel for me."

       (1 Sam 28:12 NRSV)  When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a 
       loud voice; and the woman said to Saul, "Why have you deceived me? You 
       are Saul!"

       (1 Sam 28:13 NRSV)  The king said to her, "Have no fear; what do you 
       see?" The woman said to Saul, "I see a divine being coming up out of 
       the ground."

       (1 Sam 28:14 NRSV)  He said to her, "What is his appearance?" She 
       said, "An old man is coming up; he is wrapped in a robe." So Saul knew 
       that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and did 





       obeisance.

       (1 Sam 28:15 NRSV)  Then Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed 
       me by bringing me up?" Saul answered, "I am in great distress, for the 
       Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me 
       and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams; so I have 
       summoned you to tell me what I should do."

       (1 Sam 28:16 NRSV)  Samuel said, "Why then do you ask me, since the 
       LORD has turned from you and become your enemy?

       (1 Sam 28:17 NRSV)  The LORD has done to you just as he spoke by me; 
       for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand, and given it to 
       your neighbor, David.

       (1 Sam 28:18 NRSV)  Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD, 
       and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the 
       LORD has done this thing to you today.

       (1 Sam 28:19 NRSV)  Moreover the LORD will give Israel along with you 
       into the hands of the Philistines; and tomorrow you and your sons 
       shall be with me; the LORD will also give the army of Israel into the 
       hands of the Philistines."

       (1 Sam 28:20 NRSV)  Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, 
       filled with fear because of the words of Samuel; and there was no 
       strength in him, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night.

       (1 Sam 28:21 NRSV)  The woman came to Saul, and when she saw that he 
       was terrified, she said to him, "Your servant has listened to you; I 
       have taken my life in my hand, and have listened to what you have said 
       to me.

       (1 Sam 28:22 NRSV)  Now therefore, you also listen to your servant; 
       let me set a morsel of bread before you. Eat, that you may have 
       strength when you go on your way."

       (1 Sam 28:23 NRSV)  He refused, and said, "I will not eat." But his 
       servants, together with the woman, urged him; and he listened to their 
       words. So he got up from the ground and sat on the bed.

       (1 Sam 28:24 NRSV)  Now the woman had a fatted calf in the house. She 
       quickly slaughtered it, and she took flour, kneaded it, and baked 
       unleavened cakes.

       (1 Sam 28:25 NRSV)  She put them before Saul and his servants, and 
       they ate. Then they rose and went away that night.

       (1 Sam 29:1 NRSV)  Now the Philistines gathered all their forces at 
       Aphek, while the Israelites were encamped by the fountain that is in 
       Jezreel.

       (1 Sam 29:2 NRSV)  As the lords of the Philistines were passing on by 
       hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing on in 
       the rear with Achish,





       (1 Sam 29:3 NRSV)  the commanders of the Philistines said, "What are 
       these Hebrews doing here?" Achish said to the commanders of the 
       Philistines, "Is this not David, the servant of King Saul of Israel, 
       who has been with me now for days and years? Since he deserted to me I 
       have found no fault in him to this day."

       (1 Sam 29:4 NRSV)  But the commanders of the Philistines were angry 
       with him; and the commanders of the Philistines said to him, "Send the 
       man back, so that he may return to the place that you have assigned to 
       him; he shall not go down with us to battle, or else he may become an 
       adversary to us in the battle. For how could this fellow reconcile 
       himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here?

       (1 Sam 29:5 NRSV)  Is this not David, of whom they sing to one another 
       in dances, 'Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten 
       thousands'?"

       (1 Sam 29:6 NRSV)  Then Achish called David and said to him, "As the 
       LORD lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that you 
       should march out and in with me in the campaign; for I have found 
       nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me until today. 
       Nevertheless the lords do not approve of you.

       (1 Sam 29:7 NRSV)  So go back now; and go peaceably; do nothing to 
       displease the lords of the Philistines."

       (1 Sam 29:8 NRSV)  David said to Achish, "But what have I done? What 
       have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service 
       until now, that I should not go and fight against the enemies of my 
       lord the king?"

       (1 Sam 29:9 NRSV)  Achish replied to David, "I know that you are as 
       blameless in my sight as an angel of God; nevertheless, the commanders 
       of the Philistines have said, 'He shall not go up with us to the 
       battle.'

       (1 Sam 29:10 NRSV)  Now then rise early in the morning, you and the 
       servants of your lord who came with you, and go to the place that I 
       appointed for you. As for the evil report, do not take it to heart, 
       for you have done well before me. Start early in the morning, and 
       leave as soon as you have light."

       (1 Sam 29:11 NRSV)  So David set out with his men early in the 
       morning, to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines 
       went up to Jezreel.

       (1 Sam 30:1 NRSV)  Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the 
       third day, the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negeb and on Ziklag. 
       They had attacked Ziklag, burned it down,

       (1 Sam 30:2 NRSV)  and taken captive the women and all who were in it, 
       both small and great; they killed none of them, but carried them off, 
       and went their way.

       (1 Sam 30:3 NRSV)  When David and his men came to the city, they found 
       it burned down, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.






       (1 Sam 30:4 NRSV)  Then David and the people who were with him raised 
       their voices and wept, until they had no more strength to weep.

       (1 Sam 30:5 NRSV)  David's two wives also had been taken captive, 
       Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

       (1 Sam 30:6 NRSV)  David was in great danger; for the people spoke of 
       stoning him, because all the people were bitter in spirit for their 
       sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his 
       God.

       (1 Sam 30:7 NRSV)  David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, 
       "Bring me the ephod." So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

       (1 Sam 30:8 NRSV)  David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue this 
       band? Shall I overtake them?" He answered him, "Pursue; for you shall 
       surely overtake and shall surely rescue."

       (1 Sam 30:9 NRSV)  So David set out, he and the six hundred men who 
       were with him. They came to the Wadi Besor, where those stayed who 
       were left behind.

       (1 Sam 30:10 NRSV)  But David went on with the pursuit, he and four 
       hundred men; two hundred stayed behind, too exhausted to cross the 
       Wadi Besor.

       (1 Sam 30:11 NRSV)  In the open country they found an Egyptian, and 
       brought him to David. They gave him bread and he ate, they gave him 
       water to drink;

       (1 Sam 30:12 NRSV)  they also gave him a piece of fig cake and two 
       clusters of raisins. When he had eaten, his spirit revived; for he had 
       not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.

       (1 Sam 30:13 NRSV)  Then David said to him, "To whom do you belong? 
       Where are you from?" He said, "I am a young man of Egypt, servant to 
       an Amalekite. My master left me behind because I fell sick three days 
       ago.

       (1 Sam 30:14 NRSV)  We had made a raid on the Negeb of the Cherethites 
       and on that which belongs to Judah and on the Negeb of Caleb; and we 
       burned Ziklag down."

       (1 Sam 30:15 NRSV)  David said to him, "Will you take me down to this 
       raiding party?" He said, "Swear to me by God that you will not kill 
       me, or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them."

       (1 Sam 30:16 NRSV)  When he had taken him down, they were spread out 
       all over the ground, eating and drinking and dancing, because of the 
       great amount of spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines 
       and from the land of Judah.

       (1 Sam 30:17 NRSV)  David attacked them from twilight until the 
       evening of the next day. Not one of them escaped, except four hundred 
       young men, who mounted camels and fled.






       (1 Sam 30:18 NRSV)  David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; 
       and David rescued his two wives.

       (1 Sam 30:19 NRSV)  Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons 
       or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken; David brought 
       back everything.

       (1 Sam 30:20 NRSV)  David also captured all the flocks and herds, 
       which were driven ahead of the other cattle; people said, "This is 
       David's spoil."

       (1 Sam 30:21 NRSV)  Then David came to the two hundred men who had 
       been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left at the Wadi 
       Besor. They went out to meet David and to meet the people who were 
       with him. When David drew near to the people he saluted them.

       (1 Sam 30:22 NRSV)  Then all the corrupt and worthless fellows among 
       the men who had gone with David said, "Because they did not go with 
       us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, 
       except that each man may take his wife and children, and leave."

       (1 Sam 30:23 NRSV)  But David said, "You shall not do so, my brothers, 
       with what the LORD has given us; he has preserved us and handed over 
       to us the raiding party that attacked us.

       (1 Sam 30:24 NRSV)  Who would listen to you in this matter? For the 
       share of the one who goes down into the battle shall be the same as 
       the share of the one who stays by the baggage; they shall share 
       alike."

       (1 Sam 30:25 NRSV)  From that day forward he made it a statute and an 
       ordinance for Israel; it continues to the present day.

       (1 Sam 30:26 NRSV)  When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the 
       spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, "Here is a present 
       for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD";

       (1 Sam 30:27 NRSV)  it was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the 
       Negeb, in Jattir,

       (1 Sam 30:28 NRSV)  in Aroer, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa,

       (1 Sam 30:29 NRSV)  in Racal, in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, in 
       the towns of the Kenites,

       (1 Sam 30:30 NRSV)  in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach,

       (1 Sam 30:31 NRSV)  in Hebron, all the places where David and his men 
       had roamed.

       (1 Sam 31:1 NRSV)  Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the 
       men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and many fell on Mount 
       Gilboa.

       (1 Sam 31:2 NRSV)  The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the 





       Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of 
       Saul.

       (1 Sam 31:3 NRSV)  The battle pressed hard upon Saul; the archers 
       found him, and he was badly wounded by them.

       (1 Sam 31:4 NRSV)  Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your 
       sword and thrust me through with it, so that these uncircumcised may 
       not come and thrust me through, and make sport of me." But his 
       armor-bearer was unwilling; for he was terrified. So Saul took his own 
       sword and fell upon it.

       (1 Sam 31:5 NRSV)  When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he 
       also fell upon his sword and died with him.

       (1 Sam 31:6 NRSV)  So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and 
       all his men died together on the same day.

       (1 Sam 31:7 NRSV)  When the men of Israel who were on the other side 
       of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel 
       had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their 
       towns and fled; and the Philistines came and occupied them.

       (1 Sam 31:8 NRSV)  The next day, when the Philistines came to strip 
       the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

       (1 Sam 31:9 NRSV)  They cut off his head, stripped off his armor, and 
       sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the 
       good news to the houses of their idols and to the people.

       (1 Sam 31:10 NRSV)  They put his armor in the temple of Astarte; and 
       they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.

       (1 Sam 31:11 NRSV)  But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard 
       what the Philistines had done to Saul,

       (1 Sam 31:12 NRSV)  all the valiant men set out, traveled all night 
       long, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the 
       wall of Beth-shan. They came to Jabesh and burned them there.

       (1 Sam 31:13 NRSV)  Then they took their bones and buried them under 
       the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

       (2 Sam 1:1 NRSV)  After the death of Saul, when David had returned 
       from defeating the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag.

       (2 Sam 1:2 NRSV)  On the third day, a man came from Saul's camp, with 
       his clothes torn and dirt on his head. When he came to David, he fell 
       to the ground and did obeisance.

       (2 Sam 1:3 NRSV)  David said to him, "Where have you come from?" He 
       said to him, "I have escaped from the camp of Israel."

       (2 Sam 1:4 NRSV)  David said to him, "How did things go? Tell me!" He 
       answered, "The army fled from the battle, but also many of the army 
       fell and died; and Saul and his son Jonathan also died."






       (2 Sam 1:5 NRSV)  Then David asked the young man who was reporting to 
       him, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan died?"

       (2 Sam 1:6 NRSV)  The young man reporting to him said, "I happened to 
       be on Mount Gilboa; and there was Saul leaning on his spear, while the 
       chariots and the horsemen drew close to him.

       (2 Sam 1:7 NRSV)  When he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to 
       me. I answered, 'Here sir.'

       (2 Sam 1:8 NRSV)  And he said to me, 'Who are you?' I answered him, 'I 
       am an Amalekite.'

       (2 Sam 1:9 NRSV)  He said to me, 'Come, stand over me and kill me; for 
       convulsions have seized me, and yet my life still lingers.'

       (2 Sam 1:10 NRSV)  So I stood over him, and killed him, for I knew 
       that he could not live after he had fallen. I took the crown that was 
       on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought 
       them here to my lord."

       (2 Sam 1:11 NRSV)  Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them; 
       and all the men who were with him did the same.

       (2 Sam 1:12 NRSV)  They mourned and wept, and fasted until evening for 
       Saul and for his son Jonathan, and for the army of the LORD and for 
       the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

       (2 Sam 1:13 NRSV)  David said to the young man who had reported to 
       him, "Where do you come from?" He answered, "I am the son of a 
       resident alien, an Amalekite."

       (2 Sam 1:14 NRSV)  David said to him, "Were you not afraid to lift 
       your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?"

       (2 Sam 1:15 NRSV)  Then David called one of the young men and said, 
       "Come here and strike him down." So he struck him down and he died.

       (2 Sam 1:16 NRSV)  David said to him, "Your blood be on your head; for 
       your own mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I have killed the 
       Lord's anointed.'"

       (2 Sam 1:17 NRSV)  David intoned this lamentation over Saul and his 
       son Jonathan.

       (2 Sam 1:18 NRSV)  (He ordered that The Song of the Bow be taught to 
       the people of Judah; it is written in the Book of Jashar.) He said:

       (2 Sam 1:19 NRSV)  Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high 
       places! How the mighty have fallen!

       (2 Sam 1:20 NRSV)  Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets 
       of Ashkelon; or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice, the 
       daughters of the uncircumcised will exult.





       (2 Sam 1:21 NRSV)  You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or 
       rain upon you, nor bounteous fields! For there the shield of the 
       mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, anointed with oil no more.

       (2 Sam 1:22 NRSV)  From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the 
       mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, nor the sword of Saul 
       return empty.

       (2 Sam 1:23 NRSV)  Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and 
       in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles, they 
       were stronger than lions.

       (2 Sam 1:24 NRSV)  O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed 
       you with crimson, in luxury, who put ornaments of gold on your 
       apparel.

       (2 Sam 1:25 NRSV)  How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the 
       battle! Jonathan lies slain upon your high places.

       (2 Sam 1:26 NRSV)  I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; 
       greatly beloved were you to me; your love to me was wonderful, passing 
       the love of women.

       (2 Sam 1:27 NRSV)  How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war 
       perished!

       (2 Sam 2:1 NRSV)  After this David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I go 
       up into any of the cities of Judah?" The LORD said to him, "Go up." 
       David said, "To which shall I go up?" He said, "To Hebron."

       (2 Sam 2:2 NRSV)  So David went up there, along with his two wives, 
       Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

       (2 Sam 2:3 NRSV)  David brought up the men who were with him, every 
       one with his household; and they settled in the towns of Hebron.

       (2 Sam 2:4 NRSV)  Then the people of Judah came, and there they 
       anointed David king over the house of Judah. When they told David, "It 
       was the people of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul,"

       (2 Sam 2:5 NRSV)  David sent messengers to the people of 
       Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, "May you be blessed by the LORD, 
       because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord, and buried him!

       (2 Sam 2:6 NRSV)  Now may the LORD show steadfast love and 
       faithfulness to you! And I too will reward you because you have done 
       this thing.

       (2 Sam 2:7 NRSV)  Therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant; 
       for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me 
       king over them."

       (2 Sam 2:8 NRSV)  But Abner son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, had 
       taken Ishbaal son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim.

       (2 Sam 2:9 NRSV)  He made him king over Gilead, the Ashurites, 





       Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and over all Israel.

       (2 Sam 2:10 NRSV)  Ishbaal, Saul's son, was forty years old when he 
       began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of 
       Judah followed David.

       (2 Sam 2:11 NRSV)  The time that David was king in Hebron over the 
       house of Judah was seven years and six months.

       (2 Sam 2:12 NRSV)  Abner son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbaal son 
       of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

       (2 Sam 2:13 NRSV)  Joab son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, 
       went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat on one side 
       of the pool, while the other sat on the other side of the pool.

       (2 Sam 2:14 NRSV)  Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men come forward 
       and have a contest before us." Joab said, "Let them come forward."

       (2 Sam 2:15 NRSV)  So they came forward and were counted as they 
       passed by, twelve for Benjamin and Ishbaal son of Saul, and twelve of 
       the servants of David.

       (2 Sam 2:16 NRSV)  Each grasped his opponent by the head, and thrust 
       his sword in his opponent's side; so they fell down together. 
       Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is at Gibeon.

       (2 Sam 2:17 NRSV)  The battle was very fierce that day; and Abner and 
       the men of Israel were beaten by the servants of David.

       (2 Sam 2:18 NRSV)  The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, 
       Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild 
       gazelle.

       (2 Sam 2:19 NRSV)  Asahel pursued Abner, turning neither to the right 
       nor to the left as he followed him.

       (2 Sam 2:20 NRSV)  Then Abner looked back and said, "Is it you, 
       Asahel?" He answered, "Yes, it is."

       (2 Sam 2:21 NRSV)  Abner said to him, "Turn to your right or to your 
       left, and seize one of the young men, and take his spoil." But Asahel 
       would not turn away from following him.

       (2 Sam 2:22 NRSV)  Abner said again to Asahel, "Turn away from 
       following me; why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I 
       show my face to your brother Joab?"

       (2 Sam 2:23 NRSV)  But he refused to turn away. So Abner struck him in 
       the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at 
       his back. He fell there, and died where he lay. And all those who came 
       to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.

       (2 Sam 2:24 NRSV)  But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. As the sun was 
       going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on 
       the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.






       (2 Sam 2:25 NRSV)  The Benjaminites rallied around Abner and formed a 
       single band; they took their stand on the top of a hill.

       (2 Sam 2:26 NRSV)  Then Abner called to Joab, "Is the sword to keep 
       devouring forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How 
       long will it be before you order your people to turn from the pursuit 
       of their kinsmen?"

       (2 Sam 2:27 NRSV)  Joab said, "As God lives, if you had not spoken, 
       the people would have continued to pursue their kinsmen, not stopping 
       until morning."

       (2 Sam 2:28 NRSV)  Joab sounded the trumpet and all the people 
       stopped; they no longer pursued Israel or engaged in battle any 
       further.

       (2 Sam 2:29 NRSV)  Abner and his men traveled all that night through 
       the Arabah; they crossed the Jordan, and, marching the whole forenoon, 
       they came to Mahanaim.

       (2 Sam 2:30 NRSV)  Joab returned from the pursuit of Abner; and when 
       he had gathered all the people together, there were missing of David's 
       servants nineteen men besides Asahel.

       (2 Sam 2:31 NRSV)  But the servants of David had killed of Benjamin 
       three hundred sixty of Abner's men.

       (2 Sam 2:32 NRSV)  They took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of 
       his father, which was at Bethlehem. Joab and his men marched all 
       night, and the day broke upon them at Hebron.

       (2 Sam 3:1 NRSV)  There was a long war between the house of Saul and 
       the house of David; David grew stronger and stronger, while the house 
       of Saul became weaker and weaker.

       (2 Sam 3:2 NRSV)  Sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was 
       Amnon, of Ahinoam of Jezreel;

       (2 Sam 3:3 NRSV)  his second, Chileab, of Abigail the widow of Nabal 
       of Carmel; the third, Absalom son of Maacah, daughter of King Talmai 
       of Geshur;

       (2 Sam 3:4 NRSV)  the fourth, Adonijah son of Haggith; the fifth, 
       Shephatiah son of Abital;

       (2 Sam 3:5 NRSV)  and the sixth, Ithream, of David's wife Eglah. These 
       were born to David in Hebron.

       (2 Sam 3:6 NRSV)  While there was war between the house of Saul and 
       the house of David, Abner was making himself strong in the house of 
       Saul.

       (2 Sam 3:7 NRSV)  Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah 
       daughter of Aiah. And Ishbaal said to Abner, "Why have you gone in to 
       my father's concubine?"






       (2 Sam 3:8 NRSV)  The words of Ishbaal made Abner very angry; he said, 
       "Am I a dog's head for Judah? Today I keep showing loyalty to the 
       house of your father Saul, to his brothers, and to his friends, and 
       have not given you into the hand of David; and yet you charge me now 
       with a crime concerning this woman.

       (2 Sam 3:9 NRSV)  So may God do to Abner and so may he add to it! For 
       just what the LORD has sworn to David, that will I accomplish for him,

       (2 Sam 3:10 NRSV)  to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and 
       set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to 
       Beer-sheba."

       (2 Sam 3:11 NRSV)  And Ishbaal could not answer Abner another word, 
       because he feared him.

       (2 Sam 3:12 NRSV)  Abner sent messengers to David at Hebron, saying, 
       "To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and I will 
       give you my support to bring all Israel over to you."

       (2 Sam 3:13 NRSV)  He said, "Good; I will make a covenant with you. 
       But one thing I require of you: you shall never appear in my presence 
       unless you bring Saul's daughter Michal when you come to see me."

       (2 Sam 3:14 NRSV)  Then David sent messengers to Saul's son Ishbaal, 
       saying, "Give me my wife Michal, to whom I became engaged at the price 
       of one hundred foreskins of the Philistines."

       (2 Sam 3:15 NRSV)  Ishbaal sent and took her from her husband Paltiel 
       the son of Laish.

       (2 Sam 3:16 NRSV)  But her husband went with her, weeping as he walked 
       behind her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, "Go back 
       home!" So he went back.

       (2 Sam 3:17 NRSV)  Abner sent word to the elders of Israel, saying, 
       "For some time past you have been seeking David as king over you.

       (2 Sam 3:18 NRSV)  Now then bring it about; for the LORD has promised 
       David: Through my servant David I will save my people Israel from the 
       hand of the Philistines, and from all their enemies."

       (2 Sam 3:19 NRSV)  Abner also spoke directly to the Benjaminites; then 
       Abner went to tell David at Hebron all that Israel and the whole house 
       of Benjamin were ready to do.

       (2 Sam 3:20 NRSV)  When Abner came with twenty men to David at Hebron, 
       David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him.

       (2 Sam 3:21 NRSV)  Abner said to David, "Let me go and rally all 
       Israel to my lord the king, in order that they may make a covenant 
       with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires." So 
       David dismissed Abner, and he went away in peace.

       (2 Sam 3:22 NRSV)  Just then the servants of David arrived with Joab 





       from a raid, bringing much spoil with them. But Abner was not with 
       David at Hebron, for David had dismissed him, and he had gone away in 
       peace.

       (2 Sam 3:23 NRSV)  When Joab and all the army that was with him came, 
       it was told Joab, "Abner son of Ner came to the king, and he has 
       dismissed him, and he has gone away in peace."

       (2 Sam 3:24 NRSV)  Then Joab went to the king and said, "What have you 
       done? Abner came to you; why did you dismiss him, so that he got away?

       (2 Sam 3:25 NRSV)  You know that Abner son of Ner came to deceive you, 
       and to learn your comings and goings and to learn all that you are 
       doing."

       (2 Sam 3:26 NRSV)  When Joab came out from David's presence, he sent 
       messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern of 
       Sirah; but David did not know about it.

       (2 Sam 3:27 NRSV)  When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside 
       in the gateway to speak with him privately, and there he stabbed him 
       in the stomach. So he died for shedding the blood of Asahel, Joab's 
       brother.

       (2 Sam 3:28 NRSV)  Afterward, when David heard of it, he said, "I and 
       my kingdom are forever guiltless before the LORD for the blood of 
       Abner son of Ner.

       (2 Sam 3:29 NRSV)  May the guilt fall on the head of Joab, and on all 
       his father's house; and may the house of Joab never be without one who 
       has a discharge, or who is leprous, or who holds a spindle, or who 
       falls by the sword, or who lacks food!"

       (2 Sam 3:30 NRSV)  So Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner 
       because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.

       (2 Sam 3:31 NRSV)  Then David said to Joab and to all the people who 
       were with him, "Tear your clothes, and put on sackcloth, and mourn 
       over Abner." And King David followed the bier.

       (2 Sam 3:32 NRSV)  They buried Abner at Hebron. The king lifted up his 
       voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept.

       (2 Sam 3:33 NRSV)  The king lamented for Abner, saying, "Should Abner 
       die as a fool dies?

       (2 Sam 3:34 NRSV)  Your hands were not bound, your feet were not 
       fettered; as one falls before the wicked you have fallen." And all the 
       people wept over him again.

       (2 Sam 3:35 NRSV)  Then all the people came to persuade David to eat 
       something while it was still day; but David swore, saying, "So may God 
       do to me, and more, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun 
       goes down!"

       (2 Sam 3:36 NRSV)  All the people took notice of it, and it pleased 





       them; just as everything the king did pleased all the people.

       (2 Sam 3:37 NRSV)  So all the people and all Israel understood that 
       day that the king had no part in the killing of Abner son of Ner.

       (2 Sam 3:38 NRSV)  And the king said to his servants, "Do you not know 
       that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel?

       (2 Sam 3:39 NRSV)  Today I am powerless, even though anointed king; 
       these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too violent for me. The LORD pay 
       back the one who does wickedly in accordance with his wickedness!"

       (2 Sam 4:1 NRSV)  When Saul's son Ishbaal heard that Abner had died at 
       Hebron, his courage failed, and all Israel was dismayed.

       (2 Sam 4:2 NRSV)  Saul's son had two captains of raiding bands; the 
       name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab. They 
       were sons of Rimmon a Benjaminite from Beeroth--for Beeroth is 
       considered to belong to Benjamin.

       (2 Sam 4:3 NRSV)  (Now the people of Beeroth had fled to Gittaim and 
       are there as resident aliens to this day).

       (2 Sam 4:4 NRSV)  Saul's son Jonathan had a son who was crippled in 
       his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan 
       came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled; and, in her haste 
       to flee, it happened that he fell and became lame. His name was 
       Mephibosheth.

       (2 Sam 4:5 NRSV)  Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and 
       Baanah, set out, and about the heat of the day they came to the house 
       of Ishbaal, while he was taking his noonday rest.

       (2 Sam 4:6 NRSV)  They came inside the house as though to take wheat, 
       and they struck him in the stomach; then Rechab and his brother Baanah 
       escaped.

       (2 Sam 4:7 NRSV)  Now they had come into the house while he was lying 
       on his couch in his bedchamber; they attacked him, killed him, and 
       beheaded him. Then they took his head and traveled by way of the 
       Arabah all night long.

       (2 Sam 4:8 NRSV)  They brought the head of Ishbaal to David at Hebron 
       and said to the king, "Here is the head of Ishbaal, son of Saul, your 
       enemy, who sought your life; the LORD has avenged my lord the king 
       this day on Saul and on his offspring."

       (2 Sam 4:9 NRSV)  David answered Rechab and his brother Baanah, the 
       sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, "As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my 
       life out of every adversity,

       (2 Sam 4:10 NRSV)  when the one who told me, 'See, Saul is dead,' 
       thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at 
       Ziklag--this was the reward I gave him for his news.

       (2 Sam 4:11 NRSV)  How much more then, when wicked men have killed a 





       righteous man on his bed in his own house! And now shall I not require 
       his blood at your hand, and destroy you from the earth?"

       (2 Sam 4:12 NRSV)  So David commanded the young men, and they killed 
       them; they cut off their hands and feet, and hung their bodies beside 
       the pool at Hebron. But the head of Ishbaal they took and buried in 
       the tomb of Abner at Hebron.

       (2 Sam 5:1 NRSV)  Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at 
       Hebron, and said, "Look, we are your bone and flesh.

       (2 Sam 5:2 NRSV)  For some time, while Saul was king over us, it was 
       you who led out Israel and brought it in. The LORD said to you: It is 
       you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler 
       over Israel."

       (2 Sam 5:3 NRSV)  So all the elders of Israel came to the king at 
       Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the 
       LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel.

       (2 Sam 5:4 NRSV)  David was thirty years old when he began to reign, 
       and he reigned forty years.

       (2 Sam 5:5 NRSV)  At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six 
       months; and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah 
       thirty-three years.

       (2 Sam 5:6 NRSV)  The king and his men marched to Jerusalem against 
       the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, "You 
       will not come in here, even the blind and the lame will turn you 
       back"--thinking, "David cannot come in here."

       (2 Sam 5:7 NRSV)  Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion, 
       which is now the city of David.

       (2 Sam 5:8 NRSV)  David had said on that day, "Whoever would strike 
       down the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame 
       and the blind, those whom David hates." Therefore it is said, "The 
       blind and the lame shall not come into the house."

       (2 Sam 5:9 NRSV)  David occupied the stronghold, and named it the city 
       of David. David built the city all around from the Millo inward.

       (2 Sam 5:10 NRSV)  And David became greater and greater, for the LORD, 
       the God of hosts, was with him.

       (2 Sam 5:11 NRSV)  King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David, along 
       with cedar trees, and carpenters and masons who built David a house.

       (2 Sam 5:12 NRSV)  David then perceived that the LORD had established 
       him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake 
       of his people Israel.

       (2 Sam 5:13 NRSV)  In Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, David took 
       more concubines and wives; and more sons and daughters were born to 
       David.






       (2 Sam 5:14 NRSV)  These are the names of those who were born to him 
       in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

       (2 Sam 5:15 NRSV)  Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,

       (2 Sam 5:16 NRSV)  Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

       (2 Sam 5:17 NRSV)  When the Philistines heard that David had been 
       anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up in search of 
       David; but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold.

       (2 Sam 5:18 NRSV)  Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the 
       valley of Rephaim.

       (2 Sam 5:19 NRSV)  David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I go up against 
       the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?" The LORD said to 
       David, "Go up; for I will certainly give the Philistines into your 
       hand."

       (2 Sam 5:20 NRSV)  So David came to Baal-perazim, and David defeated 
       them there. He said, "The LORD has burst forth against my enemies 
       before me, like a bursting flood." Therefore that place is called 
       Baal-perazim.

       (2 Sam 5:21 NRSV)  The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and 
       David and his men carried them away.

       (2 Sam 5:22 NRSV)  Once again the Philistines came up, and were spread 
       out in the valley of Rephaim.

       (2 Sam 5:23 NRSV)  When David inquired of the LORD, he said, "You 
       shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come upon them opposite 
       the balsam trees.

       (2 Sam 5:24 NRSV)  When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of 
       the balsam trees, then be on the alert; for then the LORD has gone out 
       before you to strike down the army of the Philistines."

       (2 Sam 5:25 NRSV)  David did just as the LORD had commanded him; and 
       he struck down the Philistines from Geba all the way to Gezer.

       (2 Sam 6:1 NRSV)  David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, 
       thirty thousand.

       (2 Sam 6:2 NRSV)  David and all the people with him set out and went 
       from Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is 
       called by the name of the LORD of hosts who is enthroned on the 
       cherubim.

       (2 Sam 6:3 NRSV)  They carried the ark of God on a new cart, and 
       brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah 
       and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart

       (2 Sam 6:4 NRSV)  with the ark of God; and Ahio went in front of the 
       ark.






       (2 Sam 6:5 NRSV)  David and all the house of Israel were dancing 
       before the LORD with all their might, with songs and lyres and harps 
       and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.

       (2 Sam 6:6 NRSV)  When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, 
       Uzzah reached out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for 
       the oxen shook it.

       (2 Sam 6:7 NRSV)  The anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and 
       God struck him there because he reached out his hand to the ark; and 
       he died there beside the ark of God.

       (2 Sam 6:8 NRSV)  David was angry because the LORD had burst forth 
       with an outburst upon Uzzah; so that place is called Perez-uzzah, to 
       this day.

       (2 Sam 6:9 NRSV)  David was afraid of the LORD that day; he said, "How 
       can the ark of the LORD come into my care?"

       (2 Sam 6:10 NRSV)  So David was unwilling to take the ark of the LORD 
       into his care in the city of David; instead David took it to the house 
       of Obed-edom the Gittite.

       (2 Sam 6:11 NRSV)  The ark of the LORD remained in the house of 
       Obed-edom the Gittite three months; and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and 
       all his household.

       (2 Sam 6:12 NRSV)  It was told King David, "The LORD has blessed the 
       household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark 
       of God." So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of 
       Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing;

       (2 Sam 6:13 NRSV)  and when those who bore the ark of the LORD had 
       gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.

       (2 Sam 6:14 NRSV)  David danced before the LORD with all his might; 
       David was girded with a linen ephod.

       (2 Sam 6:15 NRSV)  So David and all the house of Israel brought up the 
       ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.

       (2 Sam 6:16 NRSV)  As the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, 
       Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David 
       leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her 
       heart.

       (2 Sam 6:17 NRSV)  They brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in 
       its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and David 
       offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being before the LORD.

       (2 Sam 6:18 NRSV)  When David had finished offering the burnt 
       offerings and the offerings of well-being, he blessed the people in 
       the name of the LORD of hosts,

       (2 Sam 6:19 NRSV)  and distributed food among all the people, the 





       whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, to each a cake of 
       bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people 
       went back to their homes.

       (2 Sam 6:20 NRSV)  David returned to bless his household. But Michal 
       the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, "How the king 
       of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the 
       eyes of his servants' maids, as any vulgar fellow might shamelessly 
       uncover himself!"

       (2 Sam 6:21 NRSV)  David said to Michal, "It was before the LORD, who 
       chose me in place of your father and all his household, to appoint me 
       as prince over Israel, the people of the LORD, that I have danced 
       before the LORD.

       (2 Sam 6:22 NRSV)  I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, 
       and I will be abased in my own eyes; but by the maids of whom you have 
       spoken, by them I shall be held in honor."

       (2 Sam 6:23 NRSV)  And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the 
       day of her death.

       (2 Sam 7:1 NRSV)  Now when the king was settled in his house, and the 
       LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him,

       (2 Sam 7:2 NRSV)  the king said to the prophet Nathan, "See now, I am 
       living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent."

       (2 Sam 7:3 NRSV)  Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that you have 
       in mind; for the LORD is with you."

       (2 Sam 7:4 NRSV)  But that same night the word of the LORD came to 
       Nathan:

       (2 Sam 7:5 NRSV)  Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: 
       Are you the one to build me a house to live in?

       (2 Sam 7:6 NRSV)  I have not lived in a house since the day I brought 
       up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving 
       about in a tent and a tabernacle.

       (2 Sam 7:7 NRSV)  Wherever I have moved about among all the people of 
       Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of 
       Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why 
       have you not built me a house of cedar?"

       (2 Sam 7:8 NRSV)  Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant 
       David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from 
       following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel;

       (2 Sam 7:9 NRSV)  and I have been with you wherever you went, and have 
       cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a 
       great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.

       (2 Sam 7:10 NRSV)  And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and 
       will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be 





       disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as 
       formerly,

       (2 Sam 7:11 NRSV)  from the time that I appointed judges over my 
       people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. 
       Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house.

       (2 Sam 7:12 NRSV)  When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with 
       your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall 
       come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.

       (2 Sam 7:13 NRSV)  He shall build a house for my name, and I will 
       establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

       (2 Sam 7:14 NRSV)  I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to 
       me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as 
       mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings.

       (2 Sam 7:15 NRSV)  But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as 
       I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.

       (2 Sam 7:16 NRSV)  Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure 
       forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.

       (2 Sam 7:17 NRSV)  In accordance with all these words and with all 
       this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

       (2 Sam 7:18 NRSV)  Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, 
       and said, "Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have 
       brought me thus far?

       (2 Sam 7:19 NRSV)  And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord 
       GOD; you have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to 
       come. May this be instruction for the people, O Lord GOD!

       (2 Sam 7:20 NRSV)  And what more can David say to you? For you know 
       your servant, O Lord GOD!

       (2 Sam 7:21 NRSV)  Because of your promise, and according to your own 
       heart, you have wrought all this greatness, so that your servant may 
       know it.

       (2 Sam 7:22 NRSV)  Therefore you are great, O LORD God; for there is 
       no one like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all 
       that we have heard with our ears.

       (2 Sam 7:23 NRSV)  Who is like your people, like Israel? Is there 
       another nation on earth whose God went to redeem it as a people, and 
       to make a name for himself, doing great and awesome things for them, 
       by driving out before his people nations and their gods?

       (2 Sam 7:24 NRSV)  And you established your people Israel for yourself 
       to be your people forever; and you, O LORD, became their God.

       (2 Sam 7:25 NRSV)  And now, O LORD God, as for the word that you have 
       spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, confirm it 





       forever; do as you have promised.

       (2 Sam 7:26 NRSV)  Thus your name will be magnified forever in the 
       saying, 'The LORD of hosts is God over Israel'; and the house of your 
       servant David will be established before you.

       (2 Sam 7:27 NRSV)  For you, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have 
       made this revelation to your servant, saying, 'I will build you a 
       house'; therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer 
       to you.

       (2 Sam 7:28 NRSV)  And now, O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words 
       are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant;

       (2 Sam 7:29 NRSV)  now therefore may it please you to bless the house 
       of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you; for you, 
       O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of 
       your servant be blessed forever."

       (2 Sam 8:1 NRSV)  Some time afterward, David attacked the Philistines 
       and subdued them; David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the 
       Philistines.

       (2 Sam 8:2 NRSV)  He also defeated the Moabites and, making them lie 
       down on the ground, measured them off with a cord; he measured two 
       lengths of cord for those who were to be put to death, and one length 
       for those who were to be spared. And the Moabites became servants to 
       David and brought tribute.

       (2 Sam 8:3 NRSV)  David also struck down King Hadadezer son of Rehob 
       of Zobah, as he went to restore his monument at the river Euphrates.

       (2 Sam 8:4 NRSV)  David took from him one thousand seven hundred 
       horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. David hamstrung all the 
       chariot horses, but left enough for a hundred chariots.

       (2 Sam 8:5 NRSV)  When the Arameans of Damascus came to help King 
       Hadadezer of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand men of the 
       Arameans.

       (2 Sam 8:6 NRSV)  Then David put garrisons among the Arameans of 
       Damascus; and the Arameans became servants to David and brought 
       tribute. The LORD gave victory to David wherever he went.

       (2 Sam 8:7 NRSV)  David took the gold shields that were carried by the 
       servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.

       (2 Sam 8:8 NRSV)  From Betah and from Berothai, towns of Hadadezer, 
       King David took a great amount of bronze.

       (2 Sam 8:9 NRSV)  When King Toi of Hamath heard that David had 
       defeated the whole army of Hadadezer,

       (2 Sam 8:10 NRSV)  Toi sent his son Joram to King David, to greet him 
       and to congratulate him because he had fought against Hadadezer and 
       defeated him. Now Hadadezer had often been at war with Toi. Joram 





       brought with him articles of silver, gold, and bronze;

       (2 Sam 8:11 NRSV)  these also King David dedicated to the LORD, 
       together with the silver and gold that he dedicated from all the 
       nations he subdued,

       (2 Sam 8:12 NRSV)  from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, 
       Amalek, and from the spoil of King Hadadezer son of Rehob of Zobah.

       (2 Sam 8:13 NRSV)  David won a name for himself. When he returned, he 
       killed eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

       (2 Sam 8:14 NRSV)  He put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he 
       put garrisons, and all the Edomites became David's servants. And the 
       LORD gave victory to David wherever he went.

       (2 Sam 8:15 NRSV)  So David reigned over all Israel; and David 
       administered justice and equity to all his people.

       (2 Sam 8:16 NRSV)  Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat 
       son of Ahilud was recorder;

       (2 Sam 8:17 NRSV)  Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar 
       were priests; Seraiah was secretary;

       (2 Sam 8:18 NRSV)  Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites 
       and the Pelethites; and David's sons were priests.

       (2 Sam 9:1 NRSV)  David asked, "Is there still anyone left of the 
       house of Saul to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan's sake?"

       (2 Sam 9:2 NRSV)  Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose 
       name was Ziba, and he was summoned to David. The king said to him, 
       "Are you Ziba?" And he said, "At your service!"

       (2 Sam 9:3 NRSV)  The king said, "Is there anyone remaining of the 
       house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?" Ziba said to 
       the king, "There remains a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his 
       feet."

       (2 Sam 9:4 NRSV)  The king said to him, "Where is he?" Ziba said to 
       the king, "He is in the house of Machir son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar."

       (2 Sam 9:5 NRSV)  Then King David sent and brought him from the house 
       of Machir son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.

       (2 Sam 9:6 NRSV)  Mephibosheth son of Jonathan son of Saul came to 
       David, and fell on his face and did obeisance. David said, 
       "Mephibosheth!" He answered, "I am your servant."

       (2 Sam 9:7 NRSV)  David said to him, "Do not be afraid, for I will 
       show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan; I will restore 
       to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you yourself shall 
       eat at my table always."

       (2 Sam 9:8 NRSV)  He did obeisance and said, "What is your servant, 





       that you should look upon a dead dog such as I?"

       (2 Sam 9:9 NRSV)  Then the king summoned Saul's servant Ziba, and said 
       to him, "All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given 
       to your master's grandson.

       (2 Sam 9:10 NRSV)  You and your sons and your servants shall till the 
       land for him, and shall bring in the produce, so that your master's 
       grandson may have food to eat; but your master's grandson Mephibosheth 
       shall always eat at my table." Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty 
       servants.

       (2 Sam 9:11 NRSV)  Then Ziba said to the king, "According to all that 
       my lord the king commands his servant, so your servant will do." 
       Mephibosheth ate at David's table, like one of the king's sons.

       (2 Sam 9:12 NRSV)  Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. 
       And all who lived in Ziba's house became Mephibosheth's servants.

       (2 Sam 9:13 NRSV)  Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he always ate 
       at the king's table. Now he was lame in both his feet.

       (2 Sam 10:1 NRSV)  Some time afterward, the king of the Ammonites 
       died, and his son Hanun succeeded him.

       (2 Sam 10:2 NRSV)  David said, "I will deal loyally with Hanun son of 
       Nahash, just as his father dealt loyally with me." So David sent 
       envoys to console him concerning his father. When David's envoys came 
       into the land of the Ammonites,

       (2 Sam 10:3 NRSV)  the princes of the Ammonites said to their lord 
       Hanun, "Do you really think that David is honoring your father just 
       because he has sent messengers with condolences to you? Has not David 
       sent his envoys to you to search the city, to spy it out, and to 
       overthrow it?"

       (2 Sam 10:4 NRSV)  So Hanun seized David's envoys, shaved off half the 
       beard of each, cut off their garments in the middle at their hips, and 
       sent them away.

       (2 Sam 10:5 NRSV)  When David was told, he sent to meet them, for the 
       men were greatly ashamed. The king said, "Remain at Jericho until your 
       beards have grown, and then return."

       (2 Sam 10:6 NRSV)  When the Ammonites saw that they had become odious 
       to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Arameans of Beth-rehob and 
       the Arameans of Zobah, twenty thousand foot soldiers, as well as the 
       king of Maacah, one thousand men, and the men of Tob, twelve thousand 
       men.

       (2 Sam 10:7 NRSV)  When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the 
       army with the warriors.

       (2 Sam 10:8 NRSV)  The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array 
       at the entrance of the gate; but the Arameans of Zobah and of Rehob, 
       and the men of Tob and Maacah, were by themselves in the open country.






       (2 Sam 10:9 NRSV)  When Joab saw that the battle was set against him 
       both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the picked men of 
       Israel, and arrayed them against the Arameans;

       (2 Sam 10:10 NRSV)  the rest of his men he put in the charge of his 
       brother Abishai, and he arrayed them against the Ammonites.

       (2 Sam 10:11 NRSV)  He said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, 
       then you shall help me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, 
       then I will come and help you.

       (2 Sam 10:12 NRSV)  Be strong, and let us be courageous for the sake 
       of our people, and for the cities of our God; and may the LORD do what 
       seems good to him."

       (2 Sam 10:13 NRSV)  So Joab and the people who were with him moved 
       forward into battle against the Arameans; and they fled before him.

       (2 Sam 10:14 NRSV)  When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans fled, 
       they likewise fled before Abishai, and entered the city. Then Joab 
       returned from fighting against the Ammonites, and came to Jerusalem.

       (2 Sam 10:15 NRSV)  But when the Arameans saw that they had been 
       defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together.

       (2 Sam 10:16 NRSV)  Hadadezer sent and brought out the Arameans who 
       were beyond the Euphrates; and they came to Helam, with Shobach the 
       commander of the army of Hadadezer at their head.

       (2 Sam 10:17 NRSV)  When it was told David, he gathered all Israel 
       together, and crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. The Arameans 
       arrayed themselves against David and fought with him.

       (2 Sam 10:18 NRSV)  The Arameans fled before Israel; and David killed 
       of the Arameans seven hundred chariot teams, and forty thousand 
       horsemen, and wounded Shobach the commander of their army, so that he 
       died there.

       (2 Sam 10:19 NRSV)  When all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer 
       saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with 
       Israel, and became subject to them. So the Arameans were afraid to 
       help the Ammonites any more.

       (2 Sam 11:1 NRSV)  In the spring of the year, the time when kings go 
       out to battle, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel with 
       him; they ravaged the Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah. But David 
       remained at Jerusalem.

       (2 Sam 11:2 NRSV)  It happened, late one afternoon, when David rose 
       from his couch and was walking about on the roof of the king's house, 
       that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; the woman was very 
       beautiful.

       (2 Sam 11:3 NRSV)  David sent someone to inquire about the woman. It 
       was reported, "This is Bathsheba daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah 





       the Hittite."

       (2 Sam 11:4 NRSV)  So David sent messengers to get her, and she came 
       to him, and he lay with her. (Now she was purifying herself after her 
       period.) Then she returned to her house.

       (2 Sam 11:5 NRSV)  The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, 
       "I am pregnant."

       (2 Sam 11:6 NRSV)  So David sent word to Joab, "Send me Uriah the 
       Hittite." And Joab sent Uriah to David.

       (2 Sam 11:7 NRSV)  When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab and 
       the people fared, and how the war was going.

       (2 Sam 11:8 NRSV)  Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house, 
       and wash your feet." Uriah went out of the king's house, and there 
       followed him a present from the king.

       (2 Sam 11:9 NRSV)  But Uriah slept at the entrance of the king's house 
       with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house.

       (2 Sam 11:10 NRSV)  When they told David, "Uriah did not go down to 
       his house," David said to Uriah, "You have just come from a journey. 
       Why did you not go down to your house?"

       (2 Sam 11:11 NRSV)  Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah 
       remain in booths; and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are 
       camping in the open field; shall I then go to my house, to eat and to 
       drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I 
       will not do such a thing."

       (2 Sam 11:12 NRSV)  Then David said to Uriah, "Remain here today also, 
       and tomorrow I will send you back." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem 
       that day. On the next day,

       (2 Sam 11:13 NRSV)  David invited him to eat and drink in his presence 
       and made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his couch 
       with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

       (2 Sam 11:14 NRSV)  In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, and 
       sent it by the hand of Uriah.

       (2 Sam 11:15 NRSV)  In the letter he wrote, "Set Uriah in the 
       forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, so 
       that he may be struck down and die."

       (2 Sam 11:16 NRSV)  As Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah 
       to the place where he knew there were valiant warriors.

       (2 Sam 11:17 NRSV)  The men of the city came out and fought with Joab; 
       and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the 
       Hittite was killed as well.

       (2 Sam 11:18 NRSV)  Then Joab sent and told David all the news about 
       the fighting;






       (2 Sam 11:19 NRSV)  and he instructed the messenger, "When you have 
       finished telling the king all the news about the fighting,

       (2 Sam 11:20 NRSV)  then, if the king's anger rises, and if he says to 
       you, 'Why did you go so near the city to fight? Did you not know that 
       they would shoot from the wall?

       (2 Sam 11:21 NRSV)  Who killed Abimelech son of Jerubbaal? Did not a 
       woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died 
       at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?' then you shall say, 'Your 
       servant Uriah the Hittite is dead too.'"

       (2 Sam 11:22 NRSV)  So the messenger went, and came and told David all 
       that Joab had sent him to tell.

       (2 Sam 11:23 NRSV)  The messenger said to David, "The men gained an 
       advantage over us, and came out against us in the field; but we drove 
       them back to the entrance of the gate.

       (2 Sam 11:24 NRSV)  Then the archers shot at your servants from the 
       wall; some of the king's servants are dead; and your servant Uriah the 
       Hittite is dead also."

       (2 Sam 11:25 NRSV)  David said to the messenger, "Thus you shall say 
       to Joab, 'Do not let this matter trouble you, for the sword devours 
       now one and now another; press your attack on the city, and overthrow 
       it.' And encourage him."

       (2 Sam 11:26 NRSV)  When the wife of Uriah heard that her husband was 
       dead, she made lamentation for him.

       (2 Sam 11:27 NRSV)  When the mourning was over, David sent and brought 
       her to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son. But the 
       thing that David had done displeased the LORD,

       (2 Sam 12:1 NRSV)  and the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him, 
       and said to him, "There were two men in a certain city, the one rich 
       and the other poor.

       (2 Sam 12:2 NRSV)  The rich man had very many flocks and herds;

       (2 Sam 12:3 NRSV)  but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe 
       lamb, which he had bought. He brought it up, and it grew up with him 
       and with his children; it used to eat of his meager fare, and drink 
       from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him.

       (2 Sam 12:4 NRSV)  Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he 
       was loath to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the 
       wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb, and 
       prepared that for the guest who had come to him."

       (2 Sam 12:5 NRSV)  Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the 
       man. He said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this 
       deserves to die;





       (2 Sam 12:6 NRSV)  he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did 
       this thing, and because he had no pity."

       (2 Sam 12:7 NRSV)  Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says 
       the LORD, the God of Israel: I anointed you king over Israel, and I 
       rescued you from the hand of Saul;

       (2 Sam 12:8 NRSV)  I gave you your master's house, and your master's 
       wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; 
       and if that had been too little, I would have added as much more.

       (2 Sam 12:9 NRSV)  Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do 
       what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with 
       the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed 
       him with the sword of the Ammonites.

       (2 Sam 12:10 NRSV)  Now therefore the sword shall never depart from 
       your house, for you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah 
       the Hittite to be your wife.

       (2 Sam 12:11 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: I will raise up trouble 
       against you from within your own house; and I will take your wives 
       before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie 
       with your wives in the sight of this very sun.

       (2 Sam 12:12 NRSV)  For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing 
       before all Israel, and before the sun."

       (2 Sam 12:13 NRSV)  David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the 
       LORD." Nathan said to David, "Now the LORD has put away your sin; you 
       shall not die.

       (2 Sam 12:14 NRSV)  Nevertheless, because by this deed you have 
       utterly scorned the LORD, the child that is born to you shall die."

       (2 Sam 12:15 NRSV)  Then Nathan went to his house. The LORD struck the 
       child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it became very ill.

       (2 Sam 12:16 NRSV)  David therefore pleaded with God for the child; 
       David fasted, and went in and lay all night on the ground.

       (2 Sam 12:17 NRSV)  The elders of his house stood beside him, urging 
       him to rise from the ground; but he would not, nor did he eat food 
       with them.

       (2 Sam 12:18 NRSV)  On the seventh day the child died. And the 
       servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead; for 
       they said, "While the child was still alive, we spoke to him, and he 
       did not listen to us; how then can we tell him the child is dead? He 
       may do himself some harm."

       (2 Sam 12:19 NRSV)  But when David saw that his servants were 
       whispering together, he perceived that the child was dead; and David 
       said to his servants, "Is the child dead?" They said, "He is dead."

       (2 Sam 12:20 NRSV)  Then David rose from the ground, washed, anointed 





       himself, and changed his clothes. He went into the house of the LORD, 
       and worshiped; he then went to his own house; and when he asked, they 
       set food before him and he ate.

       (2 Sam 12:21 NRSV)  Then his servants said to him, "What is this thing 
       that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while it was 
       alive; but when the child died, you rose and ate food."

       (2 Sam 12:22 NRSV)  He said, "While the child was still alive, I 
       fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to 
       me, and the child may live.'

       (2 Sam 12:23 NRSV)  But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring 
       him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me."

       (2 Sam 12:24 NRSV)  Then David consoled his wife Bathsheba, and went 
       to her, and lay with her; and she bore a son, and he named him 
       Solomon. The LORD loved him,

       (2 Sam 12:25 NRSV)  and sent a message by the prophet Nathan; so he 
       named him Jedidiah, because of the LORD.

       (2 Sam 12:26 NRSV)  Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites, 
       and took the royal city.

       (2 Sam 12:27 NRSV)  Joab sent messengers to David, and said, "I have 
       fought against Rabbah; moreover, I have taken the water city.

       (2 Sam 12:28 NRSV)  Now, then, gather the rest of the people together, 
       and encamp against the city, and take it; or I myself will take the 
       city, and it will be called by my name."

       (2 Sam 12:29 NRSV)  So David gathered all the people together and went 
       to Rabbah, and fought against it and took it.

       (2 Sam 12:30 NRSV)  He took the crown of Milcom from his head; the 
       weight of it was a talent of gold, and in it was a precious stone; and 
       it was placed on David's head. He also brought forth the spoil of the 
       city, a very great amount.

       (2 Sam 12:31 NRSV)  He brought out the people who were in it, and set 
       them to work with saws and iron picks and iron axes, or sent them to 
       the brickworks. Thus he did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then 
       David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

       (2 Sam 13:1 NRSV)  Some time passed. David's son Absalom had a 
       beautiful sister whose name was Tamar; and David's son Amnon fell in 
       love with her.

       (2 Sam 13:2 NRSV)  Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill 
       because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin and it seemed 
       impossible to Amnon to do anything to her.

       (2 Sam 13:3 NRSV)  But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the 
       son of David's brother Shimeah; and Jonadab was a very crafty man.





       (2 Sam 13:4 NRSV)  He said to him, "O son of the king, why are you so 
       haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?" Amnon said to 
       him, "I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister."

       (2 Sam 13:5 NRSV)  Jonadab said to him, "Lie down on your bed, and 
       pretend to be ill; and when your father comes to see you, say to him, 
       'Let my sister Tamar come and give me something to eat, and prepare 
       the food in my sight, so that I may see it and eat it from her hand.'"

       (2 Sam 13:6 NRSV)  So Amnon lay down, and pretended to be ill; and 
       when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, "Please let my 
       sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, so that I 
       may eat from her hand."

       (2 Sam 13:7 NRSV)  Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, "Go to your 
       brother Amnon's house, and prepare food for him."

       (2 Sam 13:8 NRSV)  So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house, where 
       he was lying down. She took dough, kneaded it, made cakes in his 
       sight, and baked the cakes.

       (2 Sam 13:9 NRSV)  Then she took the pan and set them out before him, 
       but he refused to eat. Amnon said, "Send out everyone from me." So 
       everyone went out from him.

       (2 Sam 13:10 NRSV)  Then Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food into the 
       chamber, so that I may eat from your hand." So Tamar took the cakes 
       she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother.

       (2 Sam 13:11 NRSV)  But when she brought them near him to eat, he took 
       hold of her, and said to her, "Come, lie with me, my sister."

       (2 Sam 13:12 NRSV)  She answered him, "No, my brother, do not force 
       me; for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do anything so 
       vile!

       (2 Sam 13:13 NRSV)  As for me, where could I carry my shame? And as 
       for you, you would be as one of the scoundrels in Israel. Now 
       therefore, I beg you, speak to the king; for he will not withhold me 
       from you."

       (2 Sam 13:14 NRSV)  But he would not listen to her; and being stronger 
       than she, he forced her and lay with her.

       (2 Sam 13:15 NRSV)  Then Amnon was seized with a very great loathing 
       for her; indeed, his loathing was even greater than the lust he had 
       felt for her. Amnon said to her, "Get out!"

       (2 Sam 13:16 NRSV)  But she said to him, "No, my brother; for this 
       wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to 
       me." But he would not listen to her.

       (2 Sam 13:17 NRSV)  He called the young man who served him and said, 
       "Put this woman out of my presence, and bolt the door after her."

       (2 Sam 13:18 NRSV)  (Now she was wearing a long robe with sleeves; for 





       this is how the virgin daughters of the king were clothed in earlier 
       times.) So his servant put her out, and bolted the door after her.

       (2 Sam 13:19 NRSV)  But Tamar put ashes on her head, and tore the long 
       robe that she was wearing; she put her hand on her head, and went 
       away, crying aloud as she went.

       (2 Sam 13:20 NRSV)  Her brother Absalom said to her, "Has Amnon your 
       brother been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister; he is your 
       brother; do not take this to heart." So Tamar remained, a desolate 
       woman, in her brother Absalom's house.

       (2 Sam 13:21 NRSV)  When King David heard of all these things, he 
       became very angry, but he would not punish his son Amnon, because he 
       loved him, for he was his firstborn.

       (2 Sam 13:22 NRSV)  But Absalom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad; 
       for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had raped his sister Tamar.

       (2 Sam 13:23 NRSV)  After two full years Absalom had sheepshearers at 
       Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king's 
       sons.

       (2 Sam 13:24 NRSV)  Absalom came to the king, and said, "Your servant 
       has sheepshearers; will the king and his servants please go with your 
       servant?"

       (2 Sam 13:25 NRSV)  But the king said to Absalom, "No, my son, let us 
       not all go, or else we will be burdensome to you." He pressed him, but 
       he would not go but gave him his blessing.

       (2 Sam 13:26 NRSV)  Then Absalom said, "If not, please let my brother 
       Amnon go with us." The king said to him, "Why should he go with you?"

       (2 Sam 13:27 NRSV)  But Absalom pressed him until he let Amnon and all 
       the king's sons go with him. Absalom made a feast like a king's feast.

       (2 Sam 13:28 NRSV)  Then Absalom commanded his servants, "Watch when 
       Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, 'Strike 
       Amnon,' then kill him. Do not be afraid; have I not myself commanded 
       you? Be courageous and valiant."

       (2 Sam 13:29 NRSV)  So the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom 
       had commanded. Then all the king's sons rose, and each mounted his 
       mule and fled.

       (2 Sam 13:30 NRSV)  While they were on the way, the report came to 
       David that Absalom had killed all the king's sons, and not one of them 
       was left.

       (2 Sam 13:31 NRSV)  The king rose, tore his garments, and lay on the 
       ground; and all his servants who were standing by tore their garments.

       (2 Sam 13:32 NRSV)  But Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shimeah, 
       said, "Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men 
       the king's sons; Amnon alone is dead. This has been determined by 





       Absalom from the day Amnon raped his sister Tamar.

       (2 Sam 13:33 NRSV)  Now therefore, do not let my lord the king take it 
       to heart, as if all the king's sons were dead; for Amnon alone is 
       dead."

       (2 Sam 13:34 NRSV)  But Absalom fled. When the young man who kept 
       watch looked up, he saw many people coming from the Horonaim road by 
       the side of the mountain.

       (2 Sam 13:35 NRSV)  Jonadab said to the king, "See, the king's sons 
       have come; as your servant said, so it has come about."

       (2 Sam 13:36 NRSV)  As soon as he had finished speaking, the king's 
       sons arrived, and raised their voices and wept; and the king and all 
       his servants also wept very bitterly.

       (2 Sam 13:37 NRSV)  But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai son of 
       Ammihud, king of Geshur. David mourned for his son day after day.

       (2 Sam 13:38 NRSV)  Absalom, having fled to Geshur, stayed there three 
       years.

       (2 Sam 13:39 NRSV)  And the heart of the king went out, yearning for 
       Absalom; for he was now consoled over the death of Amnon.

       (2 Sam 14:1 NRSV)  Now Joab son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's 
       mind was on Absalom.

       (2 Sam 14:2 NRSV)  Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise 
       woman. He said to her, "Pretend to be a mourner; put on mourning 
       garments, do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who 
       has been mourning many days for the dead.

       (2 Sam 14:3 NRSV)  Go to the king and speak to him as follows." And 
       Joab put the words into her mouth.

       (2 Sam 14:4 NRSV)  When the woman of Tekoa came to the king, she fell 
       on her face to the ground and did obeisance, and said, "Help, O king!"

       (2 Sam 14:5 NRSV)  The king asked her, "What is your trouble?" She 
       answered, "Alas, I am a widow; my husband is dead.

       (2 Sam 14:6 NRSV)  Your servant had two sons, and they fought with one 
       another in the field; there was no one to part them, and one struck 
       the other and killed him.

       (2 Sam 14:7 NRSV)  Now the whole family has risen against your 
       servant. They say, 'Give up the man who struck his brother, so that we 
       may kill him for the life of his brother whom he murdered, even if we 
       destroy the heir as well.' Thus they would quench my one remaining 
       ember, and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of 
       the earth."

       (2 Sam 14:8 NRSV)  Then the king said to the woman, "Go to your house, 
       and I will give orders concerning you."






       (2 Sam 14:9 NRSV)  The woman of Tekoa said to the king, "On me be the 
       guilt, my lord the king, and on my father's house; let the king and 
       his throne be guiltless."

       (2 Sam 14:10 NRSV)  The king said, "If anyone says anything to you, 
       bring him to me, and he shall never touch you again."

       (2 Sam 14:11 NRSV)  Then she said, "Please, may the king keep the LORD 
       your God in mind, so that the avenger of blood may kill no more, and 
       my son not be destroyed." He said, "As the LORD lives, not one hair of 
       your son shall fall to the ground."

       (2 Sam 14:12 NRSV)  Then the woman said, "Please let your servant 
       speak a word to my lord the king." He said, "Speak."

       (2 Sam 14:13 NRSV)  The woman said, "Why then have you planned such a 
       thing against the people of God? For in giving this decision the king 
       convicts himself, inasmuch as the king does not bring his banished one 
       home again.

       (2 Sam 14:14 NRSV)  We must all die; we are like water spilled on the 
       ground, which cannot be gathered up. But God will not take away a 
       life; he will devise plans so as not to keep an outcast banished 
       forever from his presence.

       (2 Sam 14:15 NRSV)  Now I have come to say this to my lord the king 
       because the people have made me afraid; your servant thought, 'I will 
       speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of 
       his servant.

       (2 Sam 14:16 NRSV)  For the king will hear, and deliver his servant 
       from the hand of the man who would cut both me and my son off from the 
       heritage of God.'

       (2 Sam 14:17 NRSV)  Your servant thought, 'The word of my lord the 
       king will set me at rest'; for my lord the king is like the angel of 
       God, discerning good and evil. The LORD your God be with you!"

       (2 Sam 14:18 NRSV)  Then the king answered the woman, "Do not withhold 
       from me anything I ask you." The woman said, "Let my lord the king 
       speak."

       (2 Sam 14:19 NRSV)  The king said, "Is the hand of Joab with you in 
       all this?" The woman answered and said, "As surely as you live, my 
       lord the king, one cannot turn right or left from anything that my 
       lord the king has said. For it was your servant Joab who commanded me; 
       it was he who put all these words into the mouth of your servant.

       (2 Sam 14:20 NRSV)  In order to change the course of affairs your 
       servant Joab did this. But my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the 
       angel of God to know all things that are on the earth."

       (2 Sam 14:21 NRSV)  Then the king said to Joab, "Very well, I grant 
       this; go, bring back the young man Absalom."





       (2 Sam 14:22 NRSV)  Joab prostrated himself with his face to the 
       ground and did obeisance, and blessed the king; and Joab said, "Today 
       your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the 
       king, in that the king has granted the request of his servant."

       (2 Sam 14:23 NRSV)  So Joab set off, went to Geshur, and brought 
       Absalom to Jerusalem.

       (2 Sam 14:24 NRSV)  The king said, "Let him go to his own house; he is 
       not to come into my presence." So Absalom went to his own house, and 
       did not come into the king's presence.

       (2 Sam 14:25 NRSV)  Now in all Israel there was no one to be praised 
       so much for his beauty as Absalom; from the sole of his foot to the 
       crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

       (2 Sam 14:26 NRSV)  When he cut the hair of his head (for at the end 
       of every year he used to cut it; when it was heavy on him, he cut it), 
       he weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels by the king's 
       weight.

       (2 Sam 14:27 NRSV)  There were born to Absalom three sons, and one 
       daughter whose name was Tamar; she was a beautiful woman.

       (2 Sam 14:28 NRSV)  So Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, 
       without coming into the king's presence.

       (2 Sam 14:29 NRSV)  Then Absalom sent for Joab to send him to the 
       king; but Joab would not come to him. He sent a second time, but Joab 
       would not come.

       (2 Sam 14:30 NRSV)  Then he said to his servants, "Look, Joab's field 
       is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire." So 
       Absalom's servants set the field on fire.

       (2 Sam 14:31 NRSV)  Then Joab rose and went to Absalom at his house, 
       and said to him, "Why have your servants set my field on fire?"

       (2 Sam 14:32 NRSV)  Absalom answered Joab, "Look, I sent word to you: 
       Come here, that I may send you to the king with the question, 'Why 
       have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still.' 
       Now let me go into the king's presence; if there is guilt in me, let 
       him kill me!"

       (2 Sam 14:33 NRSV)  Then Joab went to the king and told him; and he 
       summoned Absalom. So he came to the king and prostrated himself with 
       his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Absalom.

       (2 Sam 15:1 NRSV)  After this Absalom got himself a chariot and 
       horses, and fifty men to run ahead of him.

       (2 Sam 15:2 NRSV)  Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the 
       road into the gate; and when anyone brought a suit before the king for 
       judgment, Absalom would call out and say, "From what city are you?" 
       When the person said, "Your servant is of such and such a tribe in 
       Israel,"






       (2 Sam 15:3 NRSV)  Absalom would say, "See, your claims are good and 
       right; but there is no one deputed by the king to hear you."

       (2 Sam 15:4 NRSV)  Absalom said moreover, "If only I were judge in the 
       land! Then all who had a suit or cause might come to me, and I would 
       give them justice."

       (2 Sam 15:5 NRSV)  Whenever people came near to do obeisance to him, 
       he would put out his hand and take hold of them, and kiss them.

       (2 Sam 15:6 NRSV)  Thus Absalom did to every Israelite who came to the 
       king for judgment; so Absalom stole the hearts of the people of 
       Israel.

       (2 Sam 15:7 NRSV)  At the end of four years Absalom said to the king, 
       "Please let me go to Hebron and pay the vow that I have made to the 
       LORD.

       (2 Sam 15:8 NRSV)  For your servant made a vow while I lived at Geshur 
       in Aram: If the LORD will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I 
       will worship the LORD in Hebron."

       (2 Sam 15:9 NRSV)  The king said to him, "Go in peace." So he got up, 
       and went to Hebron.

       (2 Sam 15:10 NRSV)  But Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all 
       the tribes of Israel, saying, "As soon as you hear the sound of the 
       trumpet, then shout: Absalom has become king at Hebron!"

       (2 Sam 15:11 NRSV)  Two hundred men from Jerusalem went with Absalom; 
       they were invited guests, and they went in their innocence, knowing 
       nothing of the matter.

       (2 Sam 15:12 NRSV)  While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent 
       for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city Giloh. 
       The conspiracy grew in strength, and the people with Absalom kept 
       increasing.

       (2 Sam 15:13 NRSV)  A messenger came to David, saying, "The hearts of 
       the Israelites have gone after Absalom."

       (2 Sam 15:14 NRSV)  Then David said to all his officials who were with 
       him at Jerusalem, "Get up! Let us flee, or there will be no escape for 
       us from Absalom. Hurry, or he will soon overtake us, and bring 
       disaster down upon us, and attack the city with the edge of the 
       sword."

       (2 Sam 15:15 NRSV)  The king's officials said to the king, "Your 
       servants are ready to do whatever our lord the king decides."

       (2 Sam 15:16 NRSV)  So the king left, followed by all his household, 
       except ten concubines whom he left behind to look after the house.

       (2 Sam 15:17 NRSV)  The king left, followed by all the people; and 
       they stopped at the last house.






       (2 Sam 15:18 NRSV)  All his officials passed by him; and all the 
       Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites 
       who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king.

       (2 Sam 15:19 NRSV)  Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why are 
       you also coming with us? Go back, and stay with the king; for you are 
       a foreigner, and also an exile from your home.

       (2 Sam 15:20 NRSV)  You came only yesterday, and shall I today make 
       you wander about with us, while I go wherever I can? Go back, and take 
       your kinsfolk with you; and may the LORD show steadfast love and 
       faithfulness to you."

       (2 Sam 15:21 NRSV)  But Ittai answered the king, "As the LORD lives, 
       and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, 
       whether for death or for life, there also your servant will be."

       (2 Sam 15:22 NRSV)  David said to Ittai, "Go then, march on." So Ittai 
       the Gittite marched on, with all his men and all the little ones who 
       were with him.

       (2 Sam 15:23 NRSV)  The whole country wept aloud as all the people 
       passed by; the king crossed the Wadi Kidron, and all the people moved 
       on toward the wilderness.

       (2 Sam 15:24 NRSV)  Abiathar came up, and Zadok also, with all the 
       Levites, carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They set down the 
       ark of God, until the people had all passed out of the city.

       (2 Sam 15:25 NRSV)  Then the king said to Zadok, "Carry the ark of God 
       back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, he will 
       bring me back and let me see both it and the place where it stays.

       (2 Sam 15:26 NRSV)  But if he says, 'I take no pleasure in you,' here 
       I am, let him do to me what seems good to him."

       (2 Sam 15:27 NRSV)  The king also said to the priest Zadok, "Look, go 
       back to the city in peace, you and Abiathar, with your two sons, 
       Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan son of Abiathar.

       (2 Sam 15:28 NRSV)  See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness 
       until word comes from you to inform me."

       (2 Sam 15:29 NRSV)  So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back 
       to Jerusalem, and they remained there.

       (2 Sam 15:30 NRSV)  But David went up the ascent of the Mount of 
       Olives, weeping as he went, with his head covered and walking 
       barefoot; and all the people who were with him covered their heads and 
       went up, weeping as they went.

       (2 Sam 15:31 NRSV)  David was told that Ahithophel was among the 
       conspirators with Absalom. And David said, "O LORD, I pray you, turn 
       the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness."





       (2 Sam 15:32 NRSV)  When David came to the summit, where God was 
       worshiped, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn and 
       earth on his head.

       (2 Sam 15:33 NRSV)  David said to him, "If you go on with me, you will 
       be a burden to me.

       (2 Sam 15:34 NRSV)  But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, 
       'I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father's servant 
       in time past, so now I will be your servant,' then you will defeat for 
       me the counsel of Ahithophel.

       (2 Sam 15:35 NRSV)  The priests Zadok and Abiathar will be with you 
       there. So whatever you hear from the king's house, tell it to the 
       priests Zadok and Abiathar.

       (2 Sam 15:36 NRSV)  Their two sons are with them there, Zadok's son 
       Ahimaaz and Abiathar's son Jonathan; and by them you shall report to 
       me everything you hear."

       (2 Sam 15:37 NRSV)  So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city, 
       just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.

       (2 Sam 16:1 NRSV)  When David had passed a little beyond the summit, 
       Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of donkeys 
       saddled, carrying two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred bunches of 
       raisins, one hundred of summer fruits, and one skin of wine.

       (2 Sam 16:2 NRSV)  The king said to Ziba, "Why have you brought 
       these?" Ziba answered, "The donkeys are for the king's household to 
       ride, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the 
       wine is for those to drink who faint in the wilderness."

       (2 Sam 16:3 NRSV)  The king said, "And where is your master's son?" 
       Ziba said to the king, "He remains in Jerusalem; for he said, 'Today 
       the house of Israel will give me back my grandfather's kingdom.'"

       (2 Sam 16:4 NRSV)  Then the king said to Ziba, "All that belonged to 
       Mephibosheth is now yours." Ziba said, "I do obeisance; let me find 
       favor in your sight, my lord the king."

       (2 Sam 16:5 NRSV)  When King David came to Bahurim, a man of the 
       family of the house of Saul came out whose name was Shimei son of 
       Gera; he came out cursing.

       (2 Sam 16:6 NRSV)  He threw stones at David and at all the servants of 
       King David; now all the people and all the warriors were on his right 
       and on his left.

       (2 Sam 16:7 NRSV)  Shimei shouted while he cursed, "Out! Out! 
       Murderer! Scoundrel!

       (2 Sam 16:8 NRSV)  The LORD has avenged on all of you the blood of the 
       house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the LORD has given 
       the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, disaster has 
       overtaken you; for you are a man of blood."






       (2 Sam 16:9 NRSV)  Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, "Why 
       should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take 
       off his head."

       (2 Sam 16:10 NRSV)  But the king said, "What have I to do with you, 
       you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the LORD has said to 
       him, 'Curse David,' who then shall say, 'Why have you done so?'"

       (2 Sam 16:11 NRSV)  David said to Abishai and to all his servants, "My 
       own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Let him 
       alone, and let him curse; for the LORD has bidden him.

       (2 Sam 16:12 NRSV)  It may be that the LORD will look on my distress, 
       and the LORD will repay me with good for this cursing of me today."

       (2 Sam 16:13 NRSV)  So David and his men went on the road, while 
       Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, 
       throwing stones and flinging dust at him.

       (2 Sam 16:14 NRSV)  The king and all the people who were with him 
       arrived weary at the Jordan; and there he refreshed himself.

       (2 Sam 16:15 NRSV)  Now Absalom and all the Israelites came to 
       Jerusalem; Ahithophel was with him.

       (2 Sam 16:16 NRSV)  When Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to 
       Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, "Long live the king! Long live the 
       king!"

       (2 Sam 16:17 NRSV)  Absalom said to Hushai, "Is this your loyalty to 
       your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?"

       (2 Sam 16:18 NRSV)  Hushai said to Absalom, "No; but the one whom the 
       LORD and this people and all the Israelites have chosen, his I will 
       be, and with him I will remain.

       (2 Sam 16:19 NRSV)  Moreover, whom should I serve? Should it not be 
       his son? Just as I have served your father, so I will serve you."

       (2 Sam 16:20 NRSV)  Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Give us your 
       counsel; what shall we do?"

       (2 Sam 16:21 NRSV)  Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Go in to your 
       father's concubines, the ones he has left to look after the house; and 
       all Israel will hear that you have made yourself odious to your 
       father, and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened."

       (2 Sam 16:22 NRSV)  So they pitched a tent for Absalom upon the roof; 
       and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all 
       Israel.

       (2 Sam 16:23 NRSV)  Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave 
       was as if one consulted the oracle of God; so all the counsel of 
       Ahithophel was esteemed, both by David and by Absalom.





       (2 Sam 17:1 NRSV)  Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Let me choose 
       twelve thousand men, and I will set out and pursue David tonight.

       (2 Sam 17:2 NRSV)  I will come upon him while he is weary and 
       discouraged, and throw him into a panic; and all the people who are 
       with him will flee. I will strike down only the king,

       (2 Sam 17:3 NRSV)  and I will bring all the people back to you as a 
       bride comes home to her husband. You seek the life of only one man, 
       and all the people will be at peace."

       (2 Sam 17:4 NRSV)  The advice pleased Absalom and all the elders of 
       Israel.

       (2 Sam 17:5 NRSV)  Then Absalom said, "Call Hushai the Archite also, 
       and let us hear too what he has to say."

       (2 Sam 17:6 NRSV)  When Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, 
       "This is what Ahithophel has said; shall we do as he advises? If not, 
       you tell us."

       (2 Sam 17:7 NRSV)  Then Hushai said to Absalom, "This time the counsel 
       that Ahithophel has given is not good."

       (2 Sam 17:8 NRSV)  Hushai continued, "You know that your father and 
       his men are warriors, and that they are enraged, like a bear robbed of 
       her cubs in the field. Besides, your father is expert in war; he will 
       not spend the night with the troops.

       (2 Sam 17:9 NRSV)  Even now he has hidden himself in one of the pits, 
       or in some other place. And when some of our troops fall at the first 
       attack, whoever hears it will say, 'There has been a slaughter among 
       the troops who follow Absalom.'

       (2 Sam 17:10 NRSV)  Then even the valiant warrior, whose heart is like 
       the heart of a lion, will utterly melt with fear; for all Israel knows 
       that your father is a warrior, and that those who are with him are 
       valiant warriors.

       (2 Sam 17:11 NRSV)  But my counsel is that all Israel be gathered to 
       you, from Dan to Beer-sheba, like the sand by the sea for multitude, 
       and that you go to battle in person.

       (2 Sam 17:12 NRSV)  So we shall come upon him in whatever place he may 
       be found, and we shall light on him as the dew falls on the ground; 
       and he will not survive, nor will any of those with him.

       (2 Sam 17:13 NRSV)  If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will 
       bring ropes to that city, and we shall drag it into the valley, until 
       not even a pebble is to be found there."

       (2 Sam 17:14 NRSV)  Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The 
       counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of 
       Ahithophel." For the LORD had ordained to defeat the good counsel of 
       Ahithophel, so that the LORD might bring ruin on Absalom.





       (2 Sam 17:15 NRSV)  Then Hushai said to the priests Zadok and 
       Abiathar, "Thus and so did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders 
       of Israel; and thus and so I have counseled.

       (2 Sam 17:16 NRSV)  Therefore send quickly and tell David, 'Do not 
       lodge tonight at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means cross 
       over; otherwise the king and all the people who are with him will be 
       swallowed up.'"

       (2 Sam 17:17 NRSV)  Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En-rogel; a 
       servant-girl used to go and tell them, and they would go and tell King 
       David; for they could not risk being seen entering the city.

       (2 Sam 17:18 NRSV)  But a boy saw them, and told Absalom; so both of 
       them went away quickly, and came to the house of a man at Bahurim, who 
       had a well in his courtyard; and they went down into it.

       (2 Sam 17:19 NRSV)  The man's wife took a covering, stretched it over 
       the well's mouth, and spread out grain on it; and nothing was known of 
       it.

       (2 Sam 17:20 NRSV)  When Absalom's servants came to the woman at the 
       house, they said, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" The woman said to 
       them, "They have crossed over the brook of water." And when they had 
       searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

       (2 Sam 17:21 NRSV)  After they had gone, the men came up out of the 
       well, and went and told King David. They said to David, "Go and cross 
       the water quickly; for thus and so has Ahithophel counseled against 
       you."

       (2 Sam 17:22 NRSV)  So David and all the people who were with him set 
       out and crossed the Jordan; by daybreak not one was left who had not 
       crossed the Jordan.

       (2 Sam 17:23 NRSV)  When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not 
       followed, he saddled his donkey and went off home to his own city. He 
       set his house in order, and hanged himself; he died and was buried in 
       the tomb of his father.

       (2 Sam 17:24 NRSV)  Then David came to Mahanaim, while Absalom crossed 
       the Jordan with all the men of Israel.

       (2 Sam 17:25 NRSV)  Now Absalom had set Amasa over the army in the 
       place of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Ishmaelite, 
       who had married Abigal daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab's 
       mother.

       (2 Sam 17:26 NRSV)  The Israelites and Absalom encamped in the land of 
       Gilead.

       (2 Sam 17:27 NRSV)  When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash 
       from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Machir son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, 
       and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim,

       (2 Sam 17:28 NRSV)  brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, wheat, 





       barley, meal, parched grain, beans and lentils,

       (2 Sam 17:29 NRSV)  honey and curds, sheep, and cheese from the herd, 
       for David and the people with him to eat; for they said, "The troops 
       are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness."

       (2 Sam 18:1 NRSV)  Then David mustered the men who were with him, and 
       set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.

       (2 Sam 18:2 NRSV)  And David divided the army into three groups: one 
       third under the command of Joab, one third under the command of 
       Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and one third under the 
       command of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the men, "I myself will 
       also go out with you."

       (2 Sam 18:3 NRSV)  But the men said, "You shall not go out. For if we 
       flee, they will not care about us. If half of us die, they will not 
       care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us; therefore it is 
       better that you send us help from the city."

       (2 Sam 18:4 NRSV)  The king said to them, "Whatever seems best to you 
       I will do." So the king stood at the side of the gate, while all the 
       army marched out by hundreds and by thousands.

       (2 Sam 18:5 NRSV)  The king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, 
       saying, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom." And all 
       the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders 
       concerning Absalom.

       (2 Sam 18:6 NRSV)  So the army went out into the field against Israel; 
       and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim.

       (2 Sam 18:7 NRSV)  The men of Israel were defeated there by the 
       servants of David, and the slaughter there was great on that day, 
       twenty thousand men.

       (2 Sam 18:8 NRSV)  The battle spread over the face of all the country; 
       and the forest claimed more victims that day than the sword.

       (2 Sam 18:9 NRSV)  Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. 
       Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick 
       branches of a great oak. His head caught fast in the oak, and he was 
       left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under 
       him went on.

       (2 Sam 18:10 NRSV)  A man saw it, and told Joab, "I saw Absalom 
       hanging in an oak."

       (2 Sam 18:11 NRSV)  Joab said to the man who told him, "What, you saw 
       him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have 
       been glad to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt."

       (2 Sam 18:12 NRSV)  But the man said to Joab, "Even if I felt in my 
       hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not raise my 
       hand against the king's son; for in our hearing the king commanded you 
       and Abishai and Ittai, saying: For my sake protect the young man 





       Absalom!

       (2 Sam 18:13 NRSV)  On the other hand, if I had dealt treacherously 
       against his life (and there is nothing hidden from the king), then you 
       yourself would have stood aloof."

       (2 Sam 18:14 NRSV)  Joab said, "I will not waste time like this with 
       you." He took three spears in his hand, and thrust them into the heart 
       of Absalom, while he was still alive in the oak.

       (2 Sam 18:15 NRSV)  And ten young men, Joab's armor-bearers, 
       surrounded Absalom and struck him, and killed him.

       (2 Sam 18:16 NRSV)  Then Joab sounded the trumpet, and the troops came 
       back from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained the troops.

       (2 Sam 18:17 NRSV)  They took Absalom, threw him into a great pit in 
       the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones. Meanwhile 
       all the Israelites fled to their homes.

       (2 Sam 18:18 NRSV)  Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up 
       for himself a pillar that is in the King's Valley, for he said, "I 
       have no son to keep my name in remembrance"; he called the pillar by 
       his own name. It is called Absalom's Monument to this day.

       (2 Sam 18:19 NRSV)  Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, "Let me run, and 
       carry tidings to the king that the LORD has delivered him from the 
       power of his enemies."

       (2 Sam 18:20 NRSV)  Joab said to him, "You are not to carry tidings 
       today; you may carry tidings another day, but today you shall not do 
       so, because the king's son is dead."

       (2 Sam 18:21 NRSV)  Then Joab said to a Cushite, "Go, tell the king 
       what you have seen." The Cushite bowed before Joab, and ran.

       (2 Sam 18:22 NRSV)  Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said again to Joab, 
       "Come what may, let me also run after the Cushite." And Joab said, 
       "Why will you run, my son, seeing that you have no reward for the 
       tidings?"

       (2 Sam 18:23 NRSV)  "Come what may," he said, "I will run." So he said 
       to him, "Run." Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Plain, and outran 
       the Cushite.

       (2 Sam 18:24 NRSV)  Now David was sitting between the two gates. The 
       sentinel went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he 
       looked up, he saw a man running alone.

       (2 Sam 18:25 NRSV)  The sentinel shouted and told the king. The king 
       said, "If he is alone, there are tidings in his mouth." He kept 
       coming, and drew near.

       (2 Sam 18:26 NRSV)  Then the sentinel saw another man running; and the 
       sentinel called to the gatekeeper and said, "See, another man running 
       alone!" The king said, "He also is bringing tidings."






       (2 Sam 18:27 NRSV)  The sentinel said, "I think the running of the 
       first one is like the running of Ahimaaz son of Zadok." The king said, 
       "He is a good man, and comes with good tidings."

       (2 Sam 18:28 NRSV)  Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, "All is well!" 
       He prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground, and 
       said, "Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delivered up the men who 
       raised their hand against my lord the king."

       (2 Sam 18:29 NRSV)  The king said, "Is it well with the young man 
       Absalom?" Ahimaaz answered, "When Joab sent your servant, I saw a 
       great tumult, but I do not know what it was."

       (2 Sam 18:30 NRSV)  The king said, "Turn aside, and stand here." So he 
       turned aside, and stood still.

       (2 Sam 18:31 NRSV)  Then the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, "Good 
       tidings for my lord the king! For the LORD has vindicated you this 
       day, delivering you from the power of all who rose up against you."

       (2 Sam 18:32 NRSV)  The king said to the Cushite, "Is it well with the 
       young man Absalom?" The Cushite answered, "May the enemies of my lord 
       the king, and all who rise up to do you harm, be like that young man."

       (2 Sam 18:33 NRSV)  The king was deeply moved, and went up to the 
       chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, "O my son 
       Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O 
       Absalom, my son, my son!"

       (2 Sam 19:1 NRSV)  It was told Joab, "The king is weeping and mourning 
       for Absalom."

       (2 Sam 19:2 NRSV)  So the victory that day was turned into mourning 
       for all the troops; for the troops heard that day, "The king is 
       grieving for his son."

       (2 Sam 19:3 NRSV)  The troops stole into the city that day as soldiers 
       steal in who are ashamed when they flee in battle.

       (2 Sam 19:4 NRSV)  The king covered his face, and the king cried with 
       a loud voice, "Omy son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!"

       (2 Sam 19:5 NRSV)  Then Joab came into the house to the king, and 
       said, "Today you have covered with shame the faces of all your 
       officers who have saved your life today, and the lives of your sons 
       and your daughters, and the lives of your wives and your concubines,

       (2 Sam 19:6 NRSV)  for love of those who hate you and for hatred of 
       those who love you. You have made it clear today that commanders and 
       officers are nothing to you; for I perceive that if Absalom were alive 
       and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased.

       (2 Sam 19:7 NRSV)  So go out at once and speak kindly to your 
       servants; for I swear by the LORD, if you do not go, not a man will 
       stay with you this night; and this will be worse for you than any 





       disaster that has come upon you from your youth until now."

       (2 Sam 19:8 NRSV)  Then the king got up and took his seat in the gate. 
       The troops were all told, "See, the king is sitting in the gate"; and 
       all the troops came before the king. Meanwhile, all the Israelites had 
       fled to their homes.

       (2 Sam 19:9 NRSV)  All the people were disputing throughout all the 
       tribes of Israel, saying, "The king delivered us from the hand of our 
       enemies, and saved us from the hand of the Philistines; and now he has 
       fled out of the land because of Absalom.

       (2 Sam 19:10 NRSV)  But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in 
       battle. Now therefore why do you say nothing about bringing the king 
       back?"

       (2 Sam 19:11 NRSV)  King David sent this message to the priests Zadok 
       and Abiathar, "Say to the elders of Judah, 'Why should you be the last 
       to bring the king back to his house? The talk of all Israel has come 
       to the king.

       (2 Sam 19:12 NRSV)  You are my kin, you are my bone and my flesh; why 
       then should you be the last to bring back the king?'

       (2 Sam 19:13 NRSV)  And say to Amasa, 'Are you not my bone and my 
       flesh? So may God do to me, and more, if you are not the commander of 
       my army from now on, in place of Joab.'"

       (2 Sam 19:14 NRSV)  Amasa swayed the hearts of all the people of Judah 
       as one, and they sent word to the king, "Return, both you and all your 
       servants."

       (2 Sam 19:15 NRSV)  So the king came back to the Jordan; and Judah 
       came to Gilgal to meet the king and to bring him over the Jordan.

       (2 Sam 19:16 NRSV)  Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite, from Bahurim, 
       hurried to come down with the people of Judah to meet King David;

       (2 Sam 19:17 NRSV)  with him were a thousand people from Benjamin. And 
       Ziba, the servant of the house of Saul, with his fifteen sons and his 
       twenty servants, rushed down to the Jordan ahead of the king,

       (2 Sam 19:18 NRSV)  while the crossing was taking place, to bring over 
       the king's household, and to do his pleasure. Shimei son of Gera fell 
       down before the king, as he was about to cross the Jordan,

       (2 Sam 19:19 NRSV)  and said to the king, "May my lord not hold me 
       guilty or remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the 
       king left Jerusalem; may the king not bear it in mind.

       (2 Sam 19:20 NRSV)  For your servant knows that I have sinned; 
       therefore, see, I have come this day, the first of all the house of 
       Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king."

       (2 Sam 19:21 NRSV)  Abishai son of Zeruiah answered, "Shall not Shimei 
       be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord's anointed?"






       (2 Sam 19:22 NRSV)  But David said, "What have I to do with you, you 
       sons of Zeruiah, that you should today become an adversary to me? 
       Shall anyone be put to death in Israel this day? For do I not know 
       that I am this day king over Israel?"

       (2 Sam 19:23 NRSV)  The king said to Shimei, "You shall not die." And 
       the king gave him his oath.

       (2 Sam 19:24 NRSV)  Mephibosheth grandson of Saul came down to meet 
       the king; he had not taken care of his feet, or trimmed his beard, or 
       washed his clothes, from the day the king left until the day he came 
       back in safety.

       (2 Sam 19:25 NRSV)  When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the 
       king said to him, "Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?"

       (2 Sam 19:26 NRSV)  He answered, "My lord, O king, my servant deceived 
       me; for your servant said to him, 'Saddle a donkey for me, so that I 
       may ride on it and go with the king.' For your servant is lame.

       (2 Sam 19:27 NRSV)  He has slandered your servant to my lord the king. 
       But my lord the king is like the angel of God; do therefore what seems 
       good to you.

       (2 Sam 19:28 NRSV)  For all my father's house were doomed to death 
       before my lord the king; but you set your servant among those who eat 
       at your table. What further right have I, then, to appeal to the 
       king?"

       (2 Sam 19:29 NRSV)  The king said to him, "Why speak any more of your 
       affairs? I have decided: you and Ziba shall divide the land."

       (2 Sam 19:30 NRSV)  Mephibosheth said to the king, "Let him take it 
       all, since my lord the king has arrived home safely."

       (2 Sam 19:31 NRSV)  Now Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from 
       Rogelim; he went on with the king to the Jordan, to escort him over 
       the Jordan.

       (2 Sam 19:32 NRSV)  Barzillai was a very aged man, eighty years old. 
       He had provided the king with food while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he 
       was a very wealthy man.

       (2 Sam 19:33 NRSV)  The king said to Barzillai, "Come over with me, 
       and I will provide for you in Jerusalem at my side."

       (2 Sam 19:34 NRSV)  But Barzillai said to the king, "How many years 
       have I still to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem?

       (2 Sam 19:35 NRSV)  Today I am eighty years old; can I discern what is 
       pleasant and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats or what 
       he drinks? Can I still listen to the voice of singing men and singing 
       women? Why then should your servant be an added burden to my lord the 
       king?





       (2 Sam 19:36 NRSV)  Your servant will go a little way over the Jordan 
       with the king. Why should the king recompense me with such a reward?

       (2 Sam 19:37 NRSV)  Please let your servant return, so that I may die 
       in my own town, near the graves of my father and my mother. But here 
       is your servant Chimham; let him go over with my lord the king; and do 
       for him whatever seems good to you."

       (2 Sam 19:38 NRSV)  The king answered, "Chimham shall go over with me, 
       and I will do for him whatever seems good to you; and all that you 
       desire of me I will do for you."

       (2 Sam 19:39 NRSV)  Then all the people crossed over the Jordan, and 
       the king crossed over; the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and 
       he returned to his own home.

       (2 Sam 19:40 NRSV)  The king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on 
       with him; all the people of Judah, and also half the people of Israel, 
       brought the king on his way.

       (2 Sam 19:41 NRSV)  Then all the people of Israel came to the king, 
       and said to him, "Why have our kindred the people of Judah stolen you 
       away, and brought the king and his household over the Jordan, and all 
       David's men with him?"

       (2 Sam 19:42 NRSV)  All the people of Judah answered the people of 
       Israel, "Because the king is near of kin to us. Why then are you angry 
       over this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king's expense? Or has 
       he given us any gift?"

       (2 Sam 19:43 NRSV)  But the people of Israel answered the people of 
       Judah, "We have ten shares in the king, and in David also we have more 
       than you. Why then did you despise us? Were we not the first to speak 
       of bringing back our king?" But the words of the people of Judah were 
       fiercer than the words of the people of Israel.

       (2 Sam 20:1 NRSV)  Now a scoundrel named Sheba son of Bichri, a 
       Benjaminite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and cried 
       out, "We have no portion in David, no share in the son of Jesse! 
       Everyone to your tents, O Israel!"

       (2 Sam 20:2 NRSV)  So all the people of Israel withdrew from David and 
       followed Sheba son of Bichri; but the people of Judah followed their 
       king steadfastly from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

       (2 Sam 20:3 NRSV)  David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king 
       took the ten concubines whom he had left to look after the house, and 
       put them in a house under guard, and provided for them, but did not go 
       in to them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living 
       as if in widowhood.

       (2 Sam 20:4 NRSV)  Then the king said to Amasa, "Call the men of Judah 
       together to me within three days, and be here yourself."

       (2 Sam 20:5 NRSV)  So Amasa went to summon Judah; but he delayed 
       beyond the set time that had been appointed him.






       (2 Sam 20:6 NRSV)  David said to Abishai, "Now Sheba son of Bichri 
       will do us more harm than Absalom; take your lord's servants and 
       pursue him, or he will find fortified cities for himself, and escape 
       from us."

       (2 Sam 20:7 NRSV)  Joab's men went out after him, along with the 
       Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the warriors; they went out from 
       Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bichri.

       (2 Sam 20:8 NRSV)  When they were at the large stone that is in 
       Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was wearing a soldier's 
       garment and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath fastened at 
       his waist; as he went forward it fell out.

       (2 Sam 20:9 NRSV)  Joab said to Amasa, "Is it well with you, my 
       brother?" And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss 
       him.

       (2 Sam 20:10 NRSV)  But Amasa did not notice the sword in Joab's hand; 
       Joab struck him in the belly so that his entrails poured out on the 
       ground, and he died. He did not strike a second blow. Then Joab and 
       his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bichri.

       (2 Sam 20:11 NRSV)  And one of Joab's men took his stand by Amasa, and 
       said, "Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow 
       Joab."

       (2 Sam 20:12 NRSV)  Amasa lay wallowing in his blood on the highway, 
       and the man saw that all the people were stopping. Since he saw that 
       all who came by him were stopping, he carried Amasa from the highway 
       into a field, and threw a garment over him.

       (2 Sam 20:13 NRSV)  Once he was removed from the highway, all the 
       people went on after Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bichri.

       (2 Sam 20:14 NRSV)  Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to 
       Abel of Beth-maacah; and all the Bichrites assembled, and followed him 
       inside.

       (2 Sam 20:15 NRSV)  Joab's forces came and besieged him in Abel of 
       Beth-maacah; they threw up a siege ramp against the city, and it stood 
       against the rampart. Joab's forces were battering the wall to break it 
       down.

       (2 Sam 20:16 NRSV)  Then a wise woman called from the city, "Listen! 
       Listen! Tell Joab, 'Come here, I want to speak to you.'"

       (2 Sam 20:17 NRSV)  He came near her; and the woman said, "Are you 
       Joab?" He answered, "I am." Then she said to him, "Listen to the words 
       of your servant." He answered, "I am listening."

       (2 Sam 20:18 NRSV)  Then she said, "They used to say in the old days, 
       'Let them inquire at Abel'; and so they would settle a matter.

       (2 Sam 20:19 NRSV)  I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful 





       in Israel; you seek to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel; why 
       will you swallow up the heritage of the LORD?"

       (2 Sam 20:20 NRSV)  Joab answered, "Far be it from me, far be it, that 
       I should swallow up or destroy!

       (2 Sam 20:21 NRSV)  That is not the case! But a man of the hill 
       country of Ephraim, called Sheba son of Bichri, has lifted up his hand 
       against King David; give him up alone, and I will withdraw from the 
       city." The woman said to Joab, "His head shall be thrown over the wall 
       to you."

       (2 Sam 20:22 NRSV)  Then the woman went to all the people with her 
       wise plan. And they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bichri, and threw 
       it out to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the 
       city, and all went to their homes, while Joab returned to Jerusalem to 
       the king.

       (2 Sam 20:23 NRSV)  Now Joab was in command of all the army of Israel; 
       Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in command of the Cherethites and the 
       Pelethites;

       (2 Sam 20:24 NRSV)  Adoram was in charge of the forced labor; 
       Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder;

       (2 Sam 20:25 NRSV)  Sheva was secretary; Zadok and Abiathar were 
       priests;

       (2 Sam 20:26 NRSV)  and Ira the Jairite was also David's priest.

       (2 Sam 21:1 NRSV)  Now there was a famine in the days of David for 
       three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. The LORD 
       said, "There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put 
       the Gibeonites to death."

       (2 Sam 21:2 NRSV)  So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to 
       them. (Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel, but of the 
       remnant of the Amorites; although the people of Israel had sworn to 
       spare them, Saul had tried to wipe them out in his zeal for the people 
       of Israel and Judah.)

       (2 Sam 21:3 NRSV)  David said to the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for 
       you? How shall I make expiation, that you may bless the heritage of 
       the LORD?"

       (2 Sam 21:4 NRSV)  The Gibeonites said to him, "It is not a matter of 
       silver or gold between us and Saul or his house; neither is it for us 
       to put anyone to death in Israel." He said, "What do you say that I 
       should do for you?"

       (2 Sam 21:5 NRSV)  They said to the king, "The man who consumed us and 
       planned to destroy us, so that we should have no place in all the 
       territory of Israel--

       (2 Sam 21:6 NRSV)  let seven of his sons be handed over to us, and we 
       will impale them before the LORD at Gibeon on the mountain of the 





       LORD." The king said, "I will hand them over."

       (2 Sam 21:7 NRSV)  But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul's 
       son Jonathan, because of the oath of the LORD that was between them, 
       between David and Jonathan son of Saul.

       (2 Sam 21:8 NRSV)  The king took the two sons of Rizpah daughter of 
       Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five 
       sons of Merab daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel son of 
       Barzillai the Meholathite;

       (2 Sam 21:9 NRSV)  he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and 
       they impaled them on the mountain before the LORD. The seven of them 
       perished together. They were put to death in the first days of 
       harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest.

       (2 Sam 21:10 NRSV)  Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, 
       and spread it on a rock for herself, from the beginning of harvest 
       until rain fell on them from the heavens; she did not allow the birds 
       of the air to come on the bodies by day, or the wild animals by night.

       (2 Sam 21:11 NRSV)  When David was told what Rizpah daughter of Aiah, 
       the concubine of Saul, had done,

       (2 Sam 21:12 NRSV)  David went and took the bones of Saul and the 
       bones of his son Jonathan from the people of Jabesh-gilead, who had 
       stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines 
       had hung them up, on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa.

       (2 Sam 21:13 NRSV)  He brought up from there the bones of Saul and the 
       bones of his son Jonathan; and they gathered the bones of those who 
       had been impaled.

       (2 Sam 21:14 NRSV)  They buried the bones of Saul and of his son 
       Jonathan in the land of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of his father 
       Kish; they did all that the king commanded. After that, God heeded 
       supplications for the land.

       (2 Sam 21:15 NRSV)  The Philistines went to war again with Israel, and 
       David went down together with his servants. They fought against the 
       Philistines, and David grew weary.

       (2 Sam 21:16 NRSV)  Ishbi-benob, one of the descendants of the giants, 
       whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of bronze, and who was 
       fitted out with new weapons, said he would kill David.

       (2 Sam 21:17 NRSV)  But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and 
       attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David's men swore to him, 
       "You shall not go out with us to battle any longer, so that you do not 
       quench the lamp of Israel."

       (2 Sam 21:18 NRSV)  After this a battle took place with the 
       Philistines, at Gob; then Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was 
       one of the descendants of the giants.

       (2 Sam 21:19 NRSV)  Then there was another battle with the Philistines 





       at Gob; and Elhanan son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, killed 
       Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's 
       beam.

       (2 Sam 21:20 NRSV)  There was again war at Gath, where there was a man 
       of great size, who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each 
       foot, twenty-four in number; he too was descended from the giants.

       (2 Sam 21:21 NRSV)  When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of David's 
       brother Shimei, killed him.

       (2 Sam 21:22 NRSV)  These four were descended from the giants in Gath; 
       they fell by the hands of David and his servants.

       (2 Sam 22:1 NRSV)  David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on 
       the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, 
       and from the hand of Saul.

       (2 Sam 22:2 NRSV)  He said: The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my 
       deliverer,

       (2 Sam 22:3 NRSV)  my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield 
       and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; 
       you save me from violence.

       (2 Sam 22:4 NRSV)  I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, 
       and I am saved from my enemies.

       (2 Sam 22:5 NRSV)  For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents 
       of perdition assailed me;

       (2 Sam 22:6 NRSV)  the cords of Sheol entangled me, the snares of 
       death confronted me.

       (2 Sam 22:7 NRSV)  In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I 
       called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his 
       ears.

       (2 Sam 22:8 NRSV)  Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations 
       of the heavens trembled and quaked, because he was angry.

       (2 Sam 22:9 NRSV)  Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire 
       from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.

       (2 Sam 22:10 NRSV)  He bowed the heavens, and came down; thick 
       darkness was under his feet.

       (2 Sam 22:11 NRSV)  He rode on a cherub, and flew; he was seen upon 
       the wings of the wind.

       (2 Sam 22:12 NRSV)  He made darkness around him a canopy, thick 
       clouds, a gathering of water.

       (2 Sam 22:13 NRSV)  Out of the brightness before him coals of fire 
       flamed forth.





       (2 Sam 22:14 NRSV)  The LORD thundered from heaven; the Most High 
       uttered his voice.

       (2 Sam 22:15 NRSV)  He sent out arrows, and scattered them 
       --lightning, and routed them.

       (2 Sam 22:16 NRSV)  Then the channels of the sea were seen, the 
       foundations of the world were laid bare at the rebuke of the LORD, at 
       the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

       (2 Sam 22:17 NRSV)  He reached from on high, he took me, he drew me 
       out of mighty waters.

       (2 Sam 22:18 NRSV)  He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those 
       who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.

       (2 Sam 22:19 NRSV)  They came upon me in the day of my calamity, but 
       the LORD was my stay.

       (2 Sam 22:20 NRSV)  He brought me out into a broad place; he delivered 
       me, because he delighted in me.

       (2 Sam 22:21 NRSV)  The LORD rewarded me according to my 
       righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed 
       me.

       (2 Sam 22:22 NRSV)  For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not 
       wickedly departed from my God.

       (2 Sam 22:23 NRSV)  For all his ordinances were before me, and from 
       his statutes I did not turn aside.

       (2 Sam 22:24 NRSV)  I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from 
       guilt.

       (2 Sam 22:25 NRSV)  Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to 
       my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight.

       (2 Sam 22:26 NRSV)  With the loyal you show yourself loyal; with the 
       blameless you show yourself blameless;

       (2 Sam 22:27 NRSV)  with the pure you show yourself pure, and with the 
       crooked you show yourself perverse.

       (2 Sam 22:28 NRSV)  You deliver a humble people, but your eyes are 
       upon the haughty to bring them down.

       (2 Sam 22:29 NRSV)  Indeed, you are my lamp, O LORD, the LORD lightens 
       my darkness.

       (2 Sam 22:30 NRSV)  By you I can crush a troop, and by my God I can 
       leap over a wall.

       (2 Sam 22:31 NRSV)  This God--his way is perfect; the promise of the 
       LORD proves true; he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.





       (2 Sam 22:32 NRSV)  For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, 
       except our God?

       (2 Sam 22:33 NRSV)  The God who has girded me with strength has opened 
       wide my path.

       (2 Sam 22:34 NRSV)  He made my feet like the feet of deer, and set me 
       secure on the heights.

       (2 Sam 22:35 NRSV)  He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can 
       bend a bow of bronze.

       (2 Sam 22:36 NRSV)  You have given me the shield of your salvation, 
       and your help has made me great.

       (2 Sam 22:37 NRSV)  You have made me stride freely, and my feet do not 
       slip;

       (2 Sam 22:38 NRSV)  I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, and did 
       not turn back until they were consumed.

       (2 Sam 22:39 NRSV)  I consumed them; I struck them down, so that they 
       did not rise; they fell under my feet.

       (2 Sam 22:40 NRSV)  For you girded me with strength for the battle; 
       you made my assailants sink under me.

       (2 Sam 22:41 NRSV)  You made my enemies turn their backs to me, those 
       who hated me, and I destroyed them.

       (2 Sam 22:42 NRSV)  They looked, but there was no one to save them; 
       they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.

       (2 Sam 22:43 NRSV)  I beat them fine like the dust of the earth, I 
       crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets.

       (2 Sam 22:44 NRSV)  You delivered me from strife with the peoples; you 
       kept me as the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served 
       me.

       (2 Sam 22:45 NRSV)  Foreigners came cringing to me; as soon as they 
       heard of me, they obeyed me.

       (2 Sam 22:46 NRSV)  Foreigners lost heart, and came trembling out of 
       their strongholds.

       (2 Sam 22:47 NRSV)  The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock, and exalted be 
       my God, the rock of my salvation,

       (2 Sam 22:48 NRSV)  the God who gave me vengeance and brought down 
       peoples under me,

       (2 Sam 22:49 NRSV)  who brought me out from my enemies; you exalted me 
       above my adversaries, you delivered me from the violent.

       (2 Sam 22:50 NRSV)  For this I will extol you, O LORD, among the 





       nations, and sing praises to your name.

       (2 Sam 22:51 NRSV)  He is a tower of salvation for his king, and shows 
       steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.

       (2 Sam 23:1 NRSV)  Now these are the last words of David: The oracle 
       of David, son of Jesse, the oracle of the man whom God exalted, the 
       anointed of the God of Jacob, the favorite of the Strong One of 
       Israel:

       (2 Sam 23:2 NRSV)  The spirit of the LORD speaks through me, his word 
       is upon my tongue.

       (2 Sam 23:3 NRSV)  The God of Israel has spoken, the Rock of Israel 
       has said to me: One who rules over people justly, ruling in the fear 
       of God,

       (2 Sam 23:4 NRSV)  is like the light of morning, like the sun rising 
       on a cloudless morning, gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.

       (2 Sam 23:5 NRSV)  Is not my house like this with God? For he has made 
       with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. 
       Will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?

       (2 Sam 23:6 NRSV)  But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown 
       away; for they cannot be picked up with the hand;

       (2 Sam 23:7 NRSV)  to touch them one uses an iron bar or the shaft of 
       a spear. And they are entirely consumed in fire on the spot.

       (2 Sam 23:8 NRSV)  These are the names of the warriors whom David had: 
       Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the Three; he 
       wielded his spear against eight hundred whom he killed at one time.

       (2 Sam 23:9 NRSV)  Next to him among the three warriors was Eleazar 
       son of Dodo son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the 
       Philistines who were gathered there for battle. The Israelites 
       withdrew,

       (2 Sam 23:10 NRSV)  but he stood his ground. He struck down the 
       Philistines until his arm grew weary, though his hand clung to the 
       sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day. Then the 
       people came back to him--but only to strip the dead.

       (2 Sam 23:11 NRSV)  Next to him was Shammah son of Agee, the Hararite. 
       The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of 
       ground full of lentils; and the army fled from the Philistines.

       (2 Sam 23:12 NRSV)  But he took his stand in the middle of the plot, 
       defended it, and killed the Philistines; and the LORD brought about a 
       great victory.

       (2 Sam 23:13 NRSV)  Towards the beginning of harvest three of the 
       thirty chiefs went down to join David at the cave of Adullam, while a 
       band of Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.





       (2 Sam 23:14 NRSV)  David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison 
       of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem.

       (2 Sam 23:15 NRSV)  David said longingly, "O that someone would give 
       me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!"

       (2 Sam 23:16 NRSV)  Then the three warriors broke through the camp of 
       the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the 
       gate, and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it; he poured 
       it out to the LORD,

       (2 Sam 23:17 NRSV)  for he said, "The LORD forbid that I should do 
       this. Can I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their 
       lives?" Therefore he would not drink it. The three warriors did these 
       things.

       (2 Sam 23:18 NRSV)  Now Abishai son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, 
       was chief of the Thirty. With his spear he fought against three 
       hundred men and killed them, and won a name beside the Three.

       (2 Sam 23:19 NRSV)  He was the most renowned of the Thirty, and became 
       their commander; but he did not attain to the Three.

       (2 Sam 23:20 NRSV)  Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant warrior from 
       Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds; he struck down two sons of Ariel of 
       Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in a pit on a day when snow 
       had fallen.

       (2 Sam 23:21 NRSV)  And he killed an Egyptian, a handsome man. The 
       Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but Benaiah went against him with a 
       staff, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and killed him 
       with his own spear.

       (2 Sam 23:22 NRSV)  Such were the things Benaiah son of Jehoiada did, 
       and won a name beside the three warriors.

       (2 Sam 23:23 NRSV)  He was renowned among the Thirty, but he did not 
       attain to the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

       (2 Sam 23:24 NRSV)  Among the Thirty were Asahel brother of Joab; 
       Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem;

       (2 Sam 23:25 NRSV)  Shammah of Harod; Elika of Harod;

       (2 Sam 23:26 NRSV)  Helez the Paltite; Ira son of Ikkesh of Tekoa;

       (2 Sam 23:27 NRSV)  Abiezer of Anathoth; Mebunnai the Hushathite;

       (2 Sam 23:28 NRSV)  Zalmon the Ahohite; Maharai of Netophah;

       (2 Sam 23:29 NRSV)  Heleb son of Baanah of Netophah; Ittai son of 
       Ribai of Gibeah of the Benjaminites;

       (2 Sam 23:30 NRSV)  Benaiah of Pirathon; Hiddai of the torrents of 
       Gaash;





       (2 Sam 23:31 NRSV)  Abi-albon the Arbathite; Azmaveth of Bahurim;

       (2 Sam 23:32 NRSV)  Eliahba of Shaalbon; the sons of Jashen: Jonathan

       (2 Sam 23:33 NRSV)  son of Shammah the Hararite; Ahiam son of Sharar 
       the Hararite;

       (2 Sam 23:34 NRSV)  Eliphelet son of Ahasbai of Maacah; Eliam son of 
       Ahithophel the Gilonite;

       (2 Sam 23:35 NRSV)  Hezro of Carmel; Paarai the Arbite;

       (2 Sam 23:36 NRSV)  Igal son of Nathan of Zobah; Bani the Gadite;

       (2 Sam 23:37 NRSV)  Zelek the Ammonite; Naharai of Beeroth, the 
       armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah;

       (2 Sam 23:38 NRSV)  Ira the Ithrite; Gareb the Ithrite;

       (2 Sam 23:39 NRSV)  Uriah the Hittite--thirty-seven in all.

       (2 Sam 24:1 NRSV)  Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against 
       Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go, count the 
       people of Israel and Judah."

       (2 Sam 24:2 NRSV)  So the king said to Joab and the commanders of the 
       army, who were with him, "Go through all the tribes of Israel, from 
       Dan to Beer-sheba, and take a census of the people, so that I may know 
       how many there are."

       (2 Sam 24:3 NRSV)  But Joab said to the king, "May the LORD your God 
       increase the number of the people a hundredfold, while the eyes of my 
       lord the king can still see it! But why does my lord the king want to 
       do this?"

       (2 Sam 24:4 NRSV)  But the king's word prevailed against Joab and the 
       commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went 
       out from the presence of the king to take a census of the people of 
       Israel.

       (2 Sam 24:5 NRSV)  They crossed the Jordan, and began from Aroer and 
       from the city that is in the middle of the valley, toward Gad and on 
       to Jazer.

       (2 Sam 24:6 NRSV)  Then they came to Gilead, and to Kadesh in the land 
       of the Hittites; and they came to Dan, and from Dan they went around 
       to Sidon,

       (2 Sam 24:7 NRSV)  and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the 
       cities of the Hivites and Canaanites; and they went out to the Negeb 
       of Judah at Beer-sheba.

       (2 Sam 24:8 NRSV)  So when they had gone through all the land, they 
       came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

       (2 Sam 24:9 NRSV)  Joab reported to the king the number of those who 





       had been recorded: in Israel there were eight hundred thousand 
       soldiers able to draw the sword, and those of Judah were five hundred 
       thousand.

       (2 Sam 24:10 NRSV)  But afterward, David was stricken to the heart 
       because he had numbered the people. David said to the LORD, "I have 
       sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, I pray you, take 
       away the guilt of your servant; for I have done very foolishly."

       (2 Sam 24:11 NRSV)  When David rose in the morning, the word of the 
       LORD came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,

       (2 Sam 24:12 NRSV)  "Go and say to David: Thus says the LORD: Three 
       things I offer you; choose one of them, and I will do it to you."

       (2 Sam 24:13 NRSV)  So Gad came to David and told him; he asked him, 
       "Shall three years of famine come to you on your land? Or will you 
       flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall 
       there be three days' pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide 
       what answer I shall return to the one who sent me."

       (2 Sam 24:14 NRSV)  Then David said to Gad, "I am in great distress; 
       let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but let 
       me not fall into human hands."

       (2 Sam 24:15 NRSV)  So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel from that 
       morning until the appointed time; and seventy thousand of the people 
       died, from Dan to Beer-sheba.

       (2 Sam 24:16 NRSV)  But when the angel stretched out his hand toward 
       Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented concerning the evil, and 
       said to the angel who was bringing destruction among the people, "It 
       is enough; now stay your hand." The angel of the LORD was then by the 
       threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

       (2 Sam 24:17 NRSV)  When David saw the angel who was destroying the 
       people, he said to the LORD, "I alone have sinned, and I alone have 
       done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand, I 
       pray, be against me and against my father's house."

       (2 Sam 24:18 NRSV)  That day Gad came to David and said to him, "Go up 
       and erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the 
       Jebusite."

       (2 Sam 24:19 NRSV)  Following Gad's instructions, David went up, as 
       the LORD had commanded.

       (2 Sam 24:20 NRSV)  When Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his 
       servants coming toward him; and Araunah went out and prostrated 
       himself before the king with his face to the ground.

       (2 Sam 24:21 NRSV)  Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to 
       his servant?" David said, "To buy the threshing floor from you in 
       order to build an altar to the LORD, so that the plague may be averted 
       from the people."





       (2 Sam 24:22 NRSV)  Then Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king 
       take and offer up what seems good to him; here are the oxen for the 
       burnt offering, and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen 
       for the wood.

       (2 Sam 24:23 NRSV)  All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king." And 
       Araunah said to the king, "May the LORD your God respond favorably to 
       you."

       (2 Sam 24:24 NRSV)  But the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will buy 
       them from you for a price; I will not offer burnt offerings to the 
       LORD my God that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor 
       and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

       (2 Sam 24:25 NRSV)  David built there an altar to the LORD, and 
       offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being. So the LORD 
       answered his supplication for the land, and the plague was averted 
       from Israel.

       (1 Ki 1:1 NRSV)  King David was old and advanced in years; and 
       although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm.

       (1 Ki 1:2 NRSV)  So his servants said to him, "Let a young virgin be 
       sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king, and be his 
       attendant; let her lie in your bosom, so that my lord the king may be 
       warm."

       (1 Ki 1:3 NRSV)  So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout all 
       the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought 
       her to the king.

       (1 Ki 1:4 NRSV)  The girl was very beautiful. She became the king's 
       attendant and served him, but the king did not know her sexually.

       (1 Ki 1:5 NRSV)  Now Adonijah son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, 
       "I will be king"; he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and 
       fifty men to run before him.

       (1 Ki 1:6 NRSV)  His father had never at any time displeased him by 
       asking, "Why have you done thus and so?" He was also a very handsome 
       man, and he was born next after Absalom.

       (1 Ki 1:7 NRSV)  He conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with the 
       priest Abiathar, and they supported Adonijah.

       (1 Ki 1:8 NRSV)  But the priest Zadok, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, 
       and the prophet Nathan, and Shimei, and Rei, and David's own warriors 
       did not side with Adonijah.

       (1 Ki 1:9 NRSV)  Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fatted cattle by 
       the stone Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel, and he invited all his 
       brothers, the king's sons, and all the royal officials of Judah,

       (1 Ki 1:10 NRSV)  but he did not invite the prophet Nathan or Benaiah 
       or the warriors or his brother Solomon.





       (1 Ki 1:11 NRSV)  Then Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, 
       "Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king and 
       our lord David does not know it?

       (1 Ki 1:12 NRSV)  Now therefore come, let me give you advice, so that 
       you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.

       (1 Ki 1:13 NRSV)  Go in at once to King David, and say to him, 'Did 
       you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying: Your son 
       Solomon shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne? Why 
       then is Adonijah king?'

       (1 Ki 1:14 NRSV)  Then while you are still there speaking with the 
       king, I will come in after you and confirm your words."

       (1 Ki 1:15 NRSV)  So Bathsheba went to the king in his room. The king 
       was very old; Abishag the Shunammite was attending the king.

       (1 Ki 1:16 NRSV)  Bathsheba bowed and did obeisance to the king, and 
       the king said, "What do you wish?"

       (1 Ki 1:17 NRSV)  She said to him, "My lord, you swore to your servant 
       by the LORD your God, saying: Your son Solomon shall succeed me as 
       king, and he shall sit on my throne.

       (1 Ki 1:18 NRSV)  But now suddenly Adonijah has become king, though 
       you, my lord the king, do not know it.

       (1 Ki 1:19 NRSV)  He has sacrificed oxen, fatted cattle, and sheep in 
       abundance, and has invited all the children of the king, the priest 
       Abiathar, and Joab the commander of the army; but your servant Solomon 
       he has not invited.

       (1 Ki 1:20 NRSV)  But you, my lord the king--the eyes of all Israel 
       are on you to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the 
       king after him.

       (1 Ki 1:21 NRSV)  Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the 
       king sleeps with his ancestors, that my son Solomon and I will be 
       counted offenders."

       (1 Ki 1:22 NRSV)  While she was still speaking with the king, the 
       prophet Nathan came in.

       (1 Ki 1:23 NRSV)  The king was told, "Here is the prophet Nathan." 
       When he came in before the king, he did obeisance to the king, with 
       his face to the ground.

       (1 Ki 1:24 NRSV)  Nathan said, "My lord the king, have you said, 
       'Adonijah shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne'?

       (1 Ki 1:25 NRSV)  For today he has gone down and has sacrificed oxen, 
       fatted cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's 
       children, Joab the commander of the army, and the priest Abiathar, who 
       are now eating and drinking before him, and saying, 'Long live King 
       Adonijah!'






       (1 Ki 1:26 NRSV)  But he did not invite me, your servant, and the 
       priest Zadok, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon.

       (1 Ki 1:27 NRSV)  Has this thing been brought about by my lord the 
       king and you have not let your servants know who should sit on the 
       throne of my lord the king after him?"

       (1 Ki 1:28 NRSV)  King David answered, "Summon Bathsheba to me." So 
       she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king.

       (1 Ki 1:29 NRSV)  The king swore, saying, "As the LORD lives, who has 
       saved my life from every adversity,

       (1 Ki 1:30 NRSV)  as I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel, 
       'Your son Solomon shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my 
       throne in my place,' so will I do this day."

       (1 Ki 1:31 NRSV)  Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground, 
       and did obeisance to the king, and said, "May my lord King David live 
       forever!"

       (1 Ki 1:32 NRSV)  King David said, "Summon to me the priest Zadok, the 
       prophet Nathan, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada." When they came before 
       the king,

       (1 Ki 1:33 NRSV)  the king said to them, "Take with you the servants 
       of your lord, and have my son Solomon ride on my own mule, and bring 
       him down to Gihon.

       (1 Ki 1:34 NRSV)  There let the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan 
       anoint him king over Israel; then blow the trumpet, and say, 'Long 
       live King Solomon!'

       (1 Ki 1:35 NRSV)  You shall go up following him. Let him enter and sit 
       on my throne; he shall be king in my place; for I have appointed him 
       to be ruler over Israel and over Judah."

       (1 Ki 1:36 NRSV)  Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, "Amen! 
       May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, so ordain.

       (1 Ki 1:37 NRSV)  As the LORD has been with my lord the king, so may 
       he be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my 
       lord King David."

       (1 Ki 1:38 NRSV)  So the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah 
       son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, went down and 
       had Solomon ride on King David's mule, and led him to Gihon.

       (1 Ki 1:39 NRSV)  There the priest Zadok took the horn of oil from the 
       tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the 
       people said, "Long live King Solomon!"

       (1 Ki 1:40 NRSV)  And all the people went up following him, playing on 
       pipes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth quaked at their 
       noise.






       (1 Ki 1:41 NRSV)  Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard 
       it as they finished feasting. When Joab heard the sound of the 
       trumpet, he said, "Why is the city in an uproar?"

       (1 Ki 1:42 NRSV)  While he was still speaking, Jonathan son of the 
       priest Abiathar arrived. Adonijah said, "Come in, for you are a worthy 
       man and surely you bring good news."

       (1 Ki 1:43 NRSV)  Jonathan answered Adonijah, "No, for our lord King 
       David has made Solomon king;

       (1 Ki 1:44 NRSV)  the king has sent with him the priest Zadok, the 
       prophet Nathan, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and 
       the Pelethites; and they had him ride on the king's mule;

       (1 Ki 1:45 NRSV)  the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan have 
       anointed him king at Gihon; and they have gone up from there 
       rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that 
       you heard.

       (1 Ki 1:46 NRSV)  Solomon now sits on the royal throne.

       (1 Ki 1:47 NRSV)  Moreover the king's servants came to congratulate 
       our lord King David, saying, 'May God make the name of Solomon more 
       famous than yours, and make his throne greater than your throne.' The 
       king bowed in worship on the bed

       (1 Ki 1:48 NRSV)  and went on to pray thus, 'Blessed be the LORD, the 
       God of Israel, who today has granted one of my offspring to sit on my 
       throne and permitted me to witness it.'"

       (1 Ki 1:49 NRSV)  Then all the guests of Adonijah got up trembling and 
       went their own ways.

       (1 Ki 1:50 NRSV)  Adonijah, fearing Solomon, got up and went to grasp 
       the horns of the altar.

       (1 Ki 1:51 NRSV)  Solomon was informed, "Adonijah is afraid of King 
       Solomon; see, he has laid hold of the horns of the altar, saying, 'Let 
       King Solomon swear to me first that he will not kill his servant with 
       the sword.'"

       (1 Ki 1:52 NRSV)  So Solomon responded, "If he proves to be a worthy 
       man, not one of his hairs shall fall to the ground; but if wickedness 
       is found in him, he shall die."

       (1 Ki 1:53 NRSV)  Then King Solomon sent to have him brought down from 
       the altar. He came to do obeisance to King Solomon; and Solomon said 
       to him, "Go home."

       (1 Ki 2:1 NRSV)  When David's time to die drew near, he charged his 
       son Solomon, saying:

       (1 Ki 2:2 NRSV)  "I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be 
       strong, be courageous,






       (1 Ki 2:3 NRSV)  and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in 
       his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, 
       and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, so that you 
       may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.

       (1 Ki 2:4 NRSV)  Then the LORD will establish his word that he spoke 
       concerning me: 'If your heirs take heed to their way, to walk before 
       me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, there 
       shall not fail you a successor on the throne of Israel.'

       (1 Ki 2:5 NRSV)  "Moreover you know also what Joab son of Zeruiah did 
       to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, 
       Abner son of Ner, and Amasa son of Jether, whom he murdered, 
       retaliating in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and 
       putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist, and on the 
       sandals on his feet.

       (1 Ki 2:6 NRSV)  Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not 
       let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.

       (1 Ki 2:7 NRSV)  Deal loyally, however, with the sons of Barzillai the 
       Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table; for with 
       such loyalty they met me when I fled from your brother Absalom.

       (1 Ki 2:8 NRSV)  There is also with you Shimei son of Gera, the 
       Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a terrible curse on the 
       day when I went to Mahanaim; but when he came down to meet me at the 
       Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD, 'I will not put you to death with 
       the sword.'

       (1 Ki 2:9 NRSV)  Therefore do not hold him guiltless, for you are a 
       wise man; you will know what you ought to do to him, and you must 
       bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol."

       (1 Ki 2:10 NRSV)  Then David slept with his ancestors, and was buried 
       in the city of David.

       (1 Ki 2:11 NRSV)  The time that David reigned over Israel was forty 
       years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and thirty-three years in 
       Jerusalem.

       (1 Ki 2:12 NRSV)  So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David; 
       and his kingdom was firmly established.

       (1 Ki 2:13 NRSV)  Then Adonijah son of Haggith came to Bathsheba, 
       Solomon's mother. She asked, "Do you come peaceably?" He said, 
       "Peaceably."

       (1 Ki 2:14 NRSV)  Then he said, "May I have a word with you?" She 
       said, "Go on."

       (1 Ki 2:15 NRSV)  He said, "You know that the kingdom was mine, and 
       that all Israel expected me to reign; however, the kingdom has turned 
       about and become my brother's, for it was his from the LORD.





       (1 Ki 2:16 NRSV)  And now I have one request to make of you; do not 
       refuse me." She said to him, "Go on."

       (1 Ki 2:17 NRSV)  He said, "Please ask King Solomon--he will not 
       refuse you--to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife."

       (1 Ki 2:18 NRSV)  Bathsheba said, "Very well; I will speak to the king 
       on your behalf."

       (1 Ki 2:19 NRSV)  So Bathsheba went to King Solomon, to speak to him 
       on behalf of Adonijah. The king rose to meet her, and bowed down to 
       her; then he sat on his throne, and had a throne brought for the 
       king's mother, and she sat on his right.

       (1 Ki 2:20 NRSV)  Then she said, "I have one small request to make of 
       you; do not refuse me." And the king said to her, "Make your request, 
       my mother; for I will not refuse you."

       (1 Ki 2:21 NRSV)  She said, "Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to 
       your brother Adonijah as his wife."

       (1 Ki 2:22 NRSV)  King Solomon answered his mother, "And why do you 
       ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom as 
       well! For he is my elder brother; ask not only for him but also for 
       the priest Abiathar and for Joab son of Zeruiah!"

       (1 Ki 2:23 NRSV)  Then King Solomon swore by the LORD, "So may God do 
       to me, and more also, for Adonijah has devised this scheme at the risk 
       of his life!

       (1 Ki 2:24 NRSV)  Now therefore as the LORD lives, who has established 
       me and placed me on the throne of my father David, and who has made me 
       a house as he promised, today Adonijah shall be put to death."

       (1 Ki 2:25 NRSV)  So King Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he 
       struck him down, and he died.

       (1 Ki 2:26 NRSV)  The king said to the priest Abiathar, "Go to 
       Anathoth, to your estate; for you deserve death. But I will not at 
       this time put you to death, because you carried the ark of the Lord 
       GOD before my father David, and because you shared in all the 
       hardships my father endured."

       (1 Ki 2:27 NRSV)  So Solomon banished Abiathar from being priest to 
       the LORD, thus fulfilling the word of the LORD that he had spoken 
       concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

       (1 Ki 2:28 NRSV)  When the news came to Joab--for Joab had supported 
       Adonijah though he had not supported Absalom--Joab fled to the tent of 
       the LORD and grasped the horns of the altar.

       (1 Ki 2:29 NRSV)  When it was told King Solomon, "Joab has fled to the 
       tent of the LORD and now is beside the altar," Solomon sent Benaiah 
       son of Jehoiada, saying, "Go, strike him down."

       (1 Ki 2:30 NRSV)  So Benaiah came to the tent of the LORD and said to 





       him, "The king commands, 'Come out.'" But he said, "No, I will die 
       here." Then Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, "Thus said 
       Joab, and thus he answered me."

       (1 Ki 2:31 NRSV)  The king replied to him, "Do as he has said, strike 
       him down and bury him; and thus take away from me and from my father's 
       house the guilt for the blood that Joab shed without cause.

       (1 Ki 2:32 NRSV)  The LORD will bring back his bloody deeds on his own 
       head, because, without the knowledge of my father David, he attacked 
       and killed with the sword two men more righteous and better than 
       himself, Abner son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa 
       son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah.

       (1 Ki 2:33 NRSV)  So shall their blood come back on the head of Joab 
       and on the head of his descendants forever; but to David, and to his 
       descendants, and to his house, and to his throne, there shall be peace 
       from the LORD forevermore."

       (1 Ki 2:34 NRSV)  Then Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck him 
       down and killed him; and he was buried at his own house near the 
       wilderness.

       (1 Ki 2:35 NRSV)  The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army 
       in his place, and the king put the priest Zadok in the place of 
       Abiathar.

       (1 Ki 2:36 NRSV)  Then the king sent and summoned Shimei, and said to 
       him, "Build yourself a house in Jerusalem, and live there, and do not 
       go out from there to any place whatever.

       (1 Ki 2:37 NRSV)  For on the day you go out, and cross the Wadi 
       Kidron, know for certain that you shall die; your blood shall be on 
       your own head."

       (1 Ki 2:38 NRSV)  And Shimei said to the king, "The sentence is fair; 
       as my lord the king has said, so will your servant do." So Shimei 
       lived in Jerusalem many days.

       (1 Ki 2:39 NRSV)  But it happened at the end of three years that two 
       of Shimei's slaves ran away to King Achish son of Maacah of Gath. When 
       it was told Shimei, "Your slaves are in Gath,"

       (1 Ki 2:40 NRSV)  Shimei arose and saddled a donkey, and went to 
       Achish in Gath, to search for his slaves; Shimei went and brought his 
       slaves from Gath.

       (1 Ki 2:41 NRSV)  When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from 
       Jerusalem to Gath and returned,

       (1 Ki 2:42 NRSV)  the king sent and summoned Shimei, and said to him, 
       "Did I not make you swear by the LORD, and solemnly adjure you, 
       saying, 'Know for certain that on the day you go out and go to any 
       place whatever, you shall die'? And you said to me, 'The sentence is 
       fair; I accept.'





       (1 Ki 2:43 NRSV)  Why then have you not kept your oath to the LORD and 
       the commandment with which I charged you?"

       (1 Ki 2:44 NRSV)  The king also said to Shimei, "You know in your own 
       heart all the evil that you did to my father David; so the LORD will 
       bring back your evil on your own head.

       (1 Ki 2:45 NRSV)  But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of 
       David shall be established before the LORD forever."

       (1 Ki 2:46 NRSV)  Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada; and 
       he went out and struck him down, and he died. So the kingdom was 
       established in the hand of Solomon.

       (1 Ki 3:1 NRSV)  Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of 
       Egypt; he took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her into the city of 
       David, until he had finished building his own house and the house of 
       the LORD and the wall around Jerusalem.

       (1 Ki 3:2 NRSV)  The people were sacrificing at the high places, 
       however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the LORD.

       (1 Ki 3:3 NRSV)  Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of 
       his father David; only, he sacrificed and offered incense at the high 
       places.

       (1 Ki 3:4 NRSV)  The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that 
       was the principal high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt 
       offerings on that altar.

       (1 Ki 3:5 NRSV)  At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by 
       night; and God said, "Ask what I should give you."

       (1 Ki 3:6 NRSV)  And Solomon said, "You have shown great and steadfast 
       love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in 
       faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward 
       you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have 
       given him a son to sit on his throne today.

       (1 Ki 3:7 NRSV)  And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant 
       king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I 
       do not know how to go out or come in.

       (1 Ki 3:8 NRSV)  And your servant is in the midst of the people whom 
       you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered 
       or counted.

       (1 Ki 3:9 NRSV)  Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to 
       govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can 
       govern this your great people?"

       (1 Ki 3:10 NRSV)  It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.

       (1 Ki 3:11 NRSV)  God said to him, "Because you have asked this, and 
       have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of 
       your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern 





       what is right,

       (1 Ki 3:12 NRSV)  I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a 
       wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no 
       one like you shall arise after you.

       (1 Ki 3:13 NRSV)  I give you also what you have not asked, both riches 
       and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you.

       (1 Ki 3:14 NRSV)  If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and 
       my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen 
       your life."

       (1 Ki 3:15 NRSV)  Then Solomon awoke; it had been a dream. He came to 
       Jerusalem where he stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. 
       He offered up burnt offerings and offerings of well-being, and 
       provided a feast for all his servants.

       (1 Ki 3:16 NRSV)  Later, two women who were prostitutes came to the 
       king and stood before him.

       (1 Ki 3:17 NRSV)  The one woman said, "Please, my lord, this woman and 
       I live in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house.

       (1 Ki 3:18 NRSV)  Then on the third day after I gave birth, this woman 
       also gave birth. We were together; there was no one else with us in 
       the house, only the two of us were in the house.

       (1 Ki 3:19 NRSV)  Then this woman's son died in the night, because she 
       lay on him.

       (1 Ki 3:20 NRSV)  She got up in the middle of the night and took my 
       son from beside me while your servant slept. She laid him at her 
       breast, and laid her dead son at my breast.

       (1 Ki 3:21 NRSV)  When I rose in the morning to nurse my son, I saw 
       that he was dead; but when I looked at him closely in the morning, 
       clearly it was not the son I had borne."

       (1 Ki 3:22 NRSV)  But the other woman said, "No, the living son is 
       mine, and the dead son is yours." The first said, "No, the dead son is 
       yours, and the living son is mine." So they argued before the king.

       (1 Ki 3:23 NRSV)  Then the king said, "The one says, 'This is my son 
       that is alive, and your son is dead'; while the other says, 'Not so! 
       Your son is dead, and my son is the living one.'"

       (1 Ki 3:24 NRSV)  So the king said, "Bring me a sword," and they 
       brought a sword before the king.

       (1 Ki 3:25 NRSV)  The king said, "Divide the living boy in two; then 
       give half to the one, and half to the other."

       (1 Ki 3:26 NRSV)  But the woman whose son was alive said to the 
       king--because compassion for her son burned within her--" Please, my 
       lord, give her the living boy; certainly do not kill him!" The other 





       said, "It shall be neither mine nor yours; divide it."

       (1 Ki 3:27 NRSV)  Then the king responded: "Give the first woman the 
       living boy; do not kill him. She is his mother."

       (1 Ki 3:28 NRSV)  All Israel heard of the judgment that the king had 
       rendered; and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived 
       that the wisdom of God was in him, to execute justice.

       (1 Ki 4:1 NRSV)  King Solomon was king over all Israel,

       (1 Ki 4:2 NRSV)  and these were his high officials: Azariah son of 
       Zadok was the priest;

       (1 Ki 4:3 NRSV)  Elihoreph and Ahijah sons of Shisha were secretaries; 
       Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder;

       (1 Ki 4:4 NRSV)  Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in command of the army; 
       Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

       (1 Ki 4:5 NRSV)  Azariah son of Nathan was over the officials; Zabud 
       son of Nathan was priest and king's friend;

       (1 Ki 4:6 NRSV)  Ahishar was in charge of the palace; and Adoniram son 
       of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.

       (1 Ki 4:7 NRSV)  Solomon had twelve officials over all Israel, who 
       provided food for the king and his household; each one had to make 
       provision for one month in the year.

       (1 Ki 4:8 NRSV)  These were their names: Ben-hur, in the hill country 
       of Ephraim;

       (1 Ki 4:9 NRSV)  Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and 
       Elon-beth-hanan;

       (1 Ki 4:10 NRSV)  Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (to him belonged Socoh and 
       all the land of Hepher);

       (1 Ki 4:11 NRSV)  Ben-abinadab, in all Naphath-dor (he had Taphath, 
       Solomon's daughter, as his wife);

       (1 Ki 4:12 NRSV)  Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all 
       Beth-shean, which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, and from 
       Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as the other side of Jokmeam;

       (1 Ki 4:13 NRSV)  Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (he had the villages of 
       Jair son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and he had the region of 
       Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze 
       bars);

       (1 Ki 4:14 NRSV)  Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;

       (1 Ki 4:15 NRSV)  Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he had taken Basemath, 
       Solomon's daughter, as his wife);





       (1 Ki 4:16 NRSV)  Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth;

       (1 Ki 4:17 NRSV)  Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar;

       (1 Ki 4:18 NRSV)  Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin;

       (1 Ki 4:19 NRSV)  Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country 
       of King Sihon of the Amorites and of King Og of Bashan. And there was 
       one official in the land of Judah.

       (1 Ki 4:20 NRSV)  Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the 
       sea; they ate and drank and were happy.

       (1 Ki 4:21 NRSV)  Solomon was sovereign over all the kingdoms from the 
       Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, even to the border of Egypt; 
       they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

       (1 Ki 4:22 NRSV)  Solomon's provision for one day was thirty cors of 
       choice flour, and sixty cors of meal,

       (1 Ki 4:23 NRSV)  ten fat oxen, and twenty pasture-fed cattle, one 
       hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl.

       (1 Ki 4:24 NRSV)  For he had dominion over all the region west of the 
       Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the 
       Euphrates; and he had peace on all sides.

       (1 Ki 4:25 NRSV)  During Solomon's lifetime Judah and Israel lived in 
       safety, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all of them under their vines and 
       fig trees.

       (1 Ki 4:26 NRSV)  Solomon also had forty thousand stalls of horses for 
       his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.

       (1 Ki 4:27 NRSV)  Those officials supplied provisions for King Solomon 
       and for all who came to King Solomon's table, each one in his month; 
       they let nothing be lacking.

       (1 Ki 4:28 NRSV)  They also brought to the required place barley and 
       straw for the horses and swift steeds, each according to his charge.

       (1 Ki 4:29 NRSV)  God gave Solomon very great wisdom, discernment, and 
       breadth of understanding as vast as the sand on the seashore,

       (1 Ki 4:30 NRSV)  so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all 
       the people of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt.

       (1 Ki 4:31 NRSV)  He was wiser than anyone else, wiser than Ethan the 
       Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, children of Mahol; his fame 
       spread throughout all the surrounding nations.

       (1 Ki 4:32 NRSV)  He composed three thousand proverbs, and his songs 
       numbered a thousand and five.

       (1 Ki 4:33 NRSV)  He would speak of trees, from the cedar that is in 
       the Lebanon to the hyssop that grows in the wall; he would speak of 





       animals, and birds, and reptiles, and fish.

       (1 Ki 4:34 NRSV)  People came from all the nations to hear the wisdom 
       of Solomon; they came from all the kings of the earth who had heard of 
       his wisdom.

       (1 Ki 5:1 NRSV)  Now King Hiram of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, 
       when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father; 
       for Hiram had always been a friend to David.

       (1 Ki 5:2 NRSV)  Solomon sent word to Hiram, saying,

       (1 Ki 5:3 NRSV)  "You know that my father David could not build a 
       house for the name of the LORD his God because of the warfare with 
       which his enemies surrounded him, until the LORD put them under the 
       soles of his feet.

       (1 Ki 5:4 NRSV)  But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every 
       side; there is neither adversary nor misfortune.

       (1 Ki 5:5 NRSV)  So I intend to build a house for the name of the LORD 
       my God, as the LORD said to my father David, 'Your son, whom I will 
       set on your throne in your place, shall build the house for my name.'

       (1 Ki 5:6 NRSV)  Therefore command that cedars from the Lebanon be cut 
       for me. My servants will join your servants, and I will give you 
       whatever wages you set for your servants; for you know that there is 
       no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians."

       (1 Ki 5:7 NRSV)  When Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced 
       greatly, and said, "Blessed be the LORD today, who has given to David 
       a wise son to be over this great people."

       (1 Ki 5:8 NRSV)  Hiram sent word to Solomon, "I have heard the message 
       that you have sent to me; I will fulfill all your needs in the matter 
       of cedar and cypress timber.

       (1 Ki 5:9 NRSV)  My servants shall bring it down to the sea from the 
       Lebanon; I will make it into rafts to go by sea to the place you 
       indicate. I will have them broken up there for you to take away. And 
       you shall meet my needs by providing food for my household."

       (1 Ki 5:10 NRSV)  So Hiram supplied Solomon's every need for timber of 
       cedar and cypress.

       (1 Ki 5:11 NRSV)  Solomon in turn gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of 
       wheat as food for his household, and twenty cors of fine oil. Solomon 
       gave this to Hiram year by year.

       (1 Ki 5:12 NRSV)  So the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him. 
       There was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and the two of them made a 
       treaty.

       (1 Ki 5:13 NRSV)  King Solomon conscripted forced labor out of all 
       Israel; the levy numbered thirty thousand men.





       (1 Ki 5:14 NRSV)  He sent them to the Lebanon, ten thousand a month in 
       shifts; they would be a month in the Lebanon and two months at home; 
       Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.

       (1 Ki 5:15 NRSV)  Solomon also had seventy thousand laborers and 
       eighty thousand stonecutters in the hill country,

       (1 Ki 5:16 NRSV)  besides Solomon's three thousand three hundred 
       supervisors who were over the work, having charge of the people who 
       did the work.

       (1 Ki 5:17 NRSV)  At the king's command, they quarried out great, 
       costly stones in order to lay the foundation of the house with dressed 
       stones.

       (1 Ki 5:18 NRSV)  So Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the 
       Gibalites did the stonecutting and prepared the timber and the stone 
       to build the house.

       (1 Ki 6:1 NRSV)  In the four hundred eightieth year after the 
       Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of 
       Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second 
       month, he began to build the house of the LORD.

       (1 Ki 6:2 NRSV)  The house that King Solomon built for the LORD was 
       sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high.

       (1 Ki 6:3 NRSV)  The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was 
       twenty cubits wide, across the width of the house. Its depth was ten 
       cubits in front of the house.

       (1 Ki 6:4 NRSV)  For the house he made windows with recessed frames.

       (1 Ki 6:5 NRSV)  He also built a structure against the wall of the 
       house, running around the walls of the house, both the nave and the 
       inner sanctuary; and he made side chambers all around.

       (1 Ki 6:6 NRSV)  The lowest story was five cubits wide, the middle one 
       was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for around 
       the outside of the house he made offsets on the wall in order that the 
       supporting beams should not be inserted into the walls of the house.

       (1 Ki 6:7 NRSV)  The house was built with stone finished at the 
       quarry, so that neither hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron was heard 
       in the temple while it was being built.

       (1 Ki 6:8 NRSV)  The entrance for the middle story was on the south 
       side of the house: one went up by winding stairs to the middle story, 
       and from the middle story to the third.

       (1 Ki 6:9 NRSV)  So he built the house, and finished it; he roofed the 
       house with beams and planks of cedar.

       (1 Ki 6:10 NRSV)  He built the structure against the whole house, each 
       story five cubits high, and it was joined to the house with timbers of 
       cedar.






       (1 Ki 6:11 NRSV)  Now the word of the LORD came to Solomon,

       (1 Ki 6:12 NRSV)  "Concerning this house that you are building, if you 
       will walk in my statutes, obey my ordinances, and keep all my 
       commandments by walking in them, then I will establish my promise with 
       you, which I made to your father David.

       (1 Ki 6:13 NRSV)  I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will 
       not forsake my people Israel."

       (1 Ki 6:14 NRSV)  So Solomon built the house, and finished it.

       (1 Ki 6:15 NRSV)  He lined the walls of the house on the inside with 
       boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to the rafters of the 
       ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood; and he covered the 
       floor of the house with boards of cypress.

       (1 Ki 6:16 NRSV)  He built twenty cubits of the rear of the house with 
       boards of cedar from the floor to the rafters, and he built this 
       within as an inner sanctuary, as the most holy place.

       (1 Ki 6:17 NRSV)  The house, that is, the nave in front of the inner 
       sanctuary, was forty cubits long.

       (1 Ki 6:18 NRSV)  The cedar within the house had carvings of gourds 
       and open flowers; all was cedar, no stone was seen.

       (1 Ki 6:19 NRSV)  The inner sanctuary he prepared in the innermost 
       part of the house, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

       (1 Ki 6:20 NRSV)  The interior of the inner sanctuary was twenty 
       cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high; he overlaid 
       it with pure gold. He also overlaid the altar with cedar.

       (1 Ki 6:21 NRSV)  Solomon overlaid the inside of the house with pure 
       gold, then he drew chains of gold across, in front of the inner 
       sanctuary, and overlaid it with gold.

       (1 Ki 6:22 NRSV)  Next he overlaid the whole house with gold, in order 
       that the whole house might be perfect; even the whole altar that 
       belonged to the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.

       (1 Ki 6:23 NRSV)  In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of 
       olivewood, each ten cubits high.

       (1 Ki 6:24 NRSV)  Five cubits was the length of one wing of the 
       cherub, and five cubits the length of the other wing of the cherub; it 
       was ten cubits from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other.

       (1 Ki 6:25 NRSV)  The other cherub also measured ten cubits; both 
       cherubim had the same measure and the same form.

       (1 Ki 6:26 NRSV)  The height of one cherub was ten cubits, and so was 
       that of the other cherub.





       (1 Ki 6:27 NRSV)  He put the cherubim in the innermost part of the 
       house; the wings of the cherubim were spread out so that a wing of one 
       was touching the one wall, and a wing of the other cherub was touching 
       the other wall; their other wings toward the center of the house were 
       touching wing to wing.

       (1 Ki 6:28 NRSV)  He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.

       (1 Ki 6:29 NRSV)  He carved the walls of the house all around about 
       with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, in 
       the inner and outer rooms.

       (1 Ki 6:30 NRSV)  The floor of the house he overlaid with gold, in the 
       inner and outer rooms.

       (1 Ki 6:31 NRSV)  For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made 
       doors of olivewood; the lintel and the doorposts were five-sided.

       (1 Ki 6:32 NRSV)  He covered the two doors of olivewood with carvings 
       of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; he overlaid them with gold, 
       and spread gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees.

       (1 Ki 6:33 NRSV)  So also he made for the entrance to the nave 
       doorposts of olivewood, four-sided each,

       (1 Ki 6:34 NRSV)  and two doors of cypress wood; the two leaves of the 
       one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were 
       folding.

       (1 Ki 6:35 NRSV)  He carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, 
       overlaying them with gold evenly applied upon the carved work.

       (1 Ki 6:36 NRSV)  He built the inner court with three courses of 
       dressed stone to one course of cedar beams.

       (1 Ki 6:37 NRSV)  In the fourth year the foundation of the house of 
       the LORD was laid, in the month of Ziv.

       (1 Ki 6:38 NRSV)  In the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is 
       the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts, and 
       according to all its specifications. He was seven years in building 
       it.

       (1 Ki 7:1 NRSV)  Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, 
       and he finished his entire house.

       (1 Ki 7:2 NRSV)  He built the House of the Forest of the Lebanon one 
       hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high, built 
       on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on the pillars.

       (1 Ki 7:3 NRSV)  It was roofed with cedar on the forty-five rafters, 
       fifteen in each row, which were on the pillars.

       (1 Ki 7:4 NRSV)  There were window frames in the three rows, facing 
       each other in the three rows.





       (1 Ki 7:5 NRSV)  All the doorways and doorposts had four-sided frames, 
       opposite, facing each other in the three rows.

       (1 Ki 7:6 NRSV)  He made the Hall of Pillars fifty cubits long and 
       thirty cubits wide. There was a porch in front with pillars, and a 
       canopy in front of them.

       (1 Ki 7:7 NRSV)  He made the Hall of the Throne where he was to 
       pronounce judgment, the Hall of Justice, covered with cedar from floor 
       to floor.

       (1 Ki 7:8 NRSV)  His own house where he would reside, in the other 
       court back of the hall, was of the same construction. Solomon also 
       made a house like this hall for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken 
       in marriage.

       (1 Ki 7:9 NRSV)  All these were made of costly stones, cut according 
       to measure, sawed with saws, back and front, from the foundation to 
       the coping, and from outside to the great court.

       (1 Ki 7:10 NRSV)  The foundation was of costly stones, huge stones, 
       stones of eight and ten cubits.

       (1 Ki 7:11 NRSV)  There were costly stones above, cut to measure, and 
       cedarwood.

       (1 Ki 7:12 NRSV)  The great court had three courses of dressed stone 
       to one layer of cedar beams all around; so had the inner court of the 
       house of the LORD, and the vestibule of the house.

       (1 Ki 7:13 NRSV)  Now King Solomon invited and received Hiram from 
       Tyre.

       (1 Ki 7:14 NRSV)  He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, 
       whose father, a man of Tyre, had been an artisan in bronze; he was 
       full of skill, intelligence, and knowledge in working bronze. He came 
       to King Solomon, and did all his work.

       (1 Ki 7:15 NRSV)  He cast two pillars of bronze. Eighteen cubits was 
       the height of the one, and a cord of twelve cubits would encircle it; 
       the second pillar was the same.

       (1 Ki 7:16 NRSV)  He also made two capitals of molten bronze, to set 
       on the tops of the pillars; the height of the one capital was five 
       cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits.

       (1 Ki 7:17 NRSV)  There were nets of checker work with wreaths of 
       chain work for the capitals on the tops of the pillars; seven for the 
       one capital, and seven for the other capital.

       (1 Ki 7:18 NRSV)  He made the columns with two rows around each 
       latticework to cover the capitals that were above the pomegranates; he 
       did the same with the other capital.

       (1 Ki 7:19 NRSV)  Now the capitals that were on the tops of the 
       pillars in the vestibule were of lily-work, four cubits high.






       (1 Ki 7:20 NRSV)  The capitals were on the two pillars and also above 
       the rounded projection that was beside the latticework; there were two 
       hundred pomegranates in rows all around; and so with the other 
       capital.

       (1 Ki 7:21 NRSV)  He set up the pillars at the vestibule of the 
       temple; he set up the pillar on the south and called it Jachin; and he 
       set up the pillar on the north and called it Boaz.

       (1 Ki 7:22 NRSV)  On the tops of the pillars was lily-work. Thus the 
       work of the pillars was finished.

       (1 Ki 7:23 NRSV)  Then he made the molten sea; it was round, ten 
       cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high. A line of thirty 
       cubits would encircle it completely.

       (1 Ki 7:24 NRSV)  Under its brim were panels all around it, each of 
       ten cubits, surrounding the sea; there were two rows of panels, cast 
       when it was cast.

       (1 Ki 7:25 NRSV)  It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three 
       facing west, three facing south, and three facing east; the sea was 
       set on them. The hindquarters of each were toward the inside.

       (1 Ki 7:26 NRSV)  Its thickness was a handbreadth; its brim was made 
       like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily; it held two 
       thousand baths.

       (1 Ki 7:27 NRSV)  He also made the ten stands of bronze; each stand 
       was four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high.

       (1 Ki 7:28 NRSV)  This was the construction of the stands: they had 
       borders; the borders were within the frames;

       (1 Ki 7:29 NRSV)  on the borders that were set in the frames were 
       lions, oxen, and cherubim. On the frames, both above and below the 
       lions and oxen, there were wreaths of beveled work.

       (1 Ki 7:30 NRSV)  Each stand had four bronze wheels and axles of 
       bronze; at the four corners were supports for a basin. The supports 
       were cast with wreaths at the side of each.

       (1 Ki 7:31 NRSV)  Its opening was within the crown whose height was 
       one cubit; its opening was round, as a pedestal is made; it was a 
       cubit and a half wide. At its opening there were carvings; its borders 
       were four-sided, not round.

       (1 Ki 7:32 NRSV)  The four wheels were underneath the borders; the 
       axles of the wheels were in the stands; and the height of a wheel was 
       a cubit and a half.

       (1 Ki 7:33 NRSV)  The wheels were made like a chariot wheel; their 
       axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast.

       (1 Ki 7:34 NRSV)  There were four supports at the four corners of each 





       stand; the supports were of one piece with the stands.

       (1 Ki 7:35 NRSV)  On the top of the stand there was a round band half 
       a cubit high; on the top of the stand, its stays and its borders were 
       of one piece with it.

       (1 Ki 7:36 NRSV)  On the surfaces of its stays and on its borders he 
       carved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, where each had space, with 
       wreaths all around.

       (1 Ki 7:37 NRSV)  In this way he made the ten stands; all of them were 
       cast alike, with the same size and the same form.

       (1 Ki 7:38 NRSV)  He made ten basins of bronze; each basin held forty 
       baths, each basin measured four cubits; there was a basin for each of 
       the ten stands.

       (1 Ki 7:39 NRSV)  He set five of the stands on the south side of the 
       house, and five on the north side of the house; he set the sea on the 
       southeast corner of the house.

       (1 Ki 7:40 NRSV)  Hiram also made the pots, the shovels, and the 
       basins. So Hiram finished all the work that he did for King Solomon on 
       the house of the LORD:

       (1 Ki 7:41 NRSV)  the two pillars, the two bowls of the capitals that 
       were on the tops of the pillars, the two latticeworks to cover the two 
       bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars;

       (1 Ki 7:42 NRSV)  the four hundred pomegranates for the two 
       latticeworks, two rows of pomegranates for each latticework, to cover 
       the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars;

       (1 Ki 7:43 NRSV)  the ten stands, the ten basins on the stands;

       (1 Ki 7:44 NRSV)  the one sea, and the twelve oxen underneath the sea.

       (1 Ki 7:45 NRSV)  The pots, the shovels, and the basins, all these 
       vessels that Hiram made for King Solomon for the house of the LORD 
       were of burnished bronze.

       (1 Ki 7:46 NRSV)  In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in 
       the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan.

       (1 Ki 7:47 NRSV)  Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because 
       there were so many of them; the weight of the bronze was not 
       determined.

       (1 Ki 7:48 NRSV)  So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the 
       house of the LORD: the golden altar, the golden table for the bread of 
       the Presence,

       (1 Ki 7:49 NRSV)  the lampstands of pure gold, five on the south side 
       and five on the north, in front of the inner sanctuary; the flowers, 
       the lamps, and the tongs, of gold;





       (1 Ki 7:50 NRSV)  the cups, snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and 
       firepans, of pure gold; the sockets for the doors of the innermost 
       part of the house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the nave 
       of the temple, of gold.

       (1 Ki 7:51 NRSV)  Thus all the work that King Solomon did on the house 
       of the LORD was finished. Solomon brought in the things that his 
       father David had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and the vessels, and 
       stored them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD.

       (1 Ki 8:1 NRSV)  Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all 
       the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the ancestral houses of the 
       Israelites, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of 
       the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.

       (1 Ki 8:2 NRSV)  All the people of Israel assembled to King Solomon at 
       the festival in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.

       (1 Ki 8:3 NRSV)  And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests 
       carried the ark.

       (1 Ki 8:4 NRSV)  So they brought up the ark of the LORD, the tent of 
       meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests 
       and the Levites brought them up.

       (1 Ki 8:5 NRSV)  King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who 
       had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so 
       many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.

       (1 Ki 8:6 NRSV)  Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of 
       the LORD to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the 
       most holy place, underneath the wings of the cherubim.

       (1 Ki 8:7 NRSV)  For the cherubim spread out their wings over the 
       place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering above the ark 
       and its poles.

       (1 Ki 8:8 NRSV)  The poles were so long that the ends of the poles 
       were seen from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary; but 
       they could not be seen from outside; they are there to this day.

       (1 Ki 8:9 NRSV)  There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets 
       of stone that Moses had placed there at Horeb, where the LORD made a 
       covenant with the Israelites, when they came out of the land of Egypt.

       (1 Ki 8:10 NRSV)  And when the priests came out of the holy place, a 
       cloud filled the house of the LORD,

       (1 Ki 8:11 NRSV)  so that the priests could not stand to minister 
       because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of 
       the LORD.

       (1 Ki 8:12 NRSV)  Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that he would 
       dwell in thick darkness.

       (1 Ki 8:13 NRSV)  I have built you an exalted house, a place for you 





       to dwell in forever."

       (1 Ki 8:14 NRSV)  Then the king turned around and blessed all the 
       assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood.

       (1 Ki 8:15 NRSV)  He said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, 
       who with his hand has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to my 
       father David, saying,

       (1 Ki 8:16 NRSV)  'Since the day that I brought my people Israel out 
       of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from any of the tribes of Israel in 
       which to build a house, that my name might be there; but I chose David 
       to be over my people Israel.'

       (1 Ki 8:17 NRSV)  My father David had it in mind to build a house for 
       the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.

       (1 Ki 8:18 NRSV)  But the LORD said to my father David, 'You did well 
       to consider building a house for my name;

       (1 Ki 8:19 NRSV)  nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your 
       son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.'

       (1 Ki 8:20 NRSV)  Now the LORD has upheld the promise that he made; 
       for I have risen in the place of my father David; I sit on the throne 
       of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built the house for the name 
       of the LORD, the God of Israel.

       (1 Ki 8:21 NRSV)  There I have provided a place for the ark, in which 
       is the covenant of the LORD that he made with our ancestors when he 
       brought them out of the land of Egypt."

       (1 Ki 8:22 NRSV)  Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in 
       the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands 
       to heaven.

       (1 Ki 8:23 NRSV)  He said, "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God 
       like you in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and 
       steadfast love for your servants who walk before you with all their 
       heart,

       (1 Ki 8:24 NRSV)  the covenant that you kept for your servant my 
       father David as you declared to him; you promised with your mouth and 
       have this day fulfilled with your hand.

       (1 Ki 8:25 NRSV)  Therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for your 
       servant my father David that which you promised him, saying, 'There 
       shall never fail you a successor before me to sit on the throne of 
       Israel, if only your children look to their way, to walk before me as 
       you have walked before me.'

       (1 Ki 8:26 NRSV)  Therefore, O God of Israel, let your word be 
       confirmed, which you promised to your servant my father David.

       (1 Ki 8:27 NRSV)  "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven 
       and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this house that I 





       have built!

       (1 Ki 8:28 NRSV)  Regard your servant's prayer and his plea, O LORD my 
       God, heeding the cry and the prayer that your servant prays to you 
       today;

       (1 Ki 8:29 NRSV)  that your eyes may be open night and day toward this 
       house, the place of which you said, 'My name shall be there,' that you 
       may heed the prayer that your servant prays toward this place.

       (1 Ki 8:30 NRSV)  Hear the plea of your servant and of your people 
       Israel when they pray toward this place; O hear in heaven your 
       dwelling place; heed and forgive.

       (1 Ki 8:31 NRSV)  "If someone sins against a neighbor and is given an 
       oath to swear, and comes and swears before your altar in this house,

       (1 Ki 8:32 NRSV)  then hear in heaven, and act, and judge your 
       servants, condemning the guilty by bringing their conduct on their own 
       head, and vindicating the righteous by rewarding them according to 
       their righteousness.

       (1 Ki 8:33 NRSV)  "When your people Israel, having sinned against you, 
       are defeated before an enemy but turn again to you, confess your name, 
       pray and plead with you in this house,

       (1 Ki 8:34 NRSV)  then hear in heaven, forgive the sin of your people 
       Israel, and bring them again to the land that you gave to their 
       ancestors.

       (1 Ki 8:35 NRSV)  "When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because 
       they have sinned against you, and then they pray toward this place, 
       confess your name, and turn from their sin, because you punish them,

       (1 Ki 8:36 NRSV)  then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of your 
       servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in 
       which they should walk; and grant rain on your land, which you have 
       given to your people as an inheritance.

       (1 Ki 8:37 NRSV)  "If there is famine in the land, if there is plague, 
       blight, mildew, locust, or caterpillar; if their enemy besieges them 
       in any of their cities; whatever plague, whatever sickness there is;

       (1 Ki 8:38 NRSV)  whatever prayer, whatever plea there is from any 
       individual or from all your people Israel, all knowing the afflictions 
       of their own hearts so that they stretch out their hands toward this 
       house;

       (1 Ki 8:39 NRSV)  then hear in heaven your dwelling place, forgive, 
       act, and render to all whose hearts you know--according to all their 
       ways, for only you know what is in every human heart--

       (1 Ki 8:40 NRSV)  so that they may fear you all the days that they 
       live in the land that you gave to our ancestors.

       (1 Ki 8:41 NRSV)  "Likewise when a foreigner, who is not of your 





       people Israel, comes from a distant land because of your name

       (1 Ki 8:42 NRSV)  --for they shall hear of your great name, your 
       mighty hand, and your outstretched arm--when a foreigner comes and 
       prays toward this house,

       (1 Ki 8:43 NRSV)  then hear in heaven your dwelling place, and do 
       according to all that the foreigner calls to you, so that all the 
       peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your 
       people Israel, and so that they may know that your name has been 
       invoked on this house that I have built.

       (1 Ki 8:44 NRSV)  "If your people go out to battle against their 
       enemy, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to the LORD 
       toward the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built 
       for your name,

       (1 Ki 8:45 NRSV)  then hear in heaven their prayer and their plea, and 
       maintain their cause.

       (1 Ki 8:46 NRSV)  "If they sin against you--for there is no one who 
       does not sin--and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, 
       so that they are carried away captive to the land of the enemy, far 
       off or near;

       (1 Ki 8:47 NRSV)  yet if they come to their senses in the land to 
       which they have been taken captive, and repent, and plead with you in 
       the land of their captors, saying, 'We have sinned, and have done 
       wrong; we have acted wickedly';

       (1 Ki 8:48 NRSV)  if they repent with all their heart and soul in the 
       land of their enemies, who took them captive, and pray to you toward 
       their land, which you gave to their ancestors, the city that you have 
       chosen, and the house that I have built for your name;

       (1 Ki 8:49 NRSV)  then hear in heaven your dwelling place their prayer 
       and their plea, maintain their cause

       (1 Ki 8:50 NRSV)  and forgive your people who have sinned against you, 
       and all their transgressions that they have committed against you; and 
       grant them compassion in the sight of their captors, so that they may 
       have compassion on them

       (1 Ki 8:51 NRSV)  (for they are your people and heritage, which you 
       brought out of Egypt, from the midst of the iron-smelter).

       (1 Ki 8:52 NRSV)  Let your eyes be open to the plea of your servant, 
       and to the plea of your people Israel, listening to them whenever they 
       call to you.

       (1 Ki 8:53 NRSV)  For you have separated them from among all the 
       peoples of the earth, to be your heritage, just as you promised 
       through Moses, your servant, when you brought our ancestors out of 
       Egypt, O Lord GOD."

       (1 Ki 8:54 NRSV)  Now when Solomon finished offering all this prayer 





       and this plea to the LORD, he arose from facing the altar of the LORD, 
       where he had knelt with hands outstretched toward heaven;

       (1 Ki 8:55 NRSV)  he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with 
       a loud voice:

       (1 Ki 8:56 NRSV)  "Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to his 
       people Israel according to all that he promised; not one word has 
       failed of all his good promise, which he spoke through his servant 
       Moses.

       (1 Ki 8:57 NRSV)  The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our 
       ancestors; may he not leave us or abandon us,

       (1 Ki 8:58 NRSV)  but incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his 
       ways, and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances, 
       which he commanded our ancestors.

       (1 Ki 8:59 NRSV)  Let these words of mine, with which I pleaded before 
       the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, and may he 
       maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, 
       as each day requires;

       (1 Ki 8:60 NRSV)  so that all the peoples of the earth may know that 
       the LORD is God; there is no other.

       (1 Ki 8:61 NRSV)  Therefore devote yourselves completely to the LORD 
       our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at 
       this day."

       (1 Ki 8:62 NRSV)  Then the king, and all Israel with him, offered 
       sacrifice before the LORD.

       (1 Ki 8:63 NRSV)  Solomon offered as sacrifices of well-being to the 
       LORD twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred twenty thousand sheep. 
       So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the house of the 
       LORD.

       (1 Ki 8:64 NRSV)  The same day the king consecrated the middle of the 
       court that was in front of the house of the LORD; for there he offered 
       the burnt offerings and the grain offerings and the fat pieces of the 
       sacrifices of well-being, because the bronze altar that was before the 
       LORD was too small to receive the burnt offerings and the grain 
       offerings and the fat pieces of the sacrifices of well-being.

       (1 Ki 8:65 NRSV)  So Solomon held the festival at that time, and all 
       Israel with him--a great assembly, people from Lebo-hamath to the Wadi 
       of Egypt--before the LORD our God, seven days.

       (1 Ki 8:66 NRSV)  On the eighth day he sent the people away; and they 
       blessed the king, and went to their tents, joyful and in good spirits 
       because of all the goodness that the LORD had shown to his servant 
       David and to his people Israel.

       (1 Ki 9:1 NRSV)  When Solomon had finished building the house of the 
       LORD and the king's house and all that Solomon desired to build,






       (1 Ki 9:2 NRSV)  the LORD appeared to Solomon a second time, as he had 
       appeared to him at Gibeon.

       (1 Ki 9:3 NRSV)  The LORD said to him, "I have heard your prayer and 
       your plea, which you made before me; I have consecrated this house 
       that you have built, and put my name there forever; my eyes and my 
       heart will be there for all time.

       (1 Ki 9:4 NRSV)  As for you, if you will walk before me, as David your 
       father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing 
       according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes 
       and my ordinances,

       (1 Ki 9:5 NRSV)  then I will establish your royal throne over Israel 
       forever, as I promised your father David, saying, 'There shall not 
       fail you a successor on the throne of Israel.'

       (1 Ki 9:6 NRSV)  "If you turn aside from following me, you or your 
       children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have 
       set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them,

       (1 Ki 9:7 NRSV)  then I will cut Israel off from the land that I have 
       given them; and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will 
       cast out of my sight; and Israel will become a proverb and a taunt 
       among all peoples.

       (1 Ki 9:8 NRSV)  This house will become a heap of ruins; everyone 
       passing by it will be astonished, and will hiss; and they will say, 
       'Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this house?'

       (1 Ki 9:9 NRSV)  Then they will say, 'Because they have forsaken the 
       LORD their God, who brought their ancestors out of the land of Egypt, 
       and embraced other gods, worshiping them and serving them; therefore 
       the LORD has brought this disaster upon them.'"

       (1 Ki 9:10 NRSV)  At the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had 
       built the two houses, the house of the LORD and the king's house,

       (1 Ki 9:11 NRSV)  King Hiram of Tyre having supplied Solomon with 
       cedar and cypress timber and gold, as much as he desired, King Solomon 
       gave to Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.

       (1 Ki 9:12 NRSV)  But when Hiram came from Tyre to see the cities that 
       Solomon had given him, they did not please him.

       (1 Ki 9:13 NRSV)  Therefore he said, "What kind of cities are these 
       that you have given me, my brother?" So they are called the land of 
       Cabul to this day.

       (1 Ki 9:14 NRSV)  But Hiram had sent to the king one hundred twenty 
       talents of gold.

       (1 Ki 9:15 NRSV)  This is the account of the forced labor that King 
       Solomon conscripted to build the house of the LORD and his own house, 
       the Millo and the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, Gezer






       (1 Ki 9:16 NRSV)  (Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and captured 
       Gezer and burned it down, had killed the Canaanites who lived in the 
       city, and had given it as dowry to his daughter, Solomon's wife;

       (1 Ki 9:17 NRSV)  so Solomon rebuilt Gezer), Lower Beth-horon,

       (1 Ki 9:18 NRSV)  Baalath, Tamar in the wilderness, within the land,

       (1 Ki 9:19 NRSV)  as well as all of Solomon's storage cities, the 
       cities for his chariots, the cities for his cavalry, and whatever 
       Solomon desired to build, in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the 
       land of his dominion.

       (1 Ki 9:20 NRSV)  All the people who were left of the Amorites, the 
       Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not 
       of the people of Israel--

       (1 Ki 9:21 NRSV)  their descendants who were still left in the land, 
       whom the Israelites were unable to destroy completely--these Solomon 
       conscripted for slave labor, and so they are to this day.

       (1 Ki 9:22 NRSV)  But of the Israelites Solomon made no slaves; they 
       were the soldiers, they were his officials, his commanders, his 
       captains, and the commanders of his chariotry and cavalry.

       (1 Ki 9:23 NRSV)  These were the chief officers who were over 
       Solomon's work: five hundred fifty, who had charge of the people who 
       carried on the work.

       (1 Ki 9:24 NRSV)  But Pharaoh's daughter went up from the city of 
       David to her own house that Solomon had built for her; then he built 
       the Millo.

       (1 Ki 9:25 NRSV)  Three times a year Solomon used to offer up burnt 
       offerings and sacrifices of well-being on the altar that he built for 
       the LORD, offering incense before the LORD. So he completed the house.

       (1 Ki 9:26 NRSV)  King Solomon built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, 
       which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.

       (1 Ki 9:27 NRSV)  Hiram sent his servants with the fleet, sailors who 
       were familiar with the sea, together with the servants of Solomon.

       (1 Ki 9:28 NRSV)  They went to Ophir, and imported from there four 
       hundred twenty talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.

       (1 Ki 10:1 NRSV)  When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of 
       Solomon, (fame due to the name of the LORD), she came to test him with 
       hard questions.

       (1 Ki 10:2 NRSV)  She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, 
       with camels bearing spices, and very much gold, and precious stones; 
       and when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind.

       (1 Ki 10:3 NRSV)  Solomon answered all her questions; there was 





       nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her.

       (1 Ki 10:4 NRSV)  When the queen of Sheba had observed all the wisdom 
       of Solomon, the house that he had built,

       (1 Ki 10:5 NRSV)  the food of his table, the seating of his officials, 
       and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his valets, and 
       his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the LORD, there 
       was no more spirit in her.

       (1 Ki 10:6 NRSV)  So she said to the king, "The report was true that I 
       heard in my own land of your accomplishments and of your wisdom,

       (1 Ki 10:7 NRSV)  but I did not believe the reports until I came and 
       my own eyes had seen it. Not even half had been told me; your wisdom 
       and prosperity far surpass the report that I had heard.

       (1 Ki 10:8 NRSV)  Happy are your wives! Happy are these your servants, 
       who continually attend you and hear your wisdom!

       (1 Ki 10:9 NRSV)  Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in 
       you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD loved Israel 
       forever, he has made you king to execute justice and righteousness."

       (1 Ki 10:10 NRSV)  Then she gave the king one hundred twenty talents 
       of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones; never again 
       did spices come in such quantity as that which the queen of Sheba gave 
       to King Solomon.

       (1 Ki 10:11 NRSV)  Moreover, the fleet of Hiram, which carried gold 
       from Ophir, brought from Ophir a great quantity of almug wood and 
       precious stones.

       (1 Ki 10:12 NRSV)  From the almug wood the king made supports for the 
       house of the LORD, and for the king's house, lyres also and harps for 
       the singers; no such almug wood has come or been seen to this day.

       (1 Ki 10:13 NRSV)  Meanwhile King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba 
       every desire that she expressed, as well as what he gave her out of 
       Solomon's royal bounty. Then she returned to her own land, with her 
       servants.

       (1 Ki 10:14 NRSV)  The weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year 
       was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold,

       (1 Ki 10:15 NRSV)  besides that which came from the traders and from 
       the business of the merchants, and from all the kings of Arabia and 
       the governors of the land.

       (1 Ki 10:16 NRSV)  King Solomon made two hundred large shields of 
       beaten gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each large shield.

       (1 Ki 10:17 NRSV)  He made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three 
       minas of gold went into each shield; and the king put them in the 
       House of the Forest of Lebanon.





       (1 Ki 10:18 NRSV)  The king also made a great ivory throne, and 
       overlaid it with the finest gold.

       (1 Ki 10:19 NRSV)  The throne had six steps. The top of the throne was 
       rounded in the back, and on each side of the seat were arm rests and 
       two lions standing beside the arm rests,

       (1 Ki 10:20 NRSV)  while twelve lions were standing, one on each end 
       of a step on the six steps. Nothing like it was ever made in any 
       kingdom.

       (1 Ki 10:21 NRSV)  All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, 
       and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure 
       gold; none were of silver--it was not considered as anything in the 
       days of Solomon.

       (1 Ki 10:22 NRSV)  For the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at 
       sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the fleet of ships 
       of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and 
       peacocks.

       (1 Ki 10:23 NRSV)  Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the 
       earth in riches and in wisdom.

       (1 Ki 10:24 NRSV)  The whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to 
       hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.

       (1 Ki 10:25 NRSV)  Every one of them brought a present, objects of 
       silver and gold, garments, weaponry, spices, horses, and mules, so 
       much year by year.

       (1 Ki 10:26 NRSV)  Solomon gathered together chariots and horses; he 
       had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he 
       stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

       (1 Ki 10:27 NRSV)  The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as 
       stones, and he made cedars as numerous as the sycamores of the 
       Shephelah.

       (1 Ki 10:28 NRSV)  Solomon's import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, 
       and the king's traders received them from Kue at a price.

       (1 Ki 10:29 NRSV)  A chariot could be imported from Egypt for six 
       hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred fifty; so 
       through the king's traders they were exported to all the kings of the 
       Hittites and the kings of Aram.

       (1 Ki 11:1 NRSV)  King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the 
       daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite 
       women,

       (1 Ki 11:2 NRSV)  from the nations concerning which the LORD had said 
       to the Israelites, "You shall not enter into marriage with them, 
       neither shall they with you; for they will surely incline your heart 
       to follow their gods"; Solomon clung to these in love.





       (1 Ki 11:3 NRSV)  Among his wives were seven hundred princesses and 
       three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart.

       (1 Ki 11:4 NRSV)  For when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his 
       heart after other gods; and his heart was not true to the LORD his 
       God, as was the heart of his father David.

       (1 Ki 11:5 NRSV)  For Solomon followed Astarte the goddess of the 
       Sidonians, and Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

       (1 Ki 11:6 NRSV)  So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the 
       LORD, and did not completely follow the LORD, as his father David had 
       done.

       (1 Ki 11:7 NRSV)  Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the 
       abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, 
       on the mountain east of Jerusalem.

       (1 Ki 11:8 NRSV)  He did the same for all his foreign wives, who 
       offered incense and sacrificed to their gods.

       (1 Ki 11:9 NRSV)  Then the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his 
       heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had 
       appeared to him twice,

       (1 Ki 11:10 NRSV)  and had commanded him concerning this matter, that 
       he should not follow other gods; but he did not observe what the LORD 
       commanded.

       (1 Ki 11:11 NRSV)  Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, "Since this has 
       been your mind and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that 
       I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and give 
       it to your servant.

       (1 Ki 11:12 NRSV)  Yet for the sake of your father David I will not do 
       it in your lifetime; I will tear it out of the hand of your son.

       (1 Ki 11:13 NRSV)  I will not, however, tear away the entire kingdom; 
       I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of my servant David 
       and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."

       (1 Ki 11:14 NRSV)  Then the LORD raised up an adversary against 
       Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the royal house in Edom.

       (1 Ki 11:15 NRSV)  For when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander 
       of the army went up to bury the dead, he killed every male in Edom

       (1 Ki 11:16 NRSV)  (for Joab and all Israel remained there six months, 
       until he had eliminated every male in Edom);

       (1 Ki 11:17 NRSV)  but Hadad fled to Egypt with some Edomites who were 
       servants of his father. He was a young boy at that time.

       (1 Ki 11:18 NRSV)  They set out from Midian and came to Paran; they 
       took people with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of 
       Egypt, who gave him a house, assigned him an allowance of food, and 





       gave him land.

       (1 Ki 11:19 NRSV)  Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so 
       that he gave him his sister-in-law for a wife, the sister of Queen 
       Tahpenes.

       (1 Ki 11:20 NRSV)  The sister of Tahpenes gave birth by him to his son 
       Genubath, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh's house; Genubath was in 
       Pharaoh's house among the children of Pharaoh.

       (1 Ki 11:21 NRSV)  When Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his 
       ancestors and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said 
       to Pharaoh, "Let me depart, that I may go to my own country."

       (1 Ki 11:22 NRSV)  But Pharaoh said to him, "What do you lack with me 
       that you now seek to go to your own country?" And he said, "No, do let 
       me go."

       (1 Ki 11:23 NRSV)  God raised up another adversary against Solomon, 
       Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, King Hadadezer of 
       Zobah.

       (1 Ki 11:24 NRSV)  He gathered followers around him and became leader 
       of a marauding band, after the slaughter by David; they went to 
       Damascus, settled there, and made him king in Damascus.

       (1 Ki 11:25 NRSV)  He was an adversary of Israel all the days of 
       Solomon, making trouble as Hadad did; he despised Israel and reigned 
       over Aram.

       (1 Ki 11:26 NRSV)  Jeroboam son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a 
       servant of Solomon, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, rebelled 
       against the king.

       (1 Ki 11:27 NRSV)  The following was the reason he rebelled against 
       the king. Solomon built the Millo, and closed up the gap in the wall 
       of the city of his father David.

       (1 Ki 11:28 NRSV)  The man Jeroboam was very able, and when Solomon 
       saw that the young man was industrious he gave him charge over all the 
       forced labor of the house of Joseph.

       (1 Ki 11:29 NRSV)  About that time, when Jeroboam was leaving 
       Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. 
       Ahijah had clothed himself with a new garment. The two of them were 
       alone in the open country

       (1 Ki 11:30 NRSV)  when Ahijah laid hold of the new garment he was 
       wearing and tore it into twelve pieces.

       (1 Ki 11:31 NRSV)  He then said to Jeroboam: Take for yourself ten 
       pieces; for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, "See, I am about to 
       tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and will give you ten 
       tribes.

       (1 Ki 11:32 NRSV)  One tribe will remain his, for the sake of my 





       servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have 
       chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.

       (1 Ki 11:33 NRSV)  This is because he has forsaken me, worshiped 
       Astarte the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and 
       Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and has not walked in my ways, doing 
       what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and my ordinances, 
       as his father David did.

       (1 Ki 11:34 NRSV)  Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom away 
       from him but will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the 
       sake of my servant David whom I chose and who did keep my commandments 
       and my statutes;

       (1 Ki 11:35 NRSV)  but I will take the kingdom away from his son and 
       give it to you--that is, the ten tribes.

       (1 Ki 11:36 NRSV)  Yet to his son I will give one tribe, so that my 
       servant David may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city 
       where I have chosen to put my name.

       (1 Ki 11:37 NRSV)  I will take you, and you shall reign over all that 
       your soul desires; you shall be king over Israel.

       (1 Ki 11:38 NRSV)  If you will listen to all that I command you, walk 
       in my ways, and do what is right in my sight by keeping my statutes 
       and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you, and 
       will build you an enduring house, as I built for David, and I will 
       give Israel to you.

       (1 Ki 11:39 NRSV)  For this reason I will punish the descendants of 
       David, but not forever."

       (1 Ki 11:40 NRSV)  Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam; but 
       Jeroboam promptly fled to Egypt, to King Shishak of Egypt, and 
       remained in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

       (1 Ki 11:41 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, all that he 
       did as well as his wisdom, are they not written in the Book of the 
       Acts of Solomon?

       (1 Ki 11:42 NRSV)  The time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all 
       Israel was forty years.

       (1 Ki 11:43 NRSV)  Solomon slept with his ancestors and was buried in 
       the city of his father David; and his son Rehoboam succeeded him.

       (1 Ki 12:1 NRSV)  Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to 
       Shechem to make him king.

       (1 Ki 12:2 NRSV)  When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard of it (for he was 
       still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam 
       returned from Egypt.

       (1 Ki 12:3 NRSV)  And they sent and called him; and Jeroboam and all 
       the assembly of Israel came and said to Rehoboam,






       (1 Ki 12:4 NRSV)  "Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore 
       lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke that he 
       placed on us, and we will serve you."

       (1 Ki 12:5 NRSV)  He said to them, "Go away for three days, then come 
       again to me." So the people went away.

       (1 Ki 12:6 NRSV)  Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the older men 
       who had attended his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, 
       "How do you advise me to answer this people?"

       (1 Ki 12:7 NRSV)  They answered him, "If you will be a servant to this 
       people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you 
       answer them, then they will be your servants forever."

       (1 Ki 12:8 NRSV)  But he disregarded the advice that the older men 
       gave him, and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him 
       and now attended him.

       (1 Ki 12:9 NRSV)  He said to them, "What do you advise that we answer 
       this people who have said to me, 'Lighten the yoke that your father 
       put on us'?"

       (1 Ki 12:10 NRSV)  The young men who had grown up with him said to 
       him, "Thus you should say to this people who spoke to you, 'Your 
       father made our yoke heavy, but you must lighten it for us'; thus you 
       should say to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's 
       loins.

       (1 Ki 12:11 NRSV)  Now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I 
       will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I 
       will discipline you with scorpions.'"

       (1 Ki 12:12 NRSV)  So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the 
       third day, as the king had said, "Come to me again the third day."

       (1 Ki 12:13 NRSV)  The king answered the people harshly. He 
       disregarded the advice that the older men had given him

       (1 Ki 12:14 NRSV)  and spoke to them according to the advice of the 
       young men, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your 
       yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you 
       with scorpions."

       (1 Ki 12:15 NRSV)  So the king did not listen to the people, because 
       it was a turn of affairs brought about by the LORD that he might 
       fulfill his word, which the LORD had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to 
       Jeroboam son of Nebat.

       (1 Ki 12:16 NRSV)  When all Israel saw that the king would not listen 
       to them, the people answered the king, "What share do we have in 
       David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O 
       Israel! Look now to your own house, O David." So Israel went away to 
       their tents.





       (1 Ki 12:17 NRSV)  But Rehoboam reigned over the Israelites who were 
       living in the towns of Judah.

       (1 Ki 12:18 NRSV)  When King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was taskmaster 
       over the forced labor, all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam 
       then hurriedly mounted his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.

       (1 Ki 12:19 NRSV)  So Israel has been in rebellion against the house 
       of David to this day.

       (1 Ki 12:20 NRSV)  When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, 
       they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all 
       Israel. There was no one who followed the house of David, except the 
       tribe of Judah alone.

       (1 Ki 12:21 NRSV)  When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all 
       the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred eighty 
       thousand chosen troops to fight against the house of Israel, to 
       restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon.

       (1 Ki 12:22 NRSV)  But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of 
       God:

       (1 Ki 12:23 NRSV)  Say to King Rehoboam of Judah, son of Solomon, and 
       to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people,

       (1 Ki 12:24 NRSV)  "Thus says the LORD, You shall not go up or fight 
       against your kindred the people of Israel. Let everyone go home, for 
       this thing is from me." So they heeded the word of the LORD and went 
       home again, according to the word of the LORD.

       (1 Ki 12:25 NRSV)  Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of 
       Ephraim, and resided there; he went out from there and built Penuel.

       (1 Ki 12:26 NRSV)  Then Jeroboam said to himself, "Now the kingdom may 
       well revert to the house of David.

       (1 Ki 12:27 NRSV)  If this people continues to go up to offer 
       sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, the heart of this 
       people will turn again to their master, King Rehoboam of Judah; they 
       will kill me and return to King Rehoboam of Judah."

       (1 Ki 12:28 NRSV)  So the king took counsel, and made two calves of 
       gold. He said to the people, "You have gone up to Jerusalem long 
       enough. Here are your gods, Oisrael, who brought you up out of the 
       land of Egypt."

       (1 Ki 12:29 NRSV)  He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.

       (1 Ki 12:30 NRSV)  And this thing became a sin, for the people went to 
       worship before the one at Bethel and before the other as far as Dan.

       (1 Ki 12:31 NRSV)  He also made houses on high places, and appointed 
       priests from among all the people, who were not Levites.

       (1 Ki 12:32 NRSV)  Jeroboam appointed a festival on the fifteenth day 





       of the eighth month like the festival that was in Judah, and he 
       offered sacrifices on the altar; so he did in Bethel, sacrificing to 
       the calves that he had made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of 
       the high places that he had made.

       (1 Ki 12:33 NRSV)  He went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel 
       on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he alone 
       had devised; he appointed a festival for the people of Israel, and he 
       went up to the altar to offer incense.

       (1 Ki 13:1 NRSV)  While Jeroboam was standing by the altar to offer 
       incense, a man of God came out of Judah by the word of the LORD to 
       Bethel

       (1 Ki 13:2 NRSV)  and proclaimed against the altar by the word of the 
       LORD, and said, "O altar, altar, thus says the LORD: 'A son shall be 
       born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and he shall sacrifice on 
       you the priests of the high places who offer incense on you, and human 
       bones shall be burned on you.'"

       (1 Ki 13:3 NRSV)  He gave a sign the same day, saying, "This is the 
       sign that the LORD has spoken: 'The altar shall be torn down, and the 
       ashes that are on it shall be poured out.'"

       (1 Ki 13:4 NRSV)  When the king heard what the man of God cried out 
       against the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the 
       altar, saying, "Seize him!" But the hand that he stretched out against 
       him withered so that he could not draw it back to himself.

       (1 Ki 13:5 NRSV)  The altar also was torn down, and the ashes poured 
       out from the altar, according to the sign that the man of God had 
       given by the word of the LORD.

       (1 Ki 13:6 NRSV)  The king said to the man of God, "Entreat now the 
       favor of the LORD your God, and pray for me, so that my hand may be 
       restored to me." So the man of God entreated the LORD; and the king's 
       hand was restored to him, and became as it was before.

       (1 Ki 13:7 NRSV)  Then the king said to the man of God, "Come home 
       with me and dine, and I will give you a gift."

       (1 Ki 13:8 NRSV)  But the man of God said to the king, "If you give me 
       half your kingdom, I will not go in with you; nor will I eat food or 
       drink water in this place.

       (1 Ki 13:9 NRSV)  For thus I was commanded by the word of the LORD: 
       You shall not eat food, or drink water, or return by the way that you 
       came."

       (1 Ki 13:10 NRSV)  So he went another way, and did not return by the 
       way that he had come to Bethel.

       (1 Ki 13:11 NRSV)  Now there lived an old prophet in Bethel. One of 
       his sons came and told him all that the man of God had done that day 
       in Bethel; the words also that he had spoken to the king, they told to 
       their father.






       (1 Ki 13:12 NRSV)  Their father said to them, "Which way did he go?" 
       And his sons showed him the way that the man of God who came from 
       Judah had gone.

       (1 Ki 13:13 NRSV)  Then he said to his sons, "Saddle a donkey for me." 
       So they saddled a donkey for him, and he mounted it.

       (1 Ki 13:14 NRSV)  He went after the man of God, and found him sitting 
       under an oak tree. He said to him, "Are you the man of God who came 
       from Judah?" He answered, "I am."

       (1 Ki 13:15 NRSV)  Then he said to him, "Come home with me and eat 
       some food."

       (1 Ki 13:16 NRSV)  But he said, "I cannot return with you, or go in 
       with you; nor will I eat food or drink water with you in this place;

       (1 Ki 13:17 NRSV)  for it was said to me by the word of the LORD: You 
       shall not eat food or drink water there, or return by the way that you 
       came."

       (1 Ki 13:18 NRSV)  Then the other said to him, "I also am a prophet as 
       you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD: Bring him 
       back with you into your house so that he may eat food and drink 
       water." But he was deceiving him.

       (1 Ki 13:19 NRSV)  Then the man of God went back with him, and ate 
       food and drank water in his house.

       (1 Ki 13:20 NRSV)  As they were sitting at the table, the word of the 
       LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back;

       (1 Ki 13:21 NRSV)  and he proclaimed to the man of God who came from 
       Judah, "Thus says the LORD: Because you have disobeyed the word of the 
       LORD, and have not kept the commandment that the LORD your God 
       commanded you,

       (1 Ki 13:22 NRSV)  but have come back and have eaten food and drunk 
       water in the place of which he said to you, 'Eat no food, and drink no 
       water,' your body shall not come to your ancestral tomb."

       (1 Ki 13:23 NRSV)  After the man of God had eaten food and had drunk, 
       they saddled for him a donkey belonging to the prophet who had brought 
       him back.

       (1 Ki 13:24 NRSV)  Then as he went away, a lion met him on the road 
       and killed him. His body was thrown in the road, and the donkey stood 
       beside it; the lion also stood beside the body.

       (1 Ki 13:25 NRSV)  People passed by and saw the body thrown in the 
       road, with the lion standing by the body. And they came and told it in 
       the town where the old prophet lived.

       (1 Ki 13:26 NRSV)  When the prophet who had brought him back from the 
       way heard of it, he said, "It is the man of God who disobeyed the word 





       of the LORD; therefore the LORD has given him to the lion, which has 
       torn him and killed him according to the word that the LORD spoke to 
       him."

       (1 Ki 13:27 NRSV)  Then he said to his sons, "Saddle a donkey for me." 
       So they saddled one,

       (1 Ki 13:28 NRSV)  and he went and found the body thrown in the road, 
       with the donkey and the lion standing beside the body. The lion had 
       not eaten the body or attacked the donkey.

       (1 Ki 13:29 NRSV)  The prophet took up the body of the man of God, 
       laid it on the donkey, and brought it back to the city, to mourn and 
       to bury him.

       (1 Ki 13:30 NRSV)  He laid the body in his own grave; and they mourned 
       over him, saying, "Alas, my brother!"

       (1 Ki 13:31 NRSV)  After he had buried him, he said to his sons, "When 
       I die, bury me in the grave in which the man of God is buried; lay my 
       bones beside his bones.

       (1 Ki 13:32 NRSV)  For the saying that he proclaimed by the word of 
       the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of 
       the high places that are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come 
       to pass."

       (1 Ki 13:33 NRSV)  Even after this event Jeroboam did not turn from 
       his evil way, but made priests for the high places again from among 
       all the people; any who wanted to be priests he consecrated for the 
       high places.

       (1 Ki 13:34 NRSV)  This matter became sin to the house of Jeroboam, so 
       as to cut it off and to destroy it from the face of the earth.

       (1 Ki 14:1 NRSV)  At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam fell sick.

       (1 Ki 14:2 NRSV)  Jeroboam said to his wife, "Go, disguise yourself, 
       so that it will not be known that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go 
       to Shiloh; for the prophet Ahijah is there, who said of me that I 
       should be king over this people.

       (1 Ki 14:3 NRSV)  Take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of 
       honey, and go to him; he will tell you what shall happen to the 
       child."

       (1 Ki 14:4 NRSV)  Jeroboam's wife did so; she set out and went to 
       Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see, for 
       his eyes were dim because of his age.

       (1 Ki 14:5 NRSV)  But the LORD said to Ahijah, "The wife of Jeroboam 
       is coming to inquire of you concerning her son; for he is sick. Thus 
       and thus you shall say to her." When she came, she pretended to be 
       another woman.

       (1 Ki 14:6 NRSV)  But when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she 





       came in at the door, he said, "Come in, wife of Jeroboam; why do you 
       pretend to be another? For I am charged with heavy tidings for you.

       (1 Ki 14:7 NRSV)  Go, tell Jeroboam, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of 
       Israel: Because I exalted you from among the people, made you leader 
       over my people Israel,

       (1 Ki 14:8 NRSV)  and tore the kingdom away from the house of David to 
       give it to you; yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept 
       my commandments and followed me with all his heart, doing only that 
       which was right in my sight,

       (1 Ki 14:9 NRSV)  but you have done evil above all those who were 
       before you and have gone and made for yourself other gods, and cast 
       images, provoking me to anger, and have thrust me behind your back;

       (1 Ki 14:10 NRSV)  therefore, I will bring evil upon the house of 
       Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both bond and free 
       in Israel, and will consume the house of Jeroboam, just as one burns 
       up dung until it is all gone.

       (1 Ki 14:11 NRSV)  Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city, 
       the dogs shall eat; and anyone who dies in the open country, the birds 
       of the air shall eat; for the LORD has spoken.'

       (1 Ki 14:12 NRSV)  Therefore set out, go to your house. When your feet 
       enter the city, the child shall die.

       (1 Ki 14:13 NRSV)  All Israel shall mourn for him and bury him; for he 
       alone of Jeroboam's family shall come to the grave, because in him 
       there is found something pleasing to the LORD, the God of Israel, in 
       the house of Jeroboam.

       (1 Ki 14:14 NRSV)  Moreover the LORD will raise up for himself a king 
       over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam today, even right 
       now!

       (1 Ki 14:15 NRSV)  "The LORD will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken 
       in the water; he will root up Israel out of this good land that he 
       gave to their ancestors, and scatter them beyond the Euphrates, 
       because they have made their sacred poles, provoking the LORD to 
       anger.

       (1 Ki 14:16 NRSV)  He will give Israel up because of the sins of 
       Jeroboam, which he sinned and which he caused Israel to commit."

       (1 Ki 14:17 NRSV)  Then Jeroboam's wife got up and went away, and she 
       came to Tirzah. As she came to the threshold of the house, the child 
       died.

       (1 Ki 14:18 NRSV)  All Israel buried him and mourned for him, 
       according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by his servant the 
       prophet Ahijah.

       (1 Ki 14:19 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred 
       and how he reigned, are written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings 





       of Israel.

       (1 Ki 14:20 NRSV)  The time that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two 
       years; then he slept with his ancestors, and his son Nadab succeeded 
       him.

       (1 Ki 14:21 NRSV)  Now Rehoboam son of Solomon reigned in Judah. 
       Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he 
       reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the LORD had 
       chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. His 
       mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite.

       (1 Ki 14:22 NRSV)  Judah did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; 
       they provoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed, 
       more than all that their ancestors had done.

       (1 Ki 14:23 NRSV)  For they also built for themselves high places, 
       pillars, and sacred poles on every high hill and under every green 
       tree;

       (1 Ki 14:24 NRSV)  there were also male temple prostitutes in the 
       land. They committed all the abominations of the nations that the LORD 
       drove out before the people of Israel.

       (1 Ki 14:25 NRSV)  In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, King Shishak of 
       Egypt came up against Jerusalem;

       (1 Ki 14:26 NRSV)  he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD 
       and the treasures of the king's house; he took everything. He also 
       took away all the shields of gold that Solomon had made;

       (1 Ki 14:27 NRSV)  so King Rehoboam made shields of bronze instead, 
       and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept 
       the door of the king's house.

       (1 Ki 14:28 NRSV)  As often as the king went into the house of the 
       LORD, the guard carried them and brought them back to the guardroom.

       (1 Ki 14:29 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that 
       he did, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of 
       Judah?

       (1 Ki 14:30 NRSV)  There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam 
       continually.

       (1 Ki 14:31 NRSV)  Rehoboam slept with his ancestors and was buried 
       with his ancestors in the city of David. His mother's name was Naamah 
       the Ammonite. His son Abijam succeeded him.

       (1 Ki 15:1 NRSV)  Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam son of 
       Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah.

       (1 Ki 15:2 NRSV)  He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His 
       mother's name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.

       (1 Ki 15:3 NRSV)  He committed all the sins that his father did before 





       him; his heart was not true to the LORD his God, like the heart of his 
       father David.

       (1 Ki 15:4 NRSV)  Nevertheless for David's sake the LORD his God gave 
       him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and 
       establishing Jerusalem;

       (1 Ki 15:5 NRSV)  because David did what was right in the sight of the 
       LORD, and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all 
       the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

       (1 Ki 15:6 NRSV)  The war begun between Rehoboam and Jeroboam 
       continued all the days of his life.

       (1 Ki 15:7 NRSV)  The rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, 
       are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah? 
       There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

       (1 Ki 15:8 NRSV)  Abijam slept with his ancestors, and they buried him 
       in the city of David. Then his son Asa succeeded him.

       (1 Ki 15:9 NRSV)  In the twentieth year of King Jeroboam of Israel, 
       Asa began to reign over Judah;

       (1 Ki 15:10 NRSV)  he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His 
       mother's name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.

       (1 Ki 15:11 NRSV)  Asa did what was right in the sight of the LORD, as 
       his father David had done.

       (1 Ki 15:12 NRSV)  He put away the male temple prostitutes out of the 
       land, and removed all the idols that his ancestors had made.

       (1 Ki 15:13 NRSV)  He also removed his mother Maacah from being queen 
       mother, because she had made an abominable image for Asherah; Asa cut 
       down her image and burned it at the Wadi Kidron.

       (1 Ki 15:14 NRSV)  But the high places were not taken away. 
       Nevertheless the heart of Asa was true to the LORD all his days.

       (1 Ki 15:15 NRSV)  He brought into the house of the LORD the votive 
       gifts of his father and his own votive gifts--silver, gold, and 
       utensils.

       (1 Ki 15:16 NRSV)  There was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel 
       all their days.

       (1 Ki 15:17 NRSV)  King Baasha of Israel went up against Judah, and 
       built Ramah, to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to King Asa 
       of Judah.

       (1 Ki 15:18 NRSV)  Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were 
       left in the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of 
       the king's house, and gave them into the hands of his servants. King 
       Asa sent them to King Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion of 
       Aram, who resided in Damascus, saying,






       (1 Ki 15:19 NRSV)  "Let there be an alliance between me and you, like 
       that between my father and your father: I am sending you a present of 
       silver and gold; go, break your alliance with King Baasha of Israel, 
       so that he may withdraw from me."

       (1 Ki 15:20 NRSV)  Ben-hadad listened to King Asa, and sent the 
       commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel. He conquered 
       Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of 
       Naphtali.

       (1 Ki 15:21 NRSV)  When Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah 
       and lived in Tirzah.

       (1 Ki 15:22 NRSV)  Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, 
       none was exempt: they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, 
       with which Baasha had been building; with them King Asa built Geba of 
       Benjamin and Mizpah.

       (1 Ki 15:23 NRSV)  Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, all his power, 
       all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written in 
       the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah? But in his old age he 
       was diseased in his feet.

       (1 Ki 15:24 NRSV)  Then Asa slept with his ancestors, and was buried 
       with his ancestors in the city of his father David; his son 
       Jehoshaphat succeeded him.

       (1 Ki 15:25 NRSV)  Nadab son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in 
       the second year of King Asa of Judah; he reigned over Israel two 
       years.

       (1 Ki 15:26 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, 
       walking in the way of his ancestor and in the sin that he caused 
       Israel to commit.

       (1 Ki 15:27 NRSV)  Baasha son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, 
       conspired against him; and Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon, which 
       belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel were laying 
       siege to Gibbethon.

       (1 Ki 15:28 NRSV)  So Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of King 
       Asa of Judah, and succeeded him.

       (1 Ki 15:29 NRSV)  As soon as he was king, he killed all the house of 
       Jeroboam; he left to the house of Jeroboam not one that breathed, 
       until he had destroyed it, according to the word of the LORD that he 
       spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite--

       (1 Ki 15:30 NRSV)  because of the sins of Jeroboam that he committed 
       and that he caused Israel to commit, and because of the anger to which 
       he provoked the LORD, the God of Israel.

       (1 Ki 15:31 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he 
       did, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of 
       Israel?






       (1 Ki 15:32 NRSV)  There was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel 
       all their days.

       (1 Ki 15:33 NRSV)  In the third year of King Asa of Judah, Baasha son 
       of Ahijah began to reign over all Israel at Tirzah; he reigned 
       twenty-four years.

       (1 Ki 15:34 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, 
       walking in the way of Jeroboam and in the sin that he caused Israel to 
       commit.

       (1 Ki 16:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to Jehu son of Hanani 
       against Baasha, saying,

       (1 Ki 16:2 NRSV)  "Since I exalted you out of the dust and made you 
       leader over my people Israel, and you have walked in the way of 
       Jeroboam, and have caused my people Israel to sin, provoking me to 
       anger with their sins,

       (1 Ki 16:3 NRSV)  therefore, I will consume Baasha and his house, and 
       I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat.

       (1 Ki 16:4 NRSV)  Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city the 
       dogs shall eat; and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of 
       the air shall eat."

       (1 Ki 16:5 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, what he did, and 
       his power, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings 
       of Israel?

       (1 Ki 16:6 NRSV)  Baasha slept with his ancestors, and was buried at 
       Tirzah; and his son Elah succeeded him.

       (1 Ki 16:7 NRSV)  Moreover the word of the LORD came by the prophet 
       Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, both because of all 
       the evil that he did in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger 
       with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and 
       also because he destroyed it.

       (1 Ki 16:8 NRSV)  In the twenty-sixth year of King Asa of Judah, Elah 
       son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah; he reigned two 
       years.

       (1 Ki 16:9 NRSV)  But his servant Zimri, commander of half his 
       chariots, conspired against him. When he was at Tirzah, drinking 
       himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was in charge of the palace at 
       Tirzah,

       (1 Ki 16:10 NRSV)  Zimri came in and struck him down and killed him, 
       in the twenty-seventh year of King Asa of Judah, and succeeded him.

       (1 Ki 16:11 NRSV)  When he began to reign, as soon as he had seated 
       himself on his throne, he killed all the house of Baasha; he did not 
       leave him a single male of his kindred or his friends.





       (1 Ki 16:12 NRSV)  Thus Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, 
       according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke against Baasha by 
       the prophet Jehu--

       (1 Ki 16:13 NRSV)  because of all the sins of Baasha and the sins of 
       his son Elah that they committed, and that they caused Israel to 
       commit, provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their idols.

       (1 Ki 16:14 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he 
       did, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of 
       Israel?

       (1 Ki 16:15 NRSV)  In the twenty-seventh year of King Asa of Judah, 
       Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. Now the troops were encamped 
       against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines,

       (1 Ki 16:16 NRSV)  and the troops who were encamped heard it said, 
       "Zimri has conspired, and he has killed the king"; therefore all 
       Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day 
       in the camp.

       (1 Ki 16:17 NRSV)  So Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with 
       him, and they besieged Tirzah.

       (1 Ki 16:18 NRSV)  When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went 
       into the citadel of the king's house; he burned down the king's house 
       over himself with fire, and died--

       (1 Ki 16:19 NRSV)  because of the sins that he committed, doing evil 
       in the sight of the LORD, walking in the way of Jeroboam, and for the 
       sin that he committed, causing Israel to sin.

       (1 Ki 16:20 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and the 
       conspiracy that he made, are they not written in the Book of the 
       Annals of the Kings of Israel?

       (1 Ki 16:21 NRSV)  Then the people of Israel were divided into two 
       parts; half of the people followed Tibni son of Ginath, to make him 
       king, and half followed Omri.

       (1 Ki 16:22 NRSV)  But the people who followed Omri overcame the 
       people who followed Tibni son of Ginath; so Tibni died, and Omri 
       became king.

       (1 Ki 16:23 NRSV)  In the thirty-first year of King Asa of Judah, Omri 
       began to reign over Israel; he reigned for twelve years, six of them 
       in Tirzah.

       (1 Ki 16:24 NRSV)  He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two 
       talents of silver; he fortified the hill, and called the city that he 
       built, Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.

       (1 Ki 16:25 NRSV)  Omri did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; he 
       did more evil than all who were before him.

       (1 Ki 16:26 NRSV)  For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam son of 





       Nebat, and in the sins that he caused Israel to commit, provoking the 
       LORD, the God of Israel, to anger by their idols.

       (1 Ki 16:27 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Omri that he did, and 
       the power that he showed, are they not written in the Book of the 
       Annals of the Kings of Israel?

       (1 Ki 16:28 NRSV)  Omri slept with his ancestors, and was buried in 
       Samaria; his son Ahab succeeded him.

       (1 Ki 16:29 NRSV)  In the thirty-eighth year of King Asa of Judah, 
       Ahab son of Omri began to reign over Israel; Ahab son of Omri reigned 
       over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.

       (1 Ki 16:30 NRSV)  Ahab son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD 
       more than all who were before him.

       (1 Ki 16:31 NRSV)  And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk 
       in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he took as his wife Jezebel 
       daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, 
       and worshiped him.

       (1 Ki 16:32 NRSV)  He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, 
       which he built in Samaria.

       (1 Ki 16:33 NRSV)  Ahab also made a sacred pole. Ahab did more to 
       provoke the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, than had all the 
       kings of Israel who were before him.

       (1 Ki 16:34 NRSV)  In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho; he laid 
       its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its 
       gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of 
       the LORD, which he spoke by Joshua son of Nun.

       (1 Ki 17:1 NRSV)  Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said 
       to Ahab, "As the LORD the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, 
       there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word."

       (1 Ki 17:2 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to him, saying,

       (1 Ki 17:3 NRSV)  "Go from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself 
       by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan.

       (1 Ki 17:4 NRSV)  You shall drink from the wadi, and I have commanded 
       the ravens to feed you there."

       (1 Ki 17:5 NRSV)  So he went and did according to the word of the 
       LORD; he went and lived by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the 
       Jordan.

       (1 Ki 17:6 NRSV)  The ravens brought him bread and meat in the 
       morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the 
       wadi.

       (1 Ki 17:7 NRSV)  But after a while the wadi dried up, because there 
       was no rain in the land.






       (1 Ki 17:8 NRSV)  Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying,

       (1 Ki 17:9 NRSV)  "Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and 
       live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you."

       (1 Ki 17:10 NRSV)  So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came 
       to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called 
       to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may 
       drink."

       (1 Ki 17:11 NRSV)  As she was going to bring it, he called to her and 
       said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."

       (1 Ki 17:12 NRSV)  But she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have 
       nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a 
       jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and 
       prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die."

       (1 Ki 17:13 NRSV)  Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid; go and do as 
       you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to 
       me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son.

       (1 Ki 17:14 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD the God of Israel: The jar 
       of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the 
       day that the LORD sends rain on the earth."

       (1 Ki 17:15 NRSV)  She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as 
       well as he and her household ate for many days.

       (1 Ki 17:16 NRSV)  The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the 
       jug of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by 
       Elijah.

       (1 Ki 17:17 NRSV)  After this the son of the woman, the mistress of 
       the house, became ill; his illness was so severe that there was no 
       breath left in him.

       (1 Ki 17:18 NRSV)  She then said to Elijah, "What have you against me, 
       O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and 
       to cause the death of my son!"

       (1 Ki 17:19 NRSV)  But he said to her, "Give me your son." He took him 
       from her bosom, carried him up into the upper chamber where he was 
       lodging, and laid him on his own bed.

       (1 Ki 17:20 NRSV)  He cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you 
       brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I am staying, by 
       killing her son?"

       (1 Ki 17:21 NRSV)  Then he stretched himself upon the child three 
       times, and cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this child's 
       life come into him again."

       (1 Ki 17:22 NRSV)  The LORD listened to the voice of Elijah; the life 
       of the child came into him again, and he revived.






       (1 Ki 17:23 NRSV)  Elijah took the child, brought him down from the 
       upper chamber into the house, and gave him to his mother; then Elijah 
       said, "See, your son is alive."

       (1 Ki 17:24 NRSV)  So the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you 
       are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is 
       truth."

       (1 Ki 18:1 NRSV)  After many days the word of the LORD came to Elijah, 
       in the third year of the drought, saying, "Go, present yourself to 
       Ahab; I will send rain on the earth."

       (1 Ki 18:2 NRSV)  So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The 
       famine was severe in Samaria.

       (1 Ki 18:3 NRSV)  Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the 
       palace. (Now Obadiah revered the LORD greatly;

       (1 Ki 18:4 NRSV)  when Jezebel was killing off the prophets of the 
       LORD, Obadiah took a hundred prophets, hid them fifty to a cave, and 
       provided them with bread and water.)

       (1 Ki 18:5 NRSV)  Then Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to 
       all the springs of water and to all the wadis; perhaps we may find 
       grass to keep the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the 
       animals."

       (1 Ki 18:6 NRSV)  So they divided the land between them to pass 
       through it; Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in 
       another direction by himself.

       (1 Ki 18:7 NRSV)  As Obadiah was on the way, Elijah met him; Obadiah 
       recognized him, fell on his face, and said, "Is it you, my lord 
       Elijah?"

       (1 Ki 18:8 NRSV)  He answered him, "It is I. Go, tell your lord that 
       Elijah is here."

       (1 Ki 18:9 NRSV)  And he said, "How have I sinned, that you would hand 
       your servant over to Ahab, to kill me?

       (1 Ki 18:10 NRSV)  As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or 
       kingdom to which my lord has not sent to seek you; and when they would 
       say, 'He is not here,' he would require an oath of the kingdom or 
       nation, that they had not found you.

       (1 Ki 18:11 NRSV)  But now you say, 'Go, tell your lord that Elijah is 
       here.'

       (1 Ki 18:12 NRSV)  As soon as I have gone from you, the spirit of the 
       LORD will carry you I know not where; so, when I come and tell Ahab 
       and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have 
       revered the LORD from my youth.

       (1 Ki 18:13 NRSV)  Has it not been told my lord what I did when 





       Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid a hundred of the 
       Lord's prophets fifty to a cave, and provided them with bread and 
       water?

       (1 Ki 18:14 NRSV)  Yet now you say, 'Go, tell your lord that Elijah is 
       here'; he will surely kill me."

       (1 Ki 18:15 NRSV)  Elijah said, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before 
       whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today."

       (1 Ki 18:16 NRSV)  So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and 
       Ahab went to meet Elijah.

       (1 Ki 18:17 NRSV)  When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Is it you, 
       you troubler of Israel?"

       (1 Ki 18:18 NRSV)  He answered, "I have not troubled Israel; but you 
       have, and your father's house, because you have forsaken the 
       commandments of the LORD and followed the Baals.

       (1 Ki 18:19 NRSV)  Now therefore have all Israel assemble for me at 
       Mount Carmel, with the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the 
       four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."

       (1 Ki 18:20 NRSV)  So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled 
       the prophets at Mount Carmel.

       (1 Ki 18:21 NRSV)  Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, 
       "How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the LORD 
       is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." The people did not 
       answer him a word.

       (1 Ki 18:22 NRSV)  Then Elijah said to the people, "I, even I only, am 
       left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets number four hundred 
       fifty.

       (1 Ki 18:23 NRSV)  Let two bulls be given to us; let them choose one 
       bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put 
       no fire to it; I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, 
       but put no fire to it.

       (1 Ki 18:24 NRSV)  Then you call on the name of your god and I will 
       call on the name of the LORD; the god who answers by fire is indeed 
       God." All the people answered, "Well spoken!"

       (1 Ki 18:25 NRSV)  Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose 
       for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many; then 
       call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it."

       (1 Ki 18:26 NRSV)  So they took the bull that was given them, prepared 
       it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, "O 
       Baal, answer us!" But there was no voice, and no answer. They limped 
       about the altar that they had made.

       (1 Ki 18:27 NRSV)  At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, "Cry aloud! 
       Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, 





       or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened."

       (1 Ki 18:28 NRSV)  Then they cried aloud and, as was their custom, 
       they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out 
       over them.

       (1 Ki 18:29 NRSV)  As midday passed, they raved on until the time of 
       the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice, no answer, and 
       no response.

       (1 Ki 18:30 NRSV)  Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come closer to 
       me"; and all the people came closer to him. First he repaired the 
       altar of the LORD that had been thrown down;

       (1 Ki 18:31 NRSV)  Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number 
       of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD came, 
       saying, "Israel shall be your name";

       (1 Ki 18:32 NRSV)  with the stones he built an altar in the name of 
       the LORD. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to 
       contain two measures of seed.

       (1 Ki 18:33 NRSV)  Next he put the wood in order, cut the bull in 
       pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, "Fill four jars with water 
       and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood."

       (1 Ki 18:34 NRSV)  Then he said, "Do it a second time"; and they did 
       it a second time. Again he said, "Do it a third time"; and they did it 
       a third time,

       (1 Ki 18:35 NRSV)  so that the water ran all around the altar, and 
       filled the trench also with water.

       (1 Ki 18:36 NRSV)  At the time of the offering of the oblation, the 
       prophet Elijah came near and said, "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and 
       Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am 
       your servant, and that I have done all these things at your bidding.

       (1 Ki 18:37 NRSV)  Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so that this people 
       may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their 
       hearts back."

       (1 Ki 18:38 NRSV)  Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the 
       burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up 
       the water that was in the trench.

       (1 Ki 18:39 NRSV)  When all the people saw it, they fell on their 
       faces and said, "The LORD indeed is God; the LORD indeed is God."

       (1 Ki 18:40 NRSV)  Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; 
       do not let one of them escape." Then they seized them; and Elijah 
       brought them down to the Wadi Kishon, and killed them there.

       (1 Ki 18:41 NRSV)  Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for 
       there is a sound of rushing rain."





       (1 Ki 18:42 NRSV)  So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. Elijah went up 
       to the top of Carmel; there he bowed himself down upon the earth and 
       put his face between his knees.

       (1 Ki 18:43 NRSV)  He said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the 
       sea." He went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." Then he 
       said, "Go again seven times."

       (1 Ki 18:44 NRSV)  At the seventh time he said, "Look, a little cloud 
       no bigger than a person's hand is rising out of the sea." Then he 
       said, "Go say to Ahab, 'Harness your chariot and go down before the 
       rain stops you.'"

       (1 Ki 18:45 NRSV)  In a little while the heavens grew black with 
       clouds and wind; there was a heavy rain. Ahab rode off and went to 
       Jezreel.

       (1 Ki 18:46 NRSV)  But the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; he girded 
       up his loins and ran in front of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

       (1 Ki 19:1 NRSV)  Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how 
       he had killed all the prophets with the sword.

       (1 Ki 19:2 NRSV)  Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So 
       may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like 
       the life of one of them by this time tomorrow."

       (1 Ki 19:3 NRSV)  Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, 
       and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant 
       there.

       (1 Ki 19:4 NRSV)  But he himself went a day's journey into the 
       wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He 
       asked that he might die: "It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my 
       life, for I am no better than my ancestors."

       (1 Ki 19:5 NRSV)  Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell 
       asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, "Get up and 
       eat."

       (1 Ki 19:6 NRSV)  He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on 
       hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again.

       (1 Ki 19:7 NRSV)  The angel of the LORD came a second time, touched 
       him, and said, "Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much 
       for you."

       (1 Ki 19:8 NRSV)  He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the 
       strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount 
       of God.

       (1 Ki 19:9 NRSV)  At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night 
       there. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "What are you 
       doing here, Elijah?"

       (1 Ki 19:10 NRSV)  He answered, "I have been very zealous for the 





       LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your 
       covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the 
       sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it 
       away."

       (1 Ki 19:11 NRSV)  He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before 
       the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Now there was a great 
       wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in 
       pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after 
       the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake;

       (1 Ki 19:12 NRSV)  and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was 
       not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.

       (1 Ki 19:13 NRSV)  When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his 
       mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there 
       came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

       (1 Ki 19:14 NRSV)  He answered, "I have been very zealous for the 
       LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your 
       covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the 
       sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it 
       away."

       (1 Ki 19:15 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way 
       to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint 
       Hazael as king over Aram.

       (1 Ki 19:16 NRSV)  Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king 
       over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of 
       Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.

       (1 Ki 19:17 NRSV)  Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu 
       shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall 
       kill.

       (1 Ki 19:18 NRSV)  Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the 
       knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed 
       him."

       (1 Ki 19:19 NRSV)  So he set out from there, and found Elisha son of 
       Shaphat, who was plowing. There were twelve yoke of oxen ahead of him, 
       and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle 
       over him.

       (1 Ki 19:20 NRSV)  He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Let 
       me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you." Then 
       Elijah said to him, "Go back again; for what have I done to you?"

       (1 Ki 19:21 NRSV)  He returned from following him, took the yoke of 
       oxen, and slaughtered them; using the equipment from the oxen, he 
       boiled their flesh, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he 
       set out and followed Elijah, and became his servant.

       (1 Ki 20:1 NRSV)  King Ben-hadad of Aram gathered all his army 
       together; thirty-two kings were with him, along with horses and 





       chariots. He marched against Samaria, laid siege to it, and attacked 
       it.

       (1 Ki 20:2 NRSV)  Then he sent messengers into the city to King Ahab 
       of Israel, and said to him: "Thus says Ben-hadad:

       (1 Ki 20:3 NRSV)  Your silver and gold are mine; your fairest wives 
       and children also are mine."

       (1 Ki 20:4 NRSV)  The king of Israel answered, "As you say, my lord, O 
       king, I am yours, and all that I have."

       (1 Ki 20:5 NRSV)  The messengers came again and said: "Thus says 
       Ben-hadad: I sent to you, saying, 'Deliver to me your silver and gold, 
       your wives and children';

       (1 Ki 20:6 NRSV)  nevertheless I will send my servants to you tomorrow 
       about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of 
       your servants, and lay hands on whatever pleases them, and take it 
       away."

       (1 Ki 20:7 NRSV)  Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the 
       land, and said, "Look now! See how this man is seeking trouble; for he 
       sent to me for my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold; and I 
       did not refuse him."

       (1 Ki 20:8 NRSV)  Then all the elders and all the people said to him, 
       "Do not listen or consent."

       (1 Ki 20:9 NRSV)  So he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, "Tell my 
       lord the king: All that you first demanded of your servant I will do; 
       but this thing I cannot do." The messengers left and brought him word 
       again.

       (1 Ki 20:10 NRSV)  Ben-hadad sent to him and said, "The gods do so to 
       me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria will provide a handful for 
       each of the people who follow me."

       (1 Ki 20:11 NRSV)  The king of Israel answered, "Tell him: One who 
       puts on armor should not brag like one who takes it off."

       (1 Ki 20:12 NRSV)  When Ben-hadad heard this message--now he had been 
       drinking with the kings in the booths--he said to his men, "Take your 
       positions!" And they took their positions against the city.

       (1 Ki 20:13 NRSV)  Then a certain prophet came up to King Ahab of 
       Israel and said, "Thus says the LORD, Have you seen all this great 
       multitude? Look, I will give it into your hand today; and you shall 
       know that I am the LORD."

       (1 Ki 20:14 NRSV)  Ahab said, "By whom?" He said, "Thus says the LORD, 
       By the young men who serve the district governors." Then he said, "Who 
       shall begin the battle?" He answered, "You."

       (1 Ki 20:15 NRSV)  Then he mustered the young men who serve the 
       district governors, two hundred thirty-two; after them he mustered all 





       the people of Israel, seven thousand.

       (1 Ki 20:16 NRSV)  They went out at noon, while Ben-hadad was drinking 
       himself drunk in the booths, he and the thirty-two kings allied with 
       him.

       (1 Ki 20:17 NRSV)  The young men who serve the district governors went 
       out first. Ben-hadad had sent out scouts, and they reported to him, 
       "Men have come out from Samaria."

       (1 Ki 20:18 NRSV)  He said, "If they have come out for peace, take 
       them alive; if they have come out for war, take them alive."

       (1 Ki 20:19 NRSV)  But these had already come out of the city: the 
       young men who serve the district governors, and the army that followed 
       them.

       (1 Ki 20:20 NRSV)  Each killed his man; the Arameans fled and Israel 
       pursued them, but King Ben-hadad of Aram escaped on a horse with the 
       cavalry.

       (1 Ki 20:21 NRSV)  The king of Israel went out, attacked the horses 
       and chariots, and defeated the Arameans with a great slaughter.

       (1 Ki 20:22 NRSV)  Then the prophet approached the king of Israel and 
       said to him, "Come, strengthen yourself, and consider well what you 
       have to do; for in the spring the king of Aram will come up against 
       you."

       (1 Ki 20:23 NRSV)  The servants of the king of Aram said to him, 
       "Their gods are gods of the hills, and so they were stronger than we; 
       but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be 
       stronger than they.

       (1 Ki 20:24 NRSV)  Also do this: remove the kings, each from his post, 
       and put commanders in place of them;

       (1 Ki 20:25 NRSV)  and muster an army like the army that you have 
       lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot; then we will fight 
       against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they." 
       He heeded their voice, and did so.

       (1 Ki 20:26 NRSV)  In the spring Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and 
       went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.

       (1 Ki 20:27 NRSV)  After the Israelites had been mustered and 
       provisioned, they went out to engage them; the people of Israel 
       encamped opposite them like two little flocks of goats, while the 
       Arameans filled the country.

       (1 Ki 20:28 NRSV)  A man of God approached and said to the king of 
       Israel, "Thus says the LORD: Because the Arameans have said, 'The LORD 
       is a god of the hills but he is not a god of the valleys,' therefore I 
       will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know 
       that I am the LORD."





       (1 Ki 20:29 NRSV)  They encamped opposite one another seven days. Then 
       on the seventh day the battle began; the Israelites killed one hundred 
       thousand Aramean foot soldiers in one day.

       (1 Ki 20:30 NRSV)  The rest fled into the city of Aphek; and the wall 
       fell on twenty-seven thousand men that were left. Ben-hadad also fled, 
       and entered the city to hide.

       (1 Ki 20:31 NRSV)  His servants said to him, "Look, we have heard that 
       the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings; let us put 
       sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads, and go out to the 
       king of Israel; perhaps he will spare your life."

       (1 Ki 20:32 NRSV)  So they tied sackcloth around their waists, put 
       ropes on their heads, went to the king of Israel, and said, "Your 
       servant Ben-hadad says, 'Please let me live.'" And he said, "Is he 
       still alive? He is my brother."

       (1 Ki 20:33 NRSV)  Now the men were watching for an omen; they quickly 
       took it up from him and said, "Yes, Ben-hadad is your brother." Then 
       he said, "Go and bring him." So Ben-hadad came out to him; and he had 
       him come up into the chariot.

       (1 Ki 20:34 NRSV)  Ben-hadad said to him, "I will restore the towns 
       that my father took from your father; and you may establish bazaars 
       for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria." The king of 
       Israel responded, "I will let you go on those terms." So he made a 
       treaty with him and let him go.

       (1 Ki 20:35 NRSV)  At the command of the LORD a certain member of a 
       company of prophets said to another, "Strike me!" But the man refused 
       to strike him.

       (1 Ki 20:36 NRSV)  Then he said to him, "Because you have not obeyed 
       the voice of the LORD, as soon as you have left me, a lion will kill 
       you." And when he had left him, a lion met him and killed him.

       (1 Ki 20:37 NRSV)  Then he found another man and said, "Strike me!" So 
       the man hit him, striking and wounding him.

       (1 Ki 20:38 NRSV)  Then the prophet departed, and waited for the king 
       along the road, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes.

       (1 Ki 20:39 NRSV)  As the king passed by, he cried to the king and 
       said, "Your servant went out into the thick of the battle; then a 
       soldier turned and brought a man to me, and said, 'Guard this man; if 
       he is missing, your life shall be given for his life, or else you 
       shall pay a talent of silver.'

       (1 Ki 20:40 NRSV)  While your servant was busy here and there, he was 
       gone." The king of Israel said to him, "So shall your judgment be; you 
       yourself have decided it."

       (1 Ki 20:41 NRSV)  Then he quickly took the bandage away from his 
       eyes. The king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.





       (1 Ki 20:42 NRSV)  Then he said to him, "Thus says the LORD, 'Because 
       you have let the man go whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore 
       your life shall be for his life, and your people for his people.'"

       (1 Ki 20:43 NRSV)  The king of Israel set out toward home, resentful 
       and sullen, and came to Samaria.

       (1 Ki 21:1 NRSV)  Later the following events took place: Naboth the 
       Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of King Ahab 
       of Samaria.

       (1 Ki 21:2 NRSV)  And Ahab said to Naboth, "Give me your vineyard, so 
       that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my 
       house; I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good 
       to you, I will give you its value in money."

       (1 Ki 21:3 NRSV)  But Naboth said to Ahab, "The LORD forbid that I 
       should give you my ancestral inheritance."

       (1 Ki 21:4 NRSV)  Ahab went home resentful and sullen because of what 
       Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him; for he had said, "I will not 
       give you my ancestral inheritance." He lay down on his bed, turned 
       away his face, and would not eat.

       (1 Ki 21:5 NRSV)  His wife Jezebel came to him and said, "Why are you 
       so depressed that you will not eat?"

       (1 Ki 21:6 NRSV)  He said to her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the 
       Jezreelite and said to him, 'Give me your vineyard for money; or else, 
       if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it'; but he 
       answered, 'I will not give you my vineyard.'"

       (1 Ki 21:7 NRSV)  His wife Jezebel said to him, "Do you now govern 
       Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful; I will give you the 
       vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."

       (1 Ki 21:8 NRSV)  So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them 
       with his seal; she sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who 
       lived with Naboth in his city.

       (1 Ki 21:9 NRSV)  She wrote in the letters, "Proclaim a fast, and seat 
       Naboth at the head of the assembly;

       (1 Ki 21:10 NRSV)  seat two scoundrels opposite him, and have them 
       bring a charge against him, saying, 'You have cursed God and the 
       king.' Then take him out, and stone him to death."

       (1 Ki 21:11 NRSV)  The men of his city, the elders and the nobles who 
       lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. Just as it 
       was written in the letters that she had sent to them,

       (1 Ki 21:12 NRSV)  they proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the 
       head of the assembly.

       (1 Ki 21:13 NRSV)  The two scoundrels came in and sat opposite him; 
       and the scoundrels brought a charge against Naboth, in the presence of 





       the people, saying, "Naboth cursed God and the king." So they took him 
       outside the city, and stoned him to death.

       (1 Ki 21:14 NRSV)  Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth has been 
       stoned; he is dead."

       (1 Ki 21:15 NRSV)  As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been 
       stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, "Go, take possession of the 
       vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for 
       money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead."

       (1 Ki 21:16 NRSV)  As soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab 
       set out to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take 
       possession of it.

       (1 Ki 21:17 NRSV)  Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the 
       Tishbite, saying:

       (1 Ki 21:18 NRSV)  Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in 
       Samaria; he is now in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to 
       take possession.

       (1 Ki 21:19 NRSV)  You shall say to him, "Thus says the LORD: Have you 
       killed, and also taken possession?" You shall say to him, "Thus says 
       the LORD: In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs 
       will also lick up your blood."

       (1 Ki 21:20 NRSV)  Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, O my 
       enemy?" He answered, "I have found you. Because you have sold yourself 
       to do what is evil in the sight of the LORD,

       (1 Ki 21:21 NRSV)  I will bring disaster on you; I will consume you, 
       and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel;

       (1 Ki 21:22 NRSV)  and I will make your house like the house of 
       Jeroboam son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah, 
       because you have provoked me to anger and have caused Israel to sin.

       (1 Ki 21:23 NRSV)  Also concerning Jezebel the LORD said, 'The dogs 
       shall eat Jezebel within the bounds of Jezreel.'

       (1 Ki 21:24 NRSV)  Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the 
       dogs shall eat; and anyone of his who dies in the open country the 
       birds of the air shall eat."

       (1 Ki 21:25 NRSV)  (Indeed, there was no one like Ahab, who sold 
       himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD, urged on by his 
       wife Jezebel.

       (1 Ki 21:26 NRSV)  He acted most abominably in going after idols, as 
       the Amorites had done, whom the LORD drove out before the Israelites.)

       (1 Ki 21:27 NRSV)  When Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes 
       and put sackcloth over his bare flesh; he fasted, lay in the 
       sackcloth, and went about dejectedly.





       (1 Ki 21:28 NRSV)  Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the 
       Tishbite:

       (1 Ki 21:29 NRSV)  "Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before 
       me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the 
       disaster in his days; but in his son's days I will bring the disaster 
       on his house."

       (1 Ki 22:1 NRSV)  For three years Aram and Israel continued without 
       war.

       (1 Ki 22:2 NRSV)  But in the third year King Jehoshaphat of Judah came 
       down to the king of Israel.

       (1 Ki 22:3 NRSV)  The king of Israel said to his servants, "Do you 
       know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, yet we are doing nothing to 
       take it out of the hand of the king of Aram?"

       (1 Ki 22:4 NRSV)  He said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to 
       battle at Ramoth-gilead?" Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, 
       "I am as you are; my people are your people, my horses are your 
       horses."

       (1 Ki 22:5 NRSV)  But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, 
       "Inquire first for the word of the LORD."

       (1 Ki 22:6 NRSV)  Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets 
       together, about four hundred of them, and said to them, "Shall I go to 
       battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?" They said, "Go up; 
       for the LORD will give it into the hand of the king."

       (1 Ki 22:7 NRSV)  But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no other prophet of 
       the LORD here of whom we may inquire?"

       (1 Ki 22:8 NRSV)  The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is 
       still one other by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micaiah son of 
       Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies anything favorable 
       about me, but only disaster." Jehoshaphat said, "Let the king not say 
       such a thing."

       (1 Ki 22:9 NRSV)  Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and 
       said, "Bring quickly Micaiah son of Imlah."

       (1 Ki 22:10 NRSV)  Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of 
       Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes, at the 
       threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the 
       prophets were prophesying before them.

       (1 Ki 22:11 NRSV)  Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of 
       iron, and he said, "Thus says the LORD: With these you shall gore the 
       Arameans until they are destroyed."

       (1 Ki 22:12 NRSV)  All the prophets were prophesying the same and 
       saying, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph; the LORD will give it 
       into the hand of the king."





       (1 Ki 22:13 NRSV)  The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said 
       to him, "Look, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable 
       to the king; let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak 
       favorably."

       (1 Ki 22:14 NRSV)  But Micaiah said, "As the LORD lives, whatever the 
       LORD says to me, that I will speak."

       (1 Ki 22:15 NRSV)  When he had come to the king, the king said to him, 
       "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we 
       refrain?" He answered him, "Go up and triumph; the LORD will give it 
       into the hand of the king."

       (1 Ki 22:16 NRSV)  But the king said to him, "How many times must I 
       make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the 
       LORD?"

       (1 Ki 22:17 NRSV)  Then Micaiah said, "I saw all Israel scattered on 
       the mountains, like sheep that have no shepherd; and the LORD said, 
       'These have no master; let each one go home in peace.'"

       (1 Ki 22:18 NRSV)  The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not 
       tell you that he would not prophesy anything favorable about me, but 
       only disaster?"

       (1 Ki 22:19 NRSV)  Then Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of the 
       LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, with all the host of 
       heaven standing beside him to the right and to the left of him.

       (1 Ki 22:20 NRSV)  And the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab, so that 
       he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' Then one said one thing, and 
       another said another,

       (1 Ki 22:21 NRSV)  until a spirit came forward and stood before the 
       LORD, saying, 'I will entice him.'

       (1 Ki 22:22 NRSV)  'How?' the LORD asked him. He replied, 'I will go 
       out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Then the 
       LORD said, 'You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and 
       do it.'

       (1 Ki 22:23 NRSV)  So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the 
       mouth of all these your prophets; the LORD has decreed disaster for 
       you."

       (1 Ki 22:24 NRSV)  Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah came up to Micaiah, 
       slapped him on the cheek, and said, "Which way did the spirit of the 
       LORD pass from me to speak to you?"

       (1 Ki 22:25 NRSV)  Micaiah replied, "You will find out on that day 
       when you go in to hide in an inner chamber."

       (1 Ki 22:26 NRSV)  The king of Israel then ordered, "Take Micaiah, and 
       return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's 
       son,





       (1 Ki 22:27 NRSV)  and say, 'Thus says the king: Put this fellow in 
       prison, and feed him on reduced rations of bread and water until I 
       come in peace.'"

       (1 Ki 22:28 NRSV)  Micaiah said, "If you return in peace, the LORD has 
       not spoken by me." And he said, "Hear, you peoples, all of you!"

       (1 Ki 22:29 NRSV)  So the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah 
       went up to Ramoth-gilead.

       (1 Ki 22:30 NRSV)  The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will 
       disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes." So the 
       king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.

       (1 Ki 22:31 NRSV)  Now the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two 
       captains of his chariots, "Fight with no one small or great, but only 
       with the king of Israel."

       (1 Ki 22:32 NRSV)  When the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, 
       they said, "It is surely the king of Israel." So they turned to fight 
       against him; and Jehoshaphat cried out.

       (1 Ki 22:33 NRSV)  When the captains of the chariots saw that it was 
       not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

       (1 Ki 22:34 NRSV)  But a certain man drew his bow and unknowingly 
       struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate; 
       so he said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn around, and carry me 
       out of the battle, for I am wounded."

       (1 Ki 22:35 NRSV)  The battle grew hot that day, and the king was 
       propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans, until at evening he 
       died; the blood from the wound had flowed into the bottom of the 
       chariot.

       (1 Ki 22:36 NRSV)  Then about sunset a shout went through the army, 
       "Every man to his city, and every man to his country!"

       (1 Ki 22:37 NRSV)  So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; they 
       buried the king in Samaria.

       (1 Ki 22:38 NRSV)  They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria; the 
       dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves in it, 
       according to the word of the LORD that he had spoken.

       (1 Ki 22:39 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he 
       did, and the ivory house that he built, and all the cities that he 
       built, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of 
       Israel?

       (1 Ki 22:40 NRSV)  So Ahab slept with his ancestors; and his son 
       Ahaziah succeeded him.

       (1 Ki 22:41 NRSV)  Jehoshaphat son of Asa began to reign over Judah in 
       the fourth year of King Ahab of Israel.





       (1 Ki 22:42 NRSV)  Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began 
       to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's 
       name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.

       (1 Ki 22:43 NRSV)  He walked in all the way of his father Asa; he did 
       not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the LORD; 
       yet the high places were not taken away, and the people still 
       sacrificed and offered incense on the high places.

       (1 Ki 22:44 NRSV)  Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of 
       Israel.

       (1 Ki 22:45 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his 
       power that he showed, and how he waged war, are they not written in 
       the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah?

       (1 Ki 22:46 NRSV)  The remnant of the male temple prostitutes who were 
       still in the land in the days of his father Asa, he exterminated.

       (1 Ki 22:47 NRSV)  There was no king in Edom; a deputy was king.

       (1 Ki 22:48 NRSV)  Jehoshaphat made ships of the Tarshish type to go 
       to Ophir for gold; but they did not go, for the ships were wrecked at 
       Ezion-geber.

       (1 Ki 22:49 NRSV)  Then Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Let 
       my servants go with your servants in the ships," but Jehoshaphat was 
       not willing.

       (1 Ki 22:50 NRSV)  Jehoshaphat slept with his ancestors and was buried 
       with his ancestors in the city of his father David; his son Jehoram 
       succeeded him.

       (1 Ki 22:51 NRSV)  Ahaziah son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in 
       Samaria in the seventeenth year of King Jehoshaphat of Judah; he 
       reigned two years over Israel.

       (1 Ki 22:52 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and 
       walked in the way of his father and mother, and in the way of Jeroboam 
       son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin.

       (1 Ki 22:53 NRSV)  He served Baal and worshiped him; he provoked the 
       LORD, the God of Israel, to anger, just as his father had done.

       (2 Ki 1:1 NRSV)  After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against 
       Israel.

       (2 Ki 1:2 NRSV)  Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice in his upper 
       chamber in Samaria, and lay injured; so he sent messengers, telling 
       them, "Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall 
       recover from this injury."

       (2 Ki 1:3 NRSV)  But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the 
       Tishbite, "Get up, go to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, 
       and say to them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are 
       going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?'






       (2 Ki 1:4 NRSV)  Now therefore thus says the LORD, 'You shall not 
       leave the bed to which you have gone, but you shall surely die.'" So 
       Elijah went.

       (2 Ki 1:5 NRSV)  The messengers returned to the king, who said to 
       them, "Why have you returned?"

       (2 Ki 1:6 NRSV)  They answered him, "There came a man to meet us, who 
       said to us, 'Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him: Thus 
       says the LORD: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are 
       sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you 
       shall not leave the bed to which you have gone, but shall surely 
       die.'"

       (2 Ki 1:7 NRSV)  He said to them, "What sort of man was he who came to 
       meet you and told you these things?"

       (2 Ki 1:8 NRSV)  They answered him, "A hairy man, with a leather belt 
       around his waist." He said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite."

       (2 Ki 1:9 NRSV)  Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his 
       fifty men. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, 
       and said to him, "O man of God, the king says, 'Come down.'"

       (2 Ki 1:10 NRSV)  But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, "If I am a 
       man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your 
       fifty." Then fire came down from heaven, and consumed him and his 
       fifty.

       (2 Ki 1:11 NRSV)  Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty 
       with his fifty. He went up and said to him, "O man of God, this is the 
       king's order: Come down quickly!"

       (2 Ki 1:12 NRSV)  But Elijah answered them, "If I am a man of God, let 
       fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then the 
       fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

       (2 Ki 1:13 NRSV)  Again the king sent the captain of a third fifty 
       with his fifty. So the third captain of fifty went up, and came and 
       fell on his knees before Elijah, and entreated him, "O man of God, 
       please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, be 
       precious in your sight.

       (2 Ki 1:14 NRSV)  Look, fire came down from heaven and consumed the 
       two former captains of fifty men with their fifties; but now let my 
       life be precious in your sight."

       (2 Ki 1:15 NRSV)  Then the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, "Go down 
       with him; do not be afraid of him." So he set out and went down with 
       him to the king,

       (2 Ki 1:16 NRSV)  and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: Because you 
       have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron,--is 
       it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his 
       word?--therefore you shall not leave the bed to which you have gone, 





       but you shall surely die."

       (2 Ki 1:17 NRSV)  So he died according to the word of the LORD that 
       Elijah had spoken. His brother, Jehoram succeeded him as king in the 
       second year of King Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat of Judah, because 
       Ahaziah had no son.

       (2 Ki 1:18 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah that he did, are 
       they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel?

       (2 Ki 2:1 NRSV)  Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to 
       heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from 
       Gilgal.

       (2 Ki 2:2 NRSV)  Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; for the LORD has 
       sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives, and as 
       you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel.

       (2 Ki 2:3 NRSV)  The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out 
       to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take 
       your master away from you?" And he said, "Yes, I know; keep silent."

       (2 Ki 2:4 NRSV)  Elijah said to him, "Elisha, stay here; for the LORD 
       has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you 
       yourself live, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho.

       (2 Ki 2:5 NRSV)  The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near 
       to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take 
       your master away from you?" And he answered, "Yes, I know; be silent."

       (2 Ki 2:6 NRSV)  Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; for the LORD has 
       sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you 
       yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on.

       (2 Ki 2:7 NRSV)  Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and 
       stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the 
       Jordan.

       (2 Ki 2:8 NRSV)  Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and 
       struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the 
       other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.

       (2 Ki 2:9 NRSV)  When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell 
       me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you." Elisha said, 
       "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit."

       (2 Ki 2:10 NRSV)  He responded, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if 
       you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if 
       not, it will not."

       (2 Ki 2:11 NRSV)  As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of 
       fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended 
       in a whirlwind into heaven.

       (2 Ki 2:12 NRSV)  Elisha kept watching and crying out, "Father, 
       father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" But when he could no 





       longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two 
       pieces.

       (2 Ki 2:13 NRSV)  He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen 
       from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.

       (2 Ki 2:14 NRSV)  He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from 
       him, and struck the water, saying, "Where is the LORD, the God of 
       Elijah?" When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one 
       side and to the other, and Elisha went over.

       (2 Ki 2:15 NRSV)  When the company of prophets who were at Jericho saw 
       him at a distance, they declared, "The spirit of Elijah rests on 
       Elisha." They came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.

       (2 Ki 2:16 NRSV)  They said to him, "See now, we have fifty strong men 
       among your servants; please let them go and seek your master; it may 
       be that the spirit of the LORD has caught him up and thrown him down 
       on some mountain or into some valley." He responded, "No, do not send 
       them."

       (2 Ki 2:17 NRSV)  But when they urged him until he was ashamed, he 
       said, "Send them." So they sent fifty men who searched for three days 
       but did not find him.

       (2 Ki 2:18 NRSV)  When they came back to him (he had remained at 
       Jericho), he said to them, "Did I not say to you, Do not go?"

       (2 Ki 2:19 NRSV)  Now the people of the city said to Elisha, "The 
       location of this city is good, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, 
       and the land is unfruitful."

       (2 Ki 2:20 NRSV)  He said, "Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it." 
       So they brought it to him.

       (2 Ki 2:21 NRSV)  Then he went to the spring of water and threw the 
       salt into it, and said, "Thus says the LORD, I have made this water 
       wholesome; from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from 
       it."

       (2 Ki 2:22 NRSV)  So the water has been wholesome to this day, 
       according to the word that Elisha spoke.

       (2 Ki 2:23 NRSV)  He went up from there to Bethel; and while he was 
       going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered 
       at him, saying, "Go away, baldhead! Go away, baldhead!"

       (2 Ki 2:24 NRSV)  When he turned around and saw them, he cursed them 
       in the name of the LORD. Then two she-bears came out of the woods and 
       mauled forty-two of the boys.

       (2 Ki 2:25 NRSV)  From there he went on to Mount Carmel, and then 
       returned to Samaria.

       (2 Ki 3:1 NRSV)  In the eighteenth year of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, 
       Jehoram son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria; he reigned 





       twelve years.

       (2 Ki 3:2 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, though 
       not like his father and mother, for he removed the pillar of Baal that 
       his father had made.

       (2 Ki 3:3 NRSV)  Nevertheless he clung to the sin of Jeroboam son of 
       Nebat, which he caused Israel to commit; he did not depart from it.

       (2 Ki 3:4 NRSV)  Now King Mesha of Moab was a sheep breeder, who used 
       to deliver to the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs, and the 
       wool of one hundred thousand rams.

       (2 Ki 3:5 NRSV)  But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against 
       the king of Israel.

       (2 Ki 3:6 NRSV)  So King Jehoram marched out of Samaria at that time 
       and mustered all Israel.

       (2 Ki 3:7 NRSV)  As he went he sent word to King Jehoshaphat of Judah, 
       "The king of Moab has rebelled against me; will you go with me to 
       battle against Moab?" He answered, "I will; I am with you, my people 
       are your people, my horses are your horses."

       (2 Ki 3:8 NRSV)  Then he asked, "By which way shall we march?" Jehoram 
       answered, "By the way of the wilderness of Edom."

       (2 Ki 3:9 NRSV)  So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the 
       king of Edom set out; and when they had made a roundabout march of 
       seven days, there was no water for the army or for the animals that 
       were with them.

       (2 Ki 3:10 NRSV)  Then the king of Israel said, "Alas! The LORD has 
       summoned us, three kings, only to be handed over to Moab."

       (2 Ki 3:11 NRSV)  But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no prophet of the 
       LORD here, through whom we may inquire of the LORD?" Then one of the 
       servants of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha son of Shaphat, who 
       used to pour water on the hands of Elijah, is here."

       (2 Ki 3:12 NRSV)  Jehoshaphat said, "The word of the LORD is with 
       him." So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went 
       down to him.

       (2 Ki 3:13 NRSV)  Elisha said to the king of Israel, "What have I to 
       do with you? Go to your father's prophets or to your mother's." But 
       the king of Israel said to him, "No; it is the LORD who has summoned 
       us, three kings, only to be handed over to Moab."

       (2 Ki 3:14 NRSV)  Elisha said, "As the LORD of hosts lives, whom I 
       serve, were it not that I have regard for King Jehoshaphat of Judah, I 
       would give you neither a look nor a glance.

       (2 Ki 3:15 NRSV)  But get me a musician." And then, while the musician 
       was playing, the power of the LORD came on him.





       (2 Ki 3:16 NRSV)  And he said, "Thus says the LORD, 'I will make this 
       wadi full of pools.'

       (2 Ki 3:17 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD, 'You shall see neither wind 
       nor rain, but the wadi shall be filled with water, so that you shall 
       drink, you, your cattle, and your animals.'

       (2 Ki 3:18 NRSV)  This is only a trifle in the sight of the LORD, for 
       he will also hand Moab over to you.

       (2 Ki 3:19 NRSV)  You shall conquer every fortified city and every 
       choice city; every good tree you shall fell, all springs of water you 
       shall stop up, and every good piece of land you shall ruin with 
       stones."

       (2 Ki 3:20 NRSV)  The next day, about the time of the morning 
       offering, suddenly water began to flow from the direction of Edom, 
       until the country was filled with water.

       (2 Ki 3:21 NRSV)  When all the Moabites heard that the kings had come 
       up to fight against them, all who were able to put on armor, from the 
       youngest to the oldest, were called out and were drawn up at the 
       frontier.

       (2 Ki 3:22 NRSV)  When they rose early in the morning, and the sun 
       shone upon the water, the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red 
       as blood.

       (2 Ki 3:23 NRSV)  They said, "This is blood; the kings must have 
       fought together, and killed one another. Now then, Moab, to the 
       spoil!"

       (2 Ki 3:24 NRSV)  But when they came to the camp of Israel, the 
       Israelites rose up and attacked the Moabites, who fled before them; as 
       they entered Moab they continued the attack.

       (2 Ki 3:25 NRSV)  The cities they overturned, and on every good piece 
       of land everyone threw a stone, until it was covered; every spring of 
       water they stopped up, and every good tree they felled. Only at 
       Kir-hareseth did the stone walls remain, until the slingers surrounded 
       and attacked it.

       (2 Ki 3:26 NRSV)  When the king of Moab saw that the battle was going 
       against him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break 
       through, opposite the king of Edom; but they could not.

       (2 Ki 3:27 NRSV)  Then he took his firstborn son who was to succeed 
       him, and offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. And great wrath 
       came upon Israel, so they withdrew from him and returned to their own 
       land.

       (2 Ki 4:1 NRSV)  Now the wife of a member of the company of prophets 
       cried to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead; and you know that 
       your servant feared the LORD, but a creditor has come to take my two 
       children as slaves."





       (2 Ki 4:2 NRSV)  Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell 
       me, what do you have in the house?" She answered, "Your servant has 
       nothing in the house, except a jar of oil."

       (2 Ki 4:3 NRSV)  He said, "Go outside, borrow vessels from all your 
       neighbors, empty vessels and not just a few.

       (2 Ki 4:4 NRSV)  Then go in, and shut the door behind you and your 
       children, and start pouring into all these vessels; when each is full, 
       set it aside."

       (2 Ki 4:5 NRSV)  So she left him and shut the door behind her and her 
       children; they kept bringing vessels to her, and she kept pouring.

       (2 Ki 4:6 NRSV)  When the vessels were full, she said to her son, 
       "Bring me another vessel." But he said to her, "There are no more." 
       Then the oil stopped flowing.

       (2 Ki 4:7 NRSV)  She came and told the man of God, and he said, "Go 
       sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your children can live on 
       the rest."

       (2 Ki 4:8 NRSV)  One day Elisha was passing through Shunem, where a 
       wealthy woman lived, who urged him to have a meal. So whenever he 
       passed that way, he would stop there for a meal.

       (2 Ki 4:9 NRSV)  She said to her husband, "Look, I am sure that this 
       man who regularly passes our way is a holy man of God.

       (2 Ki 4:10 NRSV)  Let us make a small roof chamber with walls, and put 
       there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that he can stay 
       there whenever he comes to us."

       (2 Ki 4:11 NRSV)  One day when he came there, he went up to the 
       chamber and lay down there.

       (2 Ki 4:12 NRSV)  He said to his servant Gehazi, "Call the Shunammite 
       woman." When he had called her, she stood before him.

       (2 Ki 4:13 NRSV)  He said to him, "Say to her, Since you have taken 
       all this trouble for us, what may be done for you? Would you have a 
       word spoken on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the 
       army?" She answered, "I live among my own people."

       (2 Ki 4:14 NRSV)  He said, "What then may be done for her?" Gehazi 
       answered, "Well, she has no son, and her husband is old."

       (2 Ki 4:15 NRSV)  He said, "Call her." When he had called her, she 
       stood at the door.

       (2 Ki 4:16 NRSV)  He said, "At this season, in due time, you shall 
       embrace a son." She replied, "No, my lord, O man of God; do not 
       deceive your servant."

       (2 Ki 4:17 NRSV)  The woman conceived and bore a son at that season, 
       in due time, as Elisha had declared to her.






       (2 Ki 4:18 NRSV)  When the child was older, he went out one day to his 
       father among the reapers.

       (2 Ki 4:19 NRSV)  He complained to his father, "Oh, my head, my head!" 
       The father said to his servant, "Carry him to his mother."

       (2 Ki 4:20 NRSV)  He carried him and brought him to his mother; the 
       child sat on her lap until noon, and he died.

       (2 Ki 4:21 NRSV)  She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of 
       God, closed the door on him, and left.

       (2 Ki 4:22 NRSV)  Then she called to her husband, and said, "Send me 
       one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so that I may quickly go 
       to the man of God and come back again."

       (2 Ki 4:23 NRSV)  He said, "Why go to him today? It is neither new 
       moon nor sabbath." She said, "It will be all right."

       (2 Ki 4:24 NRSV)  Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, 
       "Urge the animal on; do not hold back for me unless I tell you."

       (2 Ki 4:25 NRSV)  So she set out, and came to the man of God at Mount 
       Carmel. When the man of God saw her coming, he said to Gehazi his 
       servant, "Look, there is the Shunammite woman;

       (2 Ki 4:26 NRSV)  run at once to meet her, and say to her, Are you all 
       right? Is your husband all right? Is the child all right?" She 
       answered, "It is all right."

       (2 Ki 4:27 NRSV)  When she came to the man of God at the mountain, she 
       caught hold of his feet. Gehazi approached to push her away. But the 
       man of God said, "Let her alone, for she is in bitter distress; the 
       LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me."

       (2 Ki 4:28 NRSV)  Then she said, "Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I 
       not say, Do not mislead me?"

       (2 Ki 4:29 NRSV)  He said to Gehazi, "Gird up your loins, and take my 
       staff in your hand, and go. If you meet anyone, give no greeting, and 
       if anyone greets you, do not answer; and lay my staff on the face of 
       the child."

       (2 Ki 4:30 NRSV)  Then the mother of the child said, "As the LORD 
       lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave without you." So he 
       rose up and followed her.

       (2 Ki 4:31 NRSV)  Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the face 
       of the child, but there was no sound or sign of life. He came back to 
       meet him and told him, "The child has not awakened."

       (2 Ki 4:32 NRSV)  When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child 
       lying dead on his bed.

       (2 Ki 4:33 NRSV)  So he went in and closed the door on the two of 





       them, and prayed to the LORD.

       (2 Ki 4:34 NRSV)  Then he got up on the bed and lay upon the child, 
       putting his mouth upon his mouth, his eyes upon his eyes, and his 
       hands upon his hands; and while he lay bent over him, the flesh of the 
       child became warm.

       (2 Ki 4:35 NRSV)  He got down, walked once to and fro in the room, 
       then got up again and bent over him; the child sneezed seven times, 
       and the child opened his eyes.

       (2 Ki 4:36 NRSV)  Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, "Call the 
       Shunammite woman." So he called her. When she came to him, he said, 
       "Take your son."

       (2 Ki 4:37 NRSV)  She came and fell at his feet, bowing to the ground; 
       then she took her son and left.

       (2 Ki 4:38 NRSV)  When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine 
       in the land. As the company of prophets was sitting before him, he 
       said to his servant, "Put the large pot on, and make some stew for the 
       company of prophets."

       (2 Ki 4:39 NRSV)  One of them went out into the field to gather herbs; 
       he found a wild vine and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and 
       came and cut them up into the pot of stew, not knowing what they were.

       (2 Ki 4:40 NRSV)  They served some for the men to eat. But while they 
       were eating the stew, they cried out, "O man of God, there is death in 
       the pot!" They could not eat it.

       (2 Ki 4:41 NRSV)  He said, "Then bring some flour." He threw it into 
       the pot, and said, "Serve the people and let them eat." And there was 
       nothing harmful in the pot.

       (2 Ki 4:42 NRSV)  A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing food from 
       the first fruits to the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh 
       ears of grain in his sack. Elisha said, "Give it to the people and let 
       them eat."

       (2 Ki 4:43 NRSV)  But his servant said, "How can I set this before a 
       hundred people?" So he repeated, "Give it to the people and let them 
       eat, for thus says the LORD, 'They shall eat and have some left.'"

       (2 Ki 4:44 NRSV)  He set it before them, they ate, and had some left, 
       according to the word of the LORD.

       (2 Ki 5:1 NRSV)  Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, 
       was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the 
       LORD had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, 
       suffered from leprosy.

       (2 Ki 5:2 NRSV)  Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a 
       young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman's 
       wife.





       (2 Ki 5:3 NRSV)  She said to her mistress, "If only my lord were with 
       the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."

       (2 Ki 5:4 NRSV)  So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the 
       girl from the land of Israel had said.

       (2 Ki 5:5 NRSV)  And the king of Aram said, "Go then, and I will send 
       along a letter to the king of Israel." He went, taking with him ten 
       talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of 
       garments.

       (2 Ki 5:6 NRSV)  He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which 
       read, "When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my 
       servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy."

       (2 Ki 5:7 NRSV)  When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his 
       clothes and said, "Am I God, to give death or life, that this man 
       sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how 
       he is trying to pick a quarrel with me."

       (2 Ki 5:8 NRSV)  But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of 
       Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, "Why have 
       you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that 
       there is a prophet in Israel."

       (2 Ki 5:9 NRSV)  So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and 
       halted at the entrance of Elisha's house.

       (2 Ki 5:10 NRSV)  Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go, wash in 
       the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall 
       be clean."

       (2 Ki 5:11 NRSV)  But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, "I 
       thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on 
       the name of the LORD his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, 
       and cure the leprosy!

       (2 Ki 5:12 NRSV)  Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, 
       better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be 
       clean?" He turned and went away in a rage.

       (2 Ki 5:13 NRSV)  But his servants approached and said to him, 
       "Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, 
       would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you 
       was, 'Wash, and be clean'?"

       (2 Ki 5:14 NRSV)  So he went down and immersed himself seven times in 
       the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was 
       restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.

       (2 Ki 5:15 NRSV)  Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his 
       company; he came and stood before him and said, "Now I know that there 
       is no God in all the earth except in Israel; please accept a present 
       from your servant."

       (2 Ki 5:16 NRSV)  But he said, "As the LORD lives, whom I serve, I 





       will accept nothing!" He urged him to accept, but he refused.

       (2 Ki 5:17 NRSV)  Then Naaman said, "If not, please let two mule-loads 
       of earth be given to your servant; for your servant will no longer 
       offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god except the LORD.

       (2 Ki 5:18 NRSV)  But may the LORD pardon your servant on one count: 
       when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning 
       on my arm, and I bow down in the house of Rimmon, when I do bow down 
       in the house of Rimmon, may the LORD pardon your servant on this one 
       count."

       (2 Ki 5:19 NRSV)  He said to him, "Go in peace." But when Naaman had 
       gone from him a short distance,

       (2 Ki 5:20 NRSV)  Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, 
       thought, "My master has let that Aramean Naaman off too lightly by not 
       accepting from him what he offered. As the LORD lives, I will run 
       after him and get something out of him."

       (2 Ki 5:21 NRSV)  So Gehazi went after Naaman. When Naaman saw someone 
       running after him, he jumped down from the chariot to meet him and 
       said, "Is everything all right?"

       (2 Ki 5:22 NRSV)  He replied, "Yes, but my master has sent me to say, 
       'Two members of a company of prophets have just come to me from the 
       hill country of Ephraim; please give them a talent of silver and two 
       changes of clothing.'"

       (2 Ki 5:23 NRSV)  Naaman said, "Please accept two talents." He urged 
       him, and tied up two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes 
       of clothing, and gave them to two of his servants, who carried them in 
       front of Gehazi.

       (2 Ki 5:24 NRSV)  When he came to the citadel, he took the bags from 
       them, and stored them inside; he dismissed the men, and they left.

       (2 Ki 5:25 NRSV)  He went in and stood before his master; and Elisha 
       said to him, "Where have you been, Gehazi?" He answered, "Your servant 
       has not gone anywhere at all."

       (2 Ki 5:26 NRSV)  But he said to him, "Did I not go with you in spirit 
       when someone left his chariot to meet you? Is this a time to accept 
       money and to accept clothing, olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and 
       oxen, and male and female slaves?

       (2 Ki 5:27 NRSV)  Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you, 
       and to your descendants forever." So he left his presence leprous, as 
       white as snow.

       (2 Ki 6:1 NRSV)  Now the company of prophets said to Elisha, "As you 
       see, the place where we live under your charge is too small for us.

       (2 Ki 6:2 NRSV)  Let us go to the Jordan, and let us collect logs 
       there, one for each of us, and build a place there for us to live." He 
       answered, "Do so."






       (2 Ki 6:3 NRSV)  Then one of them said, "Please come with your 
       servants." And he answered, "I will."

       (2 Ki 6:4 NRSV)  So he went with them. When they came to the Jordan, 
       they cut down trees.

       (2 Ki 6:5 NRSV)  But as one was felling a log, his ax head fell into 
       the water; he cried out, "Alas, master! It was borrowed."

       (2 Ki 6:6 NRSV)  Then the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" When 
       he showed him the place, he cut off a stick, and threw it in there, 
       and made the iron float.

       (2 Ki 6:7 NRSV)  He said, "Pick it up." So he reached out his hand and 
       took it.

       (2 Ki 6:8 NRSV)  Once when the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he 
       took counsel with his officers. He said, "At such and such a place 
       shall be my camp."

       (2 Ki 6:9 NRSV)  But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, 
       "Take care not to pass this place, because the Arameans are going down 
       there."

       (2 Ki 6:10 NRSV)  The king of Israel sent word to the place of which 
       the man of God spoke. More than once or twice he warned such a place 
       so that it was on the alert.

       (2 Ki 6:11 NRSV)  The mind of the king of Aram was greatly perturbed 
       because of this; he called his officers and said to them, "Now tell me 
       who among us sides with the king of Israel?"

       (2 Ki 6:12 NRSV)  Then one of his officers said, "No one, my lord 
       king. It is Elisha, the prophet in Israel, who tells the king of 
       Israel the words that you speak in your bedchamber."

       (2 Ki 6:13 NRSV)  He said, "Go and find where he is; I will send and 
       seize him." He was told, "He is in Dothan."

       (2 Ki 6:14 NRSV)  So he sent horses and chariots there and a great 
       army; they came by night, and surrounded the city.

       (2 Ki 6:15 NRSV)  When an attendant of the man of God rose early in 
       the morning and went out, an army with horses and chariots was all 
       around the city. His servant said, "Alas, master! What shall we do?"

       (2 Ki 6:16 NRSV)  He replied, "Do not be afraid, for there are more 
       with us than there are with them."

       (2 Ki 6:17 NRSV)  Then Elisha prayed: "O LORD, please open his eyes 
       that he may see." So the LORD opened the eyes of the servant, and he 
       saw; the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around 
       Elisha.

       (2 Ki 6:18 NRSV)  When the Arameans came down against him, Elisha 





       prayed to the LORD, and said, "Strike this people, please, with 
       blindness." So he struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked.

       (2 Ki 6:19 NRSV)  Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, and this 
       is not the city; follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you 
       seek." And he led them to Samaria.

       (2 Ki 6:20 NRSV)  As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, "O 
       LORD, open the eyes of these men so that they may see." The LORD 
       opened their eyes, and they saw that they were inside Samaria.

       (2 Ki 6:21 NRSV)  When the king of Israel saw them he said to Elisha, 
       "Father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?"

       (2 Ki 6:22 NRSV)  He answered, "No! Did you capture with your sword 
       and your bow those whom you want to kill? Set food and water before 
       them so that they may eat and drink; and let them go to their master."

       (2 Ki 6:23 NRSV)  So he prepared for them a great feast; after they 
       ate and drank, he sent them on their way, and they went to their 
       master. And the Arameans no longer came raiding into the land of 
       Israel.

       (2 Ki 6:24 NRSV)  Some time later King Ben-hadad of Aram mustered his 
       entire army; he marched against Samaria and laid siege to it.

       (2 Ki 6:25 NRSV)  As the siege continued, famine in Samaria became so 
       great that a donkey's head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and 
       one-fourth of a kab of dove's dung for five shekels of silver.

       (2 Ki 6:26 NRSV)  Now as the king of Israel was walking on the city 
       wall, a woman cried out to him, "Help, my lord king!"

       (2 Ki 6:27 NRSV)  He said, "No! Let the LORD help you. How can I help 
       you? From the threshing floor or from the wine press?"

       (2 Ki 6:28 NRSV)  But then the king asked her, "What is your 
       complaint?" She answered, "This woman said to me, 'Give up your son; 
       we will eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.'

       (2 Ki 6:29 NRSV)  So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I said 
       to her, 'Give up your son and we will eat him.' But she has hidden her 
       son."

       (2 Ki 6:30 NRSV)  When the king heard the words of the woman he tore 
       his clothes--now since he was walking on the city wall, the people 
       could see that he had sackcloth on his body underneath--

       (2 Ki 6:31 NRSV)  and he said, "So may God do to me, and more, if the 
       head of Elisha son of Shaphat stays on his shoulders today."

       (2 Ki 6:32 NRSV)  So he dispatched a man from his presence. Now Elisha 
       was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. Before 
       the messenger arrived, Elisha said to the elders, "Are you aware that 
       this murderer has sent someone to take off my head? When the messenger 
       comes, see that you shut the door and hold it closed against him. Is 





       not the sound of his master's feet behind him?"

       (2 Ki 6:33 NRSV)  While he was still speaking with them, the king came 
       down to him and said, "This trouble is from the LORD! Why should I 
       hope in the LORD any longer?"

       (2 Ki 7:1 NRSV)  But Elisha said, "Hear the word of the LORD: thus 
       says the LORD, Tomorrow about this time a measure of choice meal shall 
       be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, at the 
       gate of Samaria."

       (2 Ki 7:2 NRSV)  Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned said 
       to the man of God, "Even if the LORD were to make windows in the sky, 
       could such a thing happen?" But he said, "You shall see it with your 
       own eyes, but you shall not eat from it."

       (2 Ki 7:3 NRSV)  Now there were four leprous men outside the city 
       gate, who said to one another, "Why should we sit here until we die?

       (2 Ki 7:4 NRSV)  If we say, 'Let us enter the city,' the famine is in 
       the city, and we shall die there; but if we sit here, we shall also 
       die. Therefore, let us desert to the Aramean camp; if they spare our 
       lives, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die."

       (2 Ki 7:5 NRSV)  So they arose at twilight to go to the Aramean camp; 
       but when they came to the edge of the Aramean camp, there was no one 
       there at all.

       (2 Ki 7:6 NRSV)  For the Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the 
       sound of chariots, and of horses, the sound of a great army, so that 
       they said to one another, "The king of Israel has hired the kings of 
       the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to fight against us."

       (2 Ki 7:7 NRSV)  So they fled away in the twilight and abandoned their 
       tents, their horses, and their donkeys leaving the camp just as it 
       was, and fled for their lives.

       (2 Ki 7:8 NRSV)  When these leprous men had come to the edge of the 
       camp, they went into a tent, ate and drank, carried off silver, gold, 
       and clothing, and went and hid them. Then they came back, entered 
       another tent, carried off things from it, and went and hid them.

       (2 Ki 7:9 NRSV)  Then they said to one another, "What we are doing is 
       wrong. This is a day of good news; if we are silent and wait until the 
       morning light, we will be found guilty; therefore let us go and tell 
       the king's household."

       (2 Ki 7:10 NRSV)  So they came and called to the gatekeepers of the 
       city, and told them, "We went to the Aramean camp, but there was no 
       one to be seen or heard there, nothing but the horses tied, the 
       donkeys tied, and the tents as they were."

       (2 Ki 7:11 NRSV)  Then the gatekeepers called out and proclaimed it to 
       the king's household.

       (2 Ki 7:12 NRSV)  The king got up in the night, and said to his 





       servants, "I will tell you what the Arameans have prepared against us. 
       They know that we are starving; so they have left the camp to hide 
       themselves in the open country, thinking, 'When they come out of the 
       city, we shall take them alive and get into the city.'"

       (2 Ki 7:13 NRSV)  One of his servants said, "Let some men take five of 
       the remaining horses, since those left here will suffer the fate of 
       the whole multitude of Israel that have perished already; let us send 
       and find out."

       (2 Ki 7:14 NRSV)  So they took two mounted men, and the king sent them 
       after the Aramean army, saying, "Go and find out."

       (2 Ki 7:15 NRSV)  So they went after them as far as the Jordan; the 
       whole way was littered with garments and equipment that the Arameans 
       had thrown away in their haste. So the messengers returned, and told 
       the king.

       (2 Ki 7:16 NRSV)  Then the people went out, and plundered the camp of 
       the Arameans. So a measure of choice meal was sold for a shekel, and 
       two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the 
       LORD.

       (2 Ki 7:17 NRSV)  Now the king had appointed the captain on whose hand 
       he leaned to have charge of the gate; the people trampled him to death 
       in the gate, just as the man of God had said when the king came down 
       to him.

       (2 Ki 7:18 NRSV)  For when the man of God had said to the king, "Two 
       measures of barley shall be sold for a shekel, and a measure of choice 
       meal for a shekel, about this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria,"

       (2 Ki 7:19 NRSV)  the captain had answered the man of God, "Even if 
       the LORD were to make windows in the sky, could such a thing happen?" 
       And he had answered, "You shall see it with your own eyes, but you 
       shall not eat from it."

       (2 Ki 7:20 NRSV)  It did indeed happen to him; the people trampled him 
       to death in the gate.

       (2 Ki 8:1 NRSV)  Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had 
       restored to life, "Get up and go with your household, and settle 
       wherever you can; for the LORD has called for a famine, and it will 
       come on the land for seven years."

       (2 Ki 8:2 NRSV)  So the woman got up and did according to the word of 
       the man of God; she went with her household and settled in the land of 
       the Philistines seven years.

       (2 Ki 8:3 NRSV)  At the end of the seven years, when the woman 
       returned from the land of the Philistines, she set out to appeal to 
       the king for her house and her land.

       (2 Ki 8:4 NRSV)  Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of 
       the man of God, saying, "Tell me all the great things that Elisha has 
       done."






       (2 Ki 8:5 NRSV)  While he was telling the king how Elisha had restored 
       a dead person to life, the woman whose son he had restored to life 
       appealed to the king for her house and her land. Gehazi said, "My lord 
       king, here is the woman, and here is her son whom Elisha restored to 
       life."

       (2 Ki 8:6 NRSV)  When the king questioned the woman, she told him. So 
       the king appointed an official for her, saying, "Restore all that was 
       hers, together with all the revenue of the fields from the day that 
       she left the land until now."

       (2 Ki 8:7 NRSV)  Elisha went to Damascus while King Ben-hadad of Aram 
       was ill. When it was told him, "The man of God has come here,"

       (2 Ki 8:8 NRSV)  the king said to Hazael, "Take a present with you and 
       go to meet the man of God. Inquire of the LORD through him, whether I 
       shall recover from this illness."

       (2 Ki 8:9 NRSV)  So Hazael went to meet him, taking a present with 
       him, all kinds of goods of Damascus, forty camel loads. When he 
       entered and stood before him, he said, "Your son King Ben-hadad of 
       Aram has sent me to you, saying, 'Shall I recover from this illness?'"

       (2 Ki 8:10 NRSV)  Elisha said to him, "Go, say to him, 'You shall 
       certainly recover'; but the LORD has shown me that he shall certainly 
       die."

       (2 Ki 8:11 NRSV)  He fixed his gaze and stared at him, until he was 
       ashamed. Then the man of God wept.

       (2 Ki 8:12 NRSV)  Hazael asked, "Why does my lord weep?" He answered, 
       "Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel; you 
       will set their fortresses on fire, you will kill their young men with 
       the sword, dash in pieces their little ones, and rip up their pregnant 
       women."

       (2 Ki 8:13 NRSV)  Hazael said, "What is your servant, who is a mere 
       dog, that he should do this great thing?" Elisha answered, "The LORD 
       has shown me that you are to be king over Aram."

       (2 Ki 8:14 NRSV)  Then he left Elisha, and went to his master 
       Ben-hadad, who said to him, "What did Elisha say to you?" And he 
       answered, "He told me that you would certainly recover."

       (2 Ki 8:15 NRSV)  But the next day he took the bed-cover and dipped it 
       in water and spread it over the king's face, until he died. And Hazael 
       succeeded him.

       (2 Ki 8:16 NRSV)  In the fifth year of King Joram son of Ahab of 
       Israel, Jehoram son of King Jehoshaphat of Judah began to reign.

       (2 Ki 8:17 NRSV)  He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and 
       he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

       (2 Ki 8:18 NRSV)  He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the 





       house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. He did 
       what was evil in the sight of the LORD.

       (2 Ki 8:19 NRSV)  Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah, for the sake 
       of his servant David, since he had promised to give a lamp to him and 
       to his descendants forever.

       (2 Ki 8:20 NRSV)  In his days Edom revolted against the rule of Judah, 
       and set up a king of their own.

       (2 Ki 8:21 NRSV)  Then Joram crossed over to Zair with all his 
       chariots. He set out by night and attacked the Edomites and their 
       chariot commanders who had surrounded him; but his army fled home.

       (2 Ki 8:22 NRSV)  So Edom has been in revolt against the rule of Judah 
       to this day. Libnah also revolted at the same time.

       (2 Ki 8:23 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he 
       did, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of 
       Judah?

       (2 Ki 8:24 NRSV)  So Joram slept with his ancestors, and was buried 
       with them in the city of David; his son Ahaziah succeeded him.

       (2 Ki 8:25 NRSV)  In the twelfth year of King Joram son of Ahab of 
       Israel, Ahaziah son of King Jehoram of Judah began to reign.

       (2 Ki 8:26 NRSV)  Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to 
       reign; he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was 
       Athaliah, a granddaughter of King Omri of Israel.

       (2 Ki 8:27 NRSV)  He also walked in the way of the house of Ahab, 
       doing what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as the house of Ahab had 
       done, for he was son-in-law to the house of Ahab.

       (2 Ki 8:28 NRSV)  He went with Joram son of Ahab to wage war against 
       King Hazael of Aram at Ramoth-gilead, where the Arameans wounded 
       Joram.

       (2 Ki 8:29 NRSV)  King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the 
       wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramah, when he fought 
       against King Hazael of Aram. King Ahaziah son of Jehoram of Judah went 
       down to see Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was wounded.

       (2 Ki 9:1 NRSV)  Then the prophet Elisha called a member of the 
       company of prophets and said to him, "Gird up your loins; take this 
       flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead.

       (2 Ki 9:2 NRSV)  When you arrive, look there for Jehu son of 
       Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi; go in and get him to leave his companions, 
       and take him into an inner chamber.

       (2 Ki 9:3 NRSV)  Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and 
       say, 'Thus says the LORD: I anoint you king over Israel.' Then open 
       the door and flee; do not linger."





       (2 Ki 9:4 NRSV)  So the young man, the young prophet, went to 
       Ramoth-gilead.

       (2 Ki 9:5 NRSV)  He arrived while the commanders of the army were in 
       council, and he announced, "I have a message for you, commander." "For 
       which one of us?" asked Jehu. "For you, commander."

       (2 Ki 9:6 NRSV)  So Jehu got up and went inside; the young man poured 
       the oil on his head, saying to him, "Thus says the LORD the God of 
       Israel: I anoint you king over the people of the LORD, over Israel.

       (2 Ki 9:7 NRSV)  You shall strike down the house of your master Ahab, 
       so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, 
       and the blood of all the servants of the LORD.

       (2 Ki 9:8 NRSV)  For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; I will cut 
       off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel.

       (2 Ki 9:9 NRSV)  I will make the house of Ahab like the house of 
       Jeroboam son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah.

       (2 Ki 9:10 NRSV)  The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of 
       Jezreel, and no one shall bury her." Then he opened the door and fled.

       (2 Ki 9:11 NRSV)  When Jehu came back to his master's officers, they 
       said to him, "Is everything all right? Why did that madman come to 
       you?" He answered them, "You know the sort and how they babble."

       (2 Ki 9:12 NRSV)  They said, "Liar! Come on, tell us!" So he said, 
       "This is just what he said to me: 'Thus says the LORD, I anoint you 
       king over Israel.'"

       (2 Ki 9:13 NRSV)  Then hurriedly they all took their cloaks and spread 
       them for him on the bare steps; and they blew the trumpet, and 
       proclaimed, "Jehu is king."

       (2 Ki 9:14 NRSV)  Thus Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspired 
       against Joram. Joram with all Israel had been on guard at 
       Ramoth-gilead against King Hazael of Aram;

       (2 Ki 9:15 NRSV)  but King Joram had returned to be healed in Jezreel 
       of the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him, when he fought 
       against King Hazael of Aram. So Jehu said, "If this is your wish, then 
       let no one slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel."

       (2 Ki 9:16 NRSV)  Then Jehu mounted his chariot and went to Jezreel, 
       where Joram was lying ill. King Ahaziah of Judah had come down to 
       visit Joram.

       (2 Ki 9:17 NRSV)  In Jezreel, the sentinel standing on the tower spied 
       the company of Jehu arriving, and said, "I see a company." Joram said, 
       "Take a horseman; send him to meet them, and let him say, 'Is it 
       peace?'"

       (2 Ki 9:18 NRSV)  So the horseman went to meet him; he said, "Thus 
       says the king, 'Is it peace?'" Jehu responded, "What have you to do 





       with peace? Fall in behind me." The sentinel reported, saying, "The 
       messenger reached them, but he is not coming back."

       (2 Ki 9:19 NRSV)  Then he sent out a second horseman, who came to them 
       and said, "Thus says the king, 'Is it peace?'" Jehu answered, "What 
       have you to do with peace? Fall in behind me."

       (2 Ki 9:20 NRSV)  Again the sentinel reported, "He reached them, but 
       he is not coming back. It looks like the driving of Jehu son of 
       Nimshi; for he drives like a maniac."

       (2 Ki 9:21 NRSV)  Joram said, "Get ready." And they got his chariot 
       ready. Then King Joram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah set out, 
       each in his chariot, and went to meet Jehu; they met him at the 
       property of Naboth the Jezreelite.

       (2 Ki 9:22 NRSV)  When Joram saw Jehu, he said, "Is it peace, Jehu?" 
       He answered, "What peace can there be, so long as the many whoredoms 
       and sorceries of your mother Jezebel continue?"

       (2 Ki 9:23 NRSV)  Then Joram reined about and fled, saying to Ahaziah, 
       "Treason, Ahaziah!"

       (2 Ki 9:24 NRSV)  Jehu drew his bow with all his strength, and shot 
       Joram between the shoulders, so that the arrow pierced his heart; and 
       he sank in his chariot.

       (2 Ki 9:25 NRSV)  Jehu said to his aide Bidkar, "Lift him out, and 
       throw him on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite; 
       for remember, when you and I rode side by side behind his father Ahab 
       how the LORD uttered this oracle against him:

       (2 Ki 9:26 NRSV)  'For the blood of Naboth and for the blood of his 
       children that I saw yesterday, says the LORD, I swear I will repay you 
       on this very plot of ground.' Now therefore lift him out and throw him 
       on the plot of ground, in accordance with the word of the LORD."

       (2 Ki 9:27 NRSV)  When King Ahaziah of Judah saw this, he fled in the 
       direction of Beth-haggan. Jehu pursued him, saying, "Shoot him also!" 
       And they shot him in the chariot at the ascent to Gur, which is by 
       Ibleam. Then he fled to Megiddo, and died there.

       (2 Ki 9:28 NRSV)  His officers carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, 
       and buried him in his tomb with his ancestors in the city of David.

       (2 Ki 9:29 NRSV)  In the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah 
       began to reign over Judah.

       (2 Ki 9:30 NRSV)  When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; she 
       painted her eyes, and adorned her head, and looked out of the window.

       (2 Ki 9:31 NRSV)  As Jehu entered the gate, she said, "Is it peace, 
       Zimri, murderer of your master?"

       (2 Ki 9:32 NRSV)  He looked up to the window and said, "Who is on my 
       side? Who?" Two or three eunuchs looked out at him.






       (2 Ki 9:33 NRSV)  He said, "Throw her down." So they threw her down; 
       some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, which 
       trampled on her.

       (2 Ki 9:34 NRSV)  Then he went in and ate and drank; he said, "See to 
       that cursed woman and bury her; for she is a king's daughter."

       (2 Ki 9:35 NRSV)  But when they went to bury her, they found no more 
       of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.

       (2 Ki 9:36 NRSV)  When they came back and told him, he said, "This is 
       the word of the LORD, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the 
       Tishbite, 'In the territory of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of 
       Jezebel;

       (2 Ki 9:37 NRSV)  the corpse of Jezebel shall be like dung on the 
       field in the territory of Jezreel, so that no one can say, This is 
       Jezebel.'"

       (2 Ki 10:1 NRSV)  Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. So Jehu wrote 
       letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, to the 
       elders, and to the guardians of the sons of Ahab, saying,

       (2 Ki 10:2 NRSV)  "Since your master's sons are with you and you have 
       at your disposal chariots and horses, a fortified city, and weapons,

       (2 Ki 10:3 NRSV)  select the son of your master who is the best 
       qualified, set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's 
       house."

       (2 Ki 10:4 NRSV)  But they were utterly terrified and said, "Look, two 
       kings could not withstand him; how then can we stand?"

       (2 Ki 10:5 NRSV)  So the steward of the palace, and the governor of 
       the city, along with the elders and the guardians, sent word to Jehu: 
       "We are your servants; we will do anything you say. We will not make 
       anyone king; do whatever you think right."

       (2 Ki 10:6 NRSV)  Then he wrote them a second letter, saying, "If you 
       are on my side, and if you are ready to obey me, take the heads of 
       your master's sons and come to me at Jezreel tomorrow at this time." 
       Now the king's sons, seventy persons, were with the leaders of the 
       city, who were charged with their upbringing.

       (2 Ki 10:7 NRSV)  When the letter reached them, they took the king's 
       sons and killed them, seventy persons; they put their heads in baskets 
       and sent them to him at Jezreel.

       (2 Ki 10:8 NRSV)  When the messenger came and told him, "They have 
       brought the heads of the king's sons," he said, "Lay them in two heaps 
       at the entrance of the gate until the morning."

       (2 Ki 10:9 NRSV)  Then in the morning when he went out, he stood and 
       said to all the people, "You are innocent. It was I who conspired 
       against my master and killed him; but who struck down all these?






       (2 Ki 10:10 NRSV)  Know then that there shall fall to the earth 
       nothing of the word of the LORD, which the LORD spoke concerning the 
       house of Ahab; for the LORD has done what he said through his servant 
       Elijah."

       (2 Ki 10:11 NRSV)  So Jehu killed all who were left of the house of 
       Ahab in Jezreel, all his leaders, close friends, and priests, until he 
       left him no survivor.

       (2 Ki 10:12 NRSV)  Then he set out and went to Samaria. On the way, 
       when he was at Beth-eked of the Shepherds,

       (2 Ki 10:13 NRSV)  Jehu met relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah and 
       said, "Who are you?" They answered, "We are kin of Ahaziah; we have 
       come down to visit the royal princes and the sons of the queen 
       mother."

       (2 Ki 10:14 NRSV)  He said, "Take them alive." They took them alive, 
       and slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two in all; he 
       spared none of them.

       (2 Ki 10:15 NRSV)  When he left there, he met Jehonadab son of Rechab 
       coming to meet him; he greeted him, and said to him, "Is your heart as 
       true to mine as mine is to yours?" Jehonadab answered, "It is." Jehu 
       said, "If it is, give me your hand." So he gave him his hand. Jehu 
       took him up with him into the chariot.

       (2 Ki 10:16 NRSV)  He said, "Come with me, and see my zeal for the 
       LORD." So he had him ride in his chariot.

       (2 Ki 10:17 NRSV)  When he came to Samaria, he killed all who were 
       left to Ahab in Samaria, until he had wiped them out, according to the 
       word of the LORD that he spoke to Elijah.

       (2 Ki 10:18 NRSV)  Then Jehu assembled all the people and said to 
       them, "Ahab offered Baal small service; but Jehu will offer much more.

       (2 Ki 10:19 NRSV)  Now therefore summon to me all the prophets of 
       Baal, all his worshipers, and all his priests; let none be missing, 
       for I have a great sacrifice to offer to Baal; whoever is missing 
       shall not live." But Jehu was acting with cunning in order to destroy 
       the worshipers of Baal.

       (2 Ki 10:20 NRSV)  Jehu decreed, "Sanctify a solemn assembly for 
       Baal." So they proclaimed it.

       (2 Ki 10:21 NRSV)  Jehu sent word throughout all Israel; all the 
       worshipers of Baal came, so that there was no one left who did not 
       come. They entered the temple of Baal, until the temple of Baal was 
       filled from wall to wall.

       (2 Ki 10:22 NRSV)  He said to the keeper of the wardrobe, "Bring out 
       the vestments for all the worshipers of Baal." So he brought out the 
       vestments for them.





       (2 Ki 10:23 NRSV)  Then Jehu entered the temple of Baal with Jehonadab 
       son of Rechab; he said to the worshipers of Baal, "Search and see that 
       there is no worshiper of the LORD here among you, but only worshipers 
       of Baal."

       (2 Ki 10:24 NRSV)  Then they proceeded to offer sacrifices and burnt 
       offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside, saying, "Whoever 
       allows any of those to escape whom I deliver into your hands shall 
       forfeit his life."

       (2 Ki 10:25 NRSV)  As soon as he had finished presenting the burnt 
       offering, Jehu said to the guards and to the officers, "Come in and 
       kill them; let no one escape." So they put them to the sword. The 
       guards and the officers threw them out, and then went into the citadel 
       of the temple of Baal.

       (2 Ki 10:26 NRSV)  They brought out the pillar that was in the temple 
       of Baal, and burned it.

       (2 Ki 10:27 NRSV)  Then they demolished the pillar of Baal, and 
       destroyed the temple of Baal, and made it a latrine to this day.

       (2 Ki 10:28 NRSV)  Thus Jehu wiped out Baal from Israel.

       (2 Ki 10:29 NRSV)  But Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of 
       Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he caused Israel to commit--the golden 
       calves that were in Bethel and in Dan.

       (2 Ki 10:30 NRSV)  The LORD said to Jehu, "Because you have done well 
       in carrying out what I consider right, and in accordance with all that 
       was in my heart have dealt with the house of Ahab, your sons of the 
       fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel."

       (2 Ki 10:31 NRSV)  But Jehu was not careful to follow the law of the 
       LORD the God of Israel with all his heart; he did not turn from the 
       sins of Jeroboam, which he caused Israel to commit.

       (2 Ki 10:32 NRSV)  In those days the LORD began to trim off parts of 
       Israel. Hazael defeated them throughout the territory of Israel:

       (2 Ki 10:33 NRSV)  from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, 
       the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is 
       by the Wadi Arnon, that is, Gilead and Bashan.

       (2 Ki 10:34 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, all that he did, 
       and all his power, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of 
       the Kings of Israel?

       (2 Ki 10:35 NRSV)  So Jehu slept with his ancestors, and they buried 
       him in Samaria. His son Jehoahaz succeeded him.

       (2 Ki 10:36 NRSV)  The time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria 
       was twenty-eight years.

       (2 Ki 11:1 NRSV)  Now when Athaliah, Ahaziah's mother, saw that her 
       son was dead, she set about to destroy all the royal family.






       (2 Ki 11:2 NRSV)  But Jehosheba, King Joram's daughter, Ahaziah's 
       sister, took Joash son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the 
       king's children who were about to be killed; she put him and his nurse 
       in a bedroom. Thus she hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not 
       killed;

       (2 Ki 11:3 NRSV)  he remained with her six years, hidden in the house 
       of the LORD, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

       (2 Ki 11:4 NRSV)  But in the seventh year Jehoiada summoned the 
       captains of the Carites and of the guards and had them come to him in 
       the house of the LORD. He made a covenant with them and put them under 
       oath in the house of the LORD; then he showed them the king's son.

       (2 Ki 11:5 NRSV)  He commanded them, "This is what you are to do: 
       one-third of you, those who go off duty on the sabbath and guard the 
       king's house

       (2 Ki 11:6 NRSV)  (another third being at the gate Sur and a third at 
       the gate behind the guards), shall guard the palace;

       (2 Ki 11:7 NRSV)  and your two divisions that come on duty in force on 
       the sabbath and guard the house of the LORD

       (2 Ki 11:8 NRSV)  shall surround the king, each with weapons in hand; 
       and whoever approaches the ranks is to be killed. Be with the king in 
       his comings and goings."

       (2 Ki 11:9 NRSV)  The captains did according to all that the priest 
       Jehoiada commanded; each brought his men who were to go off duty on 
       the sabbath, with those who were to come on duty on the sabbath, and 
       came to the priest Jehoiada.

       (2 Ki 11:10 NRSV)  The priest delivered to the captains the spears and 
       shields that had been King David's, which were in the house of the 
       LORD;

       (2 Ki 11:11 NRSV)  the guards stood, every man with his weapons in his 
       hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, 
       around the altar and the house, to guard the king on every side.

       (2 Ki 11:12 NRSV)  Then he brought out the king's son, put the crown 
       on him, and gave him the covenant; they proclaimed him king, and 
       anointed him; they clapped their hands and shouted, "Long live the 
       king!"

       (2 Ki 11:13 NRSV)  When Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of 
       the people, she went into the house of the LORD to the people;

       (2 Ki 11:14 NRSV)  when she looked, there was the king standing by the 
       pillar, according to custom, with the captains and the trumpeters 
       beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing 
       trumpets. Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, "Treason! Treason!"

       (2 Ki 11:15 NRSV)  Then the priest Jehoiada commanded the captains who 





       were set over the army, "Bring her out between the ranks, and kill 
       with the sword anyone who follows her." For the priest said, "Let her 
       not be killed in the house of the LORD."

       (2 Ki 11:16 NRSV)  So they laid hands on her; she went through the 
       horses' entrance to the king's house, and there she was put to death.

       (2 Ki 11:17 NRSV)  Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the 
       king and people, that they should be the Lord's people; also between 
       the king and the people.

       (2 Ki 11:18 NRSV)  Then all the people of the land went to the house 
       of Baal, and tore it down; his altars and his images they broke in 
       pieces, and they killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, before the altars. 
       The priest posted guards over the house of the LORD.

       (2 Ki 11:19 NRSV)  He took the captains, the Carites, the guards, and 
       all the people of the land; then they brought the king down from the 
       house of the LORD, marching through the gate of the guards to the 
       king's house. He took his seat on the throne of the kings.

       (2 Ki 11:20 NRSV)  So all the people of the land rejoiced; and the 
       city was quiet after Athaliah had been killed with the sword at the 
       king's house.

       (2 Ki 11:21 NRSV)  Jehoash was seven years old when he began to reign.

       (2 Ki 12:1 NRSV)  In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash began to reign; 
       he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of 
       Beer-sheba.

       (2 Ki 12:2 NRSV)  Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the LORD 
       all his days, because the priest Jehoiada instructed him.

       (2 Ki 12:3 NRSV)  Nevertheless the high places were not taken away; 
       the people continued to sacrifice and make offerings on the high 
       places.

       (2 Ki 12:4 NRSV)  Jehoash said to the priests, "All the money offered 
       as sacred donations that is brought into the house of the LORD, the 
       money for which each person is assessed--the money from the assessment 
       of persons--and the money from the voluntary offerings brought into 
       the house of the LORD,

       (2 Ki 12:5 NRSV)  let the priests receive from each of the donors; and 
       let them repair the house wherever any need of repairs is discovered."

       (2 Ki 12:6 NRSV)  But by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash the 
       priests had made no repairs on the house.

       (2 Ki 12:7 NRSV)  Therefore King Jehoash summoned the priest Jehoiada 
       with the other priests and said to them, "Why are you not repairing 
       the house? Now therefore do not accept any more money from your donors 
       but hand it over for the repair of the house."

       (2 Ki 12:8 NRSV)  So the priests agreed that they would neither accept 





       more money from the people nor repair the house.

       (2 Ki 12:9 NRSV)  Then the priest Jehoiada took a chest, made a hole 
       in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one 
       entered the house of the LORD; the priests who guarded the threshold 
       put in it all the money that was brought into the house of the LORD.

       (2 Ki 12:10 NRSV)  Whenever they saw that there was a great deal of 
       money in the chest, the king's secretary and the high priest went up, 
       counted the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and tied it 
       up in bags.

       (2 Ki 12:11 NRSV)  They would give the money that was weighed out into 
       the hands of the workers who had the oversight of the house of the 
       LORD; then they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who 
       worked on the house of the LORD,

       (2 Ki 12:12 NRSV)  to the masons and the stonecutters, as well as to 
       buy timber and quarried stone for making repairs on the house of the 
       LORD, as well as for any outlay for repairs of the house.

       (2 Ki 12:13 NRSV)  But for the house of the LORD no basins of silver, 
       snuffers, bowls, trumpets, or any vessels of gold, or of silver, were 
       made from the money that was brought into the house of the LORD,

       (2 Ki 12:14 NRSV)  for that was given to the workers who were 
       repairing the house of the LORD with it.

       (2 Ki 12:15 NRSV)  They did not ask an accounting from those into 
       whose hand they delivered the money to pay out to the workers, for 
       they dealt honestly.

       (2 Ki 12:16 NRSV)  The money from the guilt offerings and the money 
       from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the LORD; it 
       belonged to the priests.

       (2 Ki 12:17 NRSV)  At that time King Hazael of Aram went up, fought 
       against Gath, and took it. But when Hazael set his face to go up 
       against Jerusalem,

       (2 Ki 12:18 NRSV)  King Jehoash of Judah took all the votive gifts 
       that Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his ancestors, the kings of 
       Judah, had dedicated, as well as his own votive gifts, all the gold 
       that was found in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and of the 
       king's house, and sent these to King Hazael of Aram. Then Hazael 
       withdrew from Jerusalem.

       (2 Ki 12:19 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he 
       did, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of 
       Judah?

       (2 Ki 12:20 NRSV)  His servants arose, devised a conspiracy, and 
       killed Joash in the house of Millo, on the way that goes down to 
       Silla.

       (2 Ki 12:21 NRSV)  It was Jozacar son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of 





       Shomer, his servants, who struck him down, so that he died. He was 
       buried with his ancestors in the city of David; then his son Amaziah 
       succeeded him.

       (2 Ki 13:1 NRSV)  In the twenty-third year of King Joash son of 
       Ahaziah of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in 
       Samaria; he reigned seventeen years.

       (2 Ki 13:2 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and 
       followed the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he caused Israel to 
       sin; he did not depart from them.

       (2 Ki 13:3 NRSV)  The anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, so 
       that he gave them repeatedly into the hand of King Hazael of Aram, 
       then into the hand of Ben-hadad son of Hazael.

       (2 Ki 13:4 NRSV)  But Jehoahaz entreated the LORD, and the LORD heeded 
       him; for he saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Aram 
       oppressed them.

       (2 Ki 13:5 NRSV)  Therefore the LORD gave Israel a savior, so that 
       they escaped from the hand of the Arameans; and the people of Israel 
       lived in their homes as formerly.

       (2 Ki 13:6 NRSV)  Nevertheless they did not depart from the sins of 
       the house of Jeroboam, which he caused Israel to sin, but walked in 
       them; the sacred pole also remained in Samaria.

       (2 Ki 13:7 NRSV)  So Jehoahaz was left with an army of not more than 
       fifty horsemen, ten chariots and ten thousand footmen; for the king of 
       Aram had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.

       (2 Ki 13:8 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz and all that he 
       did, including his might, are they not written in the Book of the 
       Annals of the Kings of Israel?

       (2 Ki 13:9 NRSV)  So Jehoahaz slept with his ancestors, and they 
       buried him in Samaria; then his son Joash succeeded him.

       (2 Ki 13:10 NRSV)  In the thirty-seventh year of King Joash of Judah, 
       Jehoash son of Jehoahaz began to reign over Israel in Samaria; he 
       reigned sixteen years.

       (2 Ki 13:11 NRSV)  He also did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; 
       he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he 
       caused Israel to sin, but he walked in them.

       (2 Ki 13:12 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he 
       did, as well as the might with which he fought against King Amaziah of 
       Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of 
       Israel?

       (2 Ki 13:13 NRSV)  So Joash slept with his ancestors, and Jeroboam sat 
       upon his throne; Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

       (2 Ki 13:14 NRSV)  Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of 





       which he was to die, King Joash of Israel went down to him, and wept 
       before him, crying, "My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and 
       its horsemen!"

       (2 Ki 13:15 NRSV)  Elisha said to him, "Take a bow and arrows"; so he 
       took a bow and arrows.

       (2 Ki 13:16 NRSV)  Then he said to the king of Israel, "Draw the bow"; 
       and he drew it. Elisha laid his hands on the king's hands.

       (2 Ki 13:17 NRSV)  Then he said, "Open the window eastward"; and he 
       opened it. Elisha said, "Shoot"; and he shot. Then he said, "The 
       Lord's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram! For you shall 
       fight the Arameans in Aphek until you have made an end of them."

       (2 Ki 13:18 NRSV)  He continued, "Take the arrows"; and he took them. 
       He said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground with them"; he 
       struck three times, and stopped.

       (2 Ki 13:19 NRSV)  Then the man of God was angry with him, and said, 
       "You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck 
       down Aram until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike 
       down Aram only three times."

       (2 Ki 13:20 NRSV)  So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of 
       Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year.

       (2 Ki 13:21 NRSV)  As a man was being buried, a marauding band was 
       seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha; as soon as the 
       man touched the bones of Elisha, he came to life and stood on his 
       feet.

       (2 Ki 13:22 NRSV)  Now King Hazael of Aram oppressed Israel all the 
       days of Jehoahaz.

       (2 Ki 13:23 NRSV)  But the LORD was gracious to them and had 
       compassion on them; he turned toward them, because of his covenant 
       with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them; nor has he 
       banished them from his presence until now.

       (2 Ki 13:24 NRSV)  When King Hazael of Aram died, his son Ben-hadad 
       succeeded him.

       (2 Ki 13:25 NRSV)  Then Jehoash son of Jehoahaz took again from 
       Ben-hadad son of Hazael the towns that he had taken from his father 
       Jehoahaz in war. Three times Joash defeated him and recovered the 
       towns of Israel.

       (2 Ki 14:1 NRSV)  In the second year of King Joash son of Joahaz of 
       Israel, King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah, began to reign.

       (2 Ki 14:2 NRSV)  He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, 
       and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was 
       Jehoaddin of Jerusalem.

       (2 Ki 14:3 NRSV)  He did what was right in the sight of the LORD, yet 





       not like his ancestor David; in all things he did as his father Joash 
       had done.

       (2 Ki 14:4 NRSV)  But the high places were not removed; the people 
       still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.

       (2 Ki 14:5 NRSV)  As soon as the royal power was firmly in his hand he 
       killed his servants who had murdered his father the king.

       (2 Ki 14:6 NRSV)  But he did not put to death the children of the 
       murderers; according to what is written in the book of the law of 
       Moses, where the LORD commanded, "The parents shall not be put to 
       death for the children, or the children be put to death for the 
       parents; but all shall be put to death for their own sins."

       (2 Ki 14:7 NRSV)  He killed ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of 
       Salt and took Sela by storm; he called it Jokthe-el, which is its name 
       to this day.

       (2 Ki 14:8 NRSV)  Then Amaziah sent messengers to King Jehoash son of 
       Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, of Israel, saying, "Come, let us look one 
       another in the face."

       (2 Ki 14:9 NRSV)  King Jehoash of Israel sent word to King Amaziah of 
       Judah, "A thornbush on Lebanon sent to a cedar on Lebanon, saying, 
       'Give your daughter to my son for a wife'; but a wild animal of 
       Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thornbush.

       (2 Ki 14:10 NRSV)  You have indeed defeated Edom, and your heart has 
       lifted you up. Be content with your glory, and stay at home; for why 
       should you provoke trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you?"

       (2 Ki 14:11 NRSV)  But Amaziah would not listen. So King Jehoash of 
       Israel went up; he and King Amaziah of Judah faced one another in 
       battle at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah.

       (2 Ki 14:12 NRSV)  Judah was defeated by Israel; everyone fled home.

       (2 Ki 14:13 NRSV)  King Jehoash of Israel captured King Amaziah of 
       Judah son of Jehoash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh; he came to 
       Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate 
       to the Corner Gate, a distance of four hundred cubits.

       (2 Ki 14:14 NRSV)  He seized all the gold and silver, and all the 
       vessels that were found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries 
       of the king's house, as well as hostages; then he returned to Samaria.

       (2 Ki 14:15 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts that Jehoash did, his 
       might, and how he fought with King Amaziah of Judah, are they not 
       written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel?

       (2 Ki 14:16 NRSV)  Jehoash slept with his ancestors, and was buried in 
       Samaria with the kings of Israel; then his son Jeroboam succeeded him.

       (2 Ki 14:17 NRSV)  King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived fifteen 
       years after the death of King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz of Israel.






       (2 Ki 14:18 NRSV)  Now the rest of the deeds of Amaziah, are they not 
       written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah?

       (2 Ki 14:19 NRSV)  They made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, 
       and he fled to Lachish. But they sent after him to Lachish, and killed 
       him there.

       (2 Ki 14:20 NRSV)  They brought him on horses; he was buried in 
       Jerusalem with his ancestors in the city of David.

       (2 Ki 14:21 NRSV)  All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was 
       sixteen years old, and made him king to succeed his father Amaziah.

       (2 Ki 14:22 NRSV)  He rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah, after 
       King Amaziah slept with his ancestors.

       (2 Ki 14:23 NRSV)  In the fifteenth year of King Amaziah son of Joash 
       of Judah, King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel began to reign in 
       Samaria; he reigned forty-one years.

       (2 Ki 14:24 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; he 
       did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he 
       caused Israel to sin.

       (2 Ki 14:25 NRSV)  He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath 
       as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, 
       the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah son of Amittai, 
       the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher.

       (2 Ki 14:26 NRSV)  For the LORD saw that the distress of Israel was 
       very bitter; there was no one left, bond or free, and no one to help 
       Israel.

       (2 Ki 14:27 NRSV)  But the LORD had not said that he would blot out 
       the name of Israel from under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of 
       Jeroboam son of Joash.

       (2 Ki 14:28 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that 
       he did, and his might, how he fought, and how he recovered for Israel 
       Damascus and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah, are they not written 
       in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel?

       (2 Ki 14:29 NRSV)  Jeroboam slept with his ancestors, the kings of 
       Israel; his son Zechariah succeeded him.

       (2 Ki 15:1 NRSV)  In the twenty-seventh year of King Jeroboam of 
       Israel King Azariah son of Amaziah of Judah began to reign.

       (2 Ki 15:2 NRSV)  He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and 
       he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was 
       Jecoliah of Jerusalem.

       (2 Ki 15:3 NRSV)  He did what was right in the sight of the LORD, just 
       as his father Amaziah had done.





       (2 Ki 15:4 NRSV)  Nevertheless the high places were not taken away; 
       the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.

       (2 Ki 15:5 NRSV)  The LORD struck the king, so that he was leprous to 
       the day of his death, and lived in a separate house. Jotham the king's 
       son was in charge of the palace, governing the people of the land.

       (2 Ki 15:6 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he 
       did, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of 
       Judah?

       (2 Ki 15:7 NRSV)  Azariah slept with his ancestors; they buried him 
       with his ancestors in the city of David; his son Jotham succeeded him.

       (2 Ki 15:8 NRSV)  In the thirty-eighth year of King Azariah of Judah, 
       Zechariah son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria six months.

       (2 Ki 15:9 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as 
       his ancestors had done. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam 
       son of Nebat, which he caused Israel to sin.

       (2 Ki 15:10 NRSV)  Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against him, and 
       struck him down in public and killed him, and reigned in place of him.

       (2 Ki 15:11 NRSV)  Now the rest of the deeds of Zechariah are written 
       in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel.

       (2 Ki 15:12 NRSV)  This was the promise of the LORD that he gave to 
       Jehu, "Your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth 
       generation." And so it happened.

       (2 Ki 15:13 NRSV)  Shallum son of Jabesh began to reign in the 
       thirty-ninth year of King Uzziah of Judah; he reigned one month in 
       Samaria.

       (2 Ki 15:14 NRSV)  Then Menahem son of Gadi came up from Tirzah and 
       came to Samaria; he struck down Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria and 
       killed him; he reigned in place of him.

       (2 Ki 15:15 NRSV)  Now the rest of the deeds of Shallum, including the 
       conspiracy that he made, are written in the Book of the Annals of the 
       Kings of Israel.

       (2 Ki 15:16 NRSV)  At that time Menahem sacked Tiphsah, all who were 
       in it and its territory from Tirzah on; because they did not open it 
       to him, he sacked it. He ripped open all the pregnant women in it.

       (2 Ki 15:17 NRSV)  In the thirty-ninth year of King Azariah of Judah, 
       Menahem son of Gadi began to reign over Israel; he reigned ten years 
       in Samaria.

       (2 Ki 15:18 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; he 
       did not depart all his days from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of 
       Nebat, which he caused Israel to sin.

       (2 Ki 15:19 NRSV)  King Pul of Assyria came against the land; Menahem 





       gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, so that he might help him 
       confirm his hold on the royal power.

       (2 Ki 15:20 NRSV)  Menahem exacted the money from Israel, that is, 
       from all the wealthy, fifty shekels of silver from each one, to give 
       to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back, and did 
       not stay there in the land.

       (2 Ki 15:21 NRSV)  Now the rest of the deeds of Menahem, and all that 
       he did, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of 
       Israel?

       (2 Ki 15:22 NRSV)  Menahem slept with his ancestors, and his son 
       Pekahiah succeeded him.

       (2 Ki 15:23 NRSV)  In the fiftieth year of King Azariah of Judah, 
       Pekahiah son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria; he 
       reigned two years.

       (2 Ki 15:24 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; he 
       did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he 
       caused Israel to sin.

       (2 Ki 15:25 NRSV)  Pekah son of Remaliah, his captain, conspired 
       against him with fifty of the Gileadites, and attacked him in Samaria, 
       in the citadel of the palace along with Argob and Arieh; he killed 
       him, and reigned in place of him.

       (2 Ki 15:26 NRSV)  Now the rest of the deeds of Pekahiah, and all that 
       he did, are written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel.

       (2 Ki 15:27 NRSV)  In the fifty-second year of King Azariah of Judah, 
       Pekah son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria; he 
       reigned twenty years.

       (2 Ki 15:28 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; he 
       did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he caused 
       Israel to sin.

       (2 Ki 15:29 NRSV)  In the days of King Pekah of Israel, King 
       Tiglath-pileser of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, 
       Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; 
       and he carried the people captive to Assyria.

       (2 Ki 15:30 NRSV)  Then Hoshea son of Elah made a conspiracy against 
       Pekah son of Remaliah, attacked him, and killed him; he reigned in 
       place of him, in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.

       (2 Ki 15:31 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Pekah, and all that he 
       did, are written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel.

       (2 Ki 15:32 NRSV)  In the second year of King Pekah son of Remaliah of 
       Israel, King Jotham son of Uzziah of Judah began to reign.

       (2 Ki 15:33 NRSV)  He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign 
       and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerusha 





       daughter of Zadok.

       (2 Ki 15:34 NRSV)  He did what was right in the sight of the LORD, 
       just as his father Uzziah had done.

       (2 Ki 15:35 NRSV)  Nevertheless the high places were not removed; the 
       people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. He 
       built the upper gate of the house of the LORD.

       (2 Ki 15:36 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he 
       did, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of 
       Judah?

       (2 Ki 15:37 NRSV)  In those days the LORD began to send King Rezin of 
       Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.

       (2 Ki 15:38 NRSV)  Jotham slept with his ancestors, and was buried 
       with his ancestors in the city of David, his ancestor; his son Ahaz 
       succeeded him.

       (2 Ki 16:1 NRSV)  In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, 
       King Ahaz son of Jotham of Judah began to reign.

       (2 Ki 16:2 NRSV)  Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign; he 
       reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in 
       the sight of the LORD his God, as his ancestor David had done,

       (2 Ki 16:3 NRSV)  but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He 
       even made his son pass through fire, according to the abominable 
       practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of 
       Israel.

       (2 Ki 16:4 NRSV)  He sacrificed and made offerings on the high places, 
       on the hills, and under every green tree.

       (2 Ki 16:5 NRSV)  Then King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah son of 
       Remaliah of Israel came up to wage war on Jerusalem; they besieged 
       Ahaz but could not conquer him.

       (2 Ki 16:6 NRSV)  At that time the king of Edom recovered Elath for 
       Edom, and drove the Judeans from Elath; and the Edomites came to 
       Elath, where they live to this day.

       (2 Ki 16:7 NRSV)  Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-pileser of 
       Assyria, saying, "I am your servant and your son. Come up, and rescue 
       me from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of 
       Israel, who are attacking me."

       (2 Ki 16:8 NRSV)  Ahaz also took the silver and gold found in the 
       house of the LORD and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent a 
       present to the king of Assyria.

       (2 Ki 16:9 NRSV)  The king of Assyria listened to him; the king of 
       Assyria marched up against Damascus, and took it, carrying its people 
       captive to Kir; then he killed Rezin.





       (2 Ki 16:10 NRSV)  When King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet King 
       Tiglath-pileser of Assyria, he saw the altar that was at Damascus. 
       King Ahaz sent to the priest Uriah a model of the altar, and its 
       pattern, exact in all its details.

       (2 Ki 16:11 NRSV)  The priest Uriah built the altar; in accordance 
       with all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, just so did the priest 
       Uriah build it, before King Ahaz arrived from Damascus.

       (2 Ki 16:12 NRSV)  When the king came from Damascus, the king viewed 
       the altar. Then the king drew near to the altar, went up on it,

       (2 Ki 16:13 NRSV)  and offered his burnt offering and his grain 
       offering, poured his drink offering, and dashed the blood of his 
       offerings of well-being against the altar.

       (2 Ki 16:14 NRSV)  The bronze altar that was before the LORD he 
       removed from the front of the house, from the place between his altar 
       and the house of the LORD, and put it on the north side of his altar.

       (2 Ki 16:15 NRSV)  King Ahaz commanded the priest Uriah, saying, "Upon 
       the great altar offer the morning burnt offering, and the evening 
       grain offering, and the king's burnt offering, and his grain offering, 
       with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their grain 
       offering, and their drink offering; then dash against it all the blood 
       of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice; but the 
       bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by."

       (2 Ki 16:16 NRSV)  The priest Uriah did everything that King Ahaz 
       commanded.

       (2 Ki 16:17 NRSV)  Then King Ahaz cut off the frames of the stands, 
       and removed the laver from them; he removed the sea from the bronze 
       oxen that were under it, and put it on a pediment of stone.

       (2 Ki 16:18 NRSV)  The covered portal for use on the sabbath that had 
       been built inside the palace, and the outer entrance for the king he 
       removed from the house of the LORD. He did this because of the king of 
       Assyria.

       (2 Ki 16:19 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz that he did, are 
       they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah?

       (2 Ki 16:20 NRSV)  Ahaz slept with his ancestors, and was buried with 
       his ancestors in the city of David; his son Hezekiah succeeded him.

       (2 Ki 17:1 NRSV)  In the twelfth year of King Ahaz of Judah, Hoshea 
       son of Elah began to reign in Samaria over Israel; he reigned nine 
       years.

       (2 Ki 17:2 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, yet 
       not like the kings of Israel who were before him.

       (2 Ki 17:3 NRSV)  King Shalmaneser of Assyria came up against him; 
       Hoshea became his vassal, and paid him tribute.





       (2 Ki 17:4 NRSV)  But the king of Assyria found treachery in Hoshea; 
       for he had sent messengers to King So of Egypt, and offered no tribute 
       to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; therefore the 
       king of Assyria confined him and imprisoned him.

       (2 Ki 17:5 NRSV)  Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and 
       came to Samaria; for three years he besieged it.

       (2 Ki 17:6 NRSV)  In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria 
       captured Samaria; he carried the Israelites away to Assyria. He placed 
       them in Halah, on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of 
       the Medes.

       (2 Ki 17:7 NRSV)  This occurred because the people of Israel had 
       sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the 
       land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had 
       worshiped other gods

       (2 Ki 17:8 NRSV)  and walked in the customs of the nations whom the 
       LORD drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that 
       the kings of Israel had introduced.

       (2 Ki 17:9 NRSV)  The people of Israel secretly did things that were 
       not right against the LORD their God. They built for themselves high 
       places at all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city;

       (2 Ki 17:10 NRSV)  they set up for themselves pillars and sacred poles 
       on every high hill and under every green tree;

       (2 Ki 17:11 NRSV)  there they made offerings on all the high places, 
       as the nations did whom the LORD carried away before them. They did 
       wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger;

       (2 Ki 17:12 NRSV)  they served idols, of which the LORD had said to 
       them, "You shall not do this."

       (2 Ki 17:13 NRSV)  Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every 
       prophet and every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways and keep my 
       commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the law that I 
       commanded your ancestors and that I sent to you by my servants the 
       prophets."

       (2 Ki 17:14 NRSV)  They would not listen but were stubborn, as their 
       ancestors had been, who did not believe in the LORD their God.

       (2 Ki 17:15 NRSV)  They despised his statutes, and his covenant that 
       he made with their ancestors, and the warnings that he gave them. They 
       went after false idols and became false; they followed the nations 
       that were around them, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them 
       that they should not do as they did.

       (2 Ki 17:16 NRSV)  They rejected all the commandments of the LORD 
       their God and made for themselves cast images of two calves; they made 
       a sacred pole, worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.

       (2 Ki 17:17 NRSV)  They made their sons and their daughters pass 





       through fire; they used divination and augury; and they sold 
       themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to 
       anger.

       (2 Ki 17:18 NRSV)  Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and 
       removed them out of his sight; none was left but the tribe of Judah 
       alone.

       (2 Ki 17:19 NRSV)  Judah also did not keep the commandments of the 
       LORD their God but walked in the customs that Israel had introduced.

       (2 Ki 17:20 NRSV)  The LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel; he 
       punished them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until he had 
       banished them from his presence.

       (2 Ki 17:21 NRSV)  When he had torn Israel from the house of David, 
       they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king. Jeroboam drove Israel from 
       following the LORD and made them commit great sin.

       (2 Ki 17:22 NRSV)  The people of Israel continued in all the sins that 
       Jeroboam committed; they did not depart from them

       (2 Ki 17:23 NRSV)  until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as 
       he had foretold through all his servants the prophets. So Israel was 
       exiled from their own land to Assyria until this day.

       (2 Ki 17:24 NRSV)  The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, 
       Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of 
       Samaria in place of the people of Israel; they took possession of 
       Samaria, and settled in its cities.

       (2 Ki 17:25 NRSV)  When they first settled there, they did not worship 
       the LORD; therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which killed some 
       of them.

       (2 Ki 17:26 NRSV)  So the king of Assyria was told, "The nations that 
       you have carried away and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know 
       the law of the god of the land; therefore he has sent lions among 
       them; they are killing them, because they do not know the law of the 
       god of the land."

       (2 Ki 17:27 NRSV)  Then the king of Assyria commanded, "Send there one 
       of the priests whom you carried away from there; let him go and live 
       there, and teach them the law of the god of the land."

       (2 Ki 17:28 NRSV)  So one of the priests whom they had carried away 
       from Samaria came and lived in Bethel; he taught them how they should 
       worship the LORD.

       (2 Ki 17:29 NRSV)  But every nation still made gods of its own and put 
       them in the shrines of the high places that the people of Samaria had 
       made, every nation in the cities in which they lived;

       (2 Ki 17:30 NRSV)  the people of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the 
       people of Cuth made Nergal, the people of Hamath made Ashima;





       (2 Ki 17:31 NRSV)  the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; the Sepharvites 
       burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the 
       gods of Sepharvaim.

       (2 Ki 17:32 NRSV)  They also worshiped the LORD and appointed from 
       among themselves all sorts of people as priests of the high places, 
       who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places.

       (2 Ki 17:33 NRSV)  So they worshiped the LORD but also served their 
       own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had 
       been carried away.

       (2 Ki 17:34 NRSV)  To this day they continue to practice their former 
       customs. They do not worship the LORD and they do not follow the 
       statutes or the ordinances or the law or the commandment that the LORD 
       commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel.

       (2 Ki 17:35 NRSV)  The LORD had made a covenant with them and 
       commanded them, "You shall not worship other gods or bow yourselves to 
       them or serve them or sacrifice to them,

       (2 Ki 17:36 NRSV)  but you shall worship the LORD, who brought you out 
       of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm; 
       you shall bow yourselves to him, and to him you shall sacrifice.

       (2 Ki 17:37 NRSV)  The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the 
       commandment that he wrote for you, you shall always be careful to 
       observe. You shall not worship other gods;

       (2 Ki 17:38 NRSV)  you shall not forget the covenant that I have made 
       with you. You shall not worship other gods,

       (2 Ki 17:39 NRSV)  but you shall worship the LORD your God; he will 
       deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies."

       (2 Ki 17:40 NRSV)  They would not listen, however, but they continued 
       to practice their former custom.

       (2 Ki 17:41 NRSV)  So these nations worshiped the LORD, but also 
       served their carved images; to this day their children and their 
       children's children continue to do as their ancestors did.

       (2 Ki 18:1 NRSV)  In the third year of King Hoshea son of Elah of 
       Israel, Hezekiah son of King Ahaz of Judah began to reign.

       (2 Ki 18:2 NRSV)  He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; 
       he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi 
       daughter of Zechariah.

       (2 Ki 18:3 NRSV)  He did what was right in the sight of the LORD just 
       as his ancestor David had done.

       (2 Ki 18:4 NRSV)  He removed the high places, broke down the pillars, 
       and cut down the sacred pole. He broke in pieces the bronze serpent 
       that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had 
       made offerings to it; it was called Nehushtan.






       (2 Ki 18:5 NRSV)  He trusted in the LORD the God of Israel; so that 
       there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah after him, or 
       among those who were before him.

       (2 Ki 18:6 NRSV)  For he held fast to the LORD; he did not depart from 
       following him but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses.

       (2 Ki 18:7 NRSV)  The LORD was with him; wherever he went, he 
       prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve 
       him.

       (2 Ki 18:8 NRSV)  He attacked the Philistines as far as Gaza and its 
       territory, from watchtower to fortified city.

       (2 Ki 18:9 NRSV)  In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the 
       seventh year of King Hoshea son of Elah of Israel, King Shalmaneser of 
       Assyria came up against Samaria, besieged it,

       (2 Ki 18:10 NRSV)  and at the end of three years, took it. In the 
       sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of King Hoshea of 
       Israel, Samaria was taken.

       (2 Ki 18:11 NRSV)  The king of Assyria carried the Israelites away to 
       Assyria, settled them in Halah, on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and 
       in the cities of the Medes,

       (2 Ki 18:12 NRSV)  because they did not obey the voice of the LORD 
       their God but transgressed his covenant--all that Moses the servant of 
       the LORD had commanded; they neither listened nor obeyed.

       (2 Ki 18:13 NRSV)  In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, King 
       Sennacherib of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of 
       Judah and captured them.

       (2 Ki 18:14 NRSV)  King Hezekiah of Judah sent to the king of Assyria 
       at Lachish, saying, "I have done wrong; withdraw from me; whatever you 
       impose on me I will bear." The king of Assyria demanded of King 
       Hezekiah of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents 
       of gold.

       (2 Ki 18:15 NRSV)  Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in 
       the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king's house.

       (2 Ki 18:16 NRSV)  At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the 
       doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the doorposts that King 
       Hezekiah of Judah had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria.

       (2 Ki 18:17 NRSV)  The king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, 
       and the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at 
       Jerusalem. They went up and came to Jerusalem. When they arrived, they 
       came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is on the 
       highway to the Fuller's Field.

       (2 Ki 18:18 NRSV)  When they called for the king, there came out to 
       them Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, and 





       Shebnah the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder.

       (2 Ki 18:19 NRSV)  The Rabshakeh said to them, "Say to Hezekiah: Thus 
       says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you base this 
       confidence of yours?

       (2 Ki 18:20 NRSV)  Do you think that mere words are strategy and power 
       for war? On whom do you now rely, that you have rebelled against me?

       (2 Ki 18:21 NRSV)  See, you are relying now on Egypt, that broken reed 
       of a staff, which will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such 
       is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him.

       (2 Ki 18:22 NRSV)  But if you say to me, 'We rely on the LORD our 
       God,' is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, 
       saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, 'You shall worship before this altar 
       in Jerusalem'?

       (2 Ki 18:23 NRSV)  Come now, make a wager with my master the king of 
       Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your 
       part to set riders on them.

       (2 Ki 18:24 NRSV)  How then can you repulse a single captain among the 
       least of my master's servants, when you rely on Egypt for chariots and 
       for horsemen?

       (2 Ki 18:25 NRSV)  Moreover, is it without the LORD that I have come 
       up against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up 
       against this land, and destroy it."

       (2 Ki 18:26 NRSV)  Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah 
       said to the Rabshakeh, "Please speak to your servants in the Aramaic 
       language, for we understand it; do not speak to us in the language of 
       Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall."

       (2 Ki 18:27 NRSV)  But the Rabshakeh said to them, "Has my master sent 
       me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the 
       people sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own 
       dung and to drink their own urine?"

       (2 Ki 18:28 NRSV)  Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud 
       voice in the language of Judah, "Hear the word of the great king, the 
       king of Assyria!

       (2 Ki 18:29 NRSV)  Thus says the king: 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive 
       you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand.

       (2 Ki 18:30 NRSV)  Do not let Hezekiah make you rely on the LORD by 
       saying, The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city will not be 
       given into the hand of the king of Assyria.'

       (2 Ki 18:31 NRSV)  Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king 
       of Assyria: 'Make your peace with me and come out to me; then every 
       one of you will eat from your own vine and your own fig tree, and 
       drink water from your own cistern,





       (2 Ki 18:32 NRSV)  until I come and take you away to a land like your 
       own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a 
       land of olive oil and honey, that you may live and not die. Do not 
       listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, The LORD will 
       deliver us.

       (2 Ki 18:33 NRSV)  Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered 
       its land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

       (2 Ki 18:34 NRSV)  Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are 
       the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria 
       out of my hand?

       (2 Ki 18:35 NRSV)  Who among all the gods of the countries have 
       delivered their countries out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver 
       Jerusalem out of my hand?'"

       (2 Ki 18:36 NRSV)  But the people were silent and answered him not a 
       word, for the king's command was, "Do not answer him."

       (2 Ki 18:37 NRSV)  Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of 
       the palace, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the 
       recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him the 
       words of the Rabshakeh.

       (2 Ki 19:1 NRSV)  When King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, 
       covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.

       (2 Ki 19:2 NRSV)  And he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the 
       palace, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with 
       sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.

       (2 Ki 19:3 NRSV)  They said to him, "Thus says Hezekiah, This day is a 
       day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the 
       birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth.

       (2 Ki 19:4 NRSV)  It may be that the LORD your God heard all the words 
       of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock 
       the living God, and will rebuke the words that the LORD your God has 
       heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left."

       (2 Ki 19:5 NRSV)  When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah,

       (2 Ki 19:6 NRSV)  Isaiah said to them, "Say to your master, 'Thus says 
       the LORD: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, 
       with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me.

       (2 Ki 19:7 NRSV)  I myself will put a spirit in him, so that he shall 
       hear a rumor and return to his own land; I will cause him to fall by 
       the sword in his own land.'"

       (2 Ki 19:8 NRSV)  The Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of 
       Assyria fighting against Libnah; for he had heard that the king had 
       left Lachish.

       (2 Ki 19:9 NRSV)  When the king heard concerning King Tirhakah of 





       Ethiopia, "See, he has set out to fight against you," he sent 
       messengers again to Hezekiah, saying,

       (2 Ki 19:10 NRSV)  "Thus shall you speak to King Hezekiah of Judah: Do 
       not let your God on whom you rely deceive you by promising that 
       Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.

       (2 Ki 19:11 NRSV)  See, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have 
       done to all lands, destroying them utterly. Shall you be delivered?

       (2 Ki 19:12 NRSV)  Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the 
       nations that my predecessors destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the 
       people of Eden who were in Telassar?

       (2 Ki 19:13 NRSV)  Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the 
       king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of 
       Ivvah?"

       (2 Ki 19:14 NRSV)  Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the 
       messengers and read it; then Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD 
       and spread it before the LORD.

       (2 Ki 19:15 NRSV)  And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said: "O 
       LORD the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, you are 
       God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven 
       and earth.

       (2 Ki 19:16 NRSV)  Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, 
       O LORD, and see; hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to 
       mock the living God.

       (2 Ki 19:17 NRSV)  Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste 
       the nations and their lands,

       (2 Ki 19:18 NRSV)  and have hurled their gods into the fire, though 
       they were no gods but the work of human hands--wood and stone--and so 
       they were destroyed.

       (2 Ki 19:19 NRSV)  So now, O LORD our God, save us, I pray you, from 
       his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O 
       LORD, are God alone."

       (2 Ki 19:20 NRSV)  Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, 
       "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I have heard your prayer to me 
       about King Sennacherib of Assyria.

       (2 Ki 19:21 NRSV)  This is the word that the LORD has spoken 
       concerning him: She despises you, she scorns you-- virgin daughter 
       Zion; she tosses her head--behind your back, daughter Jerusalem.

       (2 Ki 19:22 NRSV)  Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have 
       you raised your voice and haughtily lifted your eyes? Against the Holy 
       One of Israel!

       (2 Ki 19:23 NRSV)  By your messengers you have mocked the Lord, and 
       you have said, 'With my many chariots I have gone up the heights of 





       the mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon; I felled its tallest 
       cedars, its choicest cypresses; I entered its farthest retreat, its 
       densest forest.

       (2 Ki 19:24 NRSV)  I dug wells and drank foreign waters, I dried up 
       with the sole of my foot all the streams of Egypt.'

       (2 Ki 19:25 NRSV)  Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I 
       planned from days of old what now I bring to pass, that you should 
       make fortified cities crash into heaps of ruins,

       (2 Ki 19:26 NRSV)  while their inhabitants, shorn of strength, are 
       dismayed and confounded; they have become like plants of the field and 
       like tender grass, like grass on the housetops, blighted before it is 
       grown.

       (2 Ki 19:27 NRSV)  "But I know your rising and your sitting, your 
       going out and coming in, and your raging against me.

       (2 Ki 19:28 NRSV)  Because you have raged against me and your 
       arrogance has come to my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my 
       bit in your mouth; I will turn you back on the way by which you came.

       (2 Ki 19:29 NRSV)  "And this shall be the sign for you: This year you 
       shall eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs 
       from that; then in the third year sow, reap, plant vineyards, and eat 
       their fruit.

       (2 Ki 19:30 NRSV)  The surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall 
       again take root downward, and bear fruit upward;

       (2 Ki 19:31 NRSV)  for from Jerusalem a remnant shall go out, and from 
       Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do 
       this.

       (2 Ki 19:32 NRSV)  "Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king 
       of Assyria: He shall not come into this city, shoot an arrow there, 
       come before it with a shield, or cast up a siege ramp against it.

       (2 Ki 19:33 NRSV)  By the way that he came, by the same he shall 
       return; he shall not come into this city, says the LORD.

       (2 Ki 19:34 NRSV)  For I will defend this city to save it, for my own 
       sake and for the sake of my servant David."

       (2 Ki 19:35 NRSV)  That very night the angel of the LORD set out and 
       struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the 
       Assyrians; when morning dawned, they were all dead bodies.

       (2 Ki 19:36 NRSV)  Then King Sennacherib of Assyria left, went home, 
       and lived at Nineveh.

       (2 Ki 19:37 NRSV)  As he was worshiping in the house of his god 
       Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword, 
       and they escaped into the land of Ararat. His son Esar-haddon 
       succeeded him.






       (2 Ki 20:1 NRSV)  In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the 
       point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him, and said 
       to him, "Thus says the LORD: Set your house in order, for you shall 
       die; you shall not recover."

       (2 Ki 20:2 NRSV)  Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed 
       to the LORD:

       (2 Ki 20:3 NRSV)  "Remember now, O LORD, I implore you, how I have 
       walked before you in faithfulness with a whole heart, and have done 
       what is good in your sight." Hezekiah wept bitterly.

       (2 Ki 20:4 NRSV)  Before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the 
       word of the LORD came to him:

       (2 Ki 20:5 NRSV)  "Turn back, and say to Hezekiah prince of my people, 
       Thus says the LORD, the God of your ancestor David: I have heard your 
       prayer, I have seen your tears; indeed, I will heal you; on the third 
       day you shall go up to the house of the LORD.

       (2 Ki 20:6 NRSV)  I will add fifteen years to your life. I will 
       deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; I 
       will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's 
       sake."

       (2 Ki 20:7 NRSV)  Then Isaiah said, "Bring a lump of figs. Let them 
       take it and apply it to the boil, so that he may recover."

       (2 Ki 20:8 NRSV)  Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "What shall be the sign 
       that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the 
       LORD on the third day?"

       (2 Ki 20:9 NRSV)  Isaiah said, "This is the sign to you from the LORD, 
       that the LORD will do the thing that he has promised: the shadow has 
       now advanced ten intervals; shall it retreat ten intervals?"

       (2 Ki 20:10 NRSV)  Hezekiah answered, "It is normal for the shadow to 
       lengthen ten intervals; rather let the shadow retreat ten intervals."

       (2 Ki 20:11 NRSV)  The prophet Isaiah cried to the LORD; and he 
       brought the shadow back the ten intervals, by which the sun had 
       declined on the dial of Ahaz.

       (2 Ki 20:12 NRSV)  At that time King Merodach-baladan son of Baladan 
       of Babylon sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he 
       had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.

       (2 Ki 20:13 NRSV)  Hezekiah welcomed them; he showed them all his 
       treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, 
       his armory, all that was found in his storehouses; there was nothing 
       in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.

       (2 Ki 20:14 NRSV)  Then the prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah, and 
       said to him, "What did these men say? From where did they come to 
       you?" Hezekiah answered, "They have come from a far country, from 





       Babylon."

       (2 Ki 20:15 NRSV)  He said, "What have they seen in your house?" 
       Hezekiah answered, "They have seen all that is in my house; there is 
       nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them."

       (2 Ki 20:16 NRSV)  Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the 
       LORD:

       (2 Ki 20:17 NRSV)  Days are coming when all that is in your house, and 
       that which your ancestors have stored up until this day, shall be 
       carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the LORD.

       (2 Ki 20:18 NRSV)  Some of your own sons who are born to you shall be 
       taken away; they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of 
       Babylon."

       (2 Ki 20:19 NRSV)  Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The word of the LORD 
       that you have spoken is good." For he thought, "Why not, if there will 
       be peace and security in my days?"

       (2 Ki 20:20 NRSV)  The rest of the deeds of Hezekiah, all his power, 
       how he made the pool and the conduit and brought water into the city, 
       are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah?

       (2 Ki 20:21 NRSV)  Hezekiah slept with his ancestors; and his son 
       Manasseh succeeded him.

       (2 Ki 21:1 NRSV)  Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to 
       reign; he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was 
       Hephzibah.

       (2 Ki 21:2 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, 
       following the abominable practices of the nations that the LORD drove 
       out before the people of Israel.

       (2 Ki 21:3 NRSV)  For he rebuilt the high places that his father 
       Hezekiah had destroyed; he erected altars for Baal, made a sacred 
       pole, as King Ahab of Israel had done, worshiped all the host of 
       heaven, and served them.

       (2 Ki 21:4 NRSV)  He built altars in the house of the LORD, of which 
       the LORD had said, "In Jerusalem I will put my name."

       (2 Ki 21:5 NRSV)  He built altars for all the host of heaven in the 
       two courts of the house of the LORD.

       (2 Ki 21:6 NRSV)  He made his son pass through fire; he practiced 
       soothsaying and augury, and dealt with mediums and with wizards. He 
       did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger.

       (2 Ki 21:7 NRSV)  The carved image of Asherah that he had made he set 
       in the house of which the LORD said to David and to his son Solomon, 
       "In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the 
       tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever;





       (2 Ki 21:8 NRSV)  I will not cause the feet of Israel to wander any 
       more out of the land that I gave to their ancestors, if only they will 
       be careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and 
       according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them."

       (2 Ki 21:9 NRSV)  But they did not listen; Manasseh misled them to do 
       more evil than the nations had done that the LORD destroyed before the 
       people of Israel.

       (2 Ki 21:10 NRSV)  The LORD said by his servants the prophets,

       (2 Ki 21:11 NRSV)  "Because King Manasseh of Judah has committed these 
       abominations, has done things more wicked than all that the Amorites 
       did, who were before him, and has caused Judah also to sin with his 
       idols;

       (2 Ki 21:12 NRSV)  therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, I 
       am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such evil that the ears of 
       everyone who hears of it will tingle.

       (2 Ki 21:13 NRSV)  I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line 
       for Samaria, and the plummet for the house of Ahab; I will wipe 
       Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.

       (2 Ki 21:14 NRSV)  I will cast off the remnant of my heritage, and 
       give them into the hand of their enemies; they shall become a prey and 
       a spoil to all their enemies,

       (2 Ki 21:15 NRSV)  because they have done what is evil in my sight and 
       have provoked me to anger, since the day their ancestors came out of 
       Egypt, even to this day."

       (2 Ki 21:16 NRSV)  Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, 
       until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides the sin 
       that he caused Judah to sin so that they did what was evil in the 
       sight of the LORD.

       (2 Ki 21:17 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, all that he 
       did, and the sin that he committed, are they not written in the Book 
       of the Annals of the Kings of Judah?

       (2 Ki 21:18 NRSV)  Manasseh slept with his ancestors, and was buried 
       in the garden of his house, in the garden of Uzza. His son Amon 
       succeeded him.

       (2 Ki 21:19 NRSV)  Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to 
       reign; he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was 
       Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.

       (2 Ki 21:20 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as 
       his father Manasseh had done.

       (2 Ki 21:21 NRSV)  He walked in all the way in which his father 
       walked, served the idols that his father served, and worshiped them;

       (2 Ki 21:22 NRSV)  he abandoned the LORD, the God of his ancestors, 





       and did not walk in the way of the LORD.

       (2 Ki 21:23 NRSV)  The servants of Amon conspired against him, and 
       killed the king in his house.

       (2 Ki 21:24 NRSV)  But the people of the land killed all those who had 
       conspired against King Amon, and the people of the land made his son 
       Josiah king in place of him.

       (2 Ki 21:25 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Amon that he did, are 
       they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah?

       (2 Ki 21:26 NRSV)  He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza; 
       then his son Josiah succeeded him.

       (2 Ki 22:1 NRSV)  Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; 
       he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was 
       Jedidah daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath.

       (2 Ki 22:2 NRSV)  He did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and 
       walked in all the way of his father David; he did not turn aside to 
       the right or to the left.

       (2 Ki 22:3 NRSV)  In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent 
       Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, the secretary, to the house 
       of the LORD, saying,

       (2 Ki 22:4 NRSV)  "Go up to the high priest Hilkiah, and have him 
       count the entire sum of the money that has been brought into the house 
       of the LORD, which the keepers of the threshold have collected from 
       the people;

       (2 Ki 22:5 NRSV)  let it be given into the hand of the workers who 
       have the oversight of the house of the LORD; let them give it to the 
       workers who are at the house of the LORD, repairing the house,

       (2 Ki 22:6 NRSV)  that is, to the carpenters, to the builders, to the 
       masons; and let them use it to buy timber and quarried stone to repair 
       the house.

       (2 Ki 22:7 NRSV)  But no accounting shall be asked from them for the 
       money that is delivered into their hand, for they deal honestly."

       (2 Ki 22:8 NRSV)  The high priest Hilkiah said to Shaphan the 
       secretary, "I have found the book of the law in the house of the 
       LORD." When Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, he read it.

       (2 Ki 22:9 NRSV)  Then Shaphan the secretary came to the king, and 
       reported to the king, "Your servants have emptied out the money that 
       was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the 
       workers who have oversight of the house of the LORD."

       (2 Ki 22:10 NRSV)  Shaphan the secretary informed the king, "The 
       priest Hilkiah has given me a book." Shaphan then read it aloud to the 
       king.





       (2 Ki 22:11 NRSV)  When the king heard the words of the book of the 
       law, he tore his clothes.

       (2 Ki 22:12 NRSV)  Then the king commanded the priest Hilkiah, Ahikam 
       son of Shaphan, Achbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary, and the 
       king's servant Asaiah, saying,

       (2 Ki 22:13 NRSV)  "Go, inquire of the LORD for me, for the people, 
       and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been 
       found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, 
       because our ancestors did not obey the words of this book, to do 
       according to all that is written concerning us."

       (2 Ki 22:14 NRSV)  So the priest Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and 
       Asaiah went to the prophetess Huldah the wife of Shallum son of 
       Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; she resided in 
       Jerusalem in the Second Quarter, where they consulted her.

       (2 Ki 22:15 NRSV)  She declared to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God 
       of Israel: Tell the man who sent you to me,

       (2 Ki 22:16 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD, I will indeed bring disaster on 
       this place and on its inhabitants--all the words of the book that the 
       king of Judah has read.

       (2 Ki 22:17 NRSV)  Because they have abandoned me and have made 
       offerings to other gods, so that they have provoked me to anger with 
       all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath will be kindled 
       against this place, and it will not be quenched.

       (2 Ki 22:18 NRSV)  But as to the king of Judah, who sent you to 
       inquire of the LORD, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the LORD, 
       the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard,

       (2 Ki 22:19 NRSV)  because your heart was penitent, and you humbled 
       yourself before the LORD, when you heard how I spoke against this 
       place, and against its inhabitants, that they should become a 
       desolation and a curse, and because you have torn your clothes and 
       wept before me, I also have heard you, says the LORD.

       (2 Ki 22:20 NRSV)  Therefore, I will gather you to your ancestors, and 
       you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; your eyes shall not see 
       all the disaster that I will bring on this place." They took the 
       message back to the king.

       (2 Ki 23:1 NRSV)  Then the king directed that all the elders of Judah 
       and Jerusalem should be gathered to him.

       (2 Ki 23:2 NRSV)  The king went up to the house of the LORD, and with 
       him went all the people of Judah, all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, 
       the priests, the prophets, and all the people, both small and great; 
       he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant 
       that had been found in the house of the LORD.

       (2 Ki 23:3 NRSV)  The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant 
       before the LORD, to follow the LORD, keeping his commandments, his 





       decrees, and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to 
       perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. All 
       the people joined in the covenant.

       (2 Ki 23:4 NRSV)  The king commanded the high priest Hilkiah, the 
       priests of the second order, and the guardians of the threshold, to 
       bring out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels made for Baal, for 
       Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; he burned them outside 
       Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried their ashes to 
       Bethel.

       (2 Ki 23:5 NRSV)  He deposed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of 
       Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities 
       of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who made offerings to Baal, 
       to the sun, the moon, the constellations, and all the host of the 
       heavens.

       (2 Ki 23:6 NRSV)  He brought out the image of Asherah from the house 
       of the LORD, outside Jerusalem, to the Wadi Kidron, burned it at the 
       Wadi Kidron, beat it to dust and threw the dust of it upon the graves 
       of the common people.

       (2 Ki 23:7 NRSV)  He broke down the houses of the male temple 
       prostitutes that were in the house of the LORD, where the women did 
       weaving for Asherah.

       (2 Ki 23:8 NRSV)  He brought all the priests out of the towns of 
       Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had made 
       offerings, from Geba to Beer-sheba; he broke down the high places of 
       the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor 
       of the city, which were on the left at the gate of the city.

       (2 Ki 23:9 NRSV)  The priests of the high places, however, did not 
       come up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but ate unleavened 
       bread among their kindred.

       (2 Ki 23:10 NRSV)  He defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of 
       Ben-hinnom, so that no one would make a son or a daughter pass through 
       fire as an offering to Molech.

       (2 Ki 23:11 NRSV)  He removed the horses that the kings of Judah had 
       dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the LORD, by the 
       chamber of the eunuch Nathan-melech, which was in the precincts; then 
       he burned the chariots of the sun with fire.

       (2 Ki 23:12 NRSV)  The altars on the roof of the upper chamber of 
       Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars that Manasseh 
       had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, he pulled down 
       from there and broke in pieces, and threw the rubble into the Wadi 
       Kidron.

       (2 Ki 23:13 NRSV)  The king defiled the high places that were east of 
       Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of Destruction, which King 
       Solomon of Israel had built for Astarte the abomination of the 
       Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the 
       abomination of the Ammonites.






       (2 Ki 23:14 NRSV)  He broke the pillars in pieces, cut down the sacred 
       poles, and covered the sites with human bones.

       (2 Ki 23:15 NRSV)  Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place 
       erected by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin--he pulled 
       down that altar along with the high place. He burned the high place, 
       crushing it to dust; he also burned the sacred pole.

       (2 Ki 23:16 NRSV)  As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the 
       mount; and he sent and took the bones out of the tombs, and burned 
       them on the altar, and defiled it, according to the word of the LORD 
       that the man of God proclaimed, when Jeroboam stood by the altar at 
       the festival; he turned and looked up at the tomb of the man of God 
       who had predicted these things.

       (2 Ki 23:17 NRSV)  Then he said, "What is that monument that I see?" 
       The people of the city told him, "It is the tomb of the man of God who 
       came from Judah and predicted these things that you have done against 
       the altar at Bethel."

       (2 Ki 23:18 NRSV)  He said, "Let him rest; let no one move his bones." 
       So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came 
       out of Samaria.

       (2 Ki 23:19 NRSV)  Moreover, Josiah removed all the shrines of the 
       high places that were in the towns of Samaria, which kings of Israel 
       had made, provoking the LORD to anger; he did to them just as he had 
       done at Bethel.

       (2 Ki 23:20 NRSV)  He slaughtered on the altars all the priests of the 
       high places who were there, and burned human bones on them. Then he 
       returned to Jerusalem.

       (2 Ki 23:21 NRSV)  The king commanded all the people, "Keep the 
       passover to the LORD your God as prescribed in this book of the 
       covenant."

       (2 Ki 23:22 NRSV)  No such passover had been kept since the days of 
       the judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of 
       Israel or of the kings of Judah;

       (2 Ki 23:23 NRSV)  but in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this 
       passover was kept to the LORD in Jerusalem.

       (2 Ki 23:24 NRSV)  Moreover Josiah put away the mediums, wizards, 
       teraphim, idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land 
       of Judah and in Jerusalem, so that he established the words of the law 
       that were written in the book that the priest Hilkiah had found in the 
       house of the LORD.

       (2 Ki 23:25 NRSV)  Before him there was no king like him, who turned 
       to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his 
       might, according to all the law of Moses; nor did any like him arise 
       after him.





       (2 Ki 23:26 NRSV)  Still the LORD did not turn from the fierceness of 
       his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, because 
       of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him.

       (2 Ki 23:27 NRSV)  The LORD said, "I will remove Judah also out of my 
       sight, as I have removed Israel; and I will reject this city that I 
       have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall 
       be there."

       (2 Ki 23:28 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he 
       did, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of 
       Judah?

       (2 Ki 23:29 NRSV)  In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to 
       the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet 
       him; but when Pharaoh Neco met him at Megiddo, he killed him.

       (2 Ki 23:30 NRSV)  His servants carried him dead in a chariot from 
       Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. The 
       people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah, anointed him, and made 
       him king in place of his father.

       (2 Ki 23:31 NRSV)  Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began 
       to reign; he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was 
       Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

       (2 Ki 23:32 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, just 
       as his ancestors had done.

       (2 Ki 23:33 NRSV)  Pharaoh Neco confined him at Riblah in the land of 
       Hamath, so that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and imposed tribute 
       on the land of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

       (2 Ki 23:34 NRSV)  Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim son of Josiah king in 
       place of his father Josiah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he 
       took Jehoahaz away; he came to Egypt, and died there.

       (2 Ki 23:35 NRSV)  Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, 
       but he taxed the land in order to meet Pharaoh's demand for money. He 
       exacted the silver and the gold from the people of the land, from all 
       according to their assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco.

       (2 Ki 23:36 NRSV)  Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began 
       to reign; he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was 
       Zebidah daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.

       (2 Ki 23:37 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, just 
       as all his ancestors had done.

       (2 Ki 24:1 NRSV)  In his days King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came up; 
       Jehoiakim became his servant for three years; then he turned and 
       rebelled against him.

       (2 Ki 24:2 NRSV)  The LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldeans, 
       bands of the Arameans, bands of the Moabites, and bands of the 
       Ammonites; he sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the 





       word of the LORD that he spoke by his servants the prophets.

       (2 Ki 24:3 NRSV)  Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the 
       LORD, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, for 
       all that he had committed,

       (2 Ki 24:4 NRSV)  and also for the innocent blood that he had shed; 
       for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD was not 
       willing to pardon.

       (2 Ki 24:5 NRSV)  Now the rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim, and all that 
       he did, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of 
       Judah?

       (2 Ki 24:6 NRSV)  So Jehoiakim slept with his ancestors; then his son 
       Jehoiachin succeeded him.

       (2 Ki 24:7 NRSV)  The king of Egypt did not come again out of his 
       land, for the king of Babylon had taken over all that belonged to the 
       king of Egypt from the Wadi of Egypt to the River Euphrates.

       (2 Ki 24:8 NRSV)  Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to 
       reign; he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was 
       Nehushta daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.

       (2 Ki 24:9 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, just 
       as his father had done.

       (2 Ki 24:10 NRSV)  At that time the servants of King Nebuchadnezzar of 
       Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.

       (2 Ki 24:11 NRSV)  King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to the city, 
       while his servants were besieging it;

       (2 Ki 24:12 NRSV)  King Jehoiachin of Judah gave himself up to the 
       king of Babylon, himself, his mother, his servants, his officers, and 
       his palace officials. The king of Babylon took him prisoner in the 
       eighth year of his reign.

       (2 Ki 24:13 NRSV)  He carried off all the treasures of the house of 
       the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house; he cut in pieces all 
       the vessels of gold in the temple of the LORD, which King Solomon of 
       Israel had made, all this as the LORD had foretold.

       (2 Ki 24:14 NRSV)  He carried away all Jerusalem, all the officials, 
       all the warriors, ten thousand captives, all the artisans and the 
       smiths; no one remained, except the poorest people of the land.

       (2 Ki 24:15 NRSV)  He carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon; the king's 
       mother, the king's wives, his officials, and the elite of the land, he 
       took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.

       (2 Ki 24:16 NRSV)  The king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon all 
       the men of valor, seven thousand, the artisans and the smiths, one 
       thousand, all of them strong and fit for war.





       (2 Ki 24:17 NRSV)  The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's 
       uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

       (2 Ki 24:18 NRSV)  Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to 
       reign; he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was 
       Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

       (2 Ki 24:19 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, just 
       as Jehoiakim had done.

       (2 Ki 24:20 NRSV)  Indeed, Jerusalem and Judah so angered the LORD 
       that he expelled them from his presence. Zedekiah rebelled against the 
       king of Babylon.

       (2 Ki 25:1 NRSV)  And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth 
       month, on the tenth day of the month, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon 
       came with all his army against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it; they 
       built siegeworks against it all around.

       (2 Ki 25:2 NRSV)  So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of 
       King Zedekiah.

       (2 Ki 25:3 NRSV)  On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine 
       became so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of 
       the land.

       (2 Ki 25:4 NRSV)  Then a breach was made in the city wall; the king 
       with all the soldiers fled by night by the way of the gate between the 
       two walls, by the king's garden, though the Chaldeans were all around 
       the city. They went in the direction of the Arabah.

       (2 Ki 25:5 NRSV)  But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and 
       overtook him in the plains of Jericho; all his army was scattered, 
       deserting him.

       (2 Ki 25:6 NRSV)  Then they captured the king and brought him up to 
       the king of Babylon at Riblah, who passed sentence on him.

       (2 Ki 25:7 NRSV)  They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his 
       eyes, then put out the eyes of Zedekiah; they bound him in fetters and 
       took him to Babylon.

       (2 Ki 25:8 NRSV)  In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the 
       month--which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of 
       Babylon--Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the 
       king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.

       (2 Ki 25:9 NRSV)  He burned the house of the LORD, the king's house, 
       and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down.

       (2 Ki 25:10 NRSV)  All the army of the Chaldeans who were with the 
       captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.

       (2 Ki 25:11 NRSV)  Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into 
       exile the rest of the people who were left in the city and the 
       deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon--all the rest of the 





       population.

       (2 Ki 25:12 NRSV)  But the captain of the guard left some of the 
       poorest people of the land to be vinedressers and tillers of the soil.

       (2 Ki 25:13 NRSV)  The bronze pillars that were in the house of the 
       LORD, as well as the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house 
       of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried the bronze to 
       Babylon.

       (2 Ki 25:14 NRSV)  They took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, 
       the dishes for incense, and all the bronze vessels used in the temple 
       service,

       (2 Ki 25:15 NRSV)  as well as the firepans and the basins. What was 
       made of gold the captain of the guard took away for the gold, and what 
       was made of silver, for the silver.

       (2 Ki 25:16 NRSV)  As for the two pillars, the one sea, and the 
       stands, which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the bronze 
       of all these vessels was beyond weighing.

       (2 Ki 25:17 NRSV)  The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, 
       and on it was a bronze capital; the height of the capital was three 
       cubits; latticework and pomegranates, all of bronze, were on the 
       capital all around. The second pillar had the same, with the 
       latticework.

       (2 Ki 25:18 NRSV)  The captain of the guard took the chief priest 
       Seraiah, the second priest Zephaniah, and the three guardians of the 
       threshold;

       (2 Ki 25:19 NRSV)  from the city he took an officer who had been in 
       command of the soldiers, and five men of the king's council who were 
       found in the city; the secretary who was the commander of the army who 
       mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the 
       land who were found in the city.

       (2 Ki 25:20 NRSV)  Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and 
       brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

       (2 Ki 25:21 NRSV)  The king of Babylon struck them down and put them 
       to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah went into exile out 
       of its land.

       (2 Ki 25:22 NRSV)  He appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan 
       as governor over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom 
       King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had left.

       (2 Ki 25:23 NRSV)  Now when all the captains of the forces and their 
       men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, 
       they came with their men to Gedaliah at Mizpah, namely, Ishmael son of 
       Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the 
       Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite.

       (2 Ki 25:24 NRSV)  Gedaliah swore to them and their men, saying, "Do 





       not be afraid because of the Chaldean officials; live in the land, 
       serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you."

       (2 Ki 25:25 NRSV)  But in the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah 
       son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men; they struck 
       down Gedaliah so that he died, along with the Judeans and Chaldeans 
       who were with him at Mizpah.

       (2 Ki 25:26 NRSV)  Then all the people, high and low and the captains 
       of the forces set out and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the 
       Chaldeans.

       (2 Ki 25:27 NRSV)  In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King 
       Jehoiachin of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day 
       of the month, King Evil-merodach of Babylon, in the year that he began 
       to reign, released King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison;

       (2 Ki 25:28 NRSV)  he spoke kindly to him, and gave him a seat above 
       the other seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon.

       (2 Ki 25:29 NRSV)  So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes. Every 
       day of his life he dined regularly in the king's presence.

       (2 Ki 25:30 NRSV)  For his allowance, a regular allowance was given 
       him by the king, a portion every day, as long as he lived.

       (1 Chr 1:1 NRSV)  Adam, Seth, Enosh;

       (1 Chr 1:2 NRSV)  Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared;

       (1 Chr 1:3 NRSV)  Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech;

       (1 Chr 1:4 NRSV)  Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

       (1 Chr 1:5 NRSV)  The descendants of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, 
       Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.

       (1 Chr 1:6 NRSV)  The descendants of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Diphath, and 
       Togarmah.

       (1 Chr 1:7 NRSV)  The descendants of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, 
       and Rodanim.

       (1 Chr 1:8 NRSV)  The descendants of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and 
       Canaan.

       (1 Chr 1:9 NRSV)  The descendants of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabta, 
       Raama, and Sabteca. The descendants of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.

       (1 Chr 1:10 NRSV)  Cush became the father of Nimrod; he was the first 
       to be a mighty one on the earth.

       (1 Chr 1:11 NRSV)  Egypt became the father of Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, 
       Naphtuhim,

       (1 Chr 1:12 NRSV)  Pathrusim, Casluhim, and Caphtorim, from whom the 





       Philistines come.

       (1 Chr 1:13 NRSV)  Canaan became the father of Sidon his firstborn, 
       and Heth,

       (1 Chr 1:14 NRSV)  and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,

       (1 Chr 1:15 NRSV)  the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites,

       (1 Chr 1:16 NRSV)  the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites.

       (1 Chr 1:17 NRSV)  The descendants of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, 
       Lud, Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech.

       (1 Chr 1:18 NRSV)  Arpachshad became the father of Shelah; and Shelah 
       became the father of Eber.

       (1 Chr 1:19 NRSV)  To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was 
       Peleg (for in his days the earth was divided), and the name of his 
       brother Joktan.

       (1 Chr 1:20 NRSV)  Joktan became the father of Almodad, Sheleph, 
       Hazarmaveth, Jerah,

       (1 Chr 1:21 NRSV)  Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,

       (1 Chr 1:22 NRSV)  Ebal, Abimael, Sheba,

       (1 Chr 1:23 NRSV)  Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the 
       descendants of Joktan.

       (1 Chr 1:24 NRSV)  Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah;

       (1 Chr 1:25 NRSV)  Eber, Peleg, Reu;

       (1 Chr 1:26 NRSV)  Serug, Nahor, Terah;

       (1 Chr 1:27 NRSV)  Abram, that is, Abraham.

       (1 Chr 1:28 NRSV)  The sons of Abraham: Isaac and Ishmael.

       (1 Chr 1:29 NRSV)  These are their genealogies: the firstborn of 
       Ishmael, Nebaioth; and Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

       (1 Chr 1:30 NRSV)  Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema,

       (1 Chr 1:31 NRSV)  Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of 
       Ishmael.

       (1 Chr 1:32 NRSV)  The sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine: she bore 
       Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of 
       Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan.

       (1 Chr 1:33 NRSV)  The sons of Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, 
       and Eldaah. All these were the descendants of Keturah.





       (1 Chr 1:34 NRSV)  Abraham became the father of Isaac. The sons of 
       Isaac: Esau and Israel.

       (1 Chr 1:35 NRSV)  The sons of Esau: Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and 
       Korah.

       (1 Chr 1:36 NRSV)  The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, 
       Kenaz, Timna, and Amalek.

       (1 Chr 1:37 NRSV)  The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and 
       Mizzah.

       (1 Chr 1:38 NRSV)  The sons of Seir: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 
       Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.

       (1 Chr 1:39 NRSV)  The sons of Lotan: Hori and Homam; and Lotan's 
       sister was Timna.

       (1 Chr 1:40 NRSV)  The sons of Shobal: Alian, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi, 
       and Onam. The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah.

       (1 Chr 1:41 NRSV)  The sons of Anah: Dishon. The sons of Dishon: 
       Hamran, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.

       (1 Chr 1:42 NRSV)  The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Jaakan. The 
       sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

       (1 Chr 1:43 NRSV)  These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom 
       before any king reigned over the Israelites: Bela son of Beor, whose 
       city was called Dinhabah.

       (1 Chr 1:44 NRSV)  When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah of Bozrah 
       succeeded him.

       (1 Chr 1:45 NRSV)  When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the 
       Temanites succeeded him.

       (1 Chr 1:46 NRSV)  When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated 
       Midian in the country of Moab, succeeded him; and the name of his city 
       was Avith.

       (1 Chr 1:47 NRSV)  When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah succeeded him.

       (1 Chr 1:48 NRSV)  When Samlah died, Shaul of Rehoboth on the 
       Euphrates succeeded him.

       (1 Chr 1:49 NRSV)  When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of Achbor succeeded 
       him.

       (1 Chr 1:50 NRSV)  When Baal-hanan died, Hadad succeeded him; the name 
       of his city was Pai, and his wife's name Mehetabel daughter of Matred, 
       daughter of Me-zahab.

       (1 Chr 1:51 NRSV)  And Hadad died. The clans of Edom were: clans 
       Timna, Aliah, Jetheth,





       (1 Chr 1:52 NRSV)  Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,

       (1 Chr 1:53 NRSV)  Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,

       (1 Chr 1:54 NRSV)  Magdiel, and Iram; these are the clans of Edom.

       (1 Chr 2:1 NRSV)  These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, 
       Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,

       (1 Chr 2:2 NRSV)  Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

       (1 Chr 2:3 NRSV)  The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, and Shelah; these three 
       the Canaanite woman Bath-shua bore to him. Now Er, Judah's firstborn, 
       was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and he put him to death.

       (1 Chr 2:4 NRSV)  His daughter-in-law Tamar also bore him Perez and 
       Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.

       (1 Chr 2:5 NRSV)  The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.

       (1 Chr 2:6 NRSV)  The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and 
       Dara, five in all.

       (1 Chr 2:7 NRSV)  The sons of Carmi: Achar, the troubler of Israel, 
       who transgressed in the matter of the devoted thing;

       (1 Chr 2:8 NRSV)  and Ethan's son was Azariah.

       (1 Chr 2:9 NRSV)  The sons of Hezron, who were born to him: Jerahmeel, 
       Ram, and Chelubai.

       (1 Chr 2:10 NRSV)  Ram became the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab 
       became the father of Nahshon, prince of the sons of Judah.

       (1 Chr 2:11 NRSV)  Nahshon became the father of Salma, Salma of Boaz,

       (1 Chr 2:12 NRSV)  Boaz of Obed, Obed of Jesse.

       (1 Chr 2:13 NRSV)  Jesse became the father of Eliab his firstborn, 
       Abinadab the second, Shimea the third,

       (1 Chr 2:14 NRSV)  Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth,

       (1 Chr 2:15 NRSV)  Ozem the sixth, David the seventh;

       (1 Chr 2:16 NRSV)  and their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. The 
       sons of Zeruiah: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, three.

       (1 Chr 2:17 NRSV)  Abigail bore Amasa, and the father of Amasa was 
       Jether the Ishmaelite.

       (1 Chr 2:18 NRSV)  Caleb son of Hezron had children by his wife 
       Azubah, and by Jerioth; these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and 
       Ardon.

       (1 Chr 2:19 NRSV)  When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore 





       him Hur.

       (1 Chr 2:20 NRSV)  Hur became the father of Uri, and Uri became the 
       father of Bezalel.

       (1 Chr 2:21 NRSV)  Afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir 
       father of Gilead, whom he married when he was sixty years old; and she 
       bore him Segub;

       (1 Chr 2:22 NRSV)  and Segub became the father of Jair, who had 
       twenty-three towns in the land of Gilead.

       (1 Chr 2:23 NRSV)  But Geshur and Aram took from them Havvoth-jair, 
       Kenath and its villages, sixty towns. All these were descendants of 
       Machir, father of Gilead.

       (1 Chr 2:24 NRSV)  After the death of Hezron, in Caleb-ephrathah, 
       Abijah wife of Hezron bore him Ashhur, father of Tekoa.

       (1 Chr 2:25 NRSV)  The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron: Ram 
       his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah.

       (1 Chr 2:26 NRSV)  Jerahmeel also had another wife, whose name was 
       Atarah; she was the mother of Onam.

       (1 Chr 2:27 NRSV)  The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel: Maaz, 
       Jamin, and Eker.

       (1 Chr 2:28 NRSV)  The sons of Onam: Shammai and Jada. The sons of 
       Shammai: Nadab and Abishur.

       (1 Chr 2:29 NRSV)  The name of Abishur's wife was Abihail, and she 
       bore him Ahban and Molid.

       (1 Chr 2:30 NRSV)  The sons of Nadab: Seled and Appaim; and Seled died 
       childless.

       (1 Chr 2:31 NRSV)  The son of Appaim: Ishi. The son of Ishi: Sheshan. 
       The son of Sheshan: Ahlai.

       (1 Chr 2:32 NRSV)  The sons of Jada, Shammai's brother: Jether and 
       Jonathan; and Jether died childless.

       (1 Chr 2:33 NRSV)  The sons of Jonathan: Peleth and Zaza. These were 
       the descendants of Jerahmeel.

       (1 Chr 2:34 NRSV)  Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters; but 
       Sheshan had an Egyptian slave, whose name was Jarha.

       (1 Chr 2:35 NRSV)  So Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to his 
       slave Jarha; and she bore him Attai.

       (1 Chr 2:36 NRSV)  Attai became the father of Nathan, and Nathan of 
       Zabad.

       (1 Chr 2:37 NRSV)  Zabad became the father of Ephlal, and Ephlal of 





       Obed.

       (1 Chr 2:38 NRSV)  Obed became the father of Jehu, and Jehu of 
       Azariah.

       (1 Chr 2:39 NRSV)  Azariah became the father of Helez, and Helez of 
       Eleasah.

       (1 Chr 2:40 NRSV)  Eleasah became the father of Sismai, and Sismai of 
       Shallum.

       (1 Chr 2:41 NRSV)  Shallum became the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah 
       of Elishama.

       (1 Chr 2:42 NRSV)  The sons of Caleb brother of Jerahmeel: Mesha his 
       firstborn, who was father of Ziph. The sons of Mareshah father of 
       Hebron.

       (1 Chr 2:43 NRSV)  The sons of Hebron: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and 
       Shema.

       (1 Chr 2:44 NRSV)  Shema became father of Raham, father of Jorkeam; 
       and Rekem became the father of Shammai.

       (1 Chr 2:45 NRSV)  The son of Shammai: Maon; and Maon was the father 
       of Beth-zur.

       (1 Chr 2:46 NRSV)  Ephah also, Caleb's concubine, bore Haran, Moza, 
       and Gazez; and Haran became the father of Gazez.

       (1 Chr 2:47 NRSV)  The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, 
       Ephah, and Shaaph.

       (1 Chr 2:48 NRSV)  Maacah, Caleb's concubine, bore Sheber and 
       Tirhanah.

       (1 Chr 2:49 NRSV)  She also bore Shaaph father of Madmannah, Sheva 
       father of Machbenah and father of Gibea; and the daughter of Caleb was 
       Achsah.

       (1 Chr 2:50 NRSV)  These were the descendants of Caleb. The sons of 
       Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal father of Kiriath-jearim,

       (1 Chr 2:51 NRSV)  Salma father of Bethlehem, and Hareph father of 
       Beth-gader.

       (1 Chr 2:52 NRSV)  Shobal father of Kiriath-jearim had other sons: 
       Haroeh, half of the Menuhoth.

       (1 Chr 2:53 NRSV)  And the families of Kiriath-jearim: the Ithrites, 
       the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; from these came the 
       Zorathites and the Eshtaolites.

       (1 Chr 2:54 NRSV)  The sons of Salma: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, 
       Atroth-beth-joab, and half of the Manahathites, the Zorites.





       (1 Chr 2:55 NRSV)  The families also of the scribes that lived at 
       Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Sucathites. These are 
       the Kenites who came from Hammath, father of the house of Rechab.

       (1 Chr 3:1 NRSV)  These are the sons of David who were born to him in 
       Hebron: the firstborn Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelite; the second 
       Daniel, by Abigail the Carmelite;

       (1 Chr 3:2 NRSV)  the third Absalom, son of Maacah, daughter of King 
       Talmai of Geshur; the fourth Adonijah, son of Haggith;

       (1 Chr 3:3 NRSV)  the fifth Shephatiah, by Abital; the sixth Ithream, 
       by his wife Eglah;

       (1 Chr 3:4 NRSV)  six were born to him in Hebron, where he reigned for 
       seven years and six months. And he reigned thirty-three years in 
       Jerusalem.

       (1 Chr 3:5 NRSV)  These were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, 
       Nathan, and Solomon, four by Bath-shua, daughter of Ammiel;

       (1 Chr 3:6 NRSV)  then Ibhar, Elishama, Eliphelet,

       (1 Chr 3:7 NRSV)  Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,

       (1 Chr 3:8 NRSV)  Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine.

       (1 Chr 3:9 NRSV)  All these were David's sons, besides the sons of the 
       concubines; and Tamar was their sister.

       (1 Chr 3:10 NRSV)  The descendants of Solomon: Rehoboam, Abijah his 
       son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son,

       (1 Chr 3:11 NRSV)  Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son,

       (1 Chr 3:12 NRSV)  Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son,

       (1 Chr 3:13 NRSV)  Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son,

       (1 Chr 3:14 NRSV)  Amon his son, Josiah his son.

       (1 Chr 3:15 NRSV)  The sons of Josiah: Johanan the firstborn, the 
       second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum.

       (1 Chr 3:16 NRSV)  The descendants of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, 
       Zedekiah his son;

       (1 Chr 3:17 NRSV)  and the sons of Jeconiah, the captive: Shealtiel 
       his son,

       (1 Chr 3:18 NRSV)  Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, 
       and Nedabiah;

       (1 Chr 3:19 NRSV)  The sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel and Shimei; and the 
       sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam and Hananiah, and Shelomith was their 
       sister;






       (1 Chr 3:20 NRSV)  and Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and 
       Jushab-hesed, five.

       (1 Chr 3:21 NRSV)  The sons of Hananiah: Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, his 
       son Rephaiah, his son Arnan, his son Obadiah, his son Shecaniah.

       (1 Chr 3:22 NRSV)  The son of Shecaniah: Shemaiah. And the sons of 
       Shemaiah: Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat, six.

       (1 Chr 3:23 NRSV)  The sons of Neariah: Elioenai, Hizkiah, and 
       Azrikam, three.

       (1 Chr 3:24 NRSV)  The sons of Elioenai: Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, 
       Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani, seven.

       (1 Chr 4:1 NRSV)  The sons of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and 
       Shobal.

       (1 Chr 4:2 NRSV)  Reaiah son of Shobal became the father of Jahath, 
       and Jahath became the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These were the 
       families of the Zorathites.

       (1 Chr 4:3 NRSV)  These were the sons of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and 
       Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazzelelponi,

       (1 Chr 4:4 NRSV)  and Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer the 
       father of Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of 
       Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem.

       (1 Chr 4:5 NRSV)  Ashhur father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and 
       Naarah;

       (1 Chr 4:6 NRSV)  Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and 
       Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah.

       (1 Chr 4:7 NRSV)  The sons of Helah: Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan.

       (1 Chr 4:8 NRSV)  Koz became the father of Anub, Zobebah, and the 
       families of Aharhel son of Harum.

       (1 Chr 4:9 NRSV)  Jabez was honored more than his brothers; and his 
       mother named him Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain."

       (1 Chr 4:10 NRSV)  Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that 
       you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be 
       with me, and that you would keep me from hurt and harm!" And God 
       granted what he asked.

       (1 Chr 4:11 NRSV)  Chelub the brother of Shuhah became the father of 
       Mehir, who was the father of Eshton.

       (1 Chr 4:12 NRSV)  Eshton became the father of Beth-rapha, Paseah, and 
       Tehinnah the father of Ir-nahash. These are the men of Recah.

       (1 Chr 4:13 NRSV)  The sons of Kenaz: Othniel and Seraiah; and the 





       sons of Othniel: Hathath and Meonothai.

       (1 Chr 4:14 NRSV)  Meonothai became the father of Ophrah; and Seraiah 
       became the father of Joab father of Ge-harashim, so-called because 
       they were artisans.

       (1 Chr 4:15 NRSV)  The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah, and 
       Naam; and the son of Elah: Kenaz.

       (1 Chr 4:16 NRSV)  The sons of Jehallelel: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and 
       Asarel.

       (1 Chr 4:17 NRSV)  The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. 
       These are the sons of Bithiah, daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered 
       married; and she conceived and bore Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah father 
       of Eshtemoa.

       (1 Chr 4:18 NRSV)  And his Judean wife bore Jered father of Gedor, 
       Heber father of Soco, and Jekuthiel father of Zanoah.

       (1 Chr 4:19 NRSV)  The sons of the wife of Hodiah, the sister of 
       Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and Eshtemoa the 
       Maacathite.

       (1 Chr 4:20 NRSV)  The sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-hanan, and 
       Tilon. The sons of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben-zoheth.

       (1 Chr 4:21 NRSV)  The sons of Shelah son of Judah: Er father of 
       Lecah, Laadah father of Mareshah, and the families of the guild of 
       linen workers at Beth-ashbea;

       (1 Chr 4:22 NRSV)  and Jokim, and the men of Cozeba, and Joash, and 
       Saraph, who married into Moab but returned to Lehem (now the records 
       are ancient).

       (1 Chr 4:23 NRSV)  These were the potters and inhabitants of Netaim 
       and Gederah; they lived there with the king in his service.

       (1 Chr 4:24 NRSV)  The sons of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, 
       Shaul;

       (1 Chr 4:25 NRSV)  Shallum was his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his 
       son.

       (1 Chr 4:26 NRSV)  The sons of Mishma: Hammuel his son, Zaccur his 
       son, Shimei his son.

       (1 Chr 4:27 NRSV)  Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his 
       brothers did not have many children, nor did all their family multiply 
       like the Judeans.

       (1 Chr 4:28 NRSV)  They lived in Beer-sheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual,

       (1 Chr 4:29 NRSV)  Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad,

       (1 Chr 4:30 NRSV)  Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag,






       (1 Chr 4:31 NRSV)  Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susim, Beth-biri, and 
       Shaaraim. These were their towns until David became king.

       (1 Chr 4:32 NRSV)  And their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, 
       and Ashan, five towns,

       (1 Chr 4:33 NRSV)  along with all their villages that were around 
       these towns as far as Baal. These were their settlements. And they 
       kept a genealogical record.

       (1 Chr 4:34 NRSV)  Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah,

       (1 Chr 4:35 NRSV)  Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah son of Seraiah son of 
       Asiel,

       (1 Chr 4:36 NRSV)  Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, 
       Jesimiel, Benaiah,

       (1 Chr 4:37 NRSV)  Ziza son of Shiphi son of Allon son of Jedaiah son 
       of Shimri son of Shemaiah--

       (1 Chr 4:38 NRSV)  these mentioned by name were leaders in their 
       families, and their clans increased greatly.

       (1 Chr 4:39 NRSV)  They journeyed to the entrance of Gedor, to the 
       east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks,

       (1 Chr 4:40 NRSV)  where they found rich, good pasture, and the land 
       was very broad, quiet, and peaceful; for the former inhabitants there 
       belonged to Ham.

       (1 Chr 4:41 NRSV)  These, registered by name, came in the days of King 
       Hezekiah of Judah, and attacked their tents and the Meunim who were 
       found there, and exterminated them to this day, and settled in their 
       place, because there was pasture there for their flocks.

       (1 Chr 4:42 NRSV)  And some of them, five hundred men of the 
       Simeonites, went to Mount Seir, having as their leaders Pelatiah, 
       Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, sons of Ishi;

       (1 Chr 4:43 NRSV)  they destroyed the remnant of the Amalekites that 
       had escaped, and they have lived there to this day.

       (1 Chr 5:1 NRSV)  The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. (He was 
       the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed his birthright 
       was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, so that he is not 
       enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright;

       (1 Chr 5:2 NRSV)  though Judah became prominent among his brothers and 
       a ruler came from him, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph.)

       (1 Chr 5:3 NRSV)  The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, 
       Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

       (1 Chr 5:4 NRSV)  The sons of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, 





       Shimei his son,

       (1 Chr 5:5 NRSV)  Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son,

       (1 Chr 5:6 NRSV)  Beerah his son, whom King Tilgath-pilneser of 
       Assyria carried away into exile; he was a chieftain of the Reubenites.

       (1 Chr 5:7 NRSV)  And his kindred by their families, when the 
       genealogy of their generations was reckoned: the chief, Jeiel, and 
       Zechariah,

       (1 Chr 5:8 NRSV)  and Bela son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Joel, who 
       lived in Aroer, as far as Nebo and Baal-meon.

       (1 Chr 5:9 NRSV)  He also lived to the east as far as the beginning of 
       the desert this side of the Euphrates, because their cattle had 
       multiplied in the land of Gilead.

       (1 Chr 5:10 NRSV)  And in the days of Saul they made war on the 
       Hagrites, who fell by their hand; and they lived in their tents 
       throughout all the region east of Gilead.

       (1 Chr 5:11 NRSV)  The sons of Gad lived beside them in the land of 
       Bashan as far as Salecah:

       (1 Chr 5:12 NRSV)  Joel the chief, Shapham the second, Janai, and 
       Shaphat in Bashan.

       (1 Chr 5:13 NRSV)  And their kindred according to their clans: 
       Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber, seven.

       (1 Chr 5:14 NRSV)  These were the sons of Abihail son of Huri, son of 
       Jaroah, son of Gilead, son of Michael, son of Jeshishai, son of Jahdo, 
       son of Buz;

       (1 Chr 5:15 NRSV)  Ahi son of Abdiel, son of Guni, was chief in their 
       clan;

       (1 Chr 5:16 NRSV)  and they lived in Gilead, in Bashan and in its 
       towns, and in all the pasture lands of Sharon to their limits.

       (1 Chr 5:17 NRSV)  All of these were enrolled by genealogies in the 
       days of King Jotham of Judah, and in the days of King Jeroboam of 
       Israel.

       (1 Chr 5:18 NRSV)  The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of 
       Manasseh had valiant warriors, who carried shield and sword, and drew 
       the bow, expert in war, forty-four thousand seven hundred sixty, ready 
       for service.

       (1 Chr 5:19 NRSV)  They made war on the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and 
       Nodab;

       (1 Chr 5:20 NRSV)  and when they received help against them, the 
       Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hands, for 
       they cried to God in the battle, and he granted their entreaty because 





       they trusted in him.

       (1 Chr 5:21 NRSV)  They captured their livestock: fifty thousand of 
       their camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep, two thousand donkeys, 
       and one hundred thousand captives.

       (1 Chr 5:22 NRSV)  Many fell slain, because the war was of God. And 
       they lived in their territory until the exile.

       (1 Chr 5:23 NRSV)  The members of the half-tribe of Manasseh lived in 
       the land; they were very numerous from Bashan to Baal-hermon, Senir, 
       and Mount Hermon.

       (1 Chr 5:24 NRSV)  These were the heads of their clans: Epher, Ishi, 
       Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty warriors, 
       famous men, heads of their clans.

       (1 Chr 5:25 NRSV)  But they transgressed against the God of their 
       ancestors, and prostituted themselves to the gods of the peoples of 
       the land, whom God had destroyed before them.

       (1 Chr 5:26 NRSV)  So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of King 
       Pul of Assyria, the spirit of King Tilgath-pilneser of Assyria, and he 
       carried them away, namely, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the 
       half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and 
       the river Gozan, to this day.

       (1 Chr 6:1 NRSV)  The sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.

       (1 Chr 6:2 NRSV)  The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and 
       Uzziel.

       (1 Chr 6:3 NRSV)  The children of Amram: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. The 
       sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

       (1 Chr 6:4 NRSV)  Eleazar became the father of Phinehas, Phinehas of 
       Abishua,

       (1 Chr 6:5 NRSV)  Abishua of Bukki, Bukki of Uzzi,

       (1 Chr 6:6 NRSV)  Uzzi of Zerahiah, Zerahiah of Meraioth,

       (1 Chr 6:7 NRSV)  Meraioth of Amariah, Amariah of Ahitub,

       (1 Chr 6:8 NRSV)  Ahitub of Zadok, Zadok of Ahimaaz,

       (1 Chr 6:9 NRSV)  Ahimaaz of Azariah, Azariah of Johanan,

       (1 Chr 6:10 NRSV)  and Johanan of Azariah (it was he who served as 
       priest in the house that Solomon built in Jerusalem).

       (1 Chr 6:11 NRSV)  Azariah became the father of Amariah, Amariah of 
       Ahitub,

       (1 Chr 6:12 NRSV)  Ahitub of Zadok, Zadok of Shallum,





       (1 Chr 6:13 NRSV)  Shallum of Hilkiah, Hilkiah of Azariah,

       (1 Chr 6:14 NRSV)  Azariah of Seraiah, Seraiah of Jehozadak;

       (1 Chr 6:15 NRSV)  and Jehozadak went into exile when the LORD sent 
       Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

       (1 Chr 6:16 NRSV)  The sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.

       (1 Chr 6:17 NRSV)  These are the names of the sons of Gershom: Libni 
       and Shimei.

       (1 Chr 6:18 NRSV)  The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and 
       Uzziel.

       (1 Chr 6:19 NRSV)  The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the 
       clans of the Levites according to their ancestry.

       (1 Chr 6:20 NRSV)  Of Gershom: Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah 
       his son,

       (1 Chr 6:21 NRSV)  Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, 
       Jeatherai his son.

       (1 Chr 6:22 NRSV)  The sons of Kohath: Amminadab his son, Korah his 
       son, Assir his son,

       (1 Chr 6:23 NRSV)  Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son,

       (1 Chr 6:24 NRSV)  Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and 
       Shaul his son.

       (1 Chr 6:25 NRSV)  The sons of Elkanah: Amasai and Ahimoth,

       (1 Chr 6:26 NRSV)  Elkanah his son, Zophai his son, Nahath his son,

       (1 Chr 6:27 NRSV)  Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son.

       (1 Chr 6:28 NRSV)  The sons of Samuel: Joel his firstborn, the second 
       Abijah.

       (1 Chr 6:29 NRSV)  The sons of Merari: Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei 
       his son, Uzzah his son,

       (1 Chr 6:30 NRSV)  Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, and Asaiah his 
       son.

       (1 Chr 6:31 NRSV)  These are the men whom David put in charge of the 
       service of song in the house of the LORD, after the ark came to rest 
       there.

       (1 Chr 6:32 NRSV)  They ministered with song before the tabernacle of 
       the tent of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in 
       Jerusalem; and they performed their service in due order.

       (1 Chr 6:33 NRSV)  These are the men who served; and their sons were: 





       Of the Kohathites: Heman, the singer, son of Joel, son of Samuel,

       (1 Chr 6:34 NRSV)  son of Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Eliel, son 
       of Toah,

       (1 Chr 6:35 NRSV)  son of Zuph, son of Elkanah, son of Mahath, son of 
       Amasai,

       (1 Chr 6:36 NRSV)  son of Elkanah, son of Joel, son of Azariah, son of 
       Zephaniah,

       (1 Chr 6:37 NRSV)  son of Tahath, son of Assir, son of Ebiasaph, son 
       of Korah,

       (1 Chr 6:38 NRSV)  son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, son of 
       Israel;

       (1 Chr 6:39 NRSV)  and his brother Asaph, who stood on his right, 
       namely, Asaph son of Berechiah, son of Shimea,

       (1 Chr 6:40 NRSV)  son of Michael, son of Baaseiah, son of Malchijah,

       (1 Chr 6:41 NRSV)  son of Ethni, son of Zerah, son of Adaiah,

       (1 Chr 6:42 NRSV)  son of Ethan, son of Zimmah, son of Shimei,

       (1 Chr 6:43 NRSV)  son of Jahath, son of Gershom, son of Levi.

       (1 Chr 6:44 NRSV)  On the left were their kindred the sons of Merari: 
       Ethan son of Kishi, son of Abdi, son of Malluch,

       (1 Chr 6:45 NRSV)  son of Hashabiah, son of Amaziah, son of Hilkiah,

       (1 Chr 6:46 NRSV)  son of Amzi, son of Bani, son of Shemer,

       (1 Chr 6:47 NRSV)  son of Mahli, son of Mushi, son of Merari, son of 
       Levi;

       (1 Chr 6:48 NRSV)  and their kindred the Levites were appointed for 
       all the service of the tabernacle of the house of God.

       (1 Chr 6:49 NRSV)  But Aaron and his sons made offerings on the altar 
       of burnt offering and on the altar of incense, doing all the work of 
       the most holy place, to make atonement for Israel, according to all 
       that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

       (1 Chr 6:50 NRSV)  These are the sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son, 
       Phinehas his son, Abishua his son,

       (1 Chr 6:51 NRSV)  Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son,

       (1 Chr 6:52 NRSV)  Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son,

       (1 Chr 6:53 NRSV)  Zadok his son, Ahimaaz his son.

       (1 Chr 6:54 NRSV)  These are their dwelling places according to their 





       settlements within their borders: to the sons of Aaron of the families 
       of Kohathites--for the lot fell to them first--

       (1 Chr 6:55 NRSV)  to them they gave Hebron in the land of Judah and 
       its surrounding pasture lands,

       (1 Chr 6:56 NRSV)  but the fields of the city and its villages they 
       gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh.

       (1 Chr 6:57 NRSV)  To the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of 
       refuge: Hebron, Libnah with its pasture lands, Jattir, Eshtemoa with 
       its pasture lands,

       (1 Chr 6:58 NRSV)  Hilen with its pasture lands, Debir with its 
       pasture lands,

       (1 Chr 6:59 NRSV)  Ashan with its pasture lands, and Beth-shemesh with 
       its pasture lands.

       (1 Chr 6:60 NRSV)  From the tribe of Benjamin, Geba with its pasture 
       lands, Alemeth with its pasture lands, and Anathoth with its pasture 
       lands. All their towns throughout their families were thirteen.

       (1 Chr 6:61 NRSV)  To the rest of the Kohathites were given by lot out 
       of the family of the tribe, out of the half-tribe, the half of 
       Manasseh, ten towns.

       (1 Chr 6:62 NRSV)  To the Gershomites according to their families were 
       allotted thirteen towns out of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, 
       Naphtali, and Manasseh in Bashan.

       (1 Chr 6:63 NRSV)  To the Merarites according to their families were 
       allotted twelve towns out of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.

       (1 Chr 6:64 NRSV)  So the people of Israel gave the Levites the towns 
       with their pasture lands.

       (1 Chr 6:65 NRSV)  They also gave them by lot out of the tribes of 
       Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin these towns that are mentioned by name.

       (1 Chr 6:66 NRSV)  And some of the families of the sons of Kohath had 
       towns of their territory out of the tribe of Ephraim.

       (1 Chr 6:67 NRSV)  They were given the cities of refuge: Shechem with 
       its pasture lands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its 
       pasture lands,

       (1 Chr 6:68 NRSV)  Jokmeam with its pasture lands, Beth-horon with its 
       pasture lands,

       (1 Chr 6:69 NRSV)  Aijalon with its pasture lands, Gath-rimmon with 
       its pasture lands;

       (1 Chr 6:70 NRSV)  and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Aner with 
       its pasture lands, and Bileam with its pasture lands, for the rest of 
       the families of the Kohathites.






       (1 Chr 6:71 NRSV)  To the Gershomites: out of the half-tribe of 
       Manasseh: Golan in Bashan with its pasture lands and Ashtaroth with 
       its pasture lands;

       (1 Chr 6:72 NRSV)  and out of the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh with its 
       pasture lands, Daberath with its pasture lands,

       (1 Chr 6:73 NRSV)  Ramoth with its pasture lands, and Anem with its 
       pasture lands;

       (1 Chr 6:74 NRSV)  out of the tribe of Asher: Mashal with its pasture 
       lands, Abdon with its pasture lands,

       (1 Chr 6:75 NRSV)  Hukok with its pasture lands, and Rehob with its 
       pasture lands;

       (1 Chr 6:76 NRSV)  and out of the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee 
       with its pasture lands, Hammon with its pasture lands, and Kiriathaim 
       with its pasture lands.

       (1 Chr 6:77 NRSV)  To the rest of the Merarites out of the tribe of 
       Zebulun: Rimmono with its pasture lands, Tabor with its pasture lands,

       (1 Chr 6:78 NRSV)  and across the Jordan from Jericho, on the east 
       side of the Jordan, out of the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the steppe 
       with its pasture lands, Jahzah with its pasture lands,

       (1 Chr 6:79 NRSV)  Kedemoth with its pasture lands, and Mephaath with 
       its pasture lands;

       (1 Chr 6:80 NRSV)  and out of the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead with 
       its pasture lands, Mahanaim with its pasture lands,

       (1 Chr 6:81 NRSV)  Heshbon with its pasture lands, and Jazer with its 
       pasture lands.

       (1 Chr 7:1 NRSV)  The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub, and 
       Shimron, four.

       (1 Chr 7:2 NRSV)  The sons of Tola: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, 
       Ibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their ancestral houses, namely of Tola, 
       mighty warriors of their generations, their number in the days of 
       David being twenty-two thousand six hundred.

       (1 Chr 7:3 NRSV)  The son of Uzzi: Izrahiah. And the sons of Izrahiah: 
       Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah, five, all of them chiefs;

       (1 Chr 7:4 NRSV)  and along with them, by their generations, according 
       to their ancestral houses, were units of the fighting force, 
       thirty-six thousand, for they had many wives and sons.

       (1 Chr 7:5 NRSV)  Their kindred belonging to all the families of 
       Issachar were in all eighty-seven thousand mighty warriors, enrolled 
       by genealogy.





       (1 Chr 7:6 NRSV)  The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, and Jediael, 
       three.

       (1 Chr 7:7 NRSV)  The sons of Bela: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and 
       Iri, five, heads of ancestral houses, mighty warriors; and their 
       enrollment by genealogies was twenty-two thousand thirty-four.

       (1 Chr 7:8 NRSV)  The sons of Becher: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, 
       Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. All these 
       were the sons of Becher;

       (1 Chr 7:9 NRSV)  and their enrollment by genealogies, according to 
       their generations, as heads of their ancestral houses, mighty 
       warriors, was twenty thousand two hundred.

       (1 Chr 7:10 NRSV)  The sons of Jediael: Bilhan. And the sons of 
       Bilhan: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and 
       Ahishahar.

       (1 Chr 7:11 NRSV)  All these were the sons of Jediael according to the 
       heads of their ancestral houses, mighty warriors, seventeen thousand 
       two hundred, ready for service in war.

       (1 Chr 7:12 NRSV)  And Shuppim and Huppim were the sons of Ir, Hushim 
       the son of Aher.

       (1 Chr 7:13 NRSV)  The descendants of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, 
       and Shallum, the descendants of Bilhah.

       (1 Chr 7:14 NRSV)  The sons of Manasseh: Asriel, whom his Aramean 
       concubine bore; she bore Machir the father of Gilead.

       (1 Chr 7:15 NRSV)  And Machir took a wife for Huppim and for Shuppim. 
       The name of his sister was Maacah. And the name of the second was 
       Zelophehad; and Zelophehad had daughters.

       (1 Chr 7:16 NRSV)  Maacah the wife of Machir bore a son, and she named 
       him Peresh; the name of his brother was Sheresh; and his sons were 
       Ulam and Rekem.

       (1 Chr 7:17 NRSV)  The son of Ulam: Bedan. These were the sons of 
       Gilead son of Machir, son of Manasseh.

       (1 Chr 7:18 NRSV)  And his sister Hammolecheth bore Ishhod, Abiezer, 
       and Mahlah.

       (1 Chr 7:19 NRSV)  The sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and 
       Aniam.

       (1 Chr 7:20 NRSV)  The sons of Ephraim: Shuthelah, and Bered his son, 
       Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son,

       (1 Chr 7:21 NRSV)  Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and 
       Elead. Now the people of Gath, who were born in the land, killed them, 
       because they came down to raid their cattle.





       (1 Chr 7:22 NRSV)  And their father Ephraim mourned many days, and his 
       brothers came to comfort him.

       (1 Chr 7:23 NRSV)  Ephraim went in to his wife, and she conceived and 
       bore a son; and he named him Beriah, because disaster had befallen his 
       house.

       (1 Chr 7:24 NRSV)  His daughter was Sheerah, who built both Lower and 
       Upper Beth-horon, and Uzzen-sheerah.

       (1 Chr 7:25 NRSV)  Rephah was his son, Resheph his son, Telah his son, 
       Tahan his son,

       (1 Chr 7:26 NRSV)  Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son,

       (1 Chr 7:27 NRSV)  Nun his son, Joshua his son.

       (1 Chr 7:28 NRSV)  Their possessions and settlements were Bethel and 
       its towns, and eastward Naaran, and westward Gezer and its towns, 
       Shechem and its towns, as far as Ayyah and its towns;

       (1 Chr 7:29 NRSV)  also along the borders of the Manassites, 
       Beth-shean and its towns, Taanach and its towns, Megiddo and its 
       towns, Dor and its towns. In these lived the sons of Joseph son of 
       Israel.

       (1 Chr 7:30 NRSV)  The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, 
       and their sister Serah.

       (1 Chr 7:31 NRSV)  The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel, who was the 
       father of Birzaith.

       (1 Chr 7:32 NRSV)  Heber became the father of Japhlet, Shomer, Hotham, 
       and their sister Shua.

       (1 Chr 7:33 NRSV)  The sons of Japhlet: Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. 
       These are the sons of Japhlet.

       (1 Chr 7:34 NRSV)  The sons of Shemer: Ahi, Rohgah, Hubbah, and Aram.

       (1 Chr 7:35 NRSV)  The sons of Helem his brother: Zophah, Imna, 
       Shelesh, and Amal.

       (1 Chr 7:36 NRSV)  The sons of Zophah: Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, 
       Imrah,

       (1 Chr 7:37 NRSV)  Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera.

       (1 Chr 7:38 NRSV)  The sons of Jether: Jephunneh, Pispa, and Ara.

       (1 Chr 7:39 NRSV)  The sons of Ulla: Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia.

       (1 Chr 7:40 NRSV)  All of these were men of Asher, heads of ancestral 
       houses, select mighty warriors, chief of the princes. Their number 
       enrolled by genealogies, for service in war, was twenty-six thousand 
       men.






       (1 Chr 8:1 NRSV)  Benjamin became the father of Bela his firstborn, 
       Ashbel the second, Aharah the third,

       (1 Chr 8:2 NRSV)  Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth.

       (1 Chr 8:3 NRSV)  And Bela had sons: Addar, Gera, Abihud,

       (1 Chr 8:4 NRSV)  Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah,

       (1 Chr 8:5 NRSV)  Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.

       (1 Chr 8:6 NRSV)  These are the sons of Ehud (they were heads of 
       ancestral houses of the inhabitants of Geba, and they were carried 
       into exile to Manahath):

       (1 Chr 8:7 NRSV)  Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera, that is, Heglam, who 
       became the father of Uzza and Ahihud.

       (1 Chr 8:8 NRSV)  And Shaharaim had sons in the country of Moab after 
       he had sent away his wives Hushim and Baara.

       (1 Chr 8:9 NRSV)  He had sons by his wife Hodesh: Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, 
       Malcam,

       (1 Chr 8:10 NRSV)  Jeuz, Sachia, and Mirmah. These were his sons, 
       heads of ancestral houses.

       (1 Chr 8:11 NRSV)  He also had sons by Hushim: Abitub and Elpaal.

       (1 Chr 8:12 NRSV)  The sons of Elpaal: Eber, Misham, and Shemed, who 
       built Ono and Lod with its towns,

       (1 Chr 8:13 NRSV)  and Beriah and Shema (they were heads of ancestral 
       houses of the inhabitants of Aijalon, who put to flight the 
       inhabitants of Gath);

       (1 Chr 8:14 NRSV)  and Ahio, Shashak, and Jeremoth.

       (1 Chr 8:15 NRSV)  Zebadiah, Arad, Eder,

       (1 Chr 8:16 NRSV)  Michael, Ishpah, and Joha were sons of Beriah.

       (1 Chr 8:17 NRSV)  Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber,

       (1 Chr 8:18 NRSV)  Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab were the sons of 
       Elpaal.

       (1 Chr 8:19 NRSV)  Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi,

       (1 Chr 8:20 NRSV)  Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel,

       (1 Chr 8:21 NRSV)  Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath were the sons of 
       Shimei.

       (1 Chr 8:22 NRSV)  Ishpan, Eber, Eliel,






       (1 Chr 8:23 NRSV)  Abdon, Zichri, Hanan,

       (1 Chr 8:24 NRSV)  Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah,

       (1 Chr 8:25 NRSV)  Iphdeiah, and Penuel were the sons of Shashak.

       (1 Chr 8:26 NRSV)  Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah,

       (1 Chr 8:27 NRSV)  Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zichri were the sons of 
       Jeroham.

       (1 Chr 8:28 NRSV)  These were the heads of ancestral houses, according 
       to their generations, chiefs. These lived in Jerusalem.

       (1 Chr 8:29 NRSV)  Jeiel the father of Gibeon lived in Gibeon, and the 
       name of his wife was Maacah.

       (1 Chr 8:30 NRSV)  His firstborn son: Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, 
       Nadab,

       (1 Chr 8:31 NRSV)  Gedor, Ahio, Zecher,

       (1 Chr 8:32 NRSV)  and Mikloth, who became the father of Shimeah. Now 
       these also lived opposite their kindred in Jerusalem, with their 
       kindred.

       (1 Chr 8:33 NRSV)  Ner became the father of Kish, Kish of Saul, Saul 
       of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal;

       (1 Chr 8:34 NRSV)  and the son of Jonathan was Merib-baal; and 
       Merib-baal became the father of Micah.

       (1 Chr 8:35 NRSV)  The sons of Micah: Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz.

       (1 Chr 8:36 NRSV)  Ahaz became the father of Jehoaddah; and Jehoaddah 
       became the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; Zimri became the 
       father of Moza.

       (1 Chr 8:37 NRSV)  Moza became the father of Binea; Raphah was his 
       son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son.

       (1 Chr 8:38 NRSV)  Azel had six sons, and these are their names: 
       Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan; all these 
       were the sons of Azel.

       (1 Chr 8:39 NRSV)  The sons of his brother Eshek: Ulam his firstborn, 
       Jeush the second, and Eliphelet the third.

       (1 Chr 8:40 NRSV)  The sons of Ulam were mighty warriors, archers, 
       having many children and grandchildren, one hundred fifty. All these 
       were Benjaminites.

       (1 Chr 9:1 NRSV)  So all Israel was enrolled by genealogies; and these 
       are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. And Judah was taken 
       into exile in Babylon because of their unfaithfulness.






       (1 Chr 9:2 NRSV)  Now the first to live again in their possessions in 
       their towns were Israelites, priests, Levites, and temple servants.

       (1 Chr 9:3 NRSV)  And some of the people of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, 
       and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem:

       (1 Chr 9:4 NRSV)  Uthai son of Ammihud, son of Omri, son of Imri, son 
       of Bani, from the sons of Perez son of Judah.

       (1 Chr 9:5 NRSV)  And of the Shilonites: Asaiah the firstborn, and his 
       sons.

       (1 Chr 9:6 NRSV)  Of the sons of Zerah: Jeuel and their kin, six 
       hundred ninety.

       (1 Chr 9:7 NRSV)  Of the Benjaminites: Sallu son of Meshullam, son of 
       Hodaviah, son of Hassenuah,

       (1 Chr 9:8 NRSV)  Ibneiah son of Jeroham, Elah son of Uzzi, son of 
       Michri, and Meshullam son of Shephatiah, son of Reuel, son of Ibnijah;

       (1 Chr 9:9 NRSV)  and their kindred according to their generations, 
       nine hundred fifty-six. All these were heads of families according to 
       their ancestral houses.

       (1 Chr 9:10 NRSV)  Of the priests: Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, Jachin,

       (1 Chr 9:11 NRSV)  and Azariah son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son 
       of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, the chief officer of the 
       house of God;

       (1 Chr 9:12 NRSV)  and Adaiah son of Jeroham, son of Pashhur, son of 
       Malchijah, and Maasai son of Adiel, son of Jahzerah, son of Meshullam, 
       son of Meshillemith, son of Immer;

       (1 Chr 9:13 NRSV)  besides their kindred, heads of their ancestral 
       houses, one thousand seven hundred sixty, qualified for the work of 
       the service of the house of God.

       (1 Chr 9:14 NRSV)  Of the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, son of 
       Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, of the sons of Merari;

       (1 Chr 9:15 NRSV)  and Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and Mattaniah son of 
       Mica, son of Zichri, son of Asaph;

       (1 Chr 9:16 NRSV)  and Obadiah son of Shemaiah, son of Galal, son of 
       Jeduthun, and Berechiah son of Asa, son of Elkanah, who lived in the 
       villages of the Netophathites.

       (1 Chr 9:17 NRSV)  The gatekeepers were: Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, 
       Ahiman; and their kindred Shallum was the chief,

       (1 Chr 9:18 NRSV)  stationed previously in the king's gate on the east 
       side. These were the gatekeepers of the camp of the Levites.





       (1 Chr 9:19 NRSV)  Shallum son of Kore, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, 
       and his kindred of his ancestral house, the Korahites, were in charge 
       of the work of the service, guardians of the thresholds of the tent, 
       as their ancestors had been in charge of the camp of the LORD, 
       guardians of the entrance.

       (1 Chr 9:20 NRSV)  And Phinehas son of Eleazar was chief over them in 
       former times; the LORD was with him.

       (1 Chr 9:21 NRSV)  Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was gatekeeper at the 
       entrance of the tent of meeting.

       (1 Chr 9:22 NRSV)  All these, who were chosen as gatekeepers at the 
       thresholds, were two hundred twelve. They were enrolled by genealogies 
       in their villages. David and the seer Samuel established them in their 
       office of trust.

       (1 Chr 9:23 NRSV)  So they and their descendants were in charge of the 
       gates of the house of the LORD, that is, the house of the tent, as 
       guards.

       (1 Chr 9:24 NRSV)  The gatekeepers were on the four sides, east, west, 
       north, and south;

       (1 Chr 9:25 NRSV)  and their kindred who were in their villages were 
       obliged to come in every seven days, in turn, to be with them;

       (1 Chr 9:26 NRSV)  for the four chief gatekeepers, who were Levites, 
       were in charge of the chambers and the treasures of the house of God.

       (1 Chr 9:27 NRSV)  And they would spend the night near the house of 
       God; for on them lay the duty of watching, and they had charge of 
       opening it every morning.

       (1 Chr 9:28 NRSV)  Some of them had charge of the utensils of service, 
       for they were required to count them when they were brought in and 
       taken out.

       (1 Chr 9:29 NRSV)  Others of them were appointed over the furniture, 
       and over all the holy utensils, also over the choice flour, the wine, 
       the oil, the incense, and the spices.

       (1 Chr 9:30 NRSV)  Others, of the sons of the priests, prepared the 
       mixing of the spices,

       (1 Chr 9:31 NRSV)  and Mattithiah, one of the Levites, the firstborn 
       of Shallum the Korahite, was in charge of making the flat cakes.

       (1 Chr 9:32 NRSV)  Also some of their kindred of the Kohathites had 
       charge of the rows of bread, to prepare them for each sabbath.

       (1 Chr 9:33 NRSV)  Now these are the singers, the heads of ancestral 
       houses of the Levites, living in the chambers of the temple free from 
       other service, for they were on duty day and night.

       (1 Chr 9:34 NRSV)  These were heads of ancestral houses of the 





       Levites, according to their generations; these leaders lived in 
       Jerusalem.

       (1 Chr 9:35 NRSV)  In Gibeon lived the father of Gibeon, Jeiel, and 
       the name of his wife was Maacah.

       (1 Chr 9:36 NRSV)  His firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, 
       Ner, Nadab,

       (1 Chr 9:37 NRSV)  Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth;

       (1 Chr 9:38 NRSV)  and Mikloth became the father of Shimeam; and these 
       also lived opposite their kindred in Jerusalem, with their kindred.

       (1 Chr 9:39 NRSV)  Ner became the father of Kish, Kish of Saul, Saul 
       of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal;

       (1 Chr 9:40 NRSV)  and the son of Jonathan was Merib-baal; and 
       Merib-baal became the father of Micah.

       (1 Chr 9:41 NRSV)  The sons of Micah: Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and 
       Ahaz;

       (1 Chr 9:42 NRSV)  and Ahaz became the father of Jarah, and Jarah of 
       Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri became the father of Moza.

       (1 Chr 9:43 NRSV)  Moza became the father of Binea; and Rephaiah was 
       his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son.

       (1 Chr 9:44 NRSV)  Azel had six sons, and these are their names: 
       Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan; these were 
       the sons of Azel.

       (1 Chr 10:1 NRSV)  Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the 
       men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount 
       Gilboa.

       (1 Chr 10:2 NRSV)  The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the 
       Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, sons of Saul.

       (1 Chr 10:3 NRSV)  The battle pressed hard on Saul; and the archers 
       found him, and he was wounded by the archers.

       (1 Chr 10:4 NRSV)  Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your 
       sword, and thrust me through with it, so that these uncircumcised may 
       not come and make sport of me." But his armor-bearer was unwilling, 
       for he was terrified. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.

       (1 Chr 10:5 NRSV)  When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he 
       also fell on his sword and died.

       (1 Chr 10:6 NRSV)  Thus Saul died; he and his three sons and all his 
       house died together.

       (1 Chr 10:7 NRSV)  When all the men of Israel who were in the valley 
       saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they 





       abandoned their towns and fled; and the Philistines came and occupied 
       them.

       (1 Chr 10:8 NRSV)  The next day when the Philistines came to strip the 
       dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

       (1 Chr 10:9 NRSV)  They stripped him and took his head and his armor, 
       and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry 
       the good news to their idols and to the people.

       (1 Chr 10:10 NRSV)  They put his armor in the temple of their gods, 
       and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.

       (1 Chr 10:11 NRSV)  But when all Jabesh-gilead heard everything that 
       the Philistines had done to Saul,

       (1 Chr 10:12 NRSV)  all the valiant warriors got up and took away the 
       body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh. 
       Then they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven 
       days.

       (1 Chr 10:13 NRSV)  So Saul died for his unfaithfulness; he was 
       unfaithful to the LORD in that he did not keep the command of the 
       LORD; moreover, he had consulted a medium, seeking guidance,

       (1 Chr 10:14 NRSV)  and did not seek guidance from the LORD. Therefore 
       the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of 
       Jesse.

       (1 Chr 11:1 NRSV)  Then all Israel gathered together to David at 
       Hebron and said, "See, we are your bone and flesh.

       (1 Chr 11:2 NRSV)  For some time now, even while Saul was king, it was 
       you who commanded the army of Israel. The LORD your God said to you: 
       It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be 
       ruler over my people Israel."

       (1 Chr 11:3 NRSV)  So all the elders of Israel came to the king at 
       Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD. 
       And they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the 
       LORD by Samuel.

       (1 Chr 11:4 NRSV)  David and all Israel marched to Jerusalem, that is 
       Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land.

       (1 Chr 11:5 NRSV)  The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, "You will 
       not come in here." Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion, now 
       the city of David.

       (1 Chr 11:6 NRSV)  David had said, "Whoever attacks the Jebusites 
       first shall be chief and commander." And Joab son of Zeruiah went up 
       first, so he became chief.

       (1 Chr 11:7 NRSV)  David resided in the stronghold; therefore it was 
       called the city of David.





       (1 Chr 11:8 NRSV)  He built the city all around, from the Millo in 
       complete circuit; and Joab repaired the rest of the city.

       (1 Chr 11:9 NRSV)  And David became greater and greater, for the LORD 
       of hosts was with him.

       (1 Chr 11:10 NRSV)  Now these are the chiefs of David's warriors, who 
       gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to 
       make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel.

       (1 Chr 11:11 NRSV)  This is an account of David's mighty warriors: 
       Jashobeam, son of Hachmoni, was chief of the Three; he wielded his 
       spear against three hundred whom he killed at one time.

       (1 Chr 11:12 NRSV)  And next to him among the three warriors was 
       Eleazar son of Dodo, the Ahohite.

       (1 Chr 11:13 NRSV)  He was with David at Pas-dammim when the 
       Philistines were gathered there for battle. There was a plot of ground 
       full of barley. Now the people had fled from the Philistines,

       (1 Chr 11:14 NRSV)  but he and David took their stand in the middle of 
       the plot, defended it, and killed the Philistines; and the LORD saved 
       them by a great victory.

       (1 Chr 11:15 NRSV)  Three of the thirty chiefs went down to the rock 
       to David at the cave of Adullam, while the army of Philistines was 
       encamped in the valley of Rephaim.

       (1 Chr 11:16 NRSV)  David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison 
       of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem.

       (1 Chr 11:17 NRSV)  David said longingly, "O that someone would give 
       me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!"

       (1 Chr 11:18 NRSV)  Then the Three broke through the camp of the 
       Philistines, and drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the 
       gate, and they brought it to David. But David would not drink of it; 
       he poured it out to the LORD,

       (1 Chr 11:19 NRSV)  and said, "My God forbid that I should do this. 
       Can I drink the blood of these men? For at the risk of their lives 
       they brought it." Therefore he would not drink it. The three warriors 
       did these things.

       (1 Chr 11:20 NRSV)  Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, was chief of the 
       Thirty. With his spear he fought against three hundred and killed 
       them, and won a name beside the Three.

       (1 Chr 11:21 NRSV)  He was the most renowned of the Thirty, and became 
       their commander; but he did not attain to the Three.

       (1 Chr 11:22 NRSV)  Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of 
       Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds; he struck down two sons of Ariel of 
       Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in a pit on a day when snow 
       had fallen.






       (1 Chr 11:23 NRSV)  And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great stature, 
       five cubits tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear like a weaver's 
       beam; but Benaiah went against him with a staff, snatched the spear 
       out of the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own spear.

       (1 Chr 11:24 NRSV)  Such were the things Benaiah son of Jehoiada did, 
       and he won a name beside the three warriors.

       (1 Chr 11:25 NRSV)  He was renowned among the Thirty, but he did not 
       attain to the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

       (1 Chr 11:26 NRSV)  The warriors of the armies were Asahel brother of 
       Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

       (1 Chr 11:27 NRSV)  Shammoth of Harod, Helez the Pelonite,

       (1 Chr 11:28 NRSV)  Ira son of Ikkesh of Tekoa, Abiezer of Anathoth,

       (1 Chr 11:29 NRSV)  Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,

       (1 Chr 11:30 NRSV)  Maharai of Netophah, Heled son of Baanah of 
       Netophah,

       (1 Chr 11:31 NRSV)  Ithai son of Ribai of Gibeah of the Benjaminites, 
       Benaiah of Pirathon,

       (1 Chr 11:32 NRSV)  Hurai of the wadis of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite,

       (1 Chr 11:33 NRSV)  Azmaveth of Baharum, Eliahba of Shaalbon,

       (1 Chr 11:34 NRSV)  Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan son of Shagee the 
       Hararite,

       (1 Chr 11:35 NRSV)  Ahiam son of Sachar the Hararite, Eliphal son of 
       Ur,

       (1 Chr 11:36 NRSV)  Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite,

       (1 Chr 11:37 NRSV)  Hezro of Carmel, Naarai son of Ezbai,

       (1 Chr 11:38 NRSV)  Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar son of Hagri,

       (1 Chr 11:39 NRSV)  Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, the 
       armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,

       (1 Chr 11:40 NRSV)  Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

       (1 Chr 11:41 NRSV)  Uriah the Hittite, Zabad son of Ahlai,

       (1 Chr 11:42 NRSV)  Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, a leader of the 
       Reubenites, and thirty with him,

       (1 Chr 11:43 NRSV)  Hanan son of Maacah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite,

       (1 Chr 11:44 NRSV)  Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel sons of 





       Hotham the Aroerite,

       (1 Chr 11:45 NRSV)  Jediael son of Shimri, and his brother Joha the 
       Tizite,

       (1 Chr 11:46 NRSV)  Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai and Joshaviah sons 
       of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite,

       (1 Chr 11:47 NRSV)  Eliel, and Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

       (1 Chr 12:1 NRSV)  The following are those who came to David at 
       Ziklag, while he could not move about freely because of Saul son of 
       Kish; they were among the mighty warriors who helped him in war.

       (1 Chr 12:2 NRSV)  They were archers, and could shoot arrows and sling 
       stones with either the right hand or the left; they were Benjaminites, 
       Saul's kindred.

       (1 Chr 12:3 NRSV)  The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, both sons of 
       Shemaah of Gibeah; also Jeziel and Pelet sons of Azmaveth; Beracah, 
       Jehu of Anathoth,

       (1 Chr 12:4 NRSV)  Ishmaiah of Gibeon, a warrior among the Thirty and 
       a leader over the Thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad of 
       Gederah,

       (1 Chr 12:5 NRSV)  Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah 
       the Haruphite;

       (1 Chr 12:6 NRSV)  Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, 
       the Korahites;

       (1 Chr 12:7 NRSV)  and Joelah and Zebadiah, sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

       (1 Chr 12:8 NRSV)  From the Gadites there went over to David at the 
       stronghold in the wilderness mighty and experienced warriors, expert 
       with shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and 
       who were swift as gazelles on the mountains:

       (1 Chr 12:9 NRSV)  Ezer the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third,

       (1 Chr 12:10 NRSV)  Mishmannah fourth, Jeremiah fifth,

       (1 Chr 12:11 NRSV)  Attai sixth, Eliel seventh,

       (1 Chr 12:12 NRSV)  Johanan eighth, Elzabad ninth,

       (1 Chr 12:13 NRSV)  Jeremiah tenth, Machbannai eleventh.

       (1 Chr 12:14 NRSV)  These Gadites were officers of the army, the least 
       equal to a hundred and the greatest to a thousand.

       (1 Chr 12:15 NRSV)  These are the men who crossed the Jordan in the 
       first month, when it was overflowing all its banks, and put to flight 
       all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.





       (1 Chr 12:16 NRSV)  Some Benjaminites and Judahites came to the 
       stronghold to David.

       (1 Chr 12:17 NRSV)  David went out to meet them and said to them, "If 
       you have come to me in friendship, to help me, then my heart will be 
       knit to you; but if you have come to betray me to my adversaries, 
       though my hands have done no wrong, then may the God of our ancestors 
       see and give judgment."

       (1 Chr 12:18 NRSV)  Then the spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the 
       Thirty, and he said, "We are yours, O David; and with you, O son of 
       Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to the one who helps you! For 
       your God is the one who helps you." Then David received them, and made 
       them officers of his troops.

       (1 Chr 12:19 NRSV)  Some of the Manassites deserted to David when he 
       came with the Philistines for the battle against Saul. (Yet he did not 
       help them, for the rulers of the Philistines took counsel and sent him 
       away, saying, "He will desert to his master Saul at the cost of our 
       heads.")

       (1 Chr 12:20 NRSV)  As he went to Ziklag these Manassites deserted to 
       him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, 
       chiefs of the thousands in Manasseh.

       (1 Chr 12:21 NRSV)  They helped David against the band of raiders, for 
       they were all warriors and commanders in the army.

       (1 Chr 12:22 NRSV)  Indeed from day to day people kept coming to David 
       to help him, until there was a great army, like an army of God.

       (1 Chr 12:23 NRSV)  These are the numbers of the divisions of the 
       armed troops who came to David in Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul 
       over to him, according to the word of the LORD.

       (1 Chr 12:24 NRSV)  The people of Judah bearing shield and spear 
       numbered six thousand eight hundred armed troops.

       (1 Chr 12:25 NRSV)  Of the Simeonites, mighty warriors, seven thousand 
       one hundred.

       (1 Chr 12:26 NRSV)  Of the Levites four thousand six hundred.

       (1 Chr 12:27 NRSV)  Jehoiada, leader of the house of Aaron, and with 
       him three thousand seven hundred.

       (1 Chr 12:28 NRSV)  Zadok, a young warrior, and twenty-two commanders 
       from his own ancestral house.

       (1 Chr 12:29 NRSV)  Of the Benjaminites, the kindred of Saul, three 
       thousand, of whom the majority had continued to keep their allegiance 
       to the house of Saul.

       (1 Chr 12:30 NRSV)  Of the Ephraimites, twenty thousand eight hundred, 
       mighty warriors, notables in their ancestral houses.





       (1 Chr 12:31 NRSV)  Of the half-tribe of Manasseh, eighteen thousand, 
       who were expressly named to come and make David king.

       (1 Chr 12:32 NRSV)  Of Issachar, those who had understanding of the 
       times, to know what Israel ought to do, two hundred chiefs, and all 
       their kindred under their command.

       (1 Chr 12:33 NRSV)  Of Zebulun, fifty thousand seasoned troops, 
       equipped for battle with all the weapons of war, to help David with 
       singleness of purpose.

       (1 Chr 12:34 NRSV)  Of Naphtali, a thousand commanders, with whom 
       there were thirty-seven thousand armed with shield and spear.

       (1 Chr 12:35 NRSV)  Of the Danites, twenty-eight thousand six hundred 
       equipped for battle.

       (1 Chr 12:36 NRSV)  Of Asher, forty thousand seasoned troops ready for 
       battle.

       (1 Chr 12:37 NRSV)  Of the Reubenites and Gadites and the half-tribe 
       of Manasseh from beyond the Jordan, one hundred twenty thousand armed 
       with all the weapons of war.

       (1 Chr 12:38 NRSV)  All these, warriors arrayed in battle order, came 
       to Hebron with full intent to make David king over all Israel; 
       likewise all the rest of Israel were of a single mind to make David 
       king.

       (1 Chr 12:39 NRSV)  They were there with David for three days, eating 
       and drinking, for their kindred had provided for them.

       (1 Chr 12:40 NRSV)  And also their neighbors, from as far away as 
       Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, came bringing food on donkeys, 
       camels, mules, and oxen--abundant provisions of meal, cakes of figs, 
       clusters of raisins, wine, oil, oxen, and sheep, for there was joy in 
       Israel.

       (1 Chr 13:1 NRSV)  David consulted with the commanders of the 
       thousands and of the hundreds, with every leader.

       (1 Chr 13:2 NRSV)  David said to the whole assembly of Israel, "If it 
       seems good to you, and if it is the will of the LORD our God, let us 
       send abroad to our kindred who remain in all the land of Israel, 
       including the priests and Levites in the cities that have pasture 
       lands, that they may come together to us.

       (1 Chr 13:3 NRSV)  Then let us bring again the ark of our God to us; 
       for we did not turn to it in the days of Saul."

       (1 Chr 13:4 NRSV)  The whole assembly agreed to do so, for the thing 
       pleased all the people.

       (1 Chr 13:5 NRSV)  So David assembled all Israel from the Shihor of 
       Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.





       (1 Chr 13:6 NRSV)  And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, that 
       is, to Kiriath-jearim, which belongs to Judah, to bring up from there 
       the ark of God, the LORD, who is enthroned on the cherubim, which is 
       called by his name.

       (1 Chr 13:7 NRSV)  They carried the ark of God on a new cart, from the 
       house of Abinadab, and Uzzah and Ahio were driving the cart.

       (1 Chr 13:8 NRSV)  David and all Israel were dancing before God with 
       all their might, with song and lyres and harps and tambourines and 
       cymbals and trumpets.

       (1 Chr 13:9 NRSV)  When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, 
       Uzzah put out his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen shook it.

       (1 Chr 13:10 NRSV)  The anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; 
       he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark; and he died 
       there before God.

       (1 Chr 13:11 NRSV)  David was angry because the LORD had burst out 
       against Uzzah; so that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day.

       (1 Chr 13:12 NRSV)  David was afraid of God that day; he said, "How 
       can I bring the ark of God into my care?"

       (1 Chr 13:13 NRSV)  So David did not take the ark into his care into 
       the city of David; he took it instead to the house of Obed-edom the 
       Gittite.

       (1 Chr 13:14 NRSV)  The ark of God remained with the household of 
       Obed-edom in his house three months, and the LORD blessed the 
       household of Obed-edom and all that he had.

       (1 Chr 14:1 NRSV)  King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David, along 
       with cedar logs, and masons and carpenters to build a house for him.

       (1 Chr 14:2 NRSV)  David then perceived that the LORD had established 
       him as king over Israel, and that his kingdom was highly exalted for 
       the sake of his people Israel.

       (1 Chr 14:3 NRSV)  David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David 
       became the father of more sons and daughters.

       (1 Chr 14:4 NRSV)  These are the names of the children whom he had in 
       Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, and Nathan; Solomon,

       (1 Chr 14:5 NRSV)  Ibhar, Elishua, and Elpelet;

       (1 Chr 14:6 NRSV)  Nogah, Nepheg, and Japhia;

       (1 Chr 14:7 NRSV)  Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.

       (1 Chr 14:8 NRSV)  When the Philistines heard that David had been 
       anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up in search 
       of David; and David heard of it and went out against them.





       (1 Chr 14:9 NRSV)  Now the Philistines had come and made a raid in the 
       valley of Rephaim.

       (1 Chr 14:10 NRSV)  David inquired of God, "Shall I go up against the 
       Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?" The LORD said to him, 
       "Go up, and I will give them into your hand."

       (1 Chr 14:11 NRSV)  So he went up to Baal-perazim, and David defeated 
       them there. David said, "God has burst out against my enemies by my 
       hand, like a bursting flood." Therefore that place is called 
       Baal-perazim.

       (1 Chr 14:12 NRSV)  They abandoned their gods there, and at David's 
       command they were burned.

       (1 Chr 14:13 NRSV)  Once again the Philistines made a raid in the 
       valley.

       (1 Chr 14:14 NRSV)  When David again inquired of God, God said to him, 
       "You shall not go up after them; go around and come on them opposite 
       the balsam trees.

       (1 Chr 14:15 NRSV)  When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of 
       the balsam trees, then go out to battle; for God has gone out before 
       you to strike down the army of the Philistines."

       (1 Chr 14:16 NRSV)  David did as God had commanded him, and they 
       struck down the Philistine army from Gibeon to Gezer.

       (1 Chr 14:17 NRSV)  The fame of David went out into all lands, and the 
       LORD brought the fear of him on all nations.

       (1 Chr 15:1 NRSV)  David built houses for himself in the city of 
       David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent 
       for it.

       (1 Chr 15:2 NRSV)  Then David commanded that no one but the Levites 
       were to carry the ark of God, for the LORD had chosen them to carry 
       the ark of the LORD and to minister to him forever.

       (1 Chr 15:3 NRSV)  David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up 
       the ark of the LORD to its place, which he had prepared for it.

       (1 Chr 15:4 NRSV)  Then David gathered together the descendants of 
       Aaron and the Levites:

       (1 Chr 15:5 NRSV)  of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, with one 
       hundred twenty of his kindred;

       (1 Chr 15:6 NRSV)  of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, with two 
       hundred twenty of his kindred;

       (1 Chr 15:7 NRSV)  of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, with one 
       hundred thirty of his kindred;

       (1 Chr 15:8 NRSV)  of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, with 





       two hundred of his kindred;

       (1 Chr 15:9 NRSV)  of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, with eighty 
       of his kindred;

       (1 Chr 15:10 NRSV)  of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, with 
       one hundred twelve of his kindred.

       (1 Chr 15:11 NRSV)  David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar, and 
       the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.

       (1 Chr 15:12 NRSV)  He said to them, "You are the heads of families of 
       the Levites; sanctify yourselves, you and your kindred, so that you 
       may bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place that 
       I have prepared for it.

       (1 Chr 15:13 NRSV)  Because you did not carry it the first time, the 
       LORD our God burst out against us, because we did not give it proper 
       care."

       (1 Chr 15:14 NRSV)  So the priests and the Levites sanctified 
       themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel.

       (1 Chr 15:15 NRSV)  And the Levites carried the ark of God on their 
       shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word 
       of the LORD.

       (1 Chr 15:16 NRSV)  David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to 
       appoint their kindred as the singers to play on musical instruments, 
       on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise loud sounds of joy.

       (1 Chr 15:17 NRSV)  So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; and of 
       his kindred Asaph son of Berechiah; and of the sons of Merari, their 
       kindred, Ethan son of Kushaiah;

       (1 Chr 15:18 NRSV)  and with them their kindred of the second order, 
       Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, 
       Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and the gatekeepers 
       Obed-edom and Jeiel.

       (1 Chr 15:19 NRSV)  The singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound 
       bronze cymbals;

       (1 Chr 15:20 NRSV)  Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, 
       Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play harps according to Alamoth;

       (1 Chr 15:21 NRSV)  but Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, 
       Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead with lyres according to the Sheminith.

       (1 Chr 15:22 NRSV)  Chenaniah, leader of the Levites in music, was to 
       direct the music, for he understood it.

       (1 Chr 15:23 NRSV)  Berechiah and Elkanah were to be gatekeepers for 
       the ark.

       (1 Chr 15:24 NRSV)  Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, 





       Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, were to blow the trumpets before 
       the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah also were to be gatekeepers for 
       the ark.

       (1 Chr 15:25 NRSV)  So David and the elders of Israel, and the 
       commanders of the thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant 
       of the LORD from the house of Obed-edom with rejoicing.

       (1 Chr 15:26 NRSV)  And because God helped the Levites who were 
       carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD, they sacrificed seven 
       bulls and seven rams.

       (1 Chr 15:27 NRSV)  David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as 
       also were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers, 
       and Chenaniah the leader of the music of the singers; and David wore a 
       linen ephod.

       (1 Chr 15:28 NRSV)  So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant 
       of the LORD with shouting, to the sound of the horn, trumpets, and 
       cymbals, and made loud music on harps and lyres.

       (1 Chr 15:29 NRSV)  As the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the 
       city of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and 
       saw King David leaping and dancing; and she despised him in her heart.

       (1 Chr 16:1 NRSV)  They brought in the ark of God, and set it inside 
       the tent that David had pitched for it; and they offered burnt 
       offerings and offerings of well-being before God.

       (1 Chr 16:2 NRSV)  When David had finished offering the burnt 
       offerings and the offerings of well-being, he blessed the people in 
       the name of the LORD;

       (1 Chr 16:3 NRSV)  and he distributed to every person in Israel--man 
       and woman alike--to each a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a 
       cake of raisins.

       (1 Chr 16:4 NRSV)  He appointed certain of the Levites as ministers 
       before the ark of the LORD, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the 
       LORD, the God of Israel.

       (1 Chr 16:5 NRSV)  Asaph was the chief, and second to him Zechariah, 
       Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and 
       Jeiel, with harps and lyres; Asaph was to sound the cymbals,

       (1 Chr 16:6 NRSV)  and the priests Benaiah and Jahaziel were to blow 
       trumpets regularly, before the ark of the covenant of God.

       (1 Chr 16:7 NRSV)  Then on that day David first appointed the singing 
       of praises to the LORD by Asaph and his kindred.

       (1 Chr 16:8 NRSV)  O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name, make 
       known his deeds among the peoples.

       (1 Chr 16:9 NRSV)  Sing to him, sing praises to him, tell of all his 
       wonderful works.






       (1 Chr 16:10 NRSV)  Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those 
       who seek the LORD rejoice.

       (1 Chr 16:11 NRSV)  Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his presence 
       continually.

       (1 Chr 16:12 NRSV)  Remember the wonderful works he has done, his 
       miracles, and the judgments he uttered,

       (1 Chr 16:13 NRSV)  O offspring of his servant Israel, children of 
       Jacob, his chosen ones.

       (1 Chr 16:14 NRSV)  He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all 
       the earth.

       (1 Chr 16:15 NRSV)  Remember his covenant forever, the word that he 
       commanded, for a thousand generations,

       (1 Chr 16:16 NRSV)  the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn 
       promise to Isaac,

       (1 Chr 16:17 NRSV)  which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to 
       Israel as an everlasting covenant,

       (1 Chr 16:18 NRSV)  saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan as 
       your portion for an inheritance."

       (1 Chr 16:19 NRSV)  When they were few in number, of little account, 
       and strangers in the land,

       (1 Chr 16:20 NRSV)  wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom 
       to another people,

       (1 Chr 16:21 NRSV)  he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked 
       kings on their account,

       (1 Chr 16:22 NRSV)  saying, "Do not touch my anointed ones; do my 
       prophets no harm."

       (1 Chr 16:23 NRSV)  Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Tell of his 
       salvation from day to day.

       (1 Chr 16:24 NRSV)  Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous 
       works among all the peoples.

       (1 Chr 16:25 NRSV)  For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; 
       he is to be revered above all gods.

       (1 Chr 16:26 NRSV)  For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the 
       LORD made the heavens.

       (1 Chr 16:27 NRSV)  Honor and majesty are before him; strength and joy 
       are in his place.

       (1 Chr 16:28 NRSV)  Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, 





       ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

       (1 Chr 16:29 NRSV)  Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring 
       an offering, and come before him. Worship the LORD in holy splendor;

       (1 Chr 16:30 NRSV)  tremble before him, all the earth. The world is 
       firmly established; it shall never be moved.

       (1 Chr 16:31 NRSV)  Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth 
       rejoice, and let them say among the nations, "The LORD is king!"

       (1 Chr 16:32 NRSV)  Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the 
       field exult, and everything in it.

       (1 Chr 16:33 NRSV)  Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy 
       before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.

       (1 Chr 16:34 NRSV)  O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his 
       steadfast love endures forever.

       (1 Chr 16:35 NRSV)  Say also: "Save us, O God of our salvation, and 
       gather and rescue us from among the nations, that we may give thanks 
       to your holy name, and glory in your praise.

       (1 Chr 16:36 NRSV)  Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from 
       everlasting to everlasting." Then all the people said "Amen!" and 
       praised the LORD.

       (1 Chr 16:37 NRSV)  David left Asaph and his kinsfolk there before the 
       ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister regularly before the ark 
       as each day required,

       (1 Chr 16:38 NRSV)  and also Obed-edom and his sixty-eight kinsfolk; 
       while Obed-edom son of Jeduthun and Hosah were to be gatekeepers.

       (1 Chr 16:39 NRSV)  And he left the priest Zadok and his kindred the 
       priests before the tabernacle of the LORD in the high place that was 
       at Gibeon,

       (1 Chr 16:40 NRSV)  to offer burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar 
       of burnt offering regularly, morning and evening, according to all 
       that is written in the law of the LORD that he commanded Israel.

       (1 Chr 16:41 NRSV)  With them were Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest of 
       those chosen and expressly named to render thanks to the LORD, for his 
       steadfast love endures forever.

       (1 Chr 16:42 NRSV)  Heman and Jeduthun had with them trumpets and 
       cymbals for the music, and instruments for sacred song. The sons of 
       Jeduthun were appointed to the gate.

       (1 Chr 16:43 NRSV)  Then all the people departed to their homes, and 
       David went home to bless his household.

       (1 Chr 17:1 NRSV)  Now when David settled in his house, David said to 
       the prophet Nathan, "I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of 





       the covenant of the LORD is under a tent."

       (1 Chr 17:2 NRSV)  Nathan said to David, "Do all that you have in 
       mind, for God is with you."

       (1 Chr 17:3 NRSV)  But that same night the word of the LORD came to 
       Nathan, saying:

       (1 Chr 17:4 NRSV)  Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: 
       You shall not build me a house to live in.

       (1 Chr 17:5 NRSV)  For I have not lived in a house since the day I 
       brought out Israel to this very day, but I have lived in a tent and a 
       tabernacle.

       (1 Chr 17:6 NRSV)  Wherever I have moved about among all Israel, did I 
       ever speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded 
       to shepherd my people, saying, Why have you not built me a house of 
       cedar?

       (1 Chr 17:7 NRSV)  Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant 
       David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from 
       following the sheep, to be ruler over my people Israel;

       (1 Chr 17:8 NRSV)  and I have been with you wherever you went, and 
       have cut off all your enemies before you; and I will make for you a 
       name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.

       (1 Chr 17:9 NRSV)  I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and 
       will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be 
       disturbed no more; and evildoers shall wear them down no more, as they 
       did formerly,

       (1 Chr 17:10 NRSV)  from the time that I appointed judges over my 
       people Israel; and I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover I declare 
       to you that the LORD will build you a house.

       (1 Chr 17:11 NRSV)  When your days are fulfilled to go to be with your 
       ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own 
       sons, and I will establish his kingdom.

       (1 Chr 17:12 NRSV)  He shall build a house for me, and I will 
       establish his throne forever.

       (1 Chr 17:13 NRSV)  I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son 
       to me. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from 
       him who was before you,

       (1 Chr 17:14 NRSV)  but I will confirm him in my house and in my 
       kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.

       (1 Chr 17:15 NRSV)  In accordance with all these words and all this 
       vision, Nathan spoke to David.

       (1 Chr 17:16 NRSV)  Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, 
       and said, "Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my house, that you have 





       brought me thus far?

       (1 Chr 17:17 NRSV)  And even this was a small thing in your sight, O 
       God; you have also spoken of your servant's house for a great while to 
       come. You regard me as someone of high rank, O LORD God!

       (1 Chr 17:18 NRSV)  And what more can David say to you for honoring 
       your servant? You know your servant.

       (1 Chr 17:19 NRSV)  For your servant's sake, O LORD, and according to 
       your own heart, you have done all these great deeds, making known all 
       these great things.

       (1 Chr 17:20 NRSV)  There is no one like you, O LORD, and there is no 
       God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

       (1 Chr 17:21 NRSV)  Who is like your people Israel, one nation on the 
       earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making for yourself a 
       name for great and terrible things, in driving out nations before your 
       people whom you redeemed from Egypt?

       (1 Chr 17:22 NRSV)  And you made your people Israel to be your people 
       forever; and you, O LORD, became their God.

       (1 Chr 17:23 NRSV)  "And now, O LORD, as for the word that you have 
       spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, let it be 
       established forever, and do as you have promised.

       (1 Chr 17:24 NRSV)  Thus your name will be established and magnified 
       forever in the saying, 'The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, is 
       Israel's God'; and the house of your servant David will be established 
       in your presence.

       (1 Chr 17:25 NRSV)  For you, my God, have revealed to your servant 
       that you will build a house for him; therefore your servant has found 
       it possible to pray before you.

       (1 Chr 17:26 NRSV)  And now, O LORD, you are God, and you have 
       promised this good thing to your servant;

       (1 Chr 17:27 NRSV)  therefore may it please you to bless the house of 
       your servant, that it may continue forever before you. For you, O 
       LORD, have blessed and are blessed forever."

       (1 Chr 18:1 NRSV)  Some time afterward, David attacked the Philistines 
       and subdued them; he took Gath and its villages from the Philistines.

       (1 Chr 18:2 NRSV)  He defeated Moab, and the Moabites became subject 
       to David and brought tribute.

       (1 Chr 18:3 NRSV)  David also struck down King Hadadezer of Zobah, 
       toward Hamath, as he went to set up a monument at the river Euphrates.

       (1 Chr 18:4 NRSV)  David took from him one thousand chariots, seven 
       thousand cavalry, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. David hamstrung 
       all the chariot horses, but left one hundred of them.






       (1 Chr 18:5 NRSV)  When the Arameans of Damascus came to help King 
       Hadadezer of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand Arameans.

       (1 Chr 18:6 NRSV)  Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus; and 
       the Arameans became subject to David, and brought tribute. The LORD 
       gave victory to David wherever he went.

       (1 Chr 18:7 NRSV)  David took the gold shields that were carried by 
       the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.

       (1 Chr 18:8 NRSV)  From Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadadezer, 
       David took a vast quantity of bronze; with it Solomon made the bronze 
       sea and the pillars and the vessels of bronze.

       (1 Chr 18:9 NRSV)  When King Tou of Hamath heard that David had 
       defeated the whole army of King Hadadezer of Zobah,

       (1 Chr 18:10 NRSV)  he sent his son Hadoram to King David, to greet 
       him and to congratulate him, because he had fought against Hadadezer 
       and defeated him. Now Hadadezer had often been at war with Tou. He 
       sent all sorts of articles of gold, of silver, and of bronze;

       (1 Chr 18:11 NRSV)  these also King David dedicated to the LORD, 
       together with the silver and gold that he had carried off from all the 
       nations, from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek.

       (1 Chr 18:12 NRSV)  Abishai son of Zeruiah killed eighteen thousand 
       Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

       (1 Chr 18:13 NRSV)  He put garrisons in Edom; and all the Edomites 
       became subject to David. And the LORD gave victory to David wherever 
       he went.

       (1 Chr 18:14 NRSV)  So David reigned over all Israel; and he 
       administered justice and equity to all his people.

       (1 Chr 18:15 NRSV)  Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat 
       son of Ahilud was recorder;

       (1 Chr 18:16 NRSV)  Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar 
       were priests; Shavsha was secretary;

       (1 Chr 18:17 NRSV)  Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites 
       and the Pelethites; and David's sons were the chief officials in the 
       service of the king.

       (1 Chr 19:1 NRSV)  Some time afterward, King Nahash of the Ammonites 
       died, and his son succeeded him.

       (1 Chr 19:2 NRSV)  David said, "I will deal loyally with Hanun son of 
       Nahash, for his father dealt loyally with me." So David sent 
       messengers to console him concerning his father. When David's servants 
       came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites, to console him,

       (1 Chr 19:3 NRSV)  the officials of the Ammonites said to Hanun, "Do 





       you think, because David has sent consolers to you, that he is 
       honoring your father? Have not his servants come to you to search and 
       to overthrow and to spy out the land?"

       (1 Chr 19:4 NRSV)  So Hanun seized David's servants, shaved them, cut 
       off their garments in the middle at their hips, and sent them away;

       (1 Chr 19:5 NRSV)  and they departed. When David was told about the 
       men, he sent messengers to them, for they felt greatly humiliated. The 
       king said, "Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then 
       return."

       (1 Chr 19:6 NRSV)  When the Ammonites saw that they had made 
       themselves odious to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand 
       talents of silver to hire chariots and cavalry from Mesopotamia, from 
       Aram-maacah and from Zobah.

       (1 Chr 19:7 NRSV)  They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and the 
       king of Maacah with his army, who came and camped before Medeba. And 
       the Ammonites were mustered from their cities and came to battle.

       (1 Chr 19:8 NRSV)  When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the 
       army of the warriors.

       (1 Chr 19:9 NRSV)  The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array 
       at the entrance of the city, and the kings who had come were by 
       themselves in the open country.

       (1 Chr 19:10 NRSV)  When Joab saw that the line of battle was set 
       against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the picked 
       men of Israel and arrayed them against the Arameans;

       (1 Chr 19:11 NRSV)  the rest of his troops he put in the charge of his 
       brother Abishai, and they were arrayed against the Ammonites.

       (1 Chr 19:12 NRSV)  He said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, 
       then you shall help me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, 
       then I will help you.

       (1 Chr 19:13 NRSV)  Be strong, and let us be courageous for our people 
       and for the cities of our God; and may the LORD do what seems good to 
       him."

       (1 Chr 19:14 NRSV)  So Joab and the troops who were with him advanced 
       toward the Arameans for battle; and they fled before him.

       (1 Chr 19:15 NRSV)  When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans fled, 
       they likewise fled before Abishai, Joab's brother, and entered the 
       city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.

       (1 Chr 19:16 NRSV)  But when the Arameans saw that they had been 
       defeated by Israel, they sent messengers and brought out the Arameans 
       who were beyond the Euphrates, with Shophach the commander of the army 
       of Hadadezer at their head.

       (1 Chr 19:17 NRSV)  When David was informed, he gathered all Israel 





       together, crossed the Jordan, came to them, and drew up his forces 
       against them. When David set the battle in array against the Arameans, 
       they fought with him.

       (1 Chr 19:18 NRSV)  The Arameans fled before Israel; and David killed 
       seven thousand Aramean charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers, 
       and also killed Shophach the commander of their army.

       (1 Chr 19:19 NRSV)  When the servants of Hadadezer saw that they had 
       been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David, and became 
       subject to him. So the Arameans were not willing to help the Ammonites 
       any more.

       (1 Chr 20:1 NRSV)  In the spring of the year, the time when kings go 
       out to battle, Joab led out the army, ravaged the country of the 
       Ammonites, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at 
       Jerusalem. Joab attacked Rabbah, and overthrew it.

       (1 Chr 20:2 NRSV)  David took the crown of Milcom from his head; he 
       found that it weighed a talent of gold, and in it was a precious 
       stone; and it was placed on David's head. He also brought out the 
       booty of the city, a very great amount.

       (1 Chr 20:3 NRSV)  He brought out the people who were in it, and set 
       them to work with saws and iron picks and axes. Thus David did to all 
       the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to 
       Jerusalem.

       (1 Chr 20:4 NRSV)  After this, war broke out with the Philistines at 
       Gezer; then Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, who was one of the 
       descendants of the giants; and the Philistines were subdued.

       (1 Chr 20:5 NRSV)  Again there was war with the Philistines; and 
       Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, 
       the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

       (1 Chr 20:6 NRSV)  Again there was war at Gath, where there was a man 
       of great size, who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each 
       foot, twenty-four in number; he also was descended from the giants.

       (1 Chr 20:7 NRSV)  When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, 
       David's brother, killed him.

       (1 Chr 20:8 NRSV)  These were descended from the giants in Gath; they 
       fell by the hand of David and his servants.

       (1 Chr 21:1 NRSV)  Satan stood up against Israel, and incited David to 
       count the people of Israel.

       (1 Chr 21:2 NRSV)  So David said to Joab and the commanders of the 
       army, "Go, number Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, and bring me a 
       report, so that I may know their number."

       (1 Chr 21:3 NRSV)  But Joab said, "May the LORD increase the number of 
       his people a hundredfold! Are they not, my lord the king, all of them 
       my lord's servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should 





       he bring guilt on Israel?"

       (1 Chr 21:4 NRSV)  But the king's word prevailed against Joab. So Joab 
       departed and went throughout all Israel, and came back to Jerusalem.

       (1 Chr 21:5 NRSV)  Joab gave the total count of the people to David. 
       In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who drew 
       the sword, and in Judah four hundred seventy thousand who drew the 
       sword.

       (1 Chr 21:6 NRSV)  But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the 
       numbering, for the king's command was abhorrent to Joab.

       (1 Chr 21:7 NRSV)  But God was displeased with this thing, and he 
       struck Israel.

       (1 Chr 21:8 NRSV)  David said to God, "I have sinned greatly in that I 
       have done this thing. But now, I pray you, take away the guilt of your 
       servant; for I have done very foolishly."

       (1 Chr 21:9 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Gad, David's seer, saying,

       (1 Chr 21:10 NRSV)  "Go and say to David, 'Thus says the LORD: Three 
       things I offer you; choose one of them, so that I may do it to you.'"

       (1 Chr 21:11 NRSV)  So Gad came to David and said to him, "Thus says 
       the LORD, 'Take your choice:

       (1 Chr 21:12 NRSV)  either three years of famine; or three months of 
       devastation by your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes 
       you; or three days of the sword of the LORD, pestilence on the land, 
       and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the territory of 
       Israel.' Now decide what answer I shall return to the one who sent 
       me."

       (1 Chr 21:13 NRSV)  Then David said to Gad, "I am in great distress; 
       let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is very great; 
       but let me not fall into human hands."

       (1 Chr 21:14 NRSV)  So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel; and 
       seventy thousand persons fell in Israel.

       (1 Chr 21:15 NRSV)  And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; 
       but when he was about to destroy it, the LORD took note and relented 
       concerning the calamity; he said to the destroying angel, "Enough! 
       Stay your hand." The angel of the LORD was then standing by the 
       threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

       (1 Chr 21:16 NRSV)  David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD 
       standing between earth and heaven, and in his hand a drawn sword 
       stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in 
       sackcloth, fell on their faces.

       (1 Chr 21:17 NRSV)  And David said to God, "Was it not I who gave the 
       command to count the people? It is I who have sinned and done very 
       wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand, I pray, 





       O LORD my God, be against me and against my father's house; but do not 
       let your people be plagued!"

       (1 Chr 21:18 NRSV)  Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to tell 
       David that he should go up and erect an altar to the LORD on the 
       threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

       (1 Chr 21:19 NRSV)  So David went up following Gad's instructions, 
       which he had spoken in the name of the LORD.

       (1 Chr 21:20 NRSV)  Ornan turned and saw the angel; and while his four 
       sons who were with him hid themselves, Ornan continued to thresh 
       wheat.

       (1 Chr 21:21 NRSV)  As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw 
       David; he went out from the threshing floor, and did obeisance to 
       David with his face to the ground.

       (1 Chr 21:22 NRSV)  David said to Ornan, "Give me the site of the 
       threshing floor that I may build on it an altar to the LORD--give it 
       to me at its full price--so that the plague may be averted from the 
       people."

       (1 Chr 21:23 NRSV)  Then Ornan said to David, "Take it; and let my 
       lord the king do what seems good to him; see, I present the oxen for 
       burnt offerings, and the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat 
       for a grain offering. I give it all."

       (1 Chr 21:24 NRSV)  But King David said to Ornan, "No; I will buy them 
       for the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, nor 
       offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing."

       (1 Chr 21:25 NRSV)  So David paid Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by 
       weight for the site.

       (1 Chr 21:26 NRSV)  David built there an altar to the LORD and 
       presented burnt offerings and offerings of well-being. He called upon 
       the LORD, and he answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of 
       burnt offering.

       (1 Chr 21:27 NRSV)  Then the LORD commanded the angel, and he put his 
       sword back into its sheath.

       (1 Chr 21:28 NRSV)  At that time, when David saw that the LORD had 
       answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he made his 
       sacrifices there.

       (1 Chr 21:29 NRSV)  For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had 
       made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that 
       time in the high place at Gibeon;

       (1 Chr 21:30 NRSV)  but David could not go before it to inquire of 
       God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.

       (1 Chr 22:1 NRSV)  Then David said, "Here shall be the house of the 
       LORD God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel."






       (1 Chr 22:2 NRSV)  David gave orders to gather together the aliens who 
       were residing in the land of Israel, and he set stonecutters to 
       prepare dressed stones for building the house of God.

       (1 Chr 22:3 NRSV)  David also provided great stores of iron for nails 
       for the doors of the gates and for clamps, as well as bronze in 
       quantities beyond weighing,

       (1 Chr 22:4 NRSV)  and cedar logs without number--for the Sidonians 
       and Tyrians brought great quantities of cedar to David.

       (1 Chr 22:5 NRSV)  For David said, "My son Solomon is young and 
       inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the LORD must be 
       exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorified throughout all lands; I 
       will therefore make preparation for it." So David provided materials 
       in great quantity before his death.

       (1 Chr 22:6 NRSV)  Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him 
       to build a house for the LORD, the God of Israel.

       (1 Chr 22:7 NRSV)  David said to Solomon, "My son, I had planned to 
       build a house to the name of the LORD my God.

       (1 Chr 22:8 NRSV)  But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'You 
       have shed much blood and have waged great wars; you shall not build a 
       house to my name, because you have shed so much blood in my sight on 
       the earth.

       (1 Chr 22:9 NRSV)  See, a son shall be born to you; he shall be a man 
       of peace. I will give him peace from all his enemies on every side; 
       for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to 
       Israel in his days.

       (1 Chr 22:10 NRSV)  He shall build a house for my name. He shall be a 
       son to me, and I will be a father to him, and I will establish his 
       royal throne in Israel forever.'

       (1 Chr 22:11 NRSV)  Now, my son, the LORD be with you, so that you may 
       succeed in building the house of the LORD your God, as he has spoken 
       concerning you.

       (1 Chr 22:12 NRSV)  Only, may the LORD grant you discretion and 
       understanding, so that when he gives you charge over Israel you may 
       keep the law of the LORD your God.

       (1 Chr 22:13 NRSV)  Then you will prosper if you are careful to 
       observe the statutes and the ordinances that the LORD commanded Moses 
       for Israel. Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid or 
       dismayed.

       (1 Chr 22:14 NRSV)  With great pains I have provided for the house of 
       the LORD one hundred thousand talents of gold, one million talents of 
       silver, and bronze and iron beyond weighing, for there is so much of 
       it; timber and stone too I have provided. To these you must add more.





       (1 Chr 22:15 NRSV)  You have an abundance of workers: stonecutters, 
       masons, carpenters, and all kinds of artisans without number, skilled 
       in working

       (1 Chr 22:16 NRSV)  gold, silver, bronze, and iron. Now begin the 
       work, and the LORD be with you."

       (1 Chr 22:17 NRSV)  David also commanded all the leaders of Israel to 
       help his son Solomon, saying,

       (1 Chr 22:18 NRSV)  "Is not the LORD your God with you? Has he not 
       given you peace on every side? For he has delivered the inhabitants of 
       the land into my hand; and the land is subdued before the LORD and his 
       people.

       (1 Chr 22:19 NRSV)  Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your 
       God. Go and build the sanctuary of the LORD God so that the ark of the 
       covenant of the LORD and the holy vessels of God may be brought into a 
       house built for the name of the LORD."

       (1 Chr 23:1 NRSV)  When David was old and full of days, he made his 
       son Solomon king over Israel.

       (1 Chr 23:2 NRSV)  David assembled all the leaders of Israel and the 
       priests and the Levites.

       (1 Chr 23:3 NRSV)  The Levites, thirty years old and upward, were 
       counted, and the total was thirty-eight thousand.

       (1 Chr 23:4 NRSV)  "Twenty-four thousand of these," David said, "shall 
       have charge of the work in the house of the LORD, six thousand shall 
       be officers and judges,

       (1 Chr 23:5 NRSV)  four thousand gatekeepers, and four thousand shall 
       offer praises to the LORD with the instruments that I have made for 
       praise."

       (1 Chr 23:6 NRSV)  And David organized them in divisions corresponding 
       to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

       (1 Chr 23:7 NRSV)  The sons of Gershon were Ladan and Shimei.

       (1 Chr 23:8 NRSV)  The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the chief, Zetham, and 
       Joel, three.

       (1 Chr 23:9 NRSV)  The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran, 
       three. These were the heads of families of Ladan.

       (1 Chr 23:10 NRSV)  And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and 
       Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei.

       (1 Chr 23:11 NRSV)  Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second; but 
       Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were enrolled as a 
       single family.

       (1 Chr 23:12 NRSV)  The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and 





       Uzziel, four.

       (1 Chr 23:13 NRSV)  The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set 
       apart to consecrate the most holy things, so that he and his sons 
       forever should make offerings before the LORD, and minister to him and 
       pronounce blessings in his name forever;

       (1 Chr 23:14 NRSV)  but as for Moses the man of God, his sons were to 
       be reckoned among the tribe of Levi.

       (1 Chr 23:15 NRSV)  The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

       (1 Chr 23:16 NRSV)  The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the chief.

       (1 Chr 23:17 NRSV)  The sons of Eliezer: Rehabiah the chief; Eliezer 
       had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous.

       (1 Chr 23:18 NRSV)  The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the chief.

       (1 Chr 23:19 NRSV)  The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the 
       second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

       (1 Chr 23:20 NRSV)  The sons of Uzziel: Micah the chief and Isshiah 
       the second.

       (1 Chr 23:21 NRSV)  The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of 
       Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.

       (1 Chr 23:22 NRSV)  Eleazar died having no sons, but only daughters; 
       their kindred, the sons of Kish, married them.

       (1 Chr 23:23 NRSV)  The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth, 
       three.

       (1 Chr 23:24 NRSV)  These were the sons of Levi by their ancestral 
       houses, the heads of families as they were enrolled according to the 
       number of the names of the individuals from twenty years old and 
       upward who were to do the work for the service of the house of the 
       LORD.

       (1 Chr 23:25 NRSV)  For David said, "The LORD, the God of Israel, has 
       given rest to his people; and he resides in Jerusalem forever.

       (1 Chr 23:26 NRSV)  And so the Levites no longer need to carry the 
       tabernacle or any of the things for its service"--

       (1 Chr 23:27 NRSV)  for according to the last words of David these 
       were the number of the Levites from twenty years old and upward--

       (1 Chr 23:28 NRSV)  "but their duty shall be to assist the descendants 
       of Aaron for the service of the house of the LORD, having the care of 
       the courts and the chambers, the cleansing of all that is holy, and 
       any work for the service of the house of God;

       (1 Chr 23:29 NRSV)  to assist also with the rows of bread, the choice 
       flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the 





       baked offering, the offering mixed with oil, and all measures of 
       quantity or size.

       (1 Chr 23:30 NRSV)  And they shall stand every morning, thanking and 
       praising the LORD, and likewise at evening,

       (1 Chr 23:31 NRSV)  and whenever burnt offerings are offered to the 
       LORD on sabbaths, new moons, and appointed festivals, according to the 
       number required of them, regularly before the LORD.

       (1 Chr 23:32 NRSV)  Thus they shall keep charge of the tent of meeting 
       and the sanctuary, and shall attend the descendants of Aaron, their 
       kindred, for the service of the house of the LORD."

       (1 Chr 24:1 NRSV)  The divisions of the descendants of Aaron were 
       these. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

       (1 Chr 24:2 NRSV)  But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and 
       had no sons; so Eleazar and Ithamar became the priests.

       (1 Chr 24:3 NRSV)  Along with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and 
       Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, David organized them according to 
       the appointed duties in their service.

       (1 Chr 24:4 NRSV)  Since more chief men were found among the sons of 
       Eleazar than among the sons of Ithamar, they organized them under 
       sixteen heads of ancestral houses of the sons of Eleazar, and eight of 
       the sons of Ithamar.

       (1 Chr 24:5 NRSV)  They organized them by lot, all alike, for there 
       were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among both the sons 
       of Eleazar and the sons of Ithamar.

       (1 Chr 24:6 NRSV)  The scribe Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, 
       recorded them in the presence of the king, and the officers, and Zadok 
       the priest, and Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the heads of ancestral 
       houses of the priests and of the Levites; one ancestral house being 
       chosen for Eleazar and one chosen for Ithamar.

       (1 Chr 24:7 NRSV)  The first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to 
       Jedaiah,

       (1 Chr 24:8 NRSV)  the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim,

       (1 Chr 24:9 NRSV)  the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin,

       (1 Chr 24:10 NRSV)  the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,

       (1 Chr 24:11 NRSV)  the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah,

       (1 Chr 24:12 NRSV)  the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim,

       (1 Chr 24:13 NRSV)  the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to 
       Jeshebeab,

       (1 Chr 24:14 NRSV)  the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer,






       (1 Chr 24:15 NRSV)  the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to 
       Happizzez,

       (1 Chr 24:16 NRSV)  the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to 
       Jehezkel,

       (1 Chr 24:17 NRSV)  the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to 
       Gamul,

       (1 Chr 24:18 NRSV)  the twenty-third to Delaiah, the twenty-fourth to 
       Maaziah.

       (1 Chr 24:19 NRSV)  These had as their appointed duty in their service 
       to enter the house of the LORD according to the procedure established 
       for them by their ancestor Aaron, as the LORD God of Israel had 
       commanded him.

       (1 Chr 24:20 NRSV)  And of the rest of the sons of Levi: of the sons 
       of Amram, Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah.

       (1 Chr 24:21 NRSV)  Of Rehabiah: of the sons of Rehabiah, Isshiah the 
       chief.

       (1 Chr 24:22 NRSV)  Of the Izharites, Shelomoth; of the sons of 
       Shelomoth, Jahath.

       (1 Chr 24:23 NRSV)  The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the 
       second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth.

       (1 Chr 24:24 NRSV)  The sons of Uzziel, Micah; of the sons of Micah, 
       Shamir.

       (1 Chr 24:25 NRSV)  The brother of Micah, Isshiah; of the sons of 
       Isshiah, Zechariah.

       (1 Chr 24:26 NRSV)  The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of 
       Jaaziah: Beno.

       (1 Chr 24:27 NRSV)  The sons of Merari: of Jaaziah, Beno, Shoham, 
       Zaccur, and Ibri.

       (1 Chr 24:28 NRSV)  Of Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.

       (1 Chr 24:29 NRSV)  Of Kish, the sons of Kish: Jerahmeel.

       (1 Chr 24:30 NRSV)  The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. 
       These were the sons of the Levites according to their ancestral 
       houses.

       (1 Chr 24:31 NRSV)  These also cast lots corresponding to their 
       kindred, the descendants of Aaron, in the presence of King David, 
       Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of ancestral houses of the priests and 
       of the Levites, the chief as well as the youngest brother.

       (1 Chr 25:1 NRSV)  David and the officers of the army also set apart 





       for the service the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who 
       should prophesy with lyres, harps, and cymbals. The list of those who 
       did the work and of their duties was:

       (1 Chr 25:2 NRSV)  Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, 
       and Asarelah, sons of Asaph, under the direction of Asaph, who 
       prophesied under the direction of the king.

       (1 Chr 25:3 NRSV)  Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, 
       Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the direction 
       of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the lyre in thanksgiving 
       and praise to the LORD.

       (1 Chr 25:4 NRSV)  Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, 
       Uzziel, Shebuel, and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, 
       and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth.

       (1 Chr 25:5 NRSV)  All these were the sons of Heman the king's seer, 
       according to the promise of God to exalt him; for God had given Heman 
       fourteen sons and three daughters.

       (1 Chr 25:6 NRSV)  They were all under the direction of their father 
       for the music in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres 
       for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were 
       under the order of the king.

       (1 Chr 25:7 NRSV)  They and their kindred, who were trained in singing 
       to the LORD, all of whom were skillful, numbered two hundred 
       eighty-eight.

       (1 Chr 25:8 NRSV)  And they cast lots for their duties, small and 
       great, teacher and pupil alike.

       (1 Chr 25:9 NRSV)  The first lot fell for Asaph to Joseph; the second 
       to Gedaliah, to him and his brothers and his sons, twelve;

       (1 Chr 25:10 NRSV)  the third to Zaccur, his sons and his brothers, 
       twelve;

       (1 Chr 25:11 NRSV)  the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brothers, 
       twelve;

       (1 Chr 25:12 NRSV)  the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and his brothers, 
       twelve;

       (1 Chr 25:13 NRSV)  the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his brothers, 
       twelve;

       (1 Chr 25:14 NRSV)  the seventh to Jesarelah, his sons and his 
       brothers, twelve;

       (1 Chr 25:15 NRSV)  the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and his brothers, 
       twelve;

       (1 Chr 25:16 NRSV)  the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons and his brothers, 
       twelve;






       (1 Chr 25:17 NRSV)  the tenth to Shimei, his sons and his brothers, 
       twelve;

       (1 Chr 25:18 NRSV)  the eleventh to Azarel, his sons and his brothers, 
       twelve;

       (1 Chr 25:19 NRSV)  the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons and his 
       brothers, twelve;

       (1 Chr 25:20 NRSV)  to the thirteenth, Shubael, his sons and his 
       brothers, twelve;

       (1 Chr 25:21 NRSV)  to the fourteenth, Mattithiah, his sons and his 
       brothers, twelve;

       (1 Chr 25:22 NRSV)  to the fifteenth, to Jeremoth, his sons and his 
       brothers, twelve;

       (1 Chr 25:23 NRSV)  to the sixteenth, to Hananiah, his sons and his 
       brothers, twelve;

       (1 Chr 25:24 NRSV)  to the seventeenth, to Joshbekashah, his sons and 
       his brothers, twelve;

       (1 Chr 25:25 NRSV)  to the eighteenth, to Hanani, his sons and his 
       brothers, twelve;

       (1 Chr 25:26 NRSV)  to the nineteenth, to Mallothi, his sons and his 
       brothers, twelve;

       (1 Chr 25:27 NRSV)  to the twentieth, to Eliathah, his sons and his 
       brothers, twelve;

       (1 Chr 25:28 NRSV)  to the twenty-first, to Hothir, his sons and his 
       brothers, twelve;

       (1 Chr 25:29 NRSV)  to the twenty-second, to Giddalti, his sons and 
       his brothers, twelve;

       (1 Chr 25:30 NRSV)  to the twenty-third, to Mahazioth, his sons and 
       his brothers, twelve;

       (1 Chr 25:31 NRSV)  to the twenty-fourth, to Romamti-ezer, his sons 
       and his brothers, twelve.

       (1 Chr 26:1 NRSV)  As for the divisions of the gatekeepers: of the 
       Korahites, Meshelemiah son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph.

       (1 Chr 26:2 NRSV)  Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, 
       Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth,

       (1 Chr 26:3 NRSV)  Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, Eliehoenai the 
       seventh.

       (1 Chr 26:4 NRSV)  Obed-edom had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, 





       Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sachar the fourth, Nethanel the 
       fifth,

       (1 Chr 26:5 NRSV)  Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peullethai 
       the eighth; for God blessed him.

       (1 Chr 26:6 NRSV)  Also to his son Shemaiah sons were born who 
       exercised authority in their ancestral houses, for they were men of 
       great ability.

       (1 Chr 26:7 NRSV)  The sons of Shemaiah: Othni, Rephael, Obed, and 
       Elzabad, whose brothers were able men, Elihu and Semachiah.

       (1 Chr 26:8 NRSV)  All these, sons of Obed-edom with their sons and 
       brothers, were able men qualified for the service; sixty-two of 
       Obed-edom.

       (1 Chr 26:9 NRSV)  Meshelemiah had sons and brothers, able men, 
       eighteen.

       (1 Chr 26:10 NRSV)  Hosah, of the sons of Merari, had sons: Shimri the 
       chief (for though he was not the firstborn, his father made him 
       chief),

       (1 Chr 26:11 NRSV)  Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, Zechariah 
       the fourth: all the sons and brothers of Hosah totaled thirteen.

       (1 Chr 26:12 NRSV)  These divisions of the gatekeepers, corresponding 
       to their leaders, had duties, just as their kindred did, ministering 
       in the house of the LORD;

       (1 Chr 26:13 NRSV)  and they cast lots by ancestral houses, small and 
       great alike, for their gates.

       (1 Chr 26:14 NRSV)  The lot for the east fell to Shelemiah. They cast 
       lots also for his son Zechariah, a prudent counselor, and his lot came 
       out for the north.

       (1 Chr 26:15 NRSV)  Obed-edom's came out for the south, and to his 
       sons was allotted the storehouse.

       (1 Chr 26:16 NRSV)  For Shuppim and Hosah it came out for the west, at 
       the gate of Shallecheth on the ascending road. Guard corresponded to 
       guard.

       (1 Chr 26:17 NRSV)  On the east there were six Levites each day, on 
       the north four each day, on the south four each day, as well as two 
       and two at the storehouse;

       (1 Chr 26:18 NRSV)  and for the colonnade on the west there were four 
       at the road and two at the colonnade.

       (1 Chr 26:19 NRSV)  These were the divisions of the gatekeepers among 
       the Korahites and the sons of Merari.

       (1 Chr 26:20 NRSV)  And of the Levites, Ahijah had charge of the 





       treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries of the dedicated 
       gifts.

       (1 Chr 26:21 NRSV)  The sons of Ladan, the sons of the Gershonites 
       belonging to Ladan, the heads of families belonging to Ladan the 
       Gershonite: Jehieli.

       (1 Chr 26:22 NRSV)  The sons of Jehieli, Zetham and his brother Joel, 
       were in charge of the treasuries of the house of the LORD.

       (1 Chr 26:23 NRSV)  Of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, 
       and the Uzzielites:

       (1 Chr 26:24 NRSV)  Shebuel son of Gershom, son of Moses, was chief 
       officer in charge of the treasuries.

       (1 Chr 26:25 NRSV)  His brothers: from Eliezer were his son Rehabiah, 
       his son Jeshaiah, his son Joram, his son Zichri, and his son 
       Shelomoth.

       (1 Chr 26:26 NRSV)  This Shelomoth and his brothers were in charge of 
       all the treasuries of the dedicated gifts that King David, and the 
       heads of families, and the officers of the thousands and the hundreds, 
       and the commanders of the army, had dedicated.

       (1 Chr 26:27 NRSV)  From booty won in battles they dedicated gifts for 
       the maintenance of the house of the LORD.

       (1 Chr 26:28 NRSV)  Also all that Samuel the seer, and Saul son of 
       Kish, and Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah had dedicated--all 
       dedicated gifts were in the care of Shelomoth and his brothers.

       (1 Chr 26:29 NRSV)  Of the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons were 
       appointed to outside duties for Israel, as officers and judges.

       (1 Chr 26:30 NRSV)  Of the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his brothers, one 
       thousand seven hundred men of ability, had the oversight of Israel 
       west of the Jordan for all the work of the LORD and for the service of 
       the king.

       (1 Chr 26:31 NRSV)  Of the Hebronites, Jerijah was chief of the 
       Hebronites. (In the fortieth year of David's reign search was made, of 
       whatever genealogy or family, and men of great ability among them were 
       found at Jazer in Gilead.)

       (1 Chr 26:32 NRSV)  King David appointed him and his brothers, two 
       thousand seven hundred men of ability, heads of families, to have the 
       oversight of the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the 
       Manassites for everything pertaining to God and for the affairs of the 
       king.

       (1 Chr 27:1 NRSV)  This is the list of the people of Israel, the heads 
       of families, the commanders of the thousands and the hundreds, and 
       their officers who served the king in all matters concerning the 
       divisions that came and went, month after month throughout the year, 
       each division numbering twenty-four thousand:






       (1 Chr 27:2 NRSV)  Jashobeam son of Zabdiel was in charge of the first 
       division in the first month; in his division were twenty-four 
       thousand.

       (1 Chr 27:3 NRSV)  He was a descendant of Perez, and was chief of all 
       the commanders of the army for the first month.

       (1 Chr 27:4 NRSV)  Dodai the Ahohite was in charge of the division of 
       the second month; Mikloth was the chief officer of his division. In 
       his division were twenty-four thousand.

       (1 Chr 27:5 NRSV)  The third commander, for the third month, was 
       Benaiah son of the priest Jehoiada, as chief; in his division were 
       twenty-four thousand.

       (1 Chr 27:6 NRSV)  This is the Benaiah who was a mighty man of the 
       Thirty and in command of the Thirty; his son Ammizabad was in charge 
       of his division.

       (1 Chr 27:7 NRSV)  Asahel brother of Joab was fourth, for the fourth 
       month, and his son Zebadiah after him; in his division were 
       twenty-four thousand.

       (1 Chr 27:8 NRSV)  The fifth commander, for the fifth month, was 
       Shamhuth, the Izrahite; in his division were twenty-four thousand.

       (1 Chr 27:9 NRSV)  Sixth, for the sixth month, was Ira son of Ikkesh 
       the Tekoite; in his division were twenty-four thousand.

       (1 Chr 27:10 NRSV)  Seventh, for the seventh month, was Helez the 
       Pelonite, of the Ephraimites; in his division were twenty-four 
       thousand.

       (1 Chr 27:11 NRSV)  Eighth, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai the 
       Hushathite, of the Zerahites; in his division were twenty-four 
       thousand.

       (1 Chr 27:12 NRSV)  Ninth, for the ninth month, was Abiezer of 
       Anathoth, a Benjaminite; in his division were twenty-four thousand.

       (1 Chr 27:13 NRSV)  Tenth, for the tenth month, was Maharai of 
       Netophah, of the Zerahites; in his division were twenty-four thousand.

       (1 Chr 27:14 NRSV)  Eleventh, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah of 
       Pirathon, of the Ephraimites; in his division were twenty-four 
       thousand.

       (1 Chr 27:15 NRSV)  Twelfth, for the twelfth month, was Heldai the 
       Netophathite, of Othniel; in his division were twenty-four thousand.

       (1 Chr 27:16 NRSV)  Over the tribes of Israel, for the Reubenites, 
       Eliezer son of Zichri was chief officer; for the Simeonites, 
       Shephatiah son of Maacah;

       (1 Chr 27:17 NRSV)  for Levi, Hashabiah son of Kemuel; for Aaron, 





       Zadok;

       (1 Chr 27:18 NRSV)  for Judah, Elihu, one of David's brothers; for 
       Issachar, Omri son of Michael;

       (1 Chr 27:19 NRSV)  for Zebulun, Ishmaiah son of Obadiah; for 
       Naphtali, Jerimoth son of Azriel;

       (1 Chr 27:20 NRSV)  for the Ephraimites, Hoshea son of Azaziah; for 
       the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joel son of Pedaiah;

       (1 Chr 27:21 NRSV)  for the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo son 
       of Zechariah; for Benjamin, Jaasiel son of Abner;

       (1 Chr 27:22 NRSV)  for Dan, Azarel son of Jeroham. These were the 
       leaders of the tribes of Israel.

       (1 Chr 27:23 NRSV)  David did not count those below twenty years of 
       age, for the LORD had promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars 
       of heaven.

       (1 Chr 27:24 NRSV)  Joab son of Zeruiah began to count them, but did 
       not finish; yet wrath came upon Israel for this, and the number was 
       not entered into the account of the Annals of King David.

       (1 Chr 27:25 NRSV)  Over the king's treasuries was Azmaveth son of 
       Adiel. Over the treasuries in the country, in the cities, in the 
       villages and in the towers, was Jonathan son of Uzziah.

       (1 Chr 27:26 NRSV)  Over those who did the work of the field, tilling 
       the soil, was Ezri son of Chelub.

       (1 Chr 27:27 NRSV)  Over the vineyards was Shimei the Ramathite. Over 
       the produce of the vineyards for the wine cellars was Zabdi the 
       Shiphmite.

       (1 Chr 27:28 NRSV)  Over the olive and sycamore trees in the Shephelah 
       was Baal-hanan the Gederite. Over the stores of oil was Joash.

       (1 Chr 27:29 NRSV)  Over the herds that pastured in Sharon was Shitrai 
       the Sharonite. Over the herds in the valleys was Shaphat son of Adlai.

       (1 Chr 27:30 NRSV)  Over the camels was Obil the Ishmaelite. Over the 
       donkeys was Jehdeiah the Meronothite. Over the flocks was Jaziz the 
       Hagrite.

       (1 Chr 27:31 NRSV)  All these were stewards of King David's property.

       (1 Chr 27:32 NRSV)  Jonathan, David's uncle, was a counselor, being a 
       man of understanding and a scribe; Jehiel son of Hachmoni attended the 
       king's sons.

       (1 Chr 27:33 NRSV)  Ahithophel was the king's counselor, and Hushai 
       the Archite was the king's friend.

       (1 Chr 27:34 NRSV)  After Ahithophel came Jehoiada son of Benaiah, and 





       Abiathar. Joab was commander of the king's army.

       (1 Chr 28:1 NRSV)  David assembled at Jerusalem all the officials of 
       Israel, the officials of the tribes, the officers of the divisions 
       that served the king, the commanders of the thousands, the commanders 
       of the hundreds, the stewards of all the property and cattle of the 
       king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the mighty 
       warriors, and all the warriors.

       (1 Chr 28:2 NRSV)  Then King David rose to his feet and said: "Hear 
       me, my brothers and my people. I had planned to build a house of rest 
       for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, for the footstool of our God; 
       and I made preparations for building.

       (1 Chr 28:3 NRSV)  But God said to me, 'You shall not build a house 
       for my name, for you are a warrior and have shed blood.'

       (1 Chr 28:4 NRSV)  Yet the LORD God of Israel chose me from all my 
       ancestral house to be king over Israel forever; for he chose Judah as 
       leader, and in the house of Judah my father's house, and among my 
       father's sons he took delight in making me king over all Israel.

       (1 Chr 28:5 NRSV)  And of all my sons, for the LORD has given me many, 
       he has chosen my son Solomon to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of 
       the LORD over Israel.

       (1 Chr 28:6 NRSV)  He said to me, 'It is your son Solomon who shall 
       build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be a son to me, 
       and I will be a father to him.

       (1 Chr 28:7 NRSV)  I will establish his kingdom forever if he 
       continues resolute in keeping my commandments and my ordinances, as he 
       is today.'

       (1 Chr 28:8 NRSV)  Now therefore in the sight of all Israel, the 
       assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God, observe and 
       search out all the commandments of the LORD your God; that you may 
       possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance to your 
       children after you forever.

       (1 Chr 28:9 NRSV)  "And you, my son Solomon, know the God of your 
       father, and serve him with single mind and willing heart; for the LORD 
       searches every mind, and understands every plan and thought. If you 
       seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will 
       abandon you forever.

       (1 Chr 28:10 NRSV)  Take heed now, for the LORD has chosen you to 
       build a house as the sanctuary; be strong, and act."

       (1 Chr 28:11 NRSV)  Then David gave his son Solomon the plan of the 
       vestibule of the temple, and of its houses, its treasuries, its upper 
       rooms, and its inner chambers, and of the room for the mercy seat;

       (1 Chr 28:12 NRSV)  and the plan of all that he had in mind: for the 
       courts of the house of the LORD, all the surrounding chambers, the 
       treasuries of the house of God, and the treasuries for dedicated 





       gifts;

       (1 Chr 28:13 NRSV)  for the divisions of the priests and of the 
       Levites, and all the work of the service in the house of the LORD; for 
       all the vessels for the service in the house of the LORD,

       (1 Chr 28:14 NRSV)  the weight of gold for all golden vessels for each 
       service, the weight of silver vessels for each service,

       (1 Chr 28:15 NRSV)  the weight of the golden lampstands and their 
       lamps, the weight of gold for each lampstand and its lamps, the weight 
       of silver for a lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each 
       in the service,

       (1 Chr 28:16 NRSV)  the weight of gold for each table for the rows of 
       bread, the silver for the silver tables,

       (1 Chr 28:17 NRSV)  and pure gold for the forks, the basins, and the 
       cups; for the golden bowls and the weight of each; for the silver 
       bowls and the weight of each;

       (1 Chr 28:18 NRSV)  for the altar of incense made of refined gold, and 
       its weight; also his plan for the golden chariot of the cherubim that 
       spread their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

       (1 Chr 28:19 NRSV)  "All this, in writing at the Lord's direction, he 
       made clear to me--the plan of all the works."

       (1 Chr 28:20 NRSV)  David said further to his son Solomon, "Be strong 
       and of good courage, and act. Do not be afraid or dismayed; for the 
       LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you, 
       until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is 
       finished.

       (1 Chr 28:21 NRSV)  Here are the divisions of the priests and the 
       Levites for all the service of the house of God; and with you in all 
       the work will be every volunteer who has skill for any kind of 
       service; also the officers and all the people will be wholly at your 
       command."

       (1 Chr 29:1 NRSV)  King David said to the whole assembly, "My son 
       Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and 
       the work is great; for the temple will not be for mortals but for the 
       LORD God.

       (1 Chr 29:2 NRSV)  So I have provided for the house of my God, so far 
       as I was able, the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the 
       things of silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron 
       for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, besides great 
       quantities of onyx and stones for setting, antimony, colored stones, 
       all sorts of precious stones, and marble in abundance.

       (1 Chr 29:3 NRSV)  Moreover, in addition to all that I have provided 
       for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, 
       and because of my devotion to the house of my God I give it to the 
       house of my God:






       (1 Chr 29:4 NRSV)  three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of 
       Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for overlaying 
       the walls of the house,

       (1 Chr 29:5 NRSV)  and for all the work to be done by artisans, gold 
       for the things of gold and silver for the things of silver. Who then 
       will offer willingly, consecrating themselves today to the LORD?"

       (1 Chr 29:6 NRSV)  Then the leaders of ancestral houses made their 
       freewill offerings, as did also the leaders of the tribes, the 
       commanders of the thousands and of the hundreds, and the officers over 
       the king's work.

       (1 Chr 29:7 NRSV)  They gave for the service of the house of God five 
       thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents 
       of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred 
       thousand talents of iron.

       (1 Chr 29:8 NRSV)  Whoever had precious stones gave them to the 
       treasury of the house of the LORD, into the care of Jehiel the 
       Gershonite.

       (1 Chr 29:9 NRSV)  Then the people rejoiced because these had given 
       willingly, for with single mind they had offered freely to the LORD; 
       King David also rejoiced greatly.

       (1 Chr 29:10 NRSV)  Then David blessed the LORD in the presence of all 
       the assembly; David said: "Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of our 
       ancestor Israel, forever and ever.

       (1 Chr 29:11 NRSV)  Yours, O LORD, are the greatness, the power, the 
       glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens 
       and on the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are 
       exalted as head above all.

       (1 Chr 29:12 NRSV)  Riches and honor come from you, and you rule over 
       all. In your hand are power and might; and it is in your hand to make 
       great and to give strength to all.

       (1 Chr 29:13 NRSV)  And now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise 
       your glorious name.

       (1 Chr 29:14 NRSV)  "But who am I, and what is my people, that we 
       should be able to make this freewill offering? For all things come 
       from you, and of your own have we given you.

       (1 Chr 29:15 NRSV)  For we are aliens and transients before you, as 
       were all our ancestors; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and 
       there is no hope.

       (1 Chr 29:16 NRSV)  O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have 
       provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your 
       hand and is all your own.

       (1 Chr 29:17 NRSV)  I know, my God, that you search the heart, and 





       take pleasure in uprightness; in the uprightness of my heart I have 
       freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who 
       are present here, offering freely and joyously to you.

       (1 Chr 29:18 NRSV)  O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our 
       ancestors, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of 
       your people, and direct their hearts toward you.

       (1 Chr 29:19 NRSV)  Grant to my son Solomon that with single mind he 
       may keep your commandments, your decrees, and your statutes, 
       performing all of them, and that he may build the temple for which I 
       have made provision."

       (1 Chr 29:20 NRSV)  Then David said to the whole assembly, "Bless the 
       LORD your God." And all the assembly blessed the LORD, the God of 
       their ancestors, and bowed their heads and prostrated themselves 
       before the LORD and the king.

       (1 Chr 29:21 NRSV)  On the next day they offered sacrifices and burnt 
       offerings to the LORD, a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a 
       thousand lambs, with their libations, and sacrifices in abundance for 
       all Israel;

       (1 Chr 29:22 NRSV)  and they ate and drank before the LORD on that day 
       with great joy. They made David's son Solomon king a second time; they 
       anointed him as the Lord's prince, and Zadok as priest.

       (1 Chr 29:23 NRSV)  Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD, 
       succeeding his father David as king; he prospered, and all Israel 
       obeyed him.

       (1 Chr 29:24 NRSV)  All the leaders and the mighty warriors, and also 
       all the sons of King David, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon.

       (1 Chr 29:25 NRSV)  The LORD highly exalted Solomon in the sight of 
       all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been 
       on any king before him in Israel.

       (1 Chr 29:26 NRSV)  Thus David son of Jesse reigned over all Israel.

       (1 Chr 29:27 NRSV)  The period that he reigned over Israel was forty 
       years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and thirty-three years in 
       Jerusalem.

       (1 Chr 29:28 NRSV)  He died in a good old age, full of days, riches, 
       and honor; and his son Solomon succeeded him.

       (1 Chr 29:29 NRSV)  Now the acts of King David, from first to last, 
       are written in the records of the seer Samuel, and in the records of 
       the prophet Nathan, and in the records of the seer Gad,

       (1 Chr 29:30 NRSV)  with accounts of all his rule and his might and of 
       the events that befell him and Israel and all the kingdoms of the 
       earth.

       (2 Chr 1:1 NRSV)  Solomon son of David established himself in his 





       kingdom; the LORD his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.

       (2 Chr 1:2 NRSV)  Solomon summoned all Israel, the commanders of the 
       thousands and of the hundreds, the judges, and all the leaders of all 
       Israel, the heads of families.

       (2 Chr 1:3 NRSV)  Then Solomon, and the whole assembly with him, went 
       to the high place that was at Gibeon; for God's tent of meeting, which 
       Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness, was there.

       (2 Chr 1:4 NRSV)  (But David had brought the ark of God up from 
       Kiriath-jearim to the place that David had prepared for it; for he had 
       pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.)

       (2 Chr 1:5 NRSV)  Moreover the bronze altar that Bezalel son of Uri, 
       son of Hur, had made, was there in front of the tabernacle of the 
       LORD. And Solomon and the assembly inquired at it.

       (2 Chr 1:6 NRSV)  Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the 
       LORD, which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt 
       offerings on it.

       (2 Chr 1:7 NRSV)  That night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, 
       "Ask what I should give you."

       (2 Chr 1:8 NRSV)  Solomon said to God, "You have shown great and 
       steadfast love to my father David, and have made me succeed him as 
       king.

       (2 Chr 1:9 NRSV)  O LORD God, let your promise to my father David now 
       be fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as 
       the dust of the earth.

       (2 Chr 1:10 NRSV)  Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come 
       in before this people, for who can rule this great people of yours?"

       (2 Chr 1:11 NRSV)  God answered Solomon, "Because this was in your 
       heart, and you have not asked for possessions, wealth, honor, or the 
       life of those who hate you, and have not even asked for long life, but 
       have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may rule my 
       people over whom I have made you king,

       (2 Chr 1:12 NRSV)  wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will 
       also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the 
       kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the 
       like."

       (2 Chr 1:13 NRSV)  So Solomon came from the high place at Gibeon, from 
       the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem. And he reigned over Israel.

       (2 Chr 1:14 NRSV)  Solomon gathered together chariots and horses; he 
       had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he 
       stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 1:15 NRSV)  The king made silver and gold as common in 
       Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of 





       the Shephelah.

       (2 Chr 1:16 NRSV)  Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and Kue; 
       the king's traders received them from Kue at the prevailing price.

       (2 Chr 1:17 NRSV)  They imported from Egypt, and then exported, a 
       chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred 
       fifty; so through them these were exported to all the kings of the 
       Hittites and the kings of Aram.

       (2 Chr 2:1 NRSV)  Solomon decided to build a temple for the name of 
       the LORD, and a royal palace for himself.

       (2 Chr 2:2 NRSV)  Solomon conscripted seventy thousand laborers and 
       eighty thousand stonecutters in the hill country, with three thousand 
       six hundred to oversee them.

       (2 Chr 2:3 NRSV)  Solomon sent word to King Huram of Tyre: "Once you 
       dealt with my father David and sent him cedar to build himself a house 
       to live in.

       (2 Chr 2:4 NRSV)  I am now about to build a house for the name of the 
       LORD my God and dedicate it to him for offering fragrant incense 
       before him, and for the regular offering of the rows of bread, and for 
       burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths and the new moons 
       and the appointed festivals of the LORD our God, as ordained forever 
       for Israel.

       (2 Chr 2:5 NRSV)  The house that I am about to build will be great, 
       for our God is greater than other gods.

       (2 Chr 2:6 NRSV)  But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, 
       even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for 
       him, except as a place to make offerings before him?

       (2 Chr 2:7 NRSV)  So now send me an artisan skilled to work in gold, 
       silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, 
       trained also in engraving, to join the skilled workers who are with me 
       in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David provided.

       (2 Chr 2:8 NRSV)  Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum timber from 
       Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting Lebanon 
       timber. My servants will work with your servants

       (2 Chr 2:9 NRSV)  to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the house 
       I am about to build will be great and wonderful.

       (2 Chr 2:10 NRSV)  I will provide for your servants, those who cut the 
       timber, twenty thousand cors of crushed wheat, twenty thousand cors of 
       barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of 
       oil."

       (2 Chr 2:11 NRSV)  Then King Huram of Tyre answered in a letter that 
       he sent to Solomon, "Because the LORD loves his people he has made you 
       king over them."





       (2 Chr 2:12 NRSV)  Huram also said, "Blessed be the LORD God of 
       Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise 
       son, endowed with discretion and understanding, who will build a 
       temple for the LORD, and a royal palace for himself.

       (2 Chr 2:13 NRSV)  "I have dispatched Huram-abi, a skilled artisan, 
       endowed with understanding,

       (2 Chr 2:14 NRSV)  the son of one of the Danite women, his father a 
       Tyrian. He is trained to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, 
       and wood, and in purple, blue, and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and 
       to do all sorts of engraving and execute any design that may be 
       assigned him, with your artisans, the artisans of my lord, your father 
       David.

       (2 Chr 2:15 NRSV)  Now, as for the wheat, barley, oil, and wine, of 
       which my lord has spoken, let him send them to his servants.

       (2 Chr 2:16 NRSV)  We will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon, 
       and bring it to you as rafts by sea to Joppa; you will take it up to 
       Jerusalem."

       (2 Chr 2:17 NRSV)  Then Solomon took a census of all the aliens who 
       were residing in the land of Israel, after the census that his father 
       David had taken; and there were found to be one hundred fifty-three 
       thousand six hundred.

       (2 Chr 2:18 NRSV)  Seventy thousand of them he assigned as laborers, 
       eighty thousand as stonecutters in the hill country, and three 
       thousand six hundred as overseers to make the people work.

       (2 Chr 3:1 NRSV)  Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in 
       Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father 
       David, at the place that David had designated, on the threshing floor 
       of Ornan the Jebusite.

       (2 Chr 3:2 NRSV)  He began to build on the second day of the second 
       month of the fourth year of his reign.

       (2 Chr 3:3 NRSV)  These are Solomon's measurements for building the 
       house of God: the length, in cubits of the old standard, was sixty 
       cubits, and the width twenty cubits.

       (2 Chr 3:4 NRSV)  The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was 
       twenty cubits long, across the width of the house; and its height was 
       one hundred twenty cubits. He overlaid it on the inside with pure 
       gold.

       (2 Chr 3:5 NRSV)  The nave he lined with cypress, covered it with fine 
       gold, and made palms and chains on it.

       (2 Chr 3:6 NRSV)  He adorned the house with settings of precious 
       stones. The gold was gold from Parvaim.

       (2 Chr 3:7 NRSV)  So he lined the house with gold--its beams, its 
       thresholds, its walls, and its doors; and he carved cherubim on the 





       walls.

       (2 Chr 3:8 NRSV)  He made the most holy place; its length, 
       corresponding to the width of the house, was twenty cubits, and its 
       width was twenty cubits; he overlaid it with six hundred talents of 
       fine gold.

       (2 Chr 3:9 NRSV)  The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. 
       He overlaid the upper chambers with gold.

       (2 Chr 3:10 NRSV)  In the most holy place he made two carved cherubim 
       and overlaid them with gold.

       (2 Chr 3:11 NRSV)  The wings of the cherubim together extended twenty 
       cubits: one wing of the one, five cubits long, touched the wall of the 
       house, and its other wing, five cubits long, touched the wing of the 
       other cherub;

       (2 Chr 3:12 NRSV)  and of this cherub, one wing, five cubits long, 
       touched the wall of the house, and the other wing, also five cubits 
       long, was joined to the wing of the first cherub.

       (2 Chr 3:13 NRSV)  The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits; 
       the cherubim stood on their feet, facing the nave.

       (2 Chr 3:14 NRSV)  And Solomon made the curtain of blue and purple and 
       crimson fabrics and fine linen, and worked cherubim into it.

       (2 Chr 3:15 NRSV)  In front of the house he made two pillars 
       thirty-five cubits high, with a capital of five cubits on the top of 
       each.

       (2 Chr 3:16 NRSV)  He made encircling chains and put them on the tops 
       of the pillars; and he made one hundred pomegranates, and put them on 
       the chains.

       (2 Chr 3:17 NRSV)  He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one 
       on the right, the other on the left; the one on the right he called 
       Jachin, and the one on the left, Boaz.

       (2 Chr 4:1 NRSV)  He made an altar of bronze, twenty cubits long, 
       twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits high.

       (2 Chr 4:2 NRSV)  Then he made the molten sea; it was round, ten 
       cubits from rim to rim, and five cubits high. A line of thirty cubits 
       would encircle it completely.

       (2 Chr 4:3 NRSV)  Under it were panels all around, each of ten cubits, 
       surrounding the sea; there were two rows of panels, cast when it was 
       cast.

       (2 Chr 4:4 NRSV)  It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three 
       facing west, three facing south, and three facing east; the sea was 
       set on them. The hindquarters of each were toward the inside.

       (2 Chr 4:5 NRSV)  Its thickness was a handbreadth; its rim was made 





       like the rim of a cup, like the flower of a lily; it held three 
       thousand baths.

       (2 Chr 4:6 NRSV)  He also made ten basins in which to wash, and set 
       five on the right side, and five on the left. In these they were to 
       rinse what was used for the burnt offering. The sea was for the 
       priests to wash in.

       (2 Chr 4:7 NRSV)  He made ten golden lampstands as prescribed, and set 
       them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north.

       (2 Chr 4:8 NRSV)  He also made ten tables and placed them in the 
       temple, five on the right side and five on the left. And he made one 
       hundred basins of gold.

       (2 Chr 4:9 NRSV)  He made the court of the priests, and the great 
       court, and doors for the court; he overlaid their doors with bronze.

       (2 Chr 4:10 NRSV)  He set the sea at the southeast corner of the 
       house.

       (2 Chr 4:11 NRSV)  And Huram made the pots, the shovels, and the 
       basins. Thus Huram finished the work that he did for King Solomon on 
       the house of God:

       (2 Chr 4:12 NRSV)  the two pillars, the bowls, and the two capitals on 
       the top of the pillars; and the two latticeworks to cover the two 
       bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars;

       (2 Chr 4:13 NRSV)  the four hundred pomegranates for the two 
       latticeworks, two rows of pomegranates for each latticework, to cover 
       the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars.

       (2 Chr 4:14 NRSV)  He made the stands, the basins on the stands,

       (2 Chr 4:15 NRSV)  the one sea, and the twelve oxen underneath it.

       (2 Chr 4:16 NRSV)  The pots, the shovels, the forks, and all the 
       equipment for these Huram-abi made of burnished bronze for King 
       Solomon for the house of the LORD.

       (2 Chr 4:17 NRSV)  In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in 
       the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah.

       (2 Chr 4:18 NRSV)  Solomon made all these things in great quantities, 
       so that the weight of the bronze was not determined.

       (2 Chr 4:19 NRSV)  So Solomon made all the things that were in the 
       house of God: the golden altar, the tables for the bread of the 
       Presence,

       (2 Chr 4:20 NRSV)  the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold to burn 
       before the inner sanctuary, as prescribed;

       (2 Chr 4:21 NRSV)  the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of purest 
       gold;






       (2 Chr 4:22 NRSV)  the snuffers, basins, ladles, and firepans, of pure 
       gold. As for the entrance to the temple: the inner doors to the most 
       holy place and the doors of the nave of the temple were of gold.

       (2 Chr 5:1 NRSV)  Thus all the work that Solomon did for the house of 
       the LORD was finished. Solomon brought in the things that his father 
       David had dedicated, and stored the silver, the gold, and all the 
       vessels in the treasuries of the house of God.

       (2 Chr 5:2 NRSV)  Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all 
       the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the ancestral houses of the 
       people of Israel, in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of 
       the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.

       (2 Chr 5:3 NRSV)  And all the Israelites assembled before the king at 
       the festival that is in the seventh month.

       (2 Chr 5:4 NRSV)  And all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites 
       carried the ark.

       (2 Chr 5:5 NRSV)  So they brought up the ark, the tent of meeting, and 
       all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the 
       Levites brought them up.

       (2 Chr 5:6 NRSV)  King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who 
       had assembled before him, were before the ark, sacrificing so many 
       sheep and oxen that they could not be numbered or counted.

       (2 Chr 5:7 NRSV)  Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of 
       the LORD to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the 
       most holy place, underneath the wings of the cherubim.

       (2 Chr 5:8 NRSV)  For the cherubim spread out their wings over the 
       place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering above the ark 
       and its poles.

       (2 Chr 5:9 NRSV)  The poles were so long that the ends of the poles 
       were seen from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary; but 
       they could not be seen from outside; they are there to this day.

       (2 Chr 5:10 NRSV)  There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets 
       that Moses put there at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the 
       people of Israel after they came out of Egypt.

       (2 Chr 5:11 NRSV)  Now when the priests came out of the holy place 
       (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, 
       without regard to their divisions,

       (2 Chr 5:12 NRSV)  and all the levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and 
       Jeduthun, their sons and kindred, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, 
       harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with one hundred twenty 
       priests who were trumpeters).

       (2 Chr 5:13 NRSV)  It was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to 
       make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the 





       LORD, and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and 
       other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD, "For he is good, for 
       his steadfast love endures forever," the house, the house of the LORD, 
       was filled with a cloud,

       (2 Chr 5:14 NRSV)  so that the priests could not stand to minister 
       because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of 
       God.

       (2 Chr 6:1 NRSV)  Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that he would 
       reside in thick darkness.

       (2 Chr 6:2 NRSV)  I have built you an exalted house, a place for you 
       to reside in forever."

       (2 Chr 6:3 NRSV)  Then the king turned around and blessed all the 
       assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood.

       (2 Chr 6:4 NRSV)  And he said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of 
       Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what he promised with his 
       mouth to my father David, saying,

       (2 Chr 6:5 NRSV)  'Since the day that I brought my people out of the 
       land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from any of the tribes of 
       Israel in which to build a house, so that my name might be there, and 
       I chose no one as ruler over my people Israel;

       (2 Chr 6:6 NRSV)  but I have chosen Jerusalem in order that my name 
       may be there, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.'

       (2 Chr 6:7 NRSV)  My father David had it in mind to build a house for 
       the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.

       (2 Chr 6:8 NRSV)  But the LORD said to my father David, 'You did well 
       to consider building a house for my name;

       (2 Chr 6:9 NRSV)  nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your 
       son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.'

       (2 Chr 6:10 NRSV)  Now the LORD has fulfilled his promise that he 
       made; for I have succeeded my father David, and sit on the throne of 
       Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built the house for the name of 
       the LORD, the God of Israel.

       (2 Chr 6:11 NRSV)  There I have set the ark, in which is the covenant 
       of the LORD that he made with the people of Israel."

       (2 Chr 6:12 NRSV)  Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in 
       the presence of the whole assembly of Israel, and spread out his 
       hands.

       (2 Chr 6:13 NRSV)  Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits 
       long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the 
       court; and he stood on it. Then he knelt on his knees in the presence 
       of the whole assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward 
       heaven.






       (2 Chr 6:14 NRSV)  He said, "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God 
       like you, in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant in steadfast love 
       with your servants who walk before you with all their heart--

       (2 Chr 6:15 NRSV)  you who have kept for your servant, my father 
       David, what you promised to him. Indeed, you promised with your mouth 
       and this day have fulfilled with your hand.

       (2 Chr 6:16 NRSV)  Therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for your 
       servant, my father David, that which you promised him, saying, 'There 
       shall never fail you a successor before me to sit on the throne of 
       Israel, if only your children keep to their way, to walk in my law as 
       you have walked before me.'

       (2 Chr 6:17 NRSV)  Therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, let your word be 
       confirmed, which you promised to your servant David.

       (2 Chr 6:18 NRSV)  "But will God indeed reside with mortals on earth? 
       Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less 
       this house that I have built!

       (2 Chr 6:19 NRSV)  Regard your servant's prayer and his plea, O LORD 
       my God, heeding the cry and the prayer that your servant prays to you.

       (2 Chr 6:20 NRSV)  May your eyes be open day and night toward this 
       house, the place where you promised to set your name, and may you heed 
       the prayer that your servant prays toward this place.

       (2 Chr 6:21 NRSV)  And hear the plea of your servant and of your 
       people Israel, when they pray toward this place; may you hear from 
       heaven your dwelling place; hear and forgive.

       (2 Chr 6:22 NRSV)  "If someone sins against another and is required to 
       take an oath and comes and swears before your altar in this house,

       (2 Chr 6:23 NRSV)  may you hear from heaven, and act, and judge your 
       servants, repaying the guilty by bringing their conduct on their own 
       head, and vindicating those who are in the right by rewarding them in 
       accordance with their righteousness.

       (2 Chr 6:24 NRSV)  "When your people Israel, having sinned against 
       you, are defeated before an enemy but turn again to you, confess your 
       name, pray and plead with you in this house,

       (2 Chr 6:25 NRSV)  may you hear from heaven, and forgive the sin of 
       your people Israel, and bring them again to the land that you gave to 
       them and to their ancestors.

       (2 Chr 6:26 NRSV)  "When heaven is shut up and there is no rain 
       because they have sinned against you, and then they pray toward this 
       place, confess your name, and turn from their sin, because you punish 
       them,

       (2 Chr 6:27 NRSV)  may you hear in heaven, forgive the sin of your 
       servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in 





       which they should walk; and send down rain upon your land, which you 
       have given to your people as an inheritance.

       (2 Chr 6:28 NRSV)  "If there is famine in the land, if there is 
       plague, blight, mildew, locust, or caterpillar; if their enemies 
       besiege them in any of the settlements of the lands; whatever 
       suffering, whatever sickness there is;

       (2 Chr 6:29 NRSV)  whatever prayer, whatever plea from any individual 
       or from all your people Israel, all knowing their own suffering and 
       their own sorrows so that they stretch out their hands toward this 
       house;

       (2 Chr 6:30 NRSV)  may you hear from heaven, your dwelling place, 
       forgive, and render to all whose heart you know, according to all 
       their ways, for only you know the human heart.

       (2 Chr 6:31 NRSV)  Thus may they fear you and walk in your ways all 
       the days that they live in the land that you gave to our ancestors.

       (2 Chr 6:32 NRSV)  "Likewise when foreigners, who are not of your 
       people Israel, come from a distant land because of your great name, 
       and your mighty hand, and your outstretched arm, when they come and 
       pray toward this house,

       (2 Chr 6:33 NRSV)  may you hear from heaven your dwelling place, and 
       do whatever the foreigners ask of you, in order that all the peoples 
       of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people 
       Israel, and that they may know that your name has been invoked on this 
       house that I have built.

       (2 Chr 6:34 NRSV)  "If your people go out to battle against their 
       enemies, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to you 
       toward this city that you have chosen and the house that I have built 
       for your name,

       (2 Chr 6:35 NRSV)  then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, 
       and maintain their cause.

       (2 Chr 6:36 NRSV)  "If they sin against you--for there is no one who 
       does not sin--and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, 
       so that they are carried away captive to a land far or near;

       (2 Chr 6:37 NRSV)  then if they come to their senses in the land to 
       which they have been taken captive, and repent, and plead with you in 
       the land of their captivity, saying, 'We have sinned, and have done 
       wrong; we have acted wickedly';

       (2 Chr 6:38 NRSV)  if they repent with all their heart and soul in the 
       land of their captivity, to which they were taken captive, and pray 
       toward their land, which you gave to their ancestors, the city that 
       you have chosen, and the house that I have built for your name,

       (2 Chr 6:39 NRSV)  then hear from heaven your dwelling place their 
       prayer and their pleas, maintain their cause and forgive your people 
       who have sinned against you.






       (2 Chr 6:40 NRSV)  Now, O my God, let your eyes be open and your ears 
       attentive to prayer from this place.

       (2 Chr 6:41 NRSV)  "Now rise up, O LORD God, and go to your resting 
       place, you and the ark of your might. Let your priests, O LORD God, be 
       clothed with salvation, and let your faithful rejoice in your 
       goodness.

       (2 Chr 6:42 NRSV)  O LORD God, do not reject your anointed one. 
       Remember your steadfast love for your servant David."

       (2 Chr 7:1 NRSV)  When Solomon had ended his prayer, fire came down 
       from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and 
       the glory of the LORD filled the temple.

       (2 Chr 7:2 NRSV)  The priests could not enter the house of the LORD, 
       because the glory of the LORD filled the Lord's house.

       (2 Chr 7:3 NRSV)  When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down 
       and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed down on the 
       pavement with their faces to the ground, and worshiped and gave thanks 
       to the LORD, saying, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures 
       forever."

       (2 Chr 7:4 NRSV)  Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice 
       before the LORD.

       (2 Chr 7:5 NRSV)  King Solomon offered as a sacrifice twenty-two 
       thousand oxen and one hundred twenty thousand sheep. So the king and 
       all the people dedicated the house of God.

       (2 Chr 7:6 NRSV)  The priests stood at their posts; the Levites also, 
       with the instruments for music to the LORD that King David had made 
       for giving thanks to the LORD--for his steadfast love endures 
       forever--whenever David offered praises by their ministry. Opposite 
       them the priests sounded trumpets; and all Israel stood.

       (2 Chr 7:7 NRSV)  Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was 
       in front of the house of the LORD; for there he offered the burnt 
       offerings and the fat of the offerings of well-being because the 
       bronze altar Solomon had made could not hold the burnt offering and 
       the grain offering and the fat parts.

       (2 Chr 7:8 NRSV)  At that time Solomon held the festival for seven 
       days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from 
       Lebo-hamath to the Wadi of Egypt.

       (2 Chr 7:9 NRSV)  On the eighth day they held a solemn assembly; for 
       they had observed the dedication of the altar seven days and the 
       festival seven days.

       (2 Chr 7:10 NRSV)  On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he 
       sent the people away to their homes, joyful and in good spirits 
       because of the goodness that the LORD had shown to David and to 
       Solomon and to his people Israel.






       (2 Chr 7:11 NRSV)  Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD and the 
       king's house; all that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the 
       LORD and in his own house he successfully accomplished.

       (2 Chr 7:12 NRSV)  Then the LORD appeared to Solomon in the night and 
       said to him: "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for 
       myself as a house of sacrifice.

       (2 Chr 7:13 NRSV)  When I shut up the heavens so that there is no 
       rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence 
       among my people,

       (2 Chr 7:14 NRSV)  if my people who are called by my name humble 
       themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then 
       I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their 
       land.

       (2 Chr 7:15 NRSV)  Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to 
       the prayer that is made in this place.

       (2 Chr 7:16 NRSV)  For now I have chosen and consecrated this house so 
       that my name may be there forever; my eyes and my heart will be there 
       for all time.

       (2 Chr 7:17 NRSV)  As for you, if you walk before me, as your father 
       David walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and 
       keeping my statutes and my ordinances,

       (2 Chr 7:18 NRSV)  then I will establish your royal throne, as I made 
       covenant with your father David saying, 'You shall never lack a 
       successor to rule over Israel.'

       (2 Chr 7:19 NRSV)  "But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and 
       my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other 
       gods and worship them,

       (2 Chr 7:20 NRSV)  then I will pluck you up from the land that I have 
       given you; and this house, which I have consecrated for my name, I 
       will cast out of my sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword 
       among all peoples.

       (2 Chr 7:21 NRSV)  And regarding this house, now exalted, everyone 
       passing by will be astonished, and say, 'Why has the LORD done such a 
       thing to this land and to this house?'

       (2 Chr 7:22 NRSV)  Then they will say, 'Because they abandoned the 
       LORD the God of their ancestors who brought them out of the land of 
       Egypt, and they adopted other gods, and worshiped them and served 
       them; therefore he has brought all this calamity upon them.'"

       (2 Chr 8:1 NRSV)  At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon had 
       built the house of the LORD and his own house,

       (2 Chr 8:2 NRSV)  Solomon rebuilt the cities that Huram had given to 
       him, and settled the people of Israel in them.






       (2 Chr 8:3 NRSV)  Solomon went to Hamath-zobah, and captured it.

       (2 Chr 8:4 NRSV)  He built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the 
       storage towns that he built in Hamath.

       (2 Chr 8:5 NRSV)  He also built Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, 
       fortified cities, with walls, gates, and bars,

       (2 Chr 8:6 NRSV)  and Baalath, as well as all Solomon's storage towns, 
       and all the towns for his chariots, the towns for his cavalry, and 
       whatever Solomon desired to build, in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in 
       all the land of his dominion.

       (2 Chr 8:7 NRSV)  All the people who were left of the Hittites, the 
       Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not 
       of Israel,

       (2 Chr 8:8 NRSV)  from their descendants who were still left in the 
       land, whom the people of Israel had not destroyed--these Solomon 
       conscripted for forced labor, as is still the case today.

       (2 Chr 8:9 NRSV)  But of the people of Israel Solomon made no slaves 
       for his work; they were soldiers, and his officers, the commanders of 
       his chariotry and cavalry.

       (2 Chr 8:10 NRSV)  These were the chief officers of King Solomon, two 
       hundred fifty of them, who exercised authority over the people.

       (2 Chr 8:11 NRSV)  Solomon brought Pharaoh's daughter from the city of 
       David to the house that he had built for her, for he said, "My wife 
       shall not live in the house of King David of Israel, for the places to 
       which the ark of the LORD has come are holy."

       (2 Chr 8:12 NRSV)  Then Solomon offered up burnt offerings to the LORD 
       on the altar of the LORD that he had built in front of the vestibule,

       (2 Chr 8:13 NRSV)  as the duty of each day required, offering 
       according to the commandment of Moses for the sabbaths, the new moons, 
       and the three annual festivals--the festival of unleavened bread, the 
       festival of weeks, and the festival of booths.

       (2 Chr 8:14 NRSV)  According to the ordinance of his father David, he 
       appointed the divisions of the priests for their service, and the 
       Levites for their offices of praise and ministry alongside the priests 
       as the duty of each day required, and the gatekeepers in their 
       divisions for the several gates; for so David the man of God had 
       commanded.

       (2 Chr 8:15 NRSV)  They did not turn away from what the king had 
       commanded the priests and Levites regarding anything at all, or 
       regarding the treasuries.

       (2 Chr 8:16 NRSV)  Thus all the work of Solomon was accomplished from 
       the day the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid until the 
       house of the LORD was finished completely.






       (2 Chr 8:17 NRSV)  Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and Eloth on the 
       shore of the sea, in the land of Edom.

       (2 Chr 8:18 NRSV)  Huram sent him, in the care of his servants, ships 
       and servants familiar with the sea. They went to Ophir, together with 
       the servants of Solomon, and imported from there four hundred fifty 
       talents of gold and brought it to King Solomon.

       (2 Chr 9:1 NRSV)  When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of 
       Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions, having 
       a very great retinue and camels bearing spices and very much gold and 
       precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she discussed with him all 
       that was on her mind.

       (2 Chr 9:2 NRSV)  Solomon answered all her questions; there was 
       nothing hidden from Solomon that he could not explain to her.

       (2 Chr 9:3 NRSV)  When the queen of Sheba had observed the wisdom of 
       Solomon, the house that he had built,

       (2 Chr 9:4 NRSV)  the food of his table, the seating of his officials, 
       and the attendance of his servants, and their clothing, his valets, 
       and their clothing, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the 
       house of the LORD, there was no more spirit left in her.

       (2 Chr 9:5 NRSV)  So she said to the king, "The report was true that I 
       heard in my own land of your accomplishments and of your wisdom,

       (2 Chr 9:6 NRSV)  but I did not believe the reports until I came and 
       my own eyes saw it. Not even half of the greatness of your wisdom had 
       been told to me; you far surpass the report that I had heard.

       (2 Chr 9:7 NRSV)  Happy are your people! Happy are these your 
       servants, who continually attend you and hear your wisdom!

       (2 Chr 9:8 NRSV)  Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in 
       you and set you on his throne as king for the LORD your God. Because 
       your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made 
       you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness."

       (2 Chr 9:9 NRSV)  Then she gave the king one hundred twenty talents of 
       gold, a very great quantity of spices, and precious stones: there were 
       no spices such as those that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

       (2 Chr 9:10 NRSV)  Moreover the servants of Huram and the servants of 
       Solomon who brought gold from Ophir brought algum wood and precious 
       stones.

       (2 Chr 9:11 NRSV)  From the algum wood, the king made steps for the 
       house of the LORD and for the king's house, lyres also and harps for 
       the singers; there never was seen the like of them before in the land 
       of Judah.

       (2 Chr 9:12 NRSV)  Meanwhile King Solomon granted the queen of Sheba 
       every desire that she expressed, well beyond what she had brought to 





       the king. Then she returned to her own land, with her servants.

       (2 Chr 9:13 NRSV)  The weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year 
       was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold,

       (2 Chr 9:14 NRSV)  besides that which the traders and merchants 
       brought; and all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land 
       brought gold and silver to Solomon.

       (2 Chr 9:15 NRSV)  King Solomon made two hundred large shields of 
       beaten gold; six hundred shekels of beaten gold went into each large 
       shield.

       (2 Chr 9:16 NRSV)  He made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three 
       hundred shekels of gold went into each shield; and the king put them 
       in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

       (2 Chr 9:17 NRSV)  The king also made a great ivory throne, and 
       overlaid it with pure gold.

       (2 Chr 9:18 NRSV)  The throne had six steps and a footstool of gold, 
       which were attached to the throne, and on each side of the seat were 
       arm rests and two lions standing beside the arm rests,

       (2 Chr 9:19 NRSV)  while twelve lions were standing, one on each end 
       of a step on the six steps. The like of it was never made in any 
       kingdom.

       (2 Chr 9:20 NRSV)  All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, 
       and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure 
       gold; silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon.

       (2 Chr 9:21 NRSV)  For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the 
       servants of Huram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish used 
       to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

       (2 Chr 9:22 NRSV)  Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the 
       earth in riches and in wisdom.

       (2 Chr 9:23 NRSV)  All the kings of the earth sought the presence of 
       Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.

       (2 Chr 9:24 NRSV)  Every one of them brought a present, objects of 
       silver and gold, garments, weaponry, spices, horses, and mules, so 
       much year by year.

       (2 Chr 9:25 NRSV)  Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and 
       chariots, and twelve thousand horses, which he stationed in the 
       chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 9:26 NRSV)  He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates to 
       the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt.

       (2 Chr 9:27 NRSV)  The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as 
       stone, and cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah.





       (2 Chr 9:28 NRSV)  Horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and 
       from all lands.

       (2 Chr 9:29 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to 
       last, are they not written in the history of the prophet Nathan, and 
       in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of the 
       seer Iddo concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat?

       (2 Chr 9:30 NRSV)  Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty 
       years.

       (2 Chr 9:31 NRSV)  Solomon slept with his ancestors and was buried in 
       the city of his father David; and his son Rehoboam succeeded him.

       (2 Chr 10:1 NRSV)  Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come 
       to Shechem to make him king.

       (2 Chr 10:2 NRSV)  When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard of it (for he was 
       in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam returned 
       from Egypt.

       (2 Chr 10:3 NRSV)  They sent and called him; and Jeroboam and all 
       Israel came and said to Rehoboam,

       (2 Chr 10:4 NRSV)  "Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore 
       lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke that he 
       placed on us, and we will serve you."

       (2 Chr 10:5 NRSV)  He said to them, "Come to me again in three days." 
       So the people went away.

       (2 Chr 10:6 NRSV)  Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the older men 
       who had attended his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, 
       "How do you advise me to answer this people?"

       (2 Chr 10:7 NRSV)  They answered him, "If you will be kind to this 
       people and please them, and speak good words to them, then they will 
       be your servants forever."

       (2 Chr 10:8 NRSV)  But he rejected the advice that the older men gave 
       him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and now 
       attended him.

       (2 Chr 10:9 NRSV)  He said to them, "What do you advise that we answer 
       this people who have said to me, 'Lighten the yoke that your father 
       put on us'?"

       (2 Chr 10:10 NRSV)  The young men who had grown up with him said to 
       him, "Thus should you speak to the people who said to you, 'Your 
       father made our yoke heavy, but you must lighten it for us'; tell 
       them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins.

       (2 Chr 10:11 NRSV)  Now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I 
       will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I 
       will discipline you with scorpions.'"





       (2 Chr 10:12 NRSV)  So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam 
       the third day, as the king had said, "Come to me again the third day."

       (2 Chr 10:13 NRSV)  The king answered them harshly. King Rehoboam 
       rejected the advice of the older men;

       (2 Chr 10:14 NRSV)  he spoke to them in accordance with the advice of 
       the young men, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; 
       my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with 
       scorpions."

       (2 Chr 10:15 NRSV)  So the king did not listen to the people, because 
       it was a turn of affairs brought about by God so that the LORD might 
       fulfill his word, which he had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to 
       Jeroboam son of Nebat.

       (2 Chr 10:16 NRSV)  When all Israel saw that the king would not listen 
       to them, the people answered the king, "What share do we have in 
       David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Each of you to your 
       tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O David." So all Israel 
       departed to their tents.

       (2 Chr 10:17 NRSV)  But Rehoboam reigned over the people of Israel who 
       were living in the cities of Judah.

       (2 Chr 10:18 NRSV)  When King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was 
       taskmaster over the forced labor, the people of Israel stoned him to 
       death. King Rehoboam hurriedly mounted his chariot to flee to 
       Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 10:19 NRSV)  So Israel has been in rebellion against the house 
       of David to this day.

       (2 Chr 11:1 NRSV)  When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled one 
       hundred eighty thousand chosen troops of the house of Judah and 
       Benjamin to fight against Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.

       (2 Chr 11:2 NRSV)  But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man 
       of God:

       (2 Chr 11:3 NRSV)  Say to King Rehoboam of Judah, son of Solomon, and 
       to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin,

       (2 Chr 11:4 NRSV)  "Thus says the LORD: You shall not go up or fight 
       against your kindred. Let everyone return home, for this thing is from 
       me." So they heeded the word of the LORD and turned back from the 
       expedition against Jeroboam.

       (2 Chr 11:5 NRSV)  Rehoboam resided in Jerusalem, and he built cities 
       for defense in Judah.

       (2 Chr 11:6 NRSV)  He built up Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,

       (2 Chr 11:7 NRSV)  Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam,

       (2 Chr 11:8 NRSV)  Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,






       (2 Chr 11:9 NRSV)  Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,

       (2 Chr 11:10 NRSV)  Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, fortified cities that 
       are in Judah and in Benjamin.

       (2 Chr 11:11 NRSV)  He made the fortresses strong, and put commanders 
       in them, and stores of food, oil, and wine.

       (2 Chr 11:12 NRSV)  He also put large shields and spears in all the 
       cities, and made them very strong. So he held Judah and Benjamin.

       (2 Chr 11:13 NRSV)  The priests and the Levites who were in all Israel 
       presented themselves to him from all their territories.

       (2 Chr 11:14 NRSV)  The Levites had left their common lands and their 
       holdings and had come to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his 
       sons had prevented them from serving as priests of the LORD,

       (2 Chr 11:15 NRSV)  and had appointed his own priests for the high 
       places, and for the goat-demons, and for the calves that he had made.

       (2 Chr 11:16 NRSV)  Those who had set their hearts to seek the LORD 
       God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to 
       Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD, the God of their ancestors.

       (2 Chr 11:17 NRSV)  They strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for 
       three years they made Rehoboam son of Solomon secure, for they walked 
       for three years in the way of David and Solomon.

       (2 Chr 11:18 NRSV)  Rehoboam took as his wife Mahalath daughter of 
       Jerimoth son of David, and of Abihail daughter of Eliab son of Jesse.

       (2 Chr 11:19 NRSV)  She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.

       (2 Chr 11:20 NRSV)  After her he took Maacah daughter of Absalom, who 
       bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.

       (2 Chr 11:21 NRSV)  Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more 
       than all his other wives and concubines (he took eighteen wives and 
       sixty concubines, and became the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty 
       daughters).

       (2 Chr 11:22 NRSV)  Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as chief 
       prince among his brothers, for he intended to make him king.

       (2 Chr 11:23 NRSV)  He dealt wisely, and distributed some of his sons 
       through all the districts of Judah and Benjamin, in all the fortified 
       cities; he gave them abundant provisions, and found many wives for 
       them.

       (2 Chr 12:1 NRSV)  When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he 
       grew strong, he abandoned the law of the LORD, he and all Israel with 
       him.

       (2 Chr 12:2 NRSV)  In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, because they 





       had been unfaithful to the LORD, King Shishak of Egypt came up against 
       Jerusalem

       (2 Chr 12:3 NRSV)  with twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand 
       cavalry. A countless army came with him from Egypt--Libyans, Sukkiim, 
       and Ethiopians.

       (2 Chr 12:4 NRSV)  He took the fortified cities of Judah and came as 
       far as Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 12:5 NRSV)  Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and to 
       the officers of Judah, who had gathered at Jerusalem because of 
       Shishak, and said to them, "Thus says the LORD: You abandoned me, so I 
       have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak."

       (2 Chr 12:6 NRSV)  Then the officers of Israel and the king humbled 
       themselves and said, "The LORD is in the right."

       (2 Chr 12:7 NRSV)  When the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the 
       word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying: "They have humbled 
       themselves; I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some 
       deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the 
       hand of Shishak.

       (2 Chr 12:8 NRSV)  Nevertheless they shall be his servants, so that 
       they may know the difference between serving me and serving the 
       kingdoms of other lands."

       (2 Chr 12:9 NRSV)  So King Shishak of Egypt came up against Jerusalem; 
       he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures 
       of the king's house; he took everything. He also took away the shields 
       of gold that Solomon had made;

       (2 Chr 12:10 NRSV)  but King Rehoboam made in place of them shields of 
       bronze, and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, 
       who kept the door of the king's house.

       (2 Chr 12:11 NRSV)  Whenever the king went into the house of the LORD, 
       the guard would come along bearing them, and would then bring them 
       back to the guardroom.

       (2 Chr 12:12 NRSV)  Because he humbled himself the wrath of the LORD 
       turned from him, so as not to destroy them completely; moreover, 
       conditions were good in Judah.

       (2 Chr 12:13 NRSV)  So King Rehoboam established himself in Jerusalem 
       and reigned. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign; 
       he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the LORD had 
       chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put his name there. His 
       mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite.

       (2 Chr 12:14 NRSV)  He did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek 
       the LORD.

       (2 Chr 12:15 NRSV)  Now the acts of Rehoboam, from first to last, are 
       they not written in the records of the prophet Shemaiah and of the 





       seer Iddo, recorded by genealogy? There were continual wars between 
       Rehoboam and Jeroboam.

       (2 Chr 12:16 NRSV)  Rehoboam slept with his ancestors and was buried 
       in the city of David; and his son Abijah succeeded him.

       (2 Chr 13:1 NRSV)  In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah 
       began to reign over Judah.

       (2 Chr 13:2 NRSV)  He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His 
       mother's name was Micaiah daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. Now there was 
       war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

       (2 Chr 13:3 NRSV)  Abijah engaged in battle, having an army of valiant 
       warriors, four hundred thousand picked men; and Jeroboam drew up his 
       line of battle against him with eight hundred thousand picked mighty 
       warriors.

       (2 Chr 13:4 NRSV)  Then Abijah stood on the slope of Mount Zemaraim 
       that is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, "Listen to me, 
       Jeroboam and all Israel!

       (2 Chr 13:5 NRSV)  Do you not know that the LORD God of Israel gave 
       the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant 
       of salt?

       (2 Chr 13:6 NRSV)  Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son 
       of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord;

       (2 Chr 13:7 NRSV)  and certain worthless scoundrels gathered around 
       him and defied Rehoboam son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and 
       irresolute and could not withstand them.

       (2 Chr 13:8 NRSV)  "And now you think that you can withstand the 
       kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David, because you are 
       a great multitude and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam 
       made as gods for you.

       (2 Chr 13:9 NRSV)  Have you not driven out the priests of the LORD, 
       the descendants of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for 
       yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes to be 
       consecrated with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what 
       are no gods.

       (2 Chr 13:10 NRSV)  But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have 
       not abandoned him. We have priests ministering to the LORD who are 
       descendants of Aaron, and Levites for their service.

       (2 Chr 13:11 NRSV)  They offer to the LORD every morning and every 
       evening burnt offerings and fragrant incense, set out the rows of 
       bread on the table of pure gold, and care for the golden lampstand so 
       that its lamps may burn every evening; for we keep the charge of the 
       LORD our God, but you have abandoned him.

       (2 Chr 13:12 NRSV)  See, God is with us at our head, and his priests 
       have their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O 





       Israelites, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your ancestors; 
       for you cannot succeed."

       (2 Chr 13:13 NRSV)  Jeroboam had sent an ambush around to come on them 
       from behind; thus his troops were in front of Judah, and the ambush 
       was behind them.

       (2 Chr 13:14 NRSV)  When Judah turned, the battle was in front of them 
       and behind them. They cried out to the LORD, and the priests blew the 
       trumpets.

       (2 Chr 13:15 NRSV)  Then the people of Judah raised the battle shout. 
       And when the people of Judah shouted, God defeated Jeroboam and all 
       Israel before Abijah and Judah.

       (2 Chr 13:16 NRSV)  The Israelites fled before Judah, and God gave 
       them into their hands.

       (2 Chr 13:17 NRSV)  Abijah and his army defeated them with great 
       slaughter; five hundred thousand picked men of Israel fell slain.

       (2 Chr 13:18 NRSV)  Thus the Israelites were subdued at that time, and 
       the people of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the LORD, the 
       God of their ancestors.

       (2 Chr 13:19 NRSV)  Abijah pursued Jeroboam, and took cities from him: 
       Bethel with its villages and Jeshanah with its villages and Ephron 
       with its villages.

       (2 Chr 13:20 NRSV)  Jeroboam did not recover his power in the days of 
       Abijah; the LORD struck him down, and he died.

       (2 Chr 13:21 NRSV)  But Abijah grew strong. He took fourteen wives, 
       and became the father of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

       (2 Chr 13:22 NRSV)  The rest of the acts of Abijah, his behavior and 
       his deeds, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.

       (2 Chr 14:1 NRSV)  So Abijah slept with his ancestors, and they buried 
       him in the city of David. His son Asa succeeded him. In his days the 
       land had rest for ten years.

       (2 Chr 14:2 NRSV)  Asa did what was good and right in the sight of the 
       LORD his God.

       (2 Chr 14:3 NRSV)  He took away the foreign altars and the high 
       places, broke down the pillars, hewed down the sacred poles,

       (2 Chr 14:4 NRSV)  and commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of 
       their ancestors, and to keep the law and the commandment.

       (2 Chr 14:5 NRSV)  He also removed from all the cities of Judah the 
       high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under 
       him.

       (2 Chr 14:6 NRSV)  He built fortified cities in Judah while the land 





       had rest. He had no war in those years, for the LORD gave him peace.

       (2 Chr 14:7 NRSV)  He said to Judah, "Let us build these cities, and 
       surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars; the land is still 
       ours because we have sought the LORD our God; we have sought him, and 
       he has given us peace on every side." So they built and prospered.

       (2 Chr 14:8 NRSV)  Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from 
       Judah, armed with large shields and spears, and two hundred eighty 
       thousand troops from Benjamin who carried shields and drew bows; all 
       these were mighty warriors.

       (2 Chr 14:9 NRSV)  Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an 
       army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and came as far as 
       Mareshah.

       (2 Chr 14:10 NRSV)  Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their 
       lines of battle in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.

       (2 Chr 14:11 NRSV)  Asa cried to the LORD his God, "O LORD, there is 
       no difference for you between helping the mighty and the weak. Help 
       us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come 
       against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let no mortal prevail 
       against you."

       (2 Chr 14:12 NRSV)  So the LORD defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and 
       before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.

       (2 Chr 14:13 NRSV)  Asa and the army with him pursued them as far as 
       Gerar, and the Ethiopians fell until no one remained alive; for they 
       were broken before the LORD and his army. The people of Judah carried 
       away a great quantity of booty.

       (2 Chr 14:14 NRSV)  They defeated all the cities around Gerar, for the 
       fear of the LORD was on them. They plundered all the cities; for there 
       was much plunder in them.

       (2 Chr 14:15 NRSV)  They also attacked the tents of those who had 
       livestock, and carried away sheep and goats in abundance, and camels. 
       Then they returned to Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 15:1 NRSV)  The spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded.

       (2 Chr 15:2 NRSV)  He went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Hear me, 
       Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you, while you are 
       with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon 
       him, he will abandon you.

       (2 Chr 15:3 NRSV)  For a long time Israel was without the true God, 
       and without a teaching priest, and without law;

       (2 Chr 15:4 NRSV)  but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, 
       the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.

       (2 Chr 15:5 NRSV)  In those times it was not safe for anyone to go or 
       come, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the 





       lands.

       (2 Chr 15:6 NRSV)  They were broken in pieces, nation against nation 
       and city against city, for God troubled them with every sort of 
       distress.

       (2 Chr 15:7 NRSV)  But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be 
       weak, for your work shall be rewarded."

       (2 Chr 15:8 NRSV)  When Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah 
       son of Oded, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols from 
       all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns that he had 
       taken in the hill country of Ephraim. He repaired the altar of the 
       LORD that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the LORD.

       (2 Chr 15:9 NRSV)  He gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from 
       Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing as aliens with them, 
       for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that 
       the LORD his God was with him.

       (2 Chr 15:10 NRSV)  They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month 
       of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

       (2 Chr 15:11 NRSV)  They sacrificed to the LORD on that day, from the 
       booty that they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand 
       sheep.

       (2 Chr 15:12 NRSV)  They entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the 
       God of their ancestors, with all their heart and with all their soul.

       (2 Chr 15:13 NRSV)  Whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of 
       Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.

       (2 Chr 15:14 NRSV)  They took an oath to the LORD with a loud voice, 
       and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with horns.

       (2 Chr 15:15 NRSV)  All Judah rejoiced over the oath; for they had 
       sworn with all their heart, and had sought him with their whole 
       desire, and he was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all 
       around.

       (2 Chr 15:16 NRSV)  King Asa even removed his mother Maacah from being 
       queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. Asa 
       cut down her image, crushed it, and burned it at the Wadi Kidron.

       (2 Chr 15:17 NRSV)  But the high places were not taken out of Israel. 
       Nevertheless the heart of Asa was true all his days.

       (2 Chr 15:18 NRSV)  He brought into the house of God the votive gifts 
       of his father and his own votive gifts--silver, gold, and utensils.

       (2 Chr 15:19 NRSV)  And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth 
       year of the reign of Asa.

       (2 Chr 16:1 NRSV)  In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, King 
       Baasha of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, to prevent 





       anyone from going out or coming into the territory of King Asa of 
       Judah.

       (2 Chr 16:2 NRSV)  Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of 
       the house of the LORD and the king's house, and sent them to King 
       Ben-hadad of Aram, who resided in Damascus, saying,

       (2 Chr 16:3 NRSV)  "Let there be an alliance between me and you, like 
       that between my father and your father; I am sending to you silver and 
       gold; go, break your alliance with King Baasha of Israel, so that he 
       may withdraw from me."

       (2 Chr 16:4 NRSV)  Ben-hadad listened to King Asa, and sent the 
       commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel. They conquered 
       Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the store-cities of Naphtali.

       (2 Chr 16:5 NRSV)  When Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah, 
       and let his work cease.

       (2 Chr 16:6 NRSV)  Then King Asa brought all Judah, and they carried 
       away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been 
       building, and with them he built up Geba and Mizpah.

       (2 Chr 16:7 NRSV)  At that time the seer Hanani came to King Asa of 
       Judah, and said to him, "Because you relied on the king of Aram, and 
       did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has 
       escaped you.

       (2 Chr 16:8 NRSV)  Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army 
       with exceedingly many chariots and cavalry? Yet because you relied on 
       the LORD, he gave them into your hand.

       (2 Chr 16:9 NRSV)  For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the 
       entire earth, to strengthen those whose heart is true to him. You have 
       done foolishly in this; for from now on you will have wars."

       (2 Chr 16:10 NRSV)  Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in 
       the stocks, in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. 
       And Asa inflicted cruelties on some of the people at the same time.

       (2 Chr 16:11 NRSV)  The acts of Asa, from first to last, are written 
       in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

       (2 Chr 16:12 NRSV)  In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was 
       diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe; yet even in his 
       disease he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians.

       (2 Chr 16:13 NRSV)  Then Asa slept with his ancestors, dying in the 
       forty-first year of his reign.

       (2 Chr 16:14 NRSV)  They buried him in the tomb that he had hewn out 
       for himself in the city of David. They laid him on a bier that had 
       been filled with various kinds of spices prepared by the perfumer's 
       art; and they made a very great fire in his honor.

       (2 Chr 17:1 NRSV)  His son Jehoshaphat succeeded him, and strengthened 





       himself against Israel.

       (2 Chr 17:2 NRSV)  He placed forces in all the fortified cities of 
       Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of 
       Ephraim that his father Asa had taken.

       (2 Chr 17:3 NRSV)  The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in 
       the earlier ways of his father; he did not seek the Baals,

       (2 Chr 17:4 NRSV)  but sought the God of his father and walked in his 
       commandments, and not according to the ways of Israel.

       (2 Chr 17:5 NRSV)  Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his 
       hand. All Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great 
       riches and honor.

       (2 Chr 17:6 NRSV)  His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD; 
       and furthermore he removed the high places and the sacred poles from 
       Judah.

       (2 Chr 17:7 NRSV)  In the third year of his reign he sent his 
       officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to 
       teach in the cities of Judah.

       (2 Chr 17:8 NRSV)  With them were the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, 
       Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and 
       Tob-adonijah; and with these Levites, the priests Elishama and 
       Jehoram.

       (2 Chr 17:9 NRSV)  They taught in Judah, having the book of the law of 
       the LORD with them; they went around through all the cities of Judah 
       and taught among the people.

       (2 Chr 17:10 NRSV)  The fear of the LORD fell on all the kingdoms of 
       the lands around Judah, and they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.

       (2 Chr 17:11 NRSV)  Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat 
       presents, and silver for tribute; and the Arabs also brought him seven 
       thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred male 
       goats.

       (2 Chr 17:12 NRSV)  Jehoshaphat grew steadily greater. He built 
       fortresses and storage cities in Judah.

       (2 Chr 17:13 NRSV)  He carried out great works in the cities of Judah. 
       He had soldiers, mighty warriors, in Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 17:14 NRSV)  This was the muster of them by ancestral houses: 
       Of Judah, the commanders of the thousands: Adnah the commander, with 
       three hundred thousand mighty warriors,

       (2 Chr 17:15 NRSV)  and next to him Jehohanan the commander, with two 
       hundred eighty thousand,

       (2 Chr 17:16 NRSV)  and next to him Amasiah son of Zichri, a volunteer 
       for the service of the LORD, with two hundred thousand mighty 





       warriors.

       (2 Chr 17:17 NRSV)  Of Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty warrior, with two 
       hundred thousand armed with bow and shield,

       (2 Chr 17:18 NRSV)  and next to him Jehozabad with one hundred eighty 
       thousand armed for war.

       (2 Chr 17:19 NRSV)  These were in the service of the king, besides 
       those whom the king had placed in the fortified cities throughout all 
       Judah.

       (2 Chr 18:1 NRSV)  Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor; and he 
       made a marriage alliance with Ahab.

       (2 Chr 18:2 NRSV)  After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. 
       Ahab slaughtered an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the 
       people who were with him, and induced him to go up against 
       Ramoth-gilead.

       (2 Chr 18:3 NRSV)  King Ahab of Israel said to King Jehoshaphat of 
       Judah, "Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?" He answered him, "I am 
       with you, my people are your people. We will be with you in the war."

       (2 Chr 18:4 NRSV)  But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, 
       "Inquire first for the word of the LORD."

       (2 Chr 18:5 NRSV)  Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets 
       together, four hundred of them, and said to them, "Shall we go to 
       battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?" They said, "Go up; 
       for God will give it into the hand of the king."

       (2 Chr 18:6 NRSV)  But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no other prophet of 
       the LORD here of whom we may inquire?"

       (2 Chr 18:7 NRSV)  The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is 
       still one other by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micaiah son of 
       Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies anything favorable 
       about me, but only disaster." Jehoshaphat said, "Let the king not say 
       such a thing."

       (2 Chr 18:8 NRSV)  Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and 
       said, "Bring quickly Micaiah son of Imlah."

       (2 Chr 18:9 NRSV)  Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of 
       Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes; and they 
       were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of 
       Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.

       (2 Chr 18:10 NRSV)  Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made for himself horns 
       of iron, and he said, "Thus says the LORD: With these you shall gore 
       the Arameans until they are destroyed."

       (2 Chr 18:11 NRSV)  All the prophets were prophesying the same and 
       saying, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph; the LORD will give it 
       into the hand of the king."






       (2 Chr 18:12 NRSV)  The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said 
       to him, "Look, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable 
       to the king; let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak 
       favorably."

       (2 Chr 18:13 NRSV)  But Micaiah said, "As the LORD lives, whatever my 
       God says, that I will speak."

       (2 Chr 18:14 NRSV)  When he had come to the king, the king said to 
       him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I 
       refrain?" He answered, "Go up and triumph; they will be given into 
       your hand."

       (2 Chr 18:15 NRSV)  But the king said to him, "How many times must I 
       make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the 
       LORD?"

       (2 Chr 18:16 NRSV)  Then Micaiah said, "I saw all Israel scattered on 
       the mountains, like sheep without a shepherd; and the LORD said, 
       'These have no master; let each one go home in peace.'"

       (2 Chr 18:17 NRSV)  The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not 
       tell you that he would not prophesy anything favorable about me, but 
       only disaster?"

       (2 Chr 18:18 NRSV)  Then Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of the 
       LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, with all the host of 
       heaven standing to the right and to the left of him.

       (2 Chr 18:19 NRSV)  And the LORD said, 'Who will entice King Ahab of 
       Israel, so that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' Then one said 
       one thing, and another said another,

       (2 Chr 18:20 NRSV)  until a spirit came forward and stood before the 
       LORD, saying, 'I will entice him.' The LORD asked him, 'How?'

       (2 Chr 18:21 NRSV)  He replied, 'I will go out and be a lying spirit 
       in the mouth of all his prophets.' Then the LORD said, 'You are to 
       entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do it.'

       (2 Chr 18:22 NRSV)  So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the 
       mouth of these your prophets; the LORD has decreed disaster for you."

       (2 Chr 18:23 NRSV)  Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah came up to Micaiah, 
       slapped him on the cheek, and said, "Which way did the spirit of the 
       LORD pass from me to speak to you?"

       (2 Chr 18:24 NRSV)  Micaiah replied, "You will find out on that day 
       when you go in to hide in an inner chamber."

       (2 Chr 18:25 NRSV)  The king of Israel then ordered, "Take Micaiah, 
       and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the 
       king's son;

       (2 Chr 18:26 NRSV)  and say, 'Thus says the king: Put this fellow in 





       prison, and feed him on reduced rations of bread and water until I 
       return in peace.'"

       (2 Chr 18:27 NRSV)  Micaiah said, "If you return in peace, the LORD 
       has not spoken by me." And he said, "Hear, you peoples, all of you!"

       (2 Chr 18:28 NRSV)  So the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of 
       Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.

       (2 Chr 18:29 NRSV)  The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will 
       disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes." So the 
       king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.

       (2 Chr 18:30 NRSV)  Now the king of Aram had commanded the captains of 
       his chariots, "Fight with no one small or great, but only with the 
       king of Israel."

       (2 Chr 18:31 NRSV)  When the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, 
       they said, "It is the king of Israel." So they turned to fight against 
       him; and Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him. God drew them 
       away from him,

       (2 Chr 18:32 NRSV)  for when the captains of the chariots saw that it 
       was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

       (2 Chr 18:33 NRSV)  But a certain man drew his bow and unknowingly 
       struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate; 
       so he said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn around, and carry me 
       out of the battle, for I am wounded."

       (2 Chr 18:34 NRSV)  The battle grew hot that day, and the king of 
       Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until 
       evening; then at sunset he died.

       (2 Chr 19:1 NRSV)  King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned in safety to his 
       house in Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 19:2 NRSV)  Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him 
       and said to King Jehoshaphat, "Should you help the wicked and love 
       those who hate the LORD? Because of this, wrath has gone out against 
       you from the LORD.

       (2 Chr 19:3 NRSV)  Nevertheless, some good is found in you, for you 
       destroyed the sacred poles out of the land, and have set your heart to 
       seek God."

       (2 Chr 19:4 NRSV)  Jehoshaphat resided at Jerusalem; then he went out 
       again among the people, from Beer-sheba to the hill country of 
       Ephraim, and brought them back to the LORD, the God of their 
       ancestors.

       (2 Chr 19:5 NRSV)  He appointed judges in the land in all the 
       fortified cities of Judah, city by city,

       (2 Chr 19:6 NRSV)  and said to the judges, "Consider what you are 
       doing, for you judge not on behalf of human beings but on the Lord's 





       behalf; he is with you in giving judgment.

       (2 Chr 19:7 NRSV)  Now, let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take 
       care what you do, for there is no perversion of justice with the LORD 
       our God, or partiality, or taking of bribes."

       (2 Chr 19:8 NRSV)  Moreover in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed certain 
       Levites and priests and heads of families of Israel, to give judgment 
       for the LORD and to decide disputed cases. They had their seat at 
       Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 19:9 NRSV)  He charged them: "This is how you shall act: in the 
       fear of the LORD, in faithfulness, and with your whole heart;

       (2 Chr 19:10 NRSV)  whenever a case comes to you from your kindred who 
       live in their cities, concerning bloodshed, law or commandment, 
       statutes or ordinances, then you shall instruct them, so that they may 
       not incur guilt before the LORD and wrath may not come on you and your 
       kindred. Do so, and you will not incur guilt.

       (2 Chr 19:11 NRSV)  See, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all 
       matters of the LORD; and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the governor of the 
       house of Judah, in all the king's matters; and the Levites will serve 
       you as officers. Deal courageously, and may the LORD be with the 
       good!"

       (2 Chr 20:1 NRSV)  After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with 
       them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle.

       (2 Chr 20:2 NRSV)  Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, "A great 
       multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; 
       already they are at Hazazon-tamar" (that is, En-gedi).

       (2 Chr 20:3 NRSV)  Jehoshaphat was afraid; he set himself to seek the 
       LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

       (2 Chr 20:4 NRSV)  Judah assembled to seek help from the LORD; from 
       all the towns of Judah they came to seek the LORD.

       (2 Chr 20:5 NRSV)  Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and 
       Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,

       (2 Chr 20:6 NRSV)  and said, "O LORD, God of our ancestors, are you 
       not God in heaven? Do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the 
       nations? In your hand are power and might, so that no one is able to 
       withstand you.

       (2 Chr 20:7 NRSV)  Did you not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants 
       of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the 
       descendants of your friend Abraham?

       (2 Chr 20:8 NRSV)  They have lived in it, and in it have built you a 
       sanctuary for your name, saying,

       (2 Chr 20:9 NRSV)  'If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or 
       pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house, and before 





       you, for your name is in this house, and cry to you in our distress, 
       and you will hear and save.'

       (2 Chr 20:10 NRSV)  See now, the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount 
       Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the 
       land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy--

       (2 Chr 20:11 NRSV)  they reward us by coming to drive us out of your 
       possession that you have given us to inherit.

       (2 Chr 20:12 NRSV)  O our God, will you not execute judgment upon 
       them? For we are powerless against this great multitude that is coming 
       against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you."

       (2 Chr 20:13 NRSV)  Meanwhile all Judah stood before the LORD, with 
       their little ones, their wives, and their children.

       (2 Chr 20:14 NRSV)  Then the spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel son 
       of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite 
       of the sons of Asaph, in the middle of the assembly.

       (2 Chr 20:15 NRSV)  He said, "Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of 
       Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you: 'Do not 
       fear or be dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not 
       yours but God's.

       (2 Chr 20:16 NRSV)  Tomorrow go down against them; they will come up 
       by the ascent of Ziz; you will find them at the end of the valley, 
       before the wilderness of Jeruel.

       (2 Chr 20:17 NRSV)  This battle is not for you to fight; take your 
       position, stand still, and see the victory of the LORD on your behalf, 
       O Judah and Jerusalem.' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out 
       against them, and the LORD will be with you."

       (2 Chr 20:18 NRSV)  Then Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the 
       ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down 
       before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.

       (2 Chr 20:19 NRSV)  And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the 
       Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very 
       loud voice.

       (2 Chr 20:20 NRSV)  They rose early in the morning and went out into 
       the wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and 
       said, "Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in 
       the LORD your God and you will be established; believe his prophets."

       (2 Chr 20:21 NRSV)  When he had taken counsel with the people, he 
       appointed those who were to sing to the LORD and praise him in holy 
       splendor, as they went before the army, saying, "Give thanks to the 
       LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever."

       (2 Chr 20:22 NRSV)  As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an 
       ambush against the Ammonites, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come 
       against Judah, so that they were routed.






       (2 Chr 20:23 NRSV)  For the Ammonites and Moab attacked the 
       inhabitants of Mount Seir, destroying them utterly; and when they had 
       made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one 
       another.

       (2 Chr 20:24 NRSV)  When Judah came to the watchtower of the 
       wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; they were corpses lying 
       on the ground; no one had escaped.

       (2 Chr 20:25 NRSV)  When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take the 
       booty from them, they found livestock in great numbers, goods, 
       clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until 
       they could carry no more. They spent three days taking the booty, 
       because of its abundance.

       (2 Chr 20:26 NRSV)  On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of 
       Beracah, for there they blessed the LORD; therefore that place has 
       been called the Valley of Beracah to this day.

       (2 Chr 20:27 NRSV)  Then all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, with 
       Jehoshaphat at their head, returned to Jerusalem with joy, for the 
       LORD had enabled them to rejoice over their enemies.

       (2 Chr 20:28 NRSV)  They came to Jerusalem, with harps and lyres and 
       trumpets, to the house of the LORD.

       (2 Chr 20:29 NRSV)  The fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the 
       countries when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies 
       of Israel.

       (2 Chr 20:30 NRSV)  And the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his 
       God gave him rest all around.

       (2 Chr 20:31 NRSV)  So Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was 
       thirty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned twenty-five 
       years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.

       (2 Chr 20:32 NRSV)  He walked in the way of his father Asa and did not 
       turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the LORD.

       (2 Chr 20:33 NRSV)  Yet the high places were not removed; the people 
       had not yet set their hearts upon the God of their ancestors.

       (2 Chr 20:34 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from 
       first to last, are written in the Annals of Jehu son of Hanani, which 
       are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.

       (2 Chr 20:35 NRSV)  After this King Jehoshaphat of Judah joined with 
       King Ahaziah of Israel, who did wickedly.

       (2 Chr 20:36 NRSV)  He joined him in building ships to go to Tarshish; 
       they built the ships in Ezion-geber.

       (2 Chr 20:37 NRSV)  Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah 
       prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, "Because you have joined with 





       Ahaziah, the LORD will destroy what you have made." And the ships were 
       wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.

       (2 Chr 21:1 NRSV)  Jehoshaphat slept with his ancestors and was buried 
       with his ancestors in the city of David; his son Jehoram succeeded 
       him.

       (2 Chr 21:2 NRSV)  He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, 
       Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were 
       the sons of King Jehoshaphat of Judah.

       (2 Chr 21:3 NRSV)  Their father gave them many gifts, of silver, gold, 
       and valuable possessions, together with fortified cities in Judah; but 
       he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn.

       (2 Chr 21:4 NRSV)  When Jehoram had ascended the throne of his father 
       and was established, he put all his brothers to the sword, and also 
       some of the officials of Israel.

       (2 Chr 21:5 NRSV)  Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to 
       reign; he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 21:6 NRSV)  He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the 
       house of Ahab had done; for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. He did 
       what was evil in the sight of the LORD.

       (2 Chr 21:7 NRSV)  Yet the LORD would not destroy the house of David 
       because of the covenant that he had made with David, and since he had 
       promised to give a lamp to him and to his descendants forever.

       (2 Chr 21:8 NRSV)  In his days Edom revolted against the rule of Judah 
       and set up a king of their own.

       (2 Chr 21:9 NRSV)  Then Jehoram crossed over with his commanders and 
       all his chariots. He set out by night and attacked the Edomites, who 
       had surrounded him and his chariot commanders.

       (2 Chr 21:10 NRSV)  So Edom has been in revolt against the rule of 
       Judah to this day. At that time Libnah also revolted against his rule, 
       because he had forsaken the LORD, the God of his ancestors.

       (2 Chr 21:11 NRSV)  Moreover he made high places in the hill country 
       of Judah, and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into unfaithfulness, 
       and made Judah go astray.

       (2 Chr 21:12 NRSV)  A letter came to him from the prophet Elijah, 
       saying: "Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David: Because you 
       have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or in the ways 
       of King Asa of Judah,

       (2 Chr 21:13 NRSV)  but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, 
       and have led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into 
       unfaithfulness, as the house of Ahab led Israel into unfaithfulness, 
       and because you also have killed your brothers, members of your 
       father's house, who were better than yourself,





       (2 Chr 21:14 NRSV)  see, the LORD will bring a great plague on your 
       people, your children, your wives, and all your possessions,

       (2 Chr 21:15 NRSV)  and you yourself will have a severe sickness with 
       a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out, day after day, 
       because of the disease."

       (2 Chr 21:16 NRSV)  The LORD aroused against Jehoram the anger of the 
       Philistines and of the Arabs who are near the Ethiopians.

       (2 Chr 21:17 NRSV)  They came up against Judah, invaded it, and 
       carried away all the possessions they found that belonged to the 
       king's house, along with his sons and his wives, so that no son was 
       left to him except Jehoahaz, his youngest son.

       (2 Chr 21:18 NRSV)  After all this the LORD struck him in his bowels 
       with an incurable disease.

       (2 Chr 21:19 NRSV)  In course of time, at the end of two years, his 
       bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great agony. 
       His people made no fire in his honor, like the fires made for his 
       ancestors.

       (2 Chr 21:20 NRSV)  He was thirty-two years old when he began to 
       reign; he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. He departed with no one's 
       regret. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of 
       the kings.

       (2 Chr 22:1 NRSV)  The inhabitants of Jerusalem made his youngest son 
       Ahaziah king as his successor; for the troops who came with the Arabs 
       to the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram 
       reigned as king of Judah.

       (2 Chr 22:2 NRSV)  Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he began to 
       reign; he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was 
       Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri.

       (2 Chr 22:3 NRSV)  He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, 
       for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly.

       (2 Chr 22:4 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as 
       the house of Ahab had done; for after the death of his father they 
       were his counselors, to his ruin.

       (2 Chr 22:5 NRSV)  He even followed their advice, and went with 
       Jehoram son of King Ahab of Israel to make war against King Hazael of 
       Aram at Ramoth-gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram,

       (2 Chr 22:6 NRSV)  and he returned to be healed in Jezreel of the 
       wounds that he had received at Ramah, when he fought King Hazael of 
       Aram. And Ahaziah son of King Jehoram of Judah went down to see Joram 
       son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

       (2 Chr 22:7 NRSV)  But it was ordained by God that the downfall of 
       Ahaziah should come about through his going to visit Joram. For when 
       he came there he went out with Jehoram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, 





       whom the LORD had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.

       (2 Chr 22:8 NRSV)  When Jehu was executing judgment on the house of 
       Ahab, he met the officials of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's 
       brothers, who attended Ahaziah, and he killed them.

       (2 Chr 22:9 NRSV)  He searched for Ahaziah, who was captured while 
       hiding in Samaria and was brought to Jehu, and put to death. They 
       buried him, for they said, "He is the grandson of Jehoshaphat, who 
       sought the LORD with all his heart." And the house of Ahaziah had no 
       one able to rule the kingdom.

       (2 Chr 22:10 NRSV)  Now when Athaliah, Ahaziah's mother, saw that her 
       son was dead, she set about to destroy all the royal family of the 
       house of Judah.

       (2 Chr 22:11 NRSV)  But Jehoshabeath, the king's daughter, took Joash 
       son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's children who 
       were about to be killed; she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus 
       Jehoshabeath, daughter of King Jehoram and wife of the priest 
       Jehoiada--because she was a sister of Ahaziah--hid him from Athaliah, 
       so that she did not kill him;

       (2 Chr 22:12 NRSV)  he remained with them six years, hidden in the 
       house of God, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

       (2 Chr 23:1 NRSV)  But in the seventh year Jehoiada took courage, and 
       entered into a compact with the commanders of the hundreds, Azariah 
       son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, 
       Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri.

       (2 Chr 23:2 NRSV)  They went around through Judah and gathered the 
       Levites from all the towns of Judah, and the heads of families of 
       Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 23:3 NRSV)  Then the whole assembly made a covenant with the 
       king in the house of God. Jehoiada said to them, "Here is the king's 
       son! Let him reign, as the LORD promised concerning the sons of David.

       (2 Chr 23:4 NRSV)  This is what you are to do: one third of you, 
       priests and Levites, who come on duty on the sabbath, shall be 
       gatekeepers,

       (2 Chr 23:5 NRSV)  one third shall be at the king's house, and one 
       third at the Gate of the Foundation; and all the people shall be in 
       the courts of the house of the LORD.

       (2 Chr 23:6 NRSV)  Do not let anyone enter the house of the LORD 
       except the priests and ministering Levites; they may enter, for they 
       are holy, but all the other people shall observe the instructions of 
       the LORD.

       (2 Chr 23:7 NRSV)  The Levites shall surround the king, each with his 
       weapons in his hand; and whoever enters the house shall be killed. 
       Stay with the king in his comings and goings."





       (2 Chr 23:8 NRSV)  The Levites and all Judah did according to all that 
       the priest Jehoiada commanded; each brought his men, who were to come 
       on duty on the sabbath, with those who were to go off duty on the 
       sabbath; for the priest Jehoiada did not dismiss the divisions.

       (2 Chr 23:9 NRSV)  The priest Jehoiada delivered to the captains the 
       spears and the large and small shields that had been King David's, 
       which were in the house of God;

       (2 Chr 23:10 NRSV)  and he set all the people as a guard for the king, 
       everyone with weapon in hand, from the south side of the house to the 
       north side of the house, around the altar and the house.

       (2 Chr 23:11 NRSV)  Then he brought out the king's son, put the crown 
       on him, and gave him the covenant; they proclaimed him king, and 
       Jehoiada and his sons anointed him; and they shouted, "Long live the 
       king!"

       (2 Chr 23:12 NRSV)  When Athaliah heard the noise of the people 
       running and praising the king, she went into the house of the LORD to 
       the people;

       (2 Chr 23:13 NRSV)  and when she looked, there was the king standing 
       by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the trumpeters 
       beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing 
       trumpets, and the singers with their musical instruments leading in 
       the celebration. Athaliah tore her clothes, and cried, "Treason! 
       Treason!"

       (2 Chr 23:14 NRSV)  Then the priest Jehoiada brought out the captains 
       who were set over the army, saying to them, "Bring her out between the 
       ranks; anyone who follows her is to be put to the sword." For the 
       priest said, "Do not put her to death in the house of the LORD."

       (2 Chr 23:15 NRSV)  So they laid hands on her; she went into the 
       entrance of the Horse Gate of the king's house, and there they put her 
       to death.

       (2 Chr 23:16 NRSV)  Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all 
       the people and the king that they should be the Lord's people.

       (2 Chr 23:17 NRSV)  Then all the people went to the house of Baal, and 
       tore it down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces, and they 
       killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars.

       (2 Chr 23:18 NRSV)  Jehoiada assigned the care of the house of the 
       LORD to the levitical priests whom David had organized to be in charge 
       of the house of the LORD, to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, as it 
       is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, 
       according to the order of David.

       (2 Chr 23:19 NRSV)  He stationed the gatekeepers at the gates of the 
       house of the LORD so that no one should enter who was in any way 
       unclean.

       (2 Chr 23:20 NRSV)  And he took the captains, the nobles, the 





       governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and they 
       brought the king down from the house of the LORD, marching through the 
       upper gate to the king's house. They set the king on the royal throne.

       (2 Chr 23:21 NRSV)  So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the 
       city was quiet after Athaliah had been killed with the sword.

       (2 Chr 24:1 NRSV)  Joash was seven years old when he began to reign; 
       he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; his mother's name was Zibiah of 
       Beer-sheba.

       (2 Chr 24:2 NRSV)  Joash did what was right in the sight of the LORD 
       all the days of the priest Jehoiada.

       (2 Chr 24:3 NRSV)  Jehoiada got two wives for him, and he became the 
       father of sons and daughters.

       (2 Chr 24:4 NRSV)  Some time afterward Joash decided to restore the 
       house of the LORD.

       (2 Chr 24:5 NRSV)  He assembled the priests and the Levites and said 
       to them, "Go out to the cities of Judah and gather money from all 
       Israel to repair the house of your God, year by year; and see that you 
       act quickly." But the Levites did not act quickly.

       (2 Chr 24:6 NRSV)  So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief, and said 
       to him, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah 
       and Jerusalem the tax levied by Moses, the servant of the LORD, on the 
       congregation of Israel for the tent of the covenant?"

       (2 Chr 24:7 NRSV)  For the children of Athaliah, that wicked woman, 
       had broken into the house of God, and had even used all the dedicated 
       things of the house of the LORD for the Baals.

       (2 Chr 24:8 NRSV)  So the king gave command, and they made a chest, 
       and set it outside the gate of the house of the LORD.

       (2 Chr 24:9 NRSV)  A proclamation was made throughout Judah and 
       Jerusalem to bring in for the LORD the tax that Moses the servant of 
       God laid on Israel in the wilderness.

       (2 Chr 24:10 NRSV)  All the leaders and all the people rejoiced and 
       brought their tax and dropped it into the chest until it was full.

       (2 Chr 24:11 NRSV)  Whenever the chest was brought to the king's 
       officers by the Levites, when they saw that there was a large amount 
       of money in it, the king's secretary and the officer of the chief 
       priest would come and empty the chest and take it and return it to its 
       place. So they did day after day, and collected money in abundance.

       (2 Chr 24:12 NRSV)  The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who had 
       charge of the work of the house of the LORD, and they hired masons and 
       carpenters to restore the house of the LORD, and also workers in iron 
       and bronze to repair the house of the LORD.

       (2 Chr 24:13 NRSV)  So those who were engaged in the work labored, and 





       the repairing went forward at their hands, and they restored the house 
       of God to its proper condition and strengthened it.

       (2 Chr 24:14 NRSV)  When they had finished, they brought the rest of 
       the money to the king and Jehoiada, and with it were made utensils for 
       the house of the LORD, utensils for the service and for the burnt 
       offerings, and ladles, and vessels of gold and silver. They offered 
       burnt offerings in the house of the LORD regularly all the days of 
       Jehoiada.

       (2 Chr 24:15 NRSV)  But Jehoiada grew old and full of days, and died; 
       he was one hundred thirty years old at his death.

       (2 Chr 24:16 NRSV)  And they buried him in the city of David among the 
       kings, because he had done good in Israel, and for God and his house.

       (2 Chr 24:17 NRSV)  Now after the death of Jehoiada the officials of 
       Judah came and did obeisance to the king; then the king listened to 
       them.

       (2 Chr 24:18 NRSV)  They abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of 
       their ancestors, and served the sacred poles and the idols. And wrath 
       came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs.

       (2 Chr 24:19 NRSV)  Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back 
       to the LORD; they testified against them, but they would not listen.

       (2 Chr 24:20 NRSV)  Then the spirit of God took possession of 
       Zechariah son of the priest Jehoiada; he stood above the people and 
       said to them, "Thus says God: Why do you transgress the commandments 
       of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the 
       LORD, he has also forsaken you."

       (2 Chr 24:21 NRSV)  But they conspired against him, and by command of 
       the king they stoned him to death in the court of the house of the 
       LORD.

       (2 Chr 24:22 NRSV)  King Joash did not remember the kindness that 
       Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had shown him, but killed his son. As he 
       was dying, he said, "May the LORD see and avenge!"

       (2 Chr 24:23 NRSV)  At the end of the year the army of Aram came up 
       against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the 
       officials of the people from among them, and sent all the booty they 
       took to the king of Damascus.

       (2 Chr 24:24 NRSV)  Although the army of Aram had come with few men, 
       the LORD delivered into their hand a very great army, because they had 
       abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors. Thus they executed 
       judgment on Joash.

       (2 Chr 24:25 NRSV)  When they had withdrawn, leaving him severely 
       wounded, his servants conspired against him because of the blood of 
       the son of the priest Jehoiada, and they killed him on his bed. So he 
       died; and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury 
       him in the tombs of the kings.






       (2 Chr 24:26 NRSV)  Those who conspired against him were Zabad son of 
       Shimeath the Ammonite, and Jehozabad son of Shimrith the Moabite.

       (2 Chr 24:27 NRSV)  Accounts of his sons, and of the many oracles 
       against him, and of the rebuilding of the house of God are written in 
       the Commentary on the Book of the Kings. And his son Amaziah succeeded 
       him.

       (2 Chr 25:1 NRSV)  Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to 
       reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's 
       name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 25:2 NRSV)  He did what was right in the sight of the LORD, yet 
       not with a true heart.

       (2 Chr 25:3 NRSV)  As soon as the royal power was firmly in his hand 
       he killed his servants who had murdered his father the king.

       (2 Chr 25:4 NRSV)  But he did not put their children to death, 
       according to what is written in the law, in the book of Moses, where 
       the LORD commanded, "The parents shall not be put to death for the 
       children, or the children be put to death for the parents; but all 
       shall be put to death for their own sins."

       (2 Chr 25:5 NRSV)  Amaziah assembled the people of Judah, and set them 
       by ancestral houses under commanders of the thousands and of the 
       hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He mustered those twenty years 
       old and upward, and found that they were three hundred thousand picked 
       troops fit for war, able to handle spear and shield.

       (2 Chr 25:6 NRSV)  He also hired one hundred thousand mighty warriors 
       from Israel for one hundred talents of silver.

       (2 Chr 25:7 NRSV)  But a man of God came to him and said, "O king, do 
       not let the army of Israel go with you, for the LORD is not with 
       Israel--all these Ephraimites.

       (2 Chr 25:8 NRSV)  Rather, go by yourself and act; be strong in 
       battle, or God will fling you down before the enemy; for God has power 
       to help or to overthrow."

       (2 Chr 25:9 NRSV)  Amaziah said to the man of God, "But what shall we 
       do about the hundred talents that I have given to the army of Israel?" 
       The man of God answered, "The LORD is able to give you much more than 
       this."

       (2 Chr 25:10 NRSV)  Then Amaziah discharged the army that had come to 
       him from Ephraim, letting them go home again. But they became very 
       angry with Judah, and returned home in fierce anger.

       (2 Chr 25:11 NRSV)  Amaziah took courage, and led out his people; he 
       went to the Valley of Salt, and struck down ten thousand men of Seir.

       (2 Chr 25:12 NRSV)  The people of Judah captured another ten thousand 
       alive, took them to the top of Sela, and threw them down from the top 





       of Sela, so that all of them were dashed to pieces.

       (2 Chr 25:13 NRSV)  But the men of the army whom Amaziah sent back, 
       not letting them go with him to battle, fell on the cities of Judah 
       from Samaria to Beth-horon; they killed three thousand people in them, 
       and took much booty.

       (2 Chr 25:14 NRSV)  Now after Amaziah came from the slaughter of the 
       Edomites, he brought the gods of the people of Seir, set them up as 
       his gods, and worshiped them, making offerings to them.

       (2 Chr 25:15 NRSV)  The LORD was angry with Amaziah and sent to him a 
       prophet, who said to him, "Why have you resorted to a people's gods 
       who could not deliver their own people from your hand?"

       (2 Chr 25:16 NRSV)  But as he was speaking the king said to him, "Have 
       we made you a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be put to death?" 
       So the prophet stopped, but said, "I know that God has determined to 
       destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my 
       advice."

       (2 Chr 25:17 NRSV)  Then King Amaziah of Judah took counsel and sent 
       to King Joash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu of Israel, saying, "Come, 
       let us look one another in the face."

       (2 Chr 25:18 NRSV)  King Joash of Israel sent word to King Amaziah of 
       Judah, "A thornbush on Lebanon sent to a cedar on Lebanon, saying, 
       'Give your daughter to my son for a wife'; but a wild animal of 
       Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thornbush.

       (2 Chr 25:19 NRSV)  You say, 'See, I have defeated Edom,' and your 
       heart has lifted you up in boastfulness. Now stay at home; why should 
       you provoke trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you?"

       (2 Chr 25:20 NRSV)  But Amaziah would not listen--it was God's doing, 
       in order to hand them over, because they had sought the gods of Edom.

       (2 Chr 25:21 NRSV)  So King Joash of Israel went up; he and King 
       Amaziah of Judah faced one another in battle at Beth-shemesh, which 
       belongs to Judah.

       (2 Chr 25:22 NRSV)  Judah was defeated by Israel; everyone fled home.

       (2 Chr 25:23 NRSV)  King Joash of Israel captured King Amaziah of 
       Judah, son of Joash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh; he brought him 
       to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim 
       Gate to the Corner Gate, a distance of four hundred cubits.

       (2 Chr 25:24 NRSV)  He seized all the gold and silver, and all the 
       vessels that were found in the house of God, and Obed-edom with them; 
       he seized also the treasuries of the king's house, also hostages; then 
       he returned to Samaria.

       (2 Chr 25:25 NRSV)  King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah, lived fifteen 
       years after the death of King Joash son of Jehoahaz of Israel.





       (2 Chr 25:26 NRSV)  Now the rest of the deeds of Amaziah, from first 
       to last, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and 
       Israel?

       (2 Chr 25:27 NRSV)  From the time that Amaziah turned away from the 
       LORD they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to 
       Lachish. But they sent after him to Lachish, and killed him there.

       (2 Chr 25:28 NRSV)  They brought him back on horses; he was buried 
       with his ancestors in the city of David.

       (2 Chr 26:1 NRSV)  Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was 
       sixteen years old, and made him king to succeed his father Amaziah.

       (2 Chr 26:2 NRSV)  He rebuilt Eloth and restored it to Judah, after 
       the king slept with his ancestors.

       (2 Chr 26:3 NRSV)  Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to 
       reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name 
       was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 26:4 NRSV)  He did what was right in the sight of the LORD, 
       just as his father Amaziah had done.

       (2 Chr 26:5 NRSV)  He set himself to seek God in the days of 
       Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God; and as long as he 
       sought the LORD, God made him prosper.

       (2 Chr 26:6 NRSV)  He went out and made war against the Philistines, 
       and broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of 
       Ashdod; he built cities in the territory of Ashdod and elsewhere among 
       the Philistines.

       (2 Chr 26:7 NRSV)  God helped him against the Philistines, against the 
       Arabs who lived in Gur-baal, and against the Meunites.

       (2 Chr 26:8 NRSV)  The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah, and his fame 
       spread even to the border of Egypt, for he became very strong.

       (2 Chr 26:9 NRSV)  Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the 
       Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the Angle, and fortified them.

       (2 Chr 26:10 NRSV)  He built towers in the wilderness and hewed out 
       many cisterns, for he had large herds, both in the Shephelah and in 
       the plain, and he had farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in the 
       fertile lands, for he loved the soil.

       (2 Chr 26:11 NRSV)  Moreover Uzziah had an army of soldiers, fit for 
       war, in divisions according to the numbers in the muster made by the 
       secretary Jeiel and the officer Maaseiah, under the direction of 
       Hananiah, one of the king's commanders.

       (2 Chr 26:12 NRSV)  The whole number of the heads of ancestral houses 
       of mighty warriors was two thousand six hundred.

       (2 Chr 26:13 NRSV)  Under their command was an army of three hundred 





       seven thousand five hundred, who could make war with mighty power, to 
       help the king against the enemy.

       (2 Chr 26:14 NRSV)  Uzziah provided for all the army the shields, 
       spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and stones for slinging.

       (2 Chr 26:15 NRSV)  In Jerusalem he set up machines, invented by 
       skilled workers, on the towers and the corners for shooting arrows and 
       large stones. And his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped 
       until he became strong.

       (2 Chr 26:16 NRSV)  But when he had become strong he grew proud, to 
       his destruction. For he was false to the LORD his God, and entered the 
       temple of the LORD to make offering on the altar of incense.

       (2 Chr 26:17 NRSV)  But the priest Azariah went in after him, with 
       eighty priests of the LORD who were men of valor;

       (2 Chr 26:18 NRSV)  they withstood King Uzziah, and said to him, "It 
       is not for you, Uzziah, to make offering to the LORD, but for the 
       priests the descendants of Aaron, who are consecrated to make 
       offering. Go out of the sanctuary; for you have done wrong, and it 
       will bring you no honor from the LORD God."

       (2 Chr 26:19 NRSV)  Then Uzziah was angry. Now he had a censer in his 
       hand to make offering, and when he became angry with the priests a 
       leprous disease broke out on his forehead, in the presence of the 
       priests in the house of the LORD, by the altar of incense.

       (2 Chr 26:20 NRSV)  When the chief priest Azariah, and all the 
       priests, looked at him, he was leprous in his forehead. They hurried 
       him out, and he himself hurried to get out, because the LORD had 
       struck him.

       (2 Chr 26:21 NRSV)  King Uzziah was leprous to the day of his death, 
       and being leprous lived in a separate house, for he was excluded from 
       the house of the LORD. His son Jotham was in charge of the palace of 
       the king, governing the people of the land.

       (2 Chr 26:22 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from first to 
       last, the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz wrote.

       (2 Chr 26:23 NRSV)  Uzziah slept with his ancestors; they buried him 
       near his ancestors in the burial field that belonged to the kings, for 
       they said, "He is leprous." His son Jotham succeeded him.

       (2 Chr 27:1 NRSV)  Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to 
       reign; he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was 
       Jerushah daughter of Zadok.

       (2 Chr 27:2 NRSV)  He did what was right in the sight of the LORD just 
       as his father Uzziah had done--only he did not invade the temple of 
       the LORD. But the people still followed corrupt practices.

       (2 Chr 27:3 NRSV)  He built the upper gate of the house of the LORD, 
       and did extensive building on the wall of Ophel.






       (2 Chr 27:4 NRSV)  Moreover he built cities in the hill country of 
       Judah, and forts and towers on the wooded hills.

       (2 Chr 27:5 NRSV)  He fought with the king of the Ammonites and 
       prevailed against them. The Ammonites gave him that year one hundred 
       talents of silver, ten thousand cors of wheat and ten thousand of 
       barley. The Ammonites paid him the same amount in the second and the 
       third years.

       (2 Chr 27:6 NRSV)  So Jotham became strong because he ordered his ways 
       before the LORD his God.

       (2 Chr 27:7 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his 
       wars and his ways, are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and 
       Judah.

       (2 Chr 27:8 NRSV)  He was twenty-five years old when he began to 
       reign; he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 27:9 NRSV)  Jotham slept with his ancestors, and they buried 
       him in the city of David; and his son Ahaz succeeded him.

       (2 Chr 28:1 NRSV)  Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign; 
       he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in 
       the sight of the LORD, as his ancestor David had done,

       (2 Chr 28:2 NRSV)  but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. 
       He even made cast images for the Baals;

       (2 Chr 28:3 NRSV)  and he made offerings in the valley of the son of 
       Hinnom, and made his sons pass through fire, according to the 
       abominable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the 
       people of Israel.

       (2 Chr 28:4 NRSV)  He sacrificed and made offerings on the high 
       places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

       (2 Chr 28:5 NRSV)  Therefore the LORD his God gave him into the hand 
       of the king of Aram, who defeated him and took captive a great number 
       of his people and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the 
       hand of the king of Israel, who defeated him with great slaughter.

       (2 Chr 28:6 NRSV)  Pekah son of Remaliah killed one hundred twenty 
       thousand in Judah in one day, all of them valiant warriors, because 
       they had abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors.

       (2 Chr 28:7 NRSV)  And Zichri, a mighty warrior of Ephraim, killed the 
       king's son Maaseiah, Azrikam the commander of the palace, and Elkanah 
       the next in authority to the king.

       (2 Chr 28:8 NRSV)  The people of Israel took captive two hundred 
       thousand of their kin, women, sons, and daughters; they also took much 
       booty from them and brought the booty to Samaria.

       (2 Chr 28:9 NRSV)  But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was 





       Oded; he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria, and said to 
       them, "Because the LORD, the God of your ancestors, was angry with 
       Judah, he gave them into your hand, but you have killed them in a rage 
       that has reached up to heaven.

       (2 Chr 28:10 NRSV)  Now you intend to subjugate the people of Judah 
       and Jerusalem, male and female, as your slaves. But what have you 
       except sins against the LORD your God?

       (2 Chr 28:11 NRSV)  Now hear me, and send back the captives whom you 
       have taken from your kindred, for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon 
       you."

       (2 Chr 28:12 NRSV)  Moreover, certain chiefs of the Ephraimites, 
       Azariah son of Johanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son 
       of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai, stood up against those who were 
       coming from the war,

       (2 Chr 28:13 NRSV)  and said to them, "You shall not bring the 
       captives in here, for you propose to bring on us guilt against the 
       LORD in addition to our present sins and guilt. For our guilt is 
       already great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel."

       (2 Chr 28:14 NRSV)  So the warriors left the captives and the booty 
       before the officials and all the assembly.

       (2 Chr 28:15 NRSV)  Then those who were mentioned by name got up and 
       took the captives, and with the booty they clothed all that were naked 
       among them; they clothed them, gave them sandals, provided them with 
       food and drink, and anointed them; and carrying all the feeble among 
       them on donkeys, they brought them to their kindred at Jericho, the 
       city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.

       (2 Chr 28:16 NRSV)  At that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria 
       for help.

       (2 Chr 28:17 NRSV)  For the Edomites had again invaded and defeated 
       Judah, and carried away captives.

       (2 Chr 28:18 NRSV)  And the Philistines had made raids on the cities 
       in the Shephelah and the Negeb of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, 
       Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, 
       and Gimzo with its villages; and they settled there.

       (2 Chr 28:19 NRSV)  For the LORD brought Judah low because of King 
       Ahaz of Israel, for he had behaved without restraint in Judah and had 
       been faithless to the LORD.

       (2 Chr 28:20 NRSV)  So King Tilgath-pilneser of Assyria came against 
       him, and oppressed him instead of strengthening him.

       (2 Chr 28:21 NRSV)  For Ahaz plundered the house of the LORD and the 
       houses of the king and of the officials, and gave tribute to the king 
       of Assyria; but it did not help him.

       (2 Chr 28:22 NRSV)  In the time of his distress he became yet more 





       faithless to the LORD--this same King Ahaz.

       (2 Chr 28:23 NRSV)  For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, which 
       had defeated him, and said, "Because the gods of the kings of Aram 
       helped them, I will sacrifice to them so that they may help me." But 
       they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.

       (2 Chr 28:24 NRSV)  Ahaz gathered together the utensils of the house 
       of God, and cut in pieces the utensils of the house of God. He shut up 
       the doors of the house of the LORD and made himself altars in every 
       corner of Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 28:25 NRSV)  In every city of Judah he made high places to make 
       offerings to other gods, provoking to anger the LORD, the God of his 
       ancestors.

       (2 Chr 28:26 NRSV)  Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from 
       first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and 
       Israel.

       (2 Chr 28:27 NRSV)  Ahaz slept with his ancestors, and they buried him 
       in the city, in Jerusalem; but they did not bring him into the tombs 
       of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah succeeded him.

       (2 Chr 29:1 NRSV)  Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five 
       years old; he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's 
       name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.

       (2 Chr 29:2 NRSV)  He did what was right in the sight of the LORD, 
       just as his ancestor David had done.

       (2 Chr 29:3 NRSV)  In the first year of his reign, in the first month, 
       he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them.

       (2 Chr 29:4 NRSV)  He brought in the priests and the Levites and 
       assembled them in the square on the east.

       (2 Chr 29:5 NRSV)  He said to them, "Listen to me, Levites! Sanctify 
       yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD, the God of your 
       ancestors, and carry out the filth from the holy place.

       (2 Chr 29:6 NRSV)  For our ancestors have been unfaithful and have 
       done what was evil in the sight of the LORD our God; they have 
       forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the dwelling of 
       the LORD, and turned their backs.

       (2 Chr 29:7 NRSV)  They also shut the doors of the vestibule and put 
       out the lamps, and have not offered incense or made burnt offerings in 
       the holy place to the God of Israel.

       (2 Chr 29:8 NRSV)  Therefore the wrath of the LORD came upon Judah and 
       Jerusalem, and he has made them an object of horror, of astonishment, 
       and of hissing, as you see with your own eyes.

       (2 Chr 29:9 NRSV)  Our fathers have fallen by the sword and our sons 
       and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.






       (2 Chr 29:10 NRSV)  Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the 
       LORD, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger may turn away from 
       us.

       (2 Chr 29:11 NRSV)  My sons, do not now be negligent, for the LORD has 
       chosen you to stand in his presence to minister to him, and to be his 
       ministers and make offerings to him."

       (2 Chr 29:12 NRSV)  Then the Levites arose, Mahath son of Amasai, and 
       Joel son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; and of the sons of 
       Merari, Kish son of Abdi, and Azariah son of Jehallelel; and of the 
       Gershonites, Joah son of Zimmah, and Eden son of Joah;

       (2 Chr 29:13 NRSV)  and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; 
       and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;

       (2 Chr 29:14 NRSV)  and of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and 
       of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.

       (2 Chr 29:15 NRSV)  They gathered their brothers, sanctified 
       themselves, and went in as the king had commanded, by the words of the 
       LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD.

       (2 Chr 29:16 NRSV)  The priests went into the inner part of the house 
       of the LORD to cleanse it, and they brought out all the unclean things 
       that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house 
       of the LORD; and the Levites took them and carried them out to the 
       Wadi Kidron.

       (2 Chr 29:17 NRSV)  They began to sanctify on the first day of the 
       first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the 
       vestibule of the LORD; then for eight days they sanctified the house 
       of the LORD, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they 
       finished.

       (2 Chr 29:18 NRSV)  Then they went inside to King Hezekiah and said, 
       "We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, the altar of burnt 
       offering and all its utensils, and the table for the rows of bread and 
       all its utensils.

       (2 Chr 29:19 NRSV)  All the utensils that King Ahaz repudiated during 
       his reign when he was faithless, we have made ready and sanctified; 
       see, they are in front of the altar of the LORD."

       (2 Chr 29:20 NRSV)  Then King Hezekiah rose early, assembled the 
       officials of the city, and went up to the house of the LORD.

       (2 Chr 29:21 NRSV)  They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, 
       and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom and for the 
       sanctuary and for Judah. He commanded the priests the descendants of 
       Aaron to offer them on the altar of the LORD.

       (2 Chr 29:22 NRSV)  So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests 
       received the blood and dashed it against the altar; they slaughtered 
       the rams and their blood was dashed against the altar; they also 





       slaughtered the lambs and their blood was dashed against the altar.

       (2 Chr 29:23 NRSV)  Then the male goats for the sin offering were 
       brought to the king and the assembly; they laid their hands on them,

       (2 Chr 29:24 NRSV)  and the priests slaughtered them and made a sin 
       offering with their blood at the altar, to make atonement for all 
       Israel. For the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin 
       offering should be made for all Israel.

       (2 Chr 29:25 NRSV)  He stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD 
       with cymbals, harps, and lyres, according to the commandment of David 
       and of Gad the king's seer and of the prophet Nathan, for the 
       commandment was from the LORD through his prophets.

       (2 Chr 29:26 NRSV)  The Levites stood with the instruments of David, 
       and the priests with the trumpets.

       (2 Chr 29:27 NRSV)  Then Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be 
       offered on the altar. When the burnt offering began, the song to the 
       LORD began also, and the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of 
       King David of Israel.

       (2 Chr 29:28 NRSV)  The whole assembly worshiped, the singers sang, 
       and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt 
       offering was finished.

       (2 Chr 29:29 NRSV)  When the offering was finished, the king and all 
       who were present with him bowed down and worshiped.

       (2 Chr 29:30 NRSV)  King Hezekiah and the officials commanded the 
       Levites to sing praises to the LORD with the words of David and of the 
       seer Asaph. They sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and 
       worshiped.

       (2 Chr 29:31 NRSV)  Then Hezekiah said, "You have now consecrated 
       yourselves to the LORD; come near, bring sacrifices and thank 
       offerings to the house of the LORD." The assembly brought sacrifices 
       and thank offerings; and all who were of a willing heart brought burnt 
       offerings.

       (2 Chr 29:32 NRSV)  The number of the burnt offerings that the 
       assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred 
       lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD.

       (2 Chr 29:33 NRSV)  The consecrated offerings were six hundred bulls 
       and three thousand sheep.

       (2 Chr 29:34 NRSV)  But the priests were too few and could not skin 
       all the burnt offerings, so, until other priests had sanctified 
       themselves, their kindred, the Levites, helped them until the work was 
       finished--for the Levites were more conscientious than the priests in 
       sanctifying themselves.

       (2 Chr 29:35 NRSV)  Besides the great number of burnt offerings there 
       was the fat of the offerings of well-being, and there were the drink 





       offerings for the burnt offerings. Thus the service of the house of 
       the LORD was restored.

       (2 Chr 29:36 NRSV)  And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because 
       of what God had done for the people; for the thing had come about 
       suddenly.

       (2 Chr 30:1 NRSV)  Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah, and 
       wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to 
       the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the passover to the LORD 
       the God of Israel.

       (2 Chr 30:2 NRSV)  For the king and his officials and all the assembly 
       in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the passover in the second 
       month

       (2 Chr 30:3 NRSV)  (for they could not keep it at its proper time 
       because the priests had not sanctified themselves in sufficient 
       number, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem).

       (2 Chr 30:4 NRSV)  The plan seemed right to the king and all the 
       assembly.

       (2 Chr 30:5 NRSV)  So they decreed to make a proclamation throughout 
       all Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, that the people should come and 
       keep the passover to the LORD the God of Israel, at Jerusalem; for 
       they had not kept it in great numbers as prescribed.

       (2 Chr 30:6 NRSV)  So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah 
       with letters from the king and his officials, as the king had 
       commanded, saying, "O people of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of 
       Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that he may turn again to the remnant 
       of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria.

       (2 Chr 30:7 NRSV)  Do not be like your ancestors and your kindred, who 
       were faithless to the LORD God of their ancestors, so that he made 
       them a desolation, as you see.

       (2 Chr 30:8 NRSV)  Do not now be stiff-necked as your ancestors were, 
       but yield yourselves to the LORD and come to his sanctuary, which he 
       has sanctified forever, and serve the LORD your God, so that his 
       fierce anger may turn away from you.

       (2 Chr 30:9 NRSV)  For as you return to the LORD, your kindred and 
       your children will find compassion with their captors, and return to 
       this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will 
       not turn away his face from you, if you return to him."

       (2 Chr 30:10 NRSV)  So the couriers went from city to city through the 
       country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun; but they 
       laughed them to scorn, and mocked them.

       (2 Chr 30:11 NRSV)  Only a few from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun 
       humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 30:12 NRSV)  The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one 





       heart to do what the king and the officials commanded by the word of 
       the LORD.

       (2 Chr 30:13 NRSV)  Many people came together in Jerusalem to keep the 
       festival of unleavened bread in the second month, a very large 
       assembly.

       (2 Chr 30:14 NRSV)  They set to work and removed the altars that were 
       in Jerusalem, and all the altars for offering incense they took away 
       and threw into the Wadi Kidron.

       (2 Chr 30:15 NRSV)  They slaughtered the passover lamb on the 
       fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were 
       ashamed, and they sanctified themselves and brought burnt offerings 
       into the house of the LORD.

       (2 Chr 30:16 NRSV)  They took their accustomed posts according to the 
       law of Moses the man of God; the priests dashed the blood that they 
       received from the hands of the Levites.

       (2 Chr 30:17 NRSV)  For there were many in the assembly who had not 
       sanctified themselves; therefore the Levites had to slaughter the 
       passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to make it holy to the 
       LORD.

       (2 Chr 30:18 NRSV)  For a multitude of the people, many of them from 
       Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, 
       yet they ate the passover otherwise than as prescribed. But Hezekiah 
       prayed for them, saying, "The good LORD pardon all

       (2 Chr 30:19 NRSV)  who set their hearts to seek God, the LORD the God 
       of their ancestors, even though not in accordance with the sanctuary's 
       rules of cleanness."

       (2 Chr 30:20 NRSV)  The LORD heard Hezekiah, and healed the people.

       (2 Chr 30:21 NRSV)  The people of Israel who were present at Jerusalem 
       kept the festival of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness; 
       and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day, 
       accompanied by loud instruments for the LORD.

       (2 Chr 30:22 NRSV)  Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites 
       who showed good skill in the service of the LORD. So the people ate 
       the food of the festival for seven days, sacrificing offerings of 
       well-being and giving thanks to the LORD the God of their ancestors.

       (2 Chr 30:23 NRSV)  Then the whole assembly agreed together to keep 
       the festival for another seven days; so they kept it for another seven 
       days with gladness.

       (2 Chr 30:24 NRSV)  For King Hezekiah of Judah gave the assembly a 
       thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep for offerings, and the 
       officials gave the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep. 
       The priests sanctified themselves in great numbers.

       (2 Chr 30:25 NRSV)  The whole assembly of Judah, the priests and the 





       Levites, and the whole assembly that came out of Israel, and the 
       resident aliens who came out of the land of Israel, and the resident 
       aliens who lived in Judah, rejoiced.

       (2 Chr 30:26 NRSV)  There was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the 
       time of Solomon son of King David of Israel there had been nothing 
       like this in Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 30:27 NRSV)  Then the priests and the Levites stood up and 
       blessed the people, and their voice was heard; their prayer came to 
       his holy dwelling in heaven.

       (2 Chr 31:1 NRSV)  Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were 
       present went out to the cities of Judah and broke down the pillars, 
       hewed down the sacred poles, and pulled down the high places and the 
       altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh, 
       until they had destroyed them all. Then all the people of Israel 
       returned to their cities, all to their individual properties.

       (2 Chr 31:2 NRSV)  Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and 
       of the Levites, division by division, everyone according to his 
       service, the priests and the Levites, for burnt offerings and 
       offerings of well-being, to minister in the gates of the camp of the 
       LORD and to give thanks and praise.

       (2 Chr 31:3 NRSV)  The contribution of the king from his own 
       possessions was for the burnt offerings: the burnt offerings of 
       morning and evening, and the burnt offerings for the sabbaths, the new 
       moons, and the appointed festivals, as it is written in the law of the 
       LORD.

       (2 Chr 31:4 NRSV)  He commanded the people who lived in Jerusalem to 
       give the portion due to the priests and the Levites, so that they 
       might devote themselves to the law of the LORD.

       (2 Chr 31:5 NRSV)  As soon as the word spread, the people of Israel 
       gave in abundance the first fruits of grain, wine, oil, honey, and of 
       all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe 
       of everything.

       (2 Chr 31:6 NRSV)  The people of Israel and Judah who lived in the 
       cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of cattle and sheep, and the 
       tithe of the dedicated things that had been consecrated to the LORD 
       their God, and laid them in heaps.

       (2 Chr 31:7 NRSV)  In the third month they began to pile up the heaps, 
       and finished them in the seventh month.

       (2 Chr 31:8 NRSV)  When Hezekiah and the officials came and saw the 
       heaps, they blessed the LORD and his people Israel.

       (2 Chr 31:9 NRSV)  Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites 
       about the heaps.

       (2 Chr 31:10 NRSV)  The chief priest Azariah, who was of the house of 
       Zadok, answered him, "Since they began to bring the contributions into 





       the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat and have plenty to 
       spare; for the LORD has blessed his people, so that we have this great 
       supply left over."

       (2 Chr 31:11 NRSV)  Then Hezekiah commanded them to prepare 
       store-chambers in the house of the LORD; and they prepared them.

       (2 Chr 31:12 NRSV)  Faithfully they brought in the contributions, the 
       tithes and the dedicated things. The chief officer in charge of them 
       was Conaniah the Levite, with his brother Shimei as second;

       (2 Chr 31:13 NRSV)  while Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, 
       Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were overseers 
       assisting Conaniah and his brother Shimei, by the appointment of King 
       Hezekiah and of Azariah the chief officer of the house of God.

       (2 Chr 31:14 NRSV)  Kore son of Imnah the Levite, keeper of the east 
       gate, was in charge of the freewill offerings to God, to apportion the 
       contribution reserved for the LORD and the most holy offerings.

       (2 Chr 31:15 NRSV)  Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and 
       Shecaniah were faithfully assisting him in the cities of the priests, 
       to distribute the portions to their kindred, old and young alike, by 
       divisions,

       (2 Chr 31:16 NRSV)  except those enrolled by genealogy, males from 
       three years old and upwards, all who entered the house of the LORD as 
       the duty of each day required, for their service according to their 
       offices, by their divisions.

       (2 Chr 31:17 NRSV)  The enrollment of the priests was according to 
       their ancestral houses; that of the Levites from twenty years old and 
       upwards was according to their offices, by their divisions.

       (2 Chr 31:18 NRSV)  The priests were enrolled with all their little 
       children, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, the whole 
       multitude; for they were faithful in keeping themselves holy.

       (2 Chr 31:19 NRSV)  And for the descendants of Aaron, the priests, who 
       were in the fields of common land belonging to their towns, town by 
       town, the people designated by name were to distribute portions to 
       every male among the priests and to everyone among the Levites who was 
       enrolled.

       (2 Chr 31:20 NRSV)  Hezekiah did this throughout all Judah; he did 
       what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God.

       (2 Chr 31:21 NRSV)  And every work that he undertook in the service of 
       the house of God, and in accordance with the law and the commandments, 
       to seek his God, he did with all his heart; and he prospered.

       (2 Chr 32:1 NRSV)  After these things and these acts of faithfulness, 
       King Sennacherib of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped 
       against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself.

       (2 Chr 32:2 NRSV)  When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and 





       intended to fight against Jerusalem,

       (2 Chr 32:3 NRSV)  he planned with his officers and his warriors to 
       stop the flow of the springs that were outside the city; and they 
       helped him.

       (2 Chr 32:4 NRSV)  A great many people were gathered, and they stopped 
       all the springs and the wadi that flowed through the land, saying, 
       "Why should the Assyrian kings come and find water in abundance?"

       (2 Chr 32:5 NRSV)  Hezekiah set to work resolutely and built up the 
       entire wall that was broken down, and raised towers on it, and outside 
       it he built another wall; he also strengthened the Millo in the city 
       of David, and made weapons and shields in abundance.

       (2 Chr 32:6 NRSV)  He appointed combat commanders over the people, and 
       gathered them together to him in the square at the gate of the city 
       and spoke encouragingly to them, saying,

       (2 Chr 32:7 NRSV)  "Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid or 
       dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with 
       him; for there is one greater with us than with him.

       (2 Chr 32:8 NRSV)  With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the 
       LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles." The people were 
       encouraged by the words of King Hezekiah of Judah.

       (2 Chr 32:9 NRSV)  After this, while King Sennacherib of Assyria was 
       at Lachish with all his forces, he sent his servants to Jerusalem to 
       King Hezekiah of Judah and to all the people of Judah that were in 
       Jerusalem, saying,

       (2 Chr 32:10 NRSV)  "Thus says King Sennacherib of Assyria: On what 
       are you relying, that you undergo the siege of Jerusalem?

       (2 Chr 32:11 NRSV)  Is not Hezekiah misleading you, handing you over 
       to die by famine and by thirst, when he tells you, 'The LORD our God 
       will save us from the hand of the king of Assyria'?

       (2 Chr 32:12 NRSV)  Was it not this same Hezekiah who took away his 
       high places and his altars and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, 
       'Before one altar you shall worship, and upon it you shall make your 
       offerings'?

       (2 Chr 32:13 NRSV)  Do you not know what I and my ancestors have done 
       to all the peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of 
       those lands at all able to save their lands out of my hand?

       (2 Chr 32:14 NRSV)  Who among all the gods of those nations that my 
       ancestors utterly destroyed was able to save his people from my hand, 
       that your God should be able to save you from my hand?

       (2 Chr 32:15 NRSV)  Now therefore do not let Hezekiah deceive you or 
       mislead you in this fashion, and do not believe him, for no god of any 
       nation or kingdom has been able to save his people from my hand or 
       from the hand of my ancestors. How much less will your God save you 





       out of my hand!"

       (2 Chr 32:16 NRSV)  His servants said still more against the Lord GOD 
       and against his servant Hezekiah.

       (2 Chr 32:17 NRSV)  He also wrote letters to throw contempt on the 
       LORD the God of Israel and to speak against him, saying, "Just as the 
       gods of the nations in other lands did not rescue their people from my 
       hands, so the God of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my 
       hand."

       (2 Chr 32:18 NRSV)  They shouted it with a loud voice in the language 
       of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten 
       and terrify them, in order that they might take the city.

       (2 Chr 32:19 NRSV)  They spoke of the God of Jerusalem as if he were 
       like the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of human 
       hands.

       (2 Chr 32:20 NRSV)  Then King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of 
       Amoz prayed because of this and cried to heaven.

       (2 Chr 32:21 NRSV)  And the LORD sent an angel who cut off all the 
       mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of 
       Assyria. So he returned in disgrace to his own land. When he came into 
       the house of his god, some of his own sons struck him down there with 
       the sword.

       (2 Chr 32:22 NRSV)  So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of 
       Jerusalem from the hand of King Sennacherib of Assyria and from the 
       hand of all his enemies; he gave them rest on every side.

       (2 Chr 32:23 NRSV)  Many brought gifts to the LORD in Jerusalem and 
       precious things to King Hezekiah of Judah, so that he was exalted in 
       the sight of all nations from that time onward.

       (2 Chr 32:24 NRSV)  In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the 
       point of death. He prayed to the LORD, and he answered him and gave 
       him a sign.

       (2 Chr 32:25 NRSV)  But Hezekiah did not respond according to the 
       benefit done to him, for his heart was proud. Therefore wrath came 
       upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 32:26 NRSV)  Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his 
       heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of 
       the LORD did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

       (2 Chr 32:27 NRSV)  Hezekiah had very great riches and honor; and he 
       made for himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, 
       for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of costly objects;

       (2 Chr 32:28 NRSV)  storehouses also for the yield of grain, wine, and 
       oil; and stalls for all kinds of cattle, and sheepfolds.

       (2 Chr 32:29 NRSV)  He likewise provided cities for himself, and 





       flocks and herds in abundance; for God had given him very great 
       possessions.

       (2 Chr 32:30 NRSV)  This same Hezekiah closed the upper outlet of the 
       waters of Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the city of 
       David. Hezekiah prospered in all his works.

       (2 Chr 32:31 NRSV)  So also in the matter of the envoys of the 
       officials of Babylon, who had been sent to him to inquire about the 
       sign that had been done in the land, God left him to himself, in order 
       to test him and to know all that was in his heart.

       (2 Chr 32:32 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his good 
       deeds, are written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz in 
       the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

       (2 Chr 32:33 NRSV)  Hezekiah slept with his ancestors, and they buried 
       him on the ascent to the tombs of the descendants of David; and all 
       Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honor at his death. His 
       son Manasseh succeeded him.

       (2 Chr 33:1 NRSV)  Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to 
       reign; he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 33:2 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, 
       according to the abominable practices of the nations whom the LORD 
       drove out before the people of Israel.

       (2 Chr 33:3 NRSV)  For he rebuilt the high places that his father 
       Hezekiah had pulled down, and erected altars to the Baals, made sacred 
       poles, worshiped all the host of heaven, and served them.

       (2 Chr 33:4 NRSV)  He built altars in the house of the LORD, of which 
       the LORD had said, "In Jerusalem shall my name be forever."

       (2 Chr 33:5 NRSV)  He built altars for all the host of heaven in the 
       two courts of the house of the LORD.

       (2 Chr 33:6 NRSV)  He made his son pass through fire in the valley of 
       the son of Hinnom, practiced soothsaying and augury and sorcery, and 
       dealt with mediums and with wizards. He did much evil in the sight of 
       the LORD, provoking him to anger.

       (2 Chr 33:7 NRSV)  The carved image of the idol that he had made he 
       set in the house of God, of which God said to David and to his son 
       Solomon, "In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of 
       all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever;

       (2 Chr 33:8 NRSV)  I will never again remove the feet of Israel from 
       the land that I appointed for your ancestors, if only they will be 
       careful to do all that I have commanded them, all the law, the 
       statutes, and the ordinances given through Moses."

       (2 Chr 33:9 NRSV)  Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of 
       Jerusalem, so that they did more evil than the nations whom the LORD 
       had destroyed before the people of Israel.






       (2 Chr 33:10 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but 
       they gave no heed.

       (2 Chr 33:11 NRSV)  Therefore the LORD brought against them the 
       commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh 
       captive in manacles, bound him with fetters, and brought him to 
       Babylon.

       (2 Chr 33:12 NRSV)  While he was in distress he entreated the favor of 
       the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his 
       ancestors.

       (2 Chr 33:13 NRSV)  He prayed to him, and God received his entreaty, 
       heard his plea, and restored him again to Jerusalem and to his 
       kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD indeed was God.

       (2 Chr 33:14 NRSV)  Afterward he built an outer wall for the city of 
       David west of Gihon, in the valley, reaching the entrance at the Fish 
       Gate; he carried it around Ophel, and raised it to a very great 
       height. He also put commanders of the army in all the fortified cities 
       in Judah.

       (2 Chr 33:15 NRSV)  He took away the foreign gods and the idol from 
       the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built on the 
       mountain of the house of the LORD and in Jerusalem, and he threw them 
       out of the city.

       (2 Chr 33:16 NRSV)  He also restored the altar of the LORD and offered 
       on it sacrifices of well-being and of thanksgiving; and he commanded 
       Judah to serve the LORD the God of Israel.

       (2 Chr 33:17 NRSV)  The people, however, still sacrificed at the high 
       places, but only to the LORD their God.

       (2 Chr 33:18 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, his prayer 
       to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of 
       the LORD God of Israel, these are in the Annals of the Kings of 
       Israel.

       (2 Chr 33:19 NRSV)  His prayer, and how God received his entreaty, all 
       his sin and his faithlessness, the sites on which he built high places 
       and set up the sacred poles and the images, before he humbled himself, 
       these are written in the records of the seers.

       (2 Chr 33:20 NRSV)  So Manasseh slept with his ancestors, and they 
       buried him in his house. His son Amon succeeded him.

       (2 Chr 33:21 NRSV)  Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to 
       reign; he reigned two years in Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 33:22 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as 
       his father Manasseh had done. Amon sacrificed to all the images that 
       his father Manasseh had made, and served them.

       (2 Chr 33:23 NRSV)  He did not humble himself before the LORD, as his 





       father Manasseh had humbled himself, but this Amon incurred more and 
       more guilt.

       (2 Chr 33:24 NRSV)  His servants conspired against him and killed him 
       in his house.

       (2 Chr 33:25 NRSV)  But the people of the land killed all those who 
       had conspired against King Amon; and the people of the land made his 
       son Josiah king to succeed him.

       (2 Chr 34:1 NRSV)  Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; 
       he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 34:2 NRSV)  He did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and 
       walked in the ways of his ancestor David; he did not turn aside to the 
       right or to the left.

       (2 Chr 34:3 NRSV)  For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was 
       still a boy, he began to seek the God of his ancestor David, and in 
       the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high 
       places, the sacred poles, and the carved and the cast images.

       (2 Chr 34:4 NRSV)  In his presence they pulled down the altars of the 
       Baals; he demolished the incense altars that stood above them. He 
       broke down the sacred poles and the carved and the cast images; he 
       made dust of them and scattered it over the graves of those who had 
       sacrificed to them.

       (2 Chr 34:5 NRSV)  He also burned the bones of the priests on their 
       altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 34:6 NRSV)  In the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and 
       as far as Naphtali, in their ruins all around,

       (2 Chr 34:7 NRSV)  he broke down the altars, beat the sacred poles and 
       the images into powder, and demolished all the incense altars 
       throughout all the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 34:8 NRSV)  In the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had 
       purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, 
       Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz, the 
       recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.

       (2 Chr 34:9 NRSV)  They came to the high priest Hilkiah and delivered 
       the money that had been brought into the house of God, which the 
       Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had collected from Manasseh and 
       Ephraim and from all the remnant of Israel and from all Judah and 
       Benjamin and from the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 34:10 NRSV)  They delivered it to the workers who had the 
       oversight of the house of the LORD, and the workers who were working 
       in the house of the LORD gave it for repairing and restoring the 
       house.

       (2 Chr 34:11 NRSV)  They gave it to the carpenters and the builders to 
       buy quarried stone, and timber for binders, and beams for the 





       buildings that the kings of Judah had let go to ruin.

       (2 Chr 34:12 NRSV)  The people did the work faithfully. Over them were 
       appointed the Levites Jahath and Obadiah, of the sons of Merari, along 
       with Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to have 
       oversight. Other Levites, all skillful with instruments of music,

       (2 Chr 34:13 NRSV)  were over the burden bearers and directed all who 
       did work in every kind of service; and some of the Levites were 
       scribes, and officials, and gatekeepers.

       (2 Chr 34:14 NRSV)  While they were bringing out the money that had 
       been brought into the house of the LORD, the priest Hilkiah found the 
       book of the law of the LORD given through Moses.

       (2 Chr 34:15 NRSV)  Hilkiah said to the secretary Shaphan, "I have 
       found the book of the law in the house of the LORD"; and Hilkiah gave 
       the book to Shaphan.

       (2 Chr 34:16 NRSV)  Shaphan brought the book to the king, and further 
       reported to the king, "All that was committed to your servants they 
       are doing.

       (2 Chr 34:17 NRSV)  They have emptied out the money that was found in 
       the house of the LORD and have delivered it into the hand of the 
       overseers and the workers."

       (2 Chr 34:18 NRSV)  The secretary Shaphan informed the king, "The 
       priest Hilkiah has given me a book." Shaphan then read it aloud to the 
       king.

       (2 Chr 34:19 NRSV)  When the king heard the words of the law he tore 
       his clothes.

       (2 Chr 34:20 NRSV)  Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam son of 
       Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, the secretary Shaphan, and the king's 
       servant Asaiah:

       (2 Chr 34:21 NRSV)  "Go, inquire of the LORD for me and for those who 
       are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that 
       has been found; for the wrath of the LORD that is poured out on us is 
       great, because our ancestors did not keep the word of the LORD, to act 
       in accordance with all that is written in this book."

       (2 Chr 34:22 NRSV)  So Hilkiah and those whom the king had sent went 
       to the prophet Huldah, the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath son of 
       Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe (who lived in Jerusalem in the Second 
       Quarter) and spoke to her to that effect.

       (2 Chr 34:23 NRSV)  She declared to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God 
       of Israel: Tell the man who sent you to me,

       (2 Chr 34:24 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: I will indeed bring disaster 
       upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the curses that are 
       written in the book that was read before the king of Judah.





       (2 Chr 34:25 NRSV)  Because they have forsaken me and have made 
       offerings to other gods, so that they have provoked me to anger with 
       all the works of their hands, my wrath will be poured out on this 
       place and will not be quenched.

       (2 Chr 34:26 NRSV)  But as to the king of Judah, who sent you to 
       inquire of the LORD, thus shall you say to him: Thus says the LORD, 
       the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard,

       (2 Chr 34:27 NRSV)  because your heart was penitent and you humbled 
       yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and 
       its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me, and have 
       torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, says the 
       LORD.

       (2 Chr 34:28 NRSV)  I will gather you to your ancestors and you shall 
       be gathered to your grave in peace; your eyes shall not see all the 
       disaster that I will bring on this place and its inhabitants." They 
       took the message back to the king.

       (2 Chr 34:29 NRSV)  Then the king sent word and gathered together all 
       the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 34:30 NRSV)  The king went up to the house of the LORD, with 
       all the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and 
       the Levites, all the people both great and small; he read in their 
       hearing all the words of the book of the covenant that had been found 
       in the house of the LORD.

       (2 Chr 34:31 NRSV)  The king stood in his place and made a covenant 
       before the LORD, to follow the LORD, keeping his commandments, his 
       decrees, and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to 
       perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book.

       (2 Chr 34:32 NRSV)  Then he made all who were present in Jerusalem and 
       in Benjamin pledge themselves to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem 
       acted according to the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.

       (2 Chr 34:33 NRSV)  Josiah took away all the abominations from all the 
       territory that belonged to the people of Israel, and made all who were 
       in Israel worship the LORD their God. All his days they did not turn 
       away from following the LORD the God of their ancestors.

       (2 Chr 35:1 NRSV)  Josiah kept a passover to the LORD in Jerusalem; 
       they slaughtered the passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the first 
       month.

       (2 Chr 35:2 NRSV)  He appointed the priests to their offices and 
       encouraged them in the service of the house of the LORD.

       (2 Chr 35:3 NRSV)  He said to the Levites who taught all Israel and 
       who were holy to the LORD, "Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon 
       son of David, king of Israel, built; you need no longer carry it on 
       your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and his people Israel.

       (2 Chr 35:4 NRSV)  Make preparations by your ancestral houses by your 





       divisions, following the written directions of King David of Israel 
       and the written directions of his son Solomon.

       (2 Chr 35:5 NRSV)  Take position in the holy place according to the 
       groupings of the ancestral houses of your kindred the people, and let 
       there be Levites for each division of an ancestral house.

       (2 Chr 35:6 NRSV)  Slaughter the passover lamb, sanctify yourselves, 
       and on behalf of your kindred make preparations, acting according to 
       the word of the LORD by Moses."

       (2 Chr 35:7 NRSV)  Then Josiah contributed to the people, as passover 
       offerings for all that were present, lambs and kids from the flock to 
       the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bulls; these were 
       from the king's possessions.

       (2 Chr 35:8 NRSV)  His officials contributed willingly to the people, 
       to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, 
       the chief officers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the 
       passover offerings two thousand six hundred lambs and kids and three 
       hundred bulls.

       (2 Chr 35:9 NRSV)  Conaniah also, and his brothers Shemaiah and 
       Nethanel, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the chiefs of the 
       Levites, gave to the Levites for the passover offerings five thousand 
       lambs and kids and five hundred bulls.

       (2 Chr 35:10 NRSV)  When the service had been prepared for, the 
       priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their divisions 
       according to the king's command.

       (2 Chr 35:11 NRSV)  They slaughtered the passover lamb, and the 
       priests dashed the blood that they received from them, while the 
       Levites did the skinning.

       (2 Chr 35:12 NRSV)  They set aside the burnt offerings so that they 
       might distribute them according to the groupings of the ancestral 
       houses of the people, to offer to the LORD, as it is written in the 
       book of Moses. And they did the same with the bulls.

       (2 Chr 35:13 NRSV)  They roasted the passover lamb with fire according 
       to the ordinance; and they boiled the holy offerings in pots, in 
       caldrons, and in pans, and carried them quickly to all the people.

       (2 Chr 35:14 NRSV)  Afterward they made preparations for themselves 
       and for the priests, because the priests the descendants of Aaron were 
       occupied in offering the burnt offerings and the fat parts until 
       night; so the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the 
       priests, the descendants of Aaron.

       (2 Chr 35:15 NRSV)  The singers, the descendants of Asaph, were in 
       their place according to the command of David, and Asaph, and Heman, 
       and the king's seer Jeduthun. The gatekeepers were at each gate; they 
       did not need to interrupt their service, for their kindred the Levites 
       made preparations for them.





       (2 Chr 35:16 NRSV)  So all the service of the LORD was prepared that 
       day, to keep the passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of 
       the LORD, according to the command of King Josiah.

       (2 Chr 35:17 NRSV)  The people of Israel who were present kept the 
       passover at that time, and the festival of unleavened bread seven 
       days.

       (2 Chr 35:18 NRSV)  No passover like it had been kept in Israel since 
       the days of the prophet Samuel; none of the kings of Israel had kept 
       such a passover as was kept by Josiah, by the priests and the Levites, 
       by all Judah and Israel who were present, and by the inhabitants of 
       Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 35:19 NRSV)  In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this 
       passover was kept.

       (2 Chr 35:20 NRSV)  After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in 
       order, King Neco of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish on the 
       Euphrates, and Josiah went out against him.

       (2 Chr 35:21 NRSV)  But Neco sent envoys to him, saying, "What have I 
       to do with you, king of Judah? I am not coming against you today, but 
       against the house with which I am at war; and God has commanded me to 
       hurry. Cease opposing God, who is with me, so that he will not destroy 
       you."

       (2 Chr 35:22 NRSV)  But Josiah would not turn away from him, but 
       disguised himself in order to fight with him. He did not listen to the 
       words of Neco from the mouth of God, but joined battle in the plain of 
       Megiddo.

       (2 Chr 35:23 NRSV)  The archers shot King Josiah; and the king said to 
       his servants, "Take me away, for I am badly wounded."

       (2 Chr 35:24 NRSV)  So his servants took him out of the chariot and 
       carried him in his second chariot and brought him to Jerusalem. There 
       he died, and was buried in the tombs of his ancestors. All Judah and 
       Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

       (2 Chr 35:25 NRSV)  Jeremiah also uttered a lament for Josiah, and all 
       the singing men and singing women have spoken of Josiah in their 
       laments to this day. They made these a custom in Israel; they are 
       recorded in the Laments.

       (2 Chr 35:26 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his 
       faithful deeds in accordance with what is written in the law of the 
       LORD,

       (2 Chr 35:27 NRSV)  and his acts, first and last, are written in the 
       Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

       (2 Chr 36:1 NRSV)  The people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah 
       and made him king to succeed his father in Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 36:2 NRSV)  Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began 





       to reign; he reigned three months in Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 36:3 NRSV)  Then the king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem and 
       laid on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and one 
       talent of gold.

       (2 Chr 36:4 NRSV)  The king of Egypt made his brother Eliakim king 
       over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim; but Neco 
       took his brother Jehoahaz and carried him to Egypt.

       (2 Chr 36:5 NRSV)  Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began 
       to reign; he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil 
       in the sight of the LORD his God.

       (2 Chr 36:6 NRSV)  Against him King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came up, 
       and bound him with fetters to take him to Babylon.

       (2 Chr 36:7 NRSV)  Nebuchadnezzar also carried some of the vessels of 
       the house of the LORD to Babylon and put them in his palace in 
       Babylon.

       (2 Chr 36:8 NRSV)  Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and the 
       abominations that he did, and what was found against him, are written 
       in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah; and his son Jehoiachin 
       succeeded him.

       (2 Chr 36:9 NRSV)  Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to 
       reign; he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what 
       was evil in the sight of the LORD.

       (2 Chr 36:10 NRSV)  In the spring of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent 
       and brought him to Babylon, along with the precious vessels of the 
       house of the LORD, and made his brother Zedekiah king over Judah and 
       Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 36:11 NRSV)  Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to 
       reign; he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 36:12 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD his 
       God. He did not humble himself before the prophet Jeremiah who spoke 
       from the mouth of the LORD.

       (2 Chr 36:13 NRSV)  He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who 
       had made him swear by God; he stiffened his neck and hardened his 
       heart against turning to the LORD, the God of Israel.

       (2 Chr 36:14 NRSV)  All the leading priests and the people also were 
       exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations; 
       and they polluted the house of the LORD that he had consecrated in 
       Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 36:15 NRSV)  The LORD, the God of their ancestors, sent 
       persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on 
       his people and on his dwelling place;

       (2 Chr 36:16 NRSV)  but they kept mocking the messengers of God, 





       despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of 
       the LORD against his people became so great that there was no remedy.

       (2 Chr 36:17 NRSV)  Therefore he brought up against them the king of 
       the Chaldeans, who killed their youths with the sword in the house of 
       their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or young woman, 
       the aged or the feeble; he gave them all into his hand.

       (2 Chr 36:18 NRSV)  All the vessels of the house of God, large and 
       small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures 
       of the king and of his officials, all these he brought to Babylon.

       (2 Chr 36:19 NRSV)  They burned the house of God, broke down the wall 
       of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its 
       precious vessels.

       (2 Chr 36:20 NRSV)  He took into exile in Babylon those who had 
       escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his 
       sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia,

       (2 Chr 36:21 NRSV)  to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of 
       Jeremiah, until the land had made up for its sabbaths. All the days 
       that it lay desolate it kept sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

       (2 Chr 36:22 NRSV)  In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in 
       fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD 
       stirred up the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia so that he sent a herald 
       throughout all his kingdom and also declared in a written edict:

       (2 Chr 36:23 NRSV)  "Thus says King Cyrus of Persia: The LORD, the God 
       of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has 
       charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 
       Whoever is among you of all his people, may the LORD his God be with 
       him! Let him go up."

       (Ezra 1:1 NRSV)  In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order 
       that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be 
       accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia 
       so that he sent a herald throughout all his kingdom, and also in a 
       written edict declared:

       (Ezra 1:2 NRSV)  "Thus says King Cyrus of Persia: The LORD, the God of 
       heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged 
       me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah.

       (Ezra 1:3 NRSV)  Any of those among you who are of his people--may 
       their God be with them!--are now permitted to go up to Jerusalem in 
       Judah, and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel--he is the 
       God who is in Jerusalem;

       (Ezra 1:4 NRSV)  and let all survivors, in whatever place they reside, 
       be assisted by the people of their place with silver and gold, with 
       goods and with animals, besides freewill offerings for the house of 
       God in Jerusalem."

       (Ezra 1:5 NRSV)  The heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin, and 





       the priests and the Levites--everyone whose spirit God had 
       stirred--got ready to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD in 
       Jerusalem.

       (Ezra 1:6 NRSV)  All their neighbors aided them with silver vessels, 
       with gold, with goods, with animals, and with valuable gifts, besides 
       all that was freely offered.

       (Ezra 1:7 NRSV)  King Cyrus himself brought out the vessels of the 
       house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem 
       and placed in the house of his gods.

       (Ezra 1:8 NRSV)  King Cyrus of Persia had them released into the 
       charge of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to 
       Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.

       (Ezra 1:9 NRSV)  And this was the inventory: gold basins, thirty; 
       silver basins, one thousand; knives, twenty-nine;

       (Ezra 1:10 NRSV)  gold bowls, thirty; other silver bowls, four hundred 
       ten; other vessels, one thousand;

       (Ezra 1:11 NRSV)  the total of the gold and silver vessels was five 
       thousand four hundred. All these Sheshbazzar brought up, when the 
       exiles were brought up from Babylonia to Jerusalem.

       (Ezra 2:1 NRSV)  Now these were the people of the province who came 
       from those captive exiles whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had 
       carried captive to Babylonia; they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, 
       all to their own towns.

       (Ezra 2:2 NRSV)  They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, 
       Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The 
       number of the Israelite people:

       (Ezra 2:3 NRSV)  the descendants of Parosh, two thousand one hundred 
       seventy-two.

       (Ezra 2:4 NRSV)  Of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy-two.

       (Ezra 2:5 NRSV)  Of Arah, seven hundred seventy-five.

       (Ezra 2:6 NRSV)  Of Pahath-moab, namely the descendants of Jeshua and 
       Joab, two thousand eight hundred twelve.

       (Ezra 2:7 NRSV)  Of Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.

       (Ezra 2:8 NRSV)  Of Zattu, nine hundred forty-five.

       (Ezra 2:9 NRSV)  Of Zaccai, seven hundred sixty.

       (Ezra 2:10 NRSV)  Of Bani, six hundred forty-two.

       (Ezra 2:11 NRSV)  Of Bebai, six hundred twenty-three.

       (Ezra 2:12 NRSV)  Of Azgad, one thousand two hundred twenty-two.






       (Ezra 2:13 NRSV)  Of Adonikam, six hundred sixty-six.

       (Ezra 2:14 NRSV)  Of Bigvai, two thousand fifty-six.

       (Ezra 2:15 NRSV)  Of Adin, four hundred fifty-four.

       (Ezra 2:16 NRSV)  Of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.

       (Ezra 2:17 NRSV)  Of Bezai, three hundred twenty-three.

       (Ezra 2:18 NRSV)  Of Jorah, one hundred twelve.

       (Ezra 2:19 NRSV)  Of Hashum, two hundred twenty-three.

       (Ezra 2:20 NRSV)  Of Gibbar, ninety-five.

       (Ezra 2:21 NRSV)  Of Bethlehem, one hundred twenty-three.

       (Ezra 2:22 NRSV)  The people of Netophah, fifty-six.

       (Ezra 2:23 NRSV)  Of Anathoth, one hundred twenty-eight.

       (Ezra 2:24 NRSV)  The descendants of Azmaveth, forty-two.

       (Ezra 2:25 NRSV)  Of Kiriatharim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven 
       hundred forty-three.

       (Ezra 2:26 NRSV)  Of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty-one.

       (Ezra 2:27 NRSV)  The people of Michmas, one hundred twenty-two.

       (Ezra 2:28 NRSV)  Of Bethel and Ai, two hundred twenty-three.

       (Ezra 2:29 NRSV)  The descendants of Nebo, fifty-two.

       (Ezra 2:30 NRSV)  Of Magbish, one hundred fifty-six.

       (Ezra 2:31 NRSV)  Of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred 
       fifty-four.

       (Ezra 2:32 NRSV)  Of Harim, three hundred twenty.

       (Ezra 2:33 NRSV)  Of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty-five.

       (Ezra 2:34 NRSV)  Of Jericho, three hundred forty-five.

       (Ezra 2:35 NRSV)  Of Senaah, three thousand six hundred thirty.

       (Ezra 2:36 NRSV)  The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah, of the 
       house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy-three.

       (Ezra 2:37 NRSV)  Of Immer, one thousand fifty-two.

       (Ezra 2:38 NRSV)  Of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred forty-seven.





       (Ezra 2:39 NRSV)  Of Harim, one thousand seventeen.

       (Ezra 2:40 NRSV)  The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel, 
       of the descendants of Hodaviah, seventy-four.

       (Ezra 2:41 NRSV)  The singers: the descendants of Asaph, one hundred 
       twenty-eight.

       (Ezra 2:42 NRSV)  The descendants of the gatekeepers: of Shallum, of 
       Ater, of Talmon, of Akkub, of Hatita, and of Shobai, in all one 
       hundred thirty-nine.

       (Ezra 2:43 NRSV)  The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, 
       Hasupha, Tabbaoth,

       (Ezra 2:44 NRSV)  Keros, Siaha, Padon,

       (Ezra 2:45 NRSV)  Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub,

       (Ezra 2:46 NRSV)  Hagab, Shamlai, Hanan,

       (Ezra 2:47 NRSV)  Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah,

       (Ezra 2:48 NRSV)  Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam,

       (Ezra 2:49 NRSV)  Uzza, Paseah, Besai,

       (Ezra 2:50 NRSV)  Asnah, Meunim, Nephisim,

       (Ezra 2:51 NRSV)  Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,

       (Ezra 2:52 NRSV)  Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,

       (Ezra 2:53 NRSV)  Barkos, Sisera, Temah,

       (Ezra 2:54 NRSV)  Neziah, and Hatipha.

       (Ezra 2:55 NRSV)  The descendants of Solomon's servants: Sotai, 
       Hassophereth, Peruda,

       (Ezra 2:56 NRSV)  Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel,

       (Ezra 2:57 NRSV)  Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth-hazzebaim, and Ami.

       (Ezra 2:58 NRSV)  All the temple servants and the descendants of 
       Solomon's servants were three hundred ninety-two.

       (Ezra 2:59 NRSV)  The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, 
       Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, though they could not prove 
       their families or their descent, whether they belonged to Israel:

       (Ezra 2:60 NRSV)  the descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda, six 
       hundred fifty-two.

       (Ezra 2:61 NRSV)  Also, of the descendants of the priests: the 
       descendants of Habaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai (who had married one of 





       the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their 
       name).

       (Ezra 2:62 NRSV)  These looked for their entries in the genealogical 
       records, but they were not found there, and so they were excluded from 
       the priesthood as unclean;

       (Ezra 2:63 NRSV)  the governor told them that they were not to partake 
       of the most holy food, until there should be a priest to consult Urim 
       and Thummim.

       (Ezra 2:64 NRSV)  The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand 
       three hundred sixty,

       (Ezra 2:65 NRSV)  besides their male and female servants, of whom 
       there were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven; and they had two 
       hundred male and female singers.

       (Ezra 2:66 NRSV)  They had seven hundred thirty-six horses, two 
       hundred forty-five mules,

       (Ezra 2:67 NRSV)  four hundred thirty-five camels, and six thousand 
       seven hundred twenty donkeys.

       (Ezra 2:68 NRSV)  As soon as they came to the house of the LORD in 
       Jerusalem, some of the heads of families made freewill offerings for 
       the house of God, to erect it on its site.

       (Ezra 2:69 NRSV)  According to their resources they gave to the 
       building fund sixty-one thousand darics of gold, five thousand minas 
       of silver, and one hundred priestly robes.

       (Ezra 2:70 NRSV)  The priests, the Levites, and some of the people 
       lived in Jerusalem and its vicinity; and the singers, the gatekeepers, 
       and the temple servants lived in their towns, and all Israel in their 
       towns.

       (Ezra 3:1 NRSV)  When the seventh month came, and the Israelites were 
       in the towns, the people gathered together in Jerusalem.

       (Ezra 3:2 NRSV)  Then Jeshua son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, 
       and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel with his kin set out to build the 
       altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as 
       prescribed in the law of Moses the man of God.

       (Ezra 3:3 NRSV)  They set up the altar on its foundation, because they 
       were in dread of the neighboring peoples, and they offered burnt 
       offerings upon it to the LORD, morning and evening.

       (Ezra 3:4 NRSV)  And they kept the festival of booths, as prescribed, 
       and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the 
       ordinance, as required for each day,

       (Ezra 3:5 NRSV)  and after that the regular burnt offerings, the 
       offerings at the new moon and at all the sacred festivals of the LORD, 
       and the offerings of everyone who made a freewill offering to the 





       LORD.

       (Ezra 3:6 NRSV)  From the first day of the seventh month they began to 
       offer burnt offerings to the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of 
       the LORD was not yet laid.

       (Ezra 3:7 NRSV)  So they gave money to the masons and the carpenters, 
       and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring 
       cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant 
       that they had from King Cyrus of Persia.

       (Ezra 3:8 NRSV)  In the second year after their arrival at the house 
       of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel 
       and Jeshua son of Jozadak made a beginning, together with the rest of 
       their people, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to 
       Jerusalem from the captivity. They appointed the Levites, from twenty 
       years old and upward, to have the oversight of the work on the house 
       of the LORD.

       (Ezra 3:9 NRSV)  And Jeshua with his sons and his kin, and Kadmiel and 
       his sons, Binnui and Hodaviah along with the sons of Henadad, the 
       Levites, their sons and kin, together took charge of the workers in 
       the house of God.

       (Ezra 3:10 NRSV)  When the builders laid the foundation of the temple 
       of the LORD, the priests in their vestments were stationed to praise 
       the LORD with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with 
       cymbals, according to the directions of King David of Israel;

       (Ezra 3:11 NRSV)  and they sang responsively, praising and giving 
       thanks to the LORD, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures 
       forever toward Israel." And all the people responded with a great 
       shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house 
       of the LORD was laid.

       (Ezra 3:12 NRSV)  But many of the priests and Levites and heads of 
       families, old people who had seen the first house on its foundations, 
       wept with a loud voice when they saw this house, though many shouted 
       aloud for joy,

       (Ezra 3:13 NRSV)  so that the people could not distinguish the sound 
       of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping, for the 
       people shouted so loudly that the sound was heard far away.

       (Ezra 4:1 NRSV)  When the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that 
       the returned exiles were building a temple to the LORD, the God of 
       Israel,

       (Ezra 4:2 NRSV)  they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of families 
       and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we worship your God as 
       you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of 
       King Esar-haddon of Assyria who brought us here."

       (Ezra 4:3 NRSV)  But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of 
       families in Israel said to them, "You shall have no part with us in 
       building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the LORD, the 





       God of Israel, as King Cyrus of Persia has commanded us."

       (Ezra 4:4 NRSV)  Then the people of the land discouraged the people of 
       Judah, and made them afraid to build,

       (Ezra 4:5 NRSV)  and they bribed officials to frustrate their plan 
       throughout the reign of King Cyrus of Persia and until the reign of 
       King Darius of Persia.

       (Ezra 4:6 NRSV)  In the reign of Ahasuerus, in his accession year, 
       they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and 
       Jerusalem.

       (Ezra 4:7 NRSV)  And in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and Mithredath 
       and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to King Artaxerxes 
       of Persia; the letter was written in Aramaic and translated.

       (Ezra 4:8 NRSV)  Rehum the royal deputy and Shimshai the scribe wrote 
       a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows

       (Ezra 4:9 NRSV)  (then Rehum the royal deputy, Shimshai the scribe, 
       and the rest of their associates, the judges, the envoys, the 
       officials, the Persians, the people of Erech, the Babylonians, the 
       people of Susa, that is, the Elamites,

       (Ezra 4:10 NRSV)  and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble 
       Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in the rest 
       of the province Beyond the River wrote--and now

       (Ezra 4:11 NRSV)  this is a copy of the letter that they sent): "To 
       King Artaxerxes: Your servants, the people of the province Beyond the 
       River, send greeting. And now

       (Ezra 4:12 NRSV)  may it be known to the king that the Jews who came 
       up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that 
       rebellious and wicked city; they are finishing the walls and repairing 
       the foundations.

       (Ezra 4:13 NRSV)  Now may it be known to the king that, if this city 
       is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, 
       or toll, and the royal revenue will be reduced.

       (Ezra 4:14 NRSV)  Now because we share the salt of the palace and it 
       is not fitting for us to witness the king's dishonor, therefore we 
       send and inform the king,

       (Ezra 4:15 NRSV)  so that a search may be made in the annals of your 
       ancestors. You will discover in the annals that this is a rebellious 
       city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up 
       in it from long ago. On that account this city was laid waste.

       (Ezra 4:16 NRSV)  We make known to the king that, if this city is 
       rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in 
       the province Beyond the River."

       (Ezra 4:17 NRSV)  The king sent an answer: "To Rehum the royal deputy 





       and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their associates who live in 
       Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River, greeting. 
       And now

       (Ezra 4:18 NRSV)  the letter that you sent to us has been read in 
       translation before me.

       (Ezra 4:19 NRSV)  So I made a decree, and someone searched and 
       discovered that this city has risen against kings from long ago, and 
       that rebellion and sedition have been made in it.

       (Ezra 4:20 NRSV)  Jerusalem has had mighty kings who ruled over the 
       whole province Beyond the River, to whom tribute, custom, and toll 
       were paid.

       (Ezra 4:21 NRSV)  Therefore issue an order that these people be made 
       to cease, and that this city not be rebuilt, until I make a decree.

       (Ezra 4:22 NRSV)  Moreover, take care not to be slack in this matter; 
       why should damage grow to the hurt of the king?"

       (Ezra 4:23 NRSV)  Then when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was 
       read before Rehum and the scribe Shimshai and their associates, they 
       hurried to the Jews in Jerusalem and by force and power made them 
       cease.

       (Ezra 4:24 NRSV)  At that time the work on the house of God in 
       Jerusalem stopped and was discontinued until the second year of the 
       reign of King Darius of Persia.

       (Ezra 5:1 NRSV)  Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo, 
       prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of 
       the God of Israel who was over them.

       (Ezra 5:2 NRSV)  Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of 
       Jozadak set out to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem; and with 
       them were the prophets of God, helping them.

       (Ezra 5:3 NRSV)  At the same time Tattenai the governor of the 
       province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and their associates 
       came to them and spoke to them thus, "Who gave you a decree to build 
       this house and to finish this structure?"

       (Ezra 5:4 NRSV)  They also asked them this, "What are the names of the 
       men who are building this building?"

       (Ezra 5:5 NRSV)  But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the 
       Jews, and they did not stop them until a report reached Darius and 
       then answer was returned by letter in reply to it.

       (Ezra 5:6 NRSV)  The copy of the letter that Tattenai the governor of 
       the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and his associates 
       the envoys who were in the province Beyond the River sent to King 
       Darius;

       (Ezra 5:7 NRSV)  they sent him a report, in which was written as 





       follows: "To Darius the king, all peace!

       (Ezra 5:8 NRSV)  May it be known to the king that we went to the 
       province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built of 
       hewn stone, and timber is laid in the walls; this work is being done 
       diligently and prospers in their hands.

       (Ezra 5:9 NRSV)  Then we spoke to those elders and asked them, 'Who 
       gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?'

       (Ezra 5:10 NRSV)  We also asked them their names, for your 
       information, so that we might write down the names of the men at their 
       head.

       (Ezra 5:11 NRSV)  This was their reply to us: 'We are the servants of 
       the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was 
       built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished.

       (Ezra 5:12 NRSV)  But because our ancestors had angered the God of 
       heaven, he gave them into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, 
       the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried away the people to 
       Babylonia.

       (Ezra 5:13 NRSV)  However, King Cyrus of Babylon, in the first year of 
       his reign, made a decree that this house of God should be rebuilt.

       (Ezra 5:14 NRSV)  Moreover, the gold and silver vessels of the house 
       of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem 
       and had brought into the temple of Babylon, these King Cyrus took out 
       of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to a man named 
       Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor.

       (Ezra 5:15 NRSV)  He said to him, "Take these vessels; go and put them 
       in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its 
       site."

       (Ezra 5:16 NRSV)  Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations 
       of the house of God in Jerusalem; and from that time until now it has 
       been under construction, and it is not yet finished.'

       (Ezra 5:17 NRSV)  And now, if it seems good to the king, have a search 
       made in the royal archives there in Babylon, to see whether a decree 
       was issued by King Cyrus for the rebuilding of this house of God in 
       Jerusalem. Let the king send us his pleasure in this matter."

       (Ezra 6:1 NRSV)  Then King Darius made a decree, and they searched the 
       archives where the documents were stored in Babylon.

       (Ezra 6:2 NRSV)  But it was in Ecbatana, the capital in the province 
       of Media, that a scroll was found on which this was written: "A 
       record.

       (Ezra 6:3 NRSV)  In the first year of his reign, King Cyrus issued a 
       decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be 
       rebuilt, the place where sacrifices are offered and burnt offerings 
       are brought; its height shall be sixty cubits and its width sixty 





       cubits,

       (Ezra 6:4 NRSV)  with three courses of hewn stones and one course of 
       timber; let the cost be paid from the royal treasury.

       (Ezra 6:5 NRSV)  Moreover, let the gold and silver vessels of the 
       house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple in Jerusalem 
       and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought back to the temple in 
       Jerusalem, each to its place; you shall put them in the house of God."

       (Ezra 6:6 NRSV)  "Now you, Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond 
       the River, Shethar-bozenai, and you, their associates, the envoys in 
       the province Beyond the River, keep away;

       (Ezra 6:7 NRSV)  let the work on this house of God alone; let the 
       governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of 
       God on its site.

       (Ezra 6:8 NRSV)  Moreover I make a decree regarding what you shall do 
       for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God: 
       the cost is to be paid to these people, in full and without delay, 
       from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province Beyond the River.

       (Ezra 6:9 NRSV)  Whatever is needed--young bulls, rams, or sheep for 
       burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, or oil, as 
       the priests in Jerusalem require--let that be given to them day by day 
       without fail,

       (Ezra 6:10 NRSV)  so that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the 
       God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and his children.

       (Ezra 6:11 NRSV)  Furthermore I decree that if anyone alters this 
       edict, a beam shall be pulled out of the house of the perpetrator, who 
       then shall be impaled on it. The house shall be made a dunghill.

       (Ezra 6:12 NRSV)  May the God who has established his name there 
       overthrow any king or people that shall put forth a hand to alter 
       this, or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, make a 
       decree; let it be done with all diligence."

       (Ezra 6:13 NRSV)  Then, according to the word sent by King Darius, 
       Tattenai, the governor of the province Beyond the River, 
       Shethar-bozenai, and their associates did with all diligence what King 
       Darius had ordered.

       (Ezra 6:14 NRSV)  So the elders of the Jews built and prospered, 
       through the prophesying of the prophet Haggai and Zechariah son of 
       Iddo. They finished their building by command of the God of Israel and 
       by decree of Cyrus, Darius, and King Artaxerxes of Persia;

       (Ezra 6:15 NRSV)  and this house was finished on the third day of the 
       month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

       (Ezra 6:16 NRSV)  The people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, 
       and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this 
       house of God with joy.






       (Ezra 6:17 NRSV)  They offered at the dedication of this house of God 
       one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin 
       offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, according to the number of 
       the tribes of Israel.

       (Ezra 6:18 NRSV)  Then they set the priests in their divisions and the 
       Levites in their courses for the service of God at Jerusalem, as it is 
       written in the book of Moses.

       (Ezra 6:19 NRSV)  On the fourteenth day of the first month the 
       returned exiles kept the passover.

       (Ezra 6:20 NRSV)  For both the priests and the Levites had purified 
       themselves; all of them were clean. So they killed the passover lamb 
       for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for 
       themselves.

       (Ezra 6:21 NRSV)  It was eaten by the people of Israel who had 
       returned from exile, and also by all who had joined them and separated 
       themselves from the pollutions of the nations of the land to worship 
       the LORD, the God of Israel.

       (Ezra 6:22 NRSV)  With joy they celebrated the festival of unleavened 
       bread seven days; for the LORD had made them joyful, and had turned 
       the heart of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the 
       work on the house of God, the God of Israel.

       (Ezra 7:1 NRSV)  After this, in the reign of King Artaxerxes of 
       Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah,

       (Ezra 7:2 NRSV)  son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub,

       (Ezra 7:3 NRSV)  son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth,

       (Ezra 7:4 NRSV)  son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki,

       (Ezra 7:5 NRSV)  son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son 
       of the chief priest Aaron--

       (Ezra 7:6 NRSV)  this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe 
       skilled in the law of Moses that the LORD the God of Israel had given; 
       and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the LORD 
       his God was upon him.

       (Ezra 7:7 NRSV)  Some of the people of Israel, and some of the priests 
       and Levites, the singers and gatekeepers, and the temple servants also 
       went up to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.

       (Ezra 7:8 NRSV)  They came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was 
       in the seventh year of the king.

       (Ezra 7:9 NRSV)  On the first day of the first month the journey up 
       from Babylon was begun, and on the first day of the fifth month he 
       came to Jerusalem, for the gracious hand of his God was upon him.





       (Ezra 7:10 NRSV)  For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the 
       LORD, and to do it, and to teach the statutes and ordinances in 
       Israel.

       (Ezra 7:11 NRSV)  This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes 
       gave to the priest Ezra, the scribe, a scholar of the text of the 
       commandments of the LORD and his statutes for Israel:

       (Ezra 7:12 NRSV)  "Artaxerxes, king of kings, to the priest Ezra, the 
       scribe of the law of the God of heaven: Peace. And now

       (Ezra 7:13 NRSV)  I decree that any of the people of Israel or their 
       priests or Levites in my kingdom who freely offers to go to Jerusalem 
       may go with you.

       (Ezra 7:14 NRSV)  For you are sent by the king and his seven 
       counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to 
       the law of your God, which is in your hand,

       (Ezra 7:15 NRSV)  and also to convey the silver and gold that the king 
       and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose 
       dwelling is in Jerusalem,

       (Ezra 7:16 NRSV)  with all the silver and gold that you shall find in 
       the whole province of Babylonia, and with the freewill offerings of 
       the people and the priests, given willingly for the house of their God 
       in Jerusalem.

       (Ezra 7:17 NRSV)  With this money, then, you shall with all diligence 
       buy bulls, rams, and lambs, and their grain offerings and their drink 
       offerings, and you shall offer them on the altar of the house of your 
       God in Jerusalem.

       (Ezra 7:18 NRSV)  Whatever seems good to you and your colleagues to do 
       with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do, according to the 
       will of your God.

       (Ezra 7:19 NRSV)  The vessels that have been given you for the service 
       of the house of your God, you shall deliver before the God of 
       Jerusalem.

       (Ezra 7:20 NRSV)  And whatever else is required for the house of your 
       God, which you are responsible for providing, you may provide out of 
       the king's treasury.

       (Ezra 7:21 NRSV)  "I, King Artaxerxes, decree to all the treasurers in 
       the province Beyond the River: Whatever the priest Ezra, the scribe of 
       the law of the God of heaven, requires of you, let it be done with all 
       diligence,

       (Ezra 7:22 NRSV)  up to one hundred talents of silver, one hundred 
       cors of wheat, one hundred baths of wine, one hundred baths of oil, 
       and unlimited salt.

       (Ezra 7:23 NRSV)  Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it 
       be done with zeal for the house of the God of heaven, or wrath will 





       come upon the realm of the king and his heirs.

       (Ezra 7:24 NRSV)  We also notify you that it shall not be lawful to 
       impose tribute, custom, or toll on any of the priests, the Levites, 
       the singers, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or other servants 
       of this house of God.

       (Ezra 7:25 NRSV)  "And you, Ezra, according to the God-given wisdom 
       you possess, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the 
       people in the province Beyond the River who know the laws of your God; 
       and you shall teach those who do not know them.

       (Ezra 7:26 NRSV)  All who will not obey the law of your God and the 
       law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on them, whether 
       for death or for banishment or for confiscation of their goods or for 
       imprisonment."

       (Ezra 7:27 NRSV)  Blessed be the LORD, the God of our ancestors, who 
       put such a thing as this into the heart of the king to glorify the 
       house of the LORD in Jerusalem,

       (Ezra 7:28 NRSV)  and who extended to me steadfast love before the 
       king and his counselors, and before all the king's mighty officers. I 
       took courage, for the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I 
       gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.

       (Ezra 8:1 NRSV)  These are their family heads, and this is the 
       genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylonia, in the reign of 
       King Artaxerxes:

       (Ezra 8:2 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom. Of Ithamar, 
       Daniel. Of David, Hattush,

       (Ezra 8:3 NRSV)  of the descendants of Shecaniah. Of Parosh, 
       Zechariah, with whom were registered one hundred fifty males.

       (Ezra 8:4 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai son of 
       Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males.

       (Ezra 8:5 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Zattu, Shecaniah son of 
       Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males.

       (Ezra 8:6 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan, and 
       with him fifty males.

       (Ezra 8:7 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, 
       and with him seventy males.

       (Ezra 8:8 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of 
       Michael, and with him eighty males.

       (Ezra 8:9 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, 
       and with him two hundred eighteen males.

       (Ezra 8:10 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Bani, Shelomith son of 
       Josiphiah, and with him one hundred sixty males.






       (Ezra 8:11 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, 
       and with him twenty-eight males.

       (Ezra 8:12 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of 
       Hakkatan, and with him one hundred ten males.

       (Ezra 8:13 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Adonikam, those who came 
       later, their names being Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, and with them 
       sixty males.

       (Ezra 8:14 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Bigvai, Uthai and Zaccur, and 
       with them seventy males.

       (Ezra 8:15 NRSV)  I gathered them by the river that runs to Ahava, and 
       there we camped three days. As I reviewed the people and the priests, 
       I found there none of the descendants of Levi.

       (Ezra 8:16 NRSV)  Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, 
       Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, who were leaders, 
       and for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were wise,

       (Ezra 8:17 NRSV)  and sent them to Iddo, the leader at the place 
       called Casiphia, telling them what to say to Iddo and his colleagues 
       the temple servants at Casiphia, namely, to send us ministers for the 
       house of our God.

       (Ezra 8:18 NRSV)  Since the gracious hand of our God was upon us, they 
       brought us a man of discretion, of the descendants of Mahli son of 
       Levi son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with his sons and kin, eighteen;

       (Ezra 8:19 NRSV)  also Hashabiah and with him Jeshaiah of the 
       descendants of Merari, with his kin and their sons, twenty;

       (Ezra 8:20 NRSV)  besides two hundred twenty of the temple servants, 
       whom David and his officials had set apart to attend the Levites. 
       These were all mentioned by name.

       (Ezra 8:21 NRSV)  Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, 
       that we might deny ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe 
       journey for ourselves, our children, and all our possessions.

       (Ezra 8:22 NRSV)  For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of 
       soldiers and cavalry to protect us against the enemy on our way, since 
       we had told the king that the hand of our God is gracious to all who 
       seek him, but his power and his wrath are against all who forsake him.

       (Ezra 8:23 NRSV)  So we fasted and petitioned our God for this, and he 
       listened to our entreaty.

       (Ezra 8:24 NRSV)  Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: 
       Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their kin with them.

       (Ezra 8:25 NRSV)  And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold 
       and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God that the king, 
       his counselors, his lords, and all Israel there present had offered;






       (Ezra 8:26 NRSV)  I weighed out into their hand six hundred fifty 
       talents of silver, and one hundred silver vessels worth . . . talents, 
       and one hundred talents of gold,

       (Ezra 8:27 NRSV)  twenty gold bowls worth a thousand darics, and two 
       vessels of fine polished bronze as precious as gold.

       (Ezra 8:28 NRSV)  And I said to them, "You are holy to the LORD, and 
       the vessels are holy; and the silver and the gold are a freewill 
       offering to the LORD, the God of your ancestors.

       (Ezra 8:29 NRSV)  Guard them and keep them until you weigh them before 
       the chief priests and the Levites and the heads of families in Israel 
       at Jerusalem, within the chambers of the house of the LORD."

       (Ezra 8:30 NRSV)  So the priests and the Levites took over the silver, 
       the gold, and the vessels as they were weighed out, to bring them to 
       Jerusalem, to the house of our God.

       (Ezra 8:31 NRSV)  Then we left the river Ahava on the twelfth day of 
       the first month, to go to Jerusalem; the hand of our God was upon us, 
       and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes along 
       the way.

       (Ezra 8:32 NRSV)  We came to Jerusalem and remained there three days.

       (Ezra 8:33 NRSV)  On the fourth day, within the house of our God, the 
       silver, the gold, and the vessels were weighed into the hands of the 
       priest Meremoth son of Uriah, and with him was Eleazar son of 
       Phinehas, and with them were the Levites, Jozabad son of Jeshua and 
       Noadiah son of Binnui.

       (Ezra 8:34 NRSV)  The total was counted and weighed, and the weight of 
       everything was recorded.

       (Ezra 8:35 NRSV)  At that time those who had come from captivity, the 
       returned exiles, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve 
       bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and as a 
       sin offering twelve male goats; all this was a burnt offering to the 
       LORD.

       (Ezra 8:36 NRSV)  They also delivered the king's commissions to the 
       king's satraps and to the governors of the province Beyond the River; 
       and they supported the people and the house of God.

       (Ezra 9:1 NRSV)  After these things had been done, the officials 
       approached me and said, "The people of Israel, the priests, and the 
       Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands 
       with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the 
       Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, 
       and the Amorites.

       (Ezra 9:2 NRSV)  For they have taken some of their daughters as wives 
       for themselves and for their sons. Thus the holy seed has mixed itself 
       with the peoples of the lands, and in this faithlessness the officials 





       and leaders have led the way."

       (Ezra 9:3 NRSV)  When I heard this, I tore my garment and my mantle, 
       and pulled hair from my head and beard, and sat appalled.

       (Ezra 9:4 NRSV)  Then all who trembled at the words of the God of 
       Israel, because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles, gathered 
       around me while I sat appalled until the evening sacrifice.

       (Ezra 9:5 NRSV)  At the evening sacrifice I got up from my fasting, 
       with my garments and my mantle torn, and fell on my knees, spread out 
       my hands to the LORD my God,

       (Ezra 9:6 NRSV)  and said, "O my God, I am too ashamed and embarrassed 
       to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher 
       than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.

       (Ezra 9:7 NRSV)  From the days of our ancestors to this day we have 
       been deep in guilt, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our 
       priests have been handed over to the kings of the lands, to the sword, 
       to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as is now the case.

       (Ezra 9:8 NRSV)  But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by 
       the LORD our God, who has left us a remnant, and given us a stake in 
       his holy place, in order that he may brighten our eyes and grant us a 
       little sustenance in our slavery.

       (Ezra 9:9 NRSV)  For we are slaves; yet our God has not forsaken us in 
       our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the 
       kings of Persia, to give us new life to set up the house of our God, 
       to repair its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judea and Jerusalem.

       (Ezra 9:10 NRSV)  "And now, our God, what shall we say after this? For 
       we have forsaken your commandments,

       (Ezra 9:11 NRSV)  which you commanded by your servants the prophets, 
       saying, 'The land that you are entering to possess is a land unclean 
       with the pollutions of the peoples of the lands, with their 
       abominations. They have filled it from end to end with their 
       uncleanness.

       (Ezra 9:12 NRSV)  Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, 
       neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace 
       or prosperity, so that you may be strong and eat the good of the land 
       and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.'

       (Ezra 9:13 NRSV)  After all that has come upon us for our evil deeds 
       and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us 
       less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as 
       this,

       (Ezra 9:14 NRSV)  shall we break your commandments again and 
       intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you 
       not be angry with us until you destroy us without remnant or survivor?

       (Ezra 9:15 NRSV)  O LORD, God of Israel, you are just, but we have 





       escaped as a remnant, as is now the case. Here we are before you in 
       our guilt, though no one can face you because of this."

       (Ezra 10:1 NRSV)  While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and 
       throwing himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly 
       of men, women, and children gathered to him out of Israel; the people 
       also wept bitterly.

       (Ezra 10:2 NRSV)  Shecaniah son of Jehiel, of the descendants of Elam, 
       addressed Ezra, saying, "We have broken faith with our God and have 
       married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there 
       is hope for Israel in spite of this.

       (Ezra 10:3 NRSV)  So now let us make a covenant with our God to send 
       away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of 
       my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and 
       let it be done according to the law.

       (Ezra 10:4 NRSV)  Take action, for it is your duty, and we are with 
       you; be strong, and do it."

       (Ezra 10:5 NRSV)  Then Ezra stood up and made the leading priests, the 
       Levites, and all Israel swear that they would do as had been said. So 
       they swore.

       (Ezra 10:6 NRSV)  Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God, and 
       went to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib, where he spent the 
       night. He did not eat bread or drink water, for he was mourning over 
       the faithlessness of the exiles.

       (Ezra 10:7 NRSV)  They made a proclamation throughout Judah and 
       Jerusalem to all the returned exiles that they should assemble at 
       Jerusalem,

       (Ezra 10:8 NRSV)  and that if any did not come within three days, by 
       order of the officials and the elders all their property should be 
       forfeited, and they themselves banned from the congregation of the 
       exiles.

       (Ezra 10:9 NRSV)  Then all the people of Judah and Benjamin assembled 
       at Jerusalem within the three days; it was the ninth month, on the 
       twentieth day of the month. All the people sat in the open square 
       before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because 
       of the heavy rain.

       (Ezra 10:10 NRSV)  Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, 
       "You have trespassed and married foreign women, and so increased the 
       guilt of Israel.

       (Ezra 10:11 NRSV)  Now make confession to the LORD the God of your 
       ancestors, and do his will; separate yourselves from the peoples of 
       the land and from the foreign wives."

       (Ezra 10:12 NRSV)  Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, 
       "It is so; we must do as you have said.





       (Ezra 10:13 NRSV)  But the people are many, and it is a time of heavy 
       rain; we cannot stand in the open. Nor is this a task for one day or 
       for two, for many of us have transgressed in this matter.

       (Ezra 10:14 NRSV)  Let our officials represent the whole assembly, and 
       let all in our towns who have taken foreign wives come at appointed 
       times, and with them the elders and judges of every town, until the 
       fierce wrath of our God on this account is averted from us."

       (Ezra 10:15 NRSV)  Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of 
       Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levites 
       supported them.

       (Ezra 10:16 NRSV)  Then the returned exiles did so. Ezra the priest 
       selected men, heads of families, according to their families, each of 
       them designated by name. On the first day of the tenth month they sat 
       down to examine the matter.

       (Ezra 10:17 NRSV)  By the first day of the first month they had come 
       to the end of all the men who had married foreign women.

       (Ezra 10:18 NRSV)  There were found of the descendants of the priests 
       who had married foreign women, of the descendants of Jeshua son of 
       Jozadak and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.

       (Ezra 10:19 NRSV)  They pledged themselves to send away their wives, 
       and their guilt offering was a ram of the flock for their guilt.

       (Ezra 10:20 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.

       (Ezra 10:21 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, 
       Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.

       (Ezra 10:22 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, 
       Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

       (Ezra 10:23 NRSV)  Of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, 
       Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

       (Ezra 10:24 NRSV)  Of the singers: Eliashib. Of the gatekeepers: 
       Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

       (Ezra 10:25 NRSV)  And of Israel: of the descendants of Parosh: 
       Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Hashabiah, and Benaiah.

       (Ezra 10:26 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, 
       Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.

       (Ezra 10:27 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, 
       Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.

       (Ezra 10:28 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, 
       Zabbai, and Athlai.

       (Ezra 10:29 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, 
       Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth.






       (Ezra 10:30 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, 
       Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.

       (Ezra 10:31 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, 
       Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,

       (Ezra 10:32 NRSV)  Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.

       (Ezra 10:33 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, 
       Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.

       (Ezra 10:34 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel,

       (Ezra 10:35 NRSV)  Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi,

       (Ezra 10:36 NRSV)  Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,

       (Ezra 10:37 NRSV)  Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu.

       (Ezra 10:38 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Binnui: Shimei,

       (Ezra 10:39 NRSV)  Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,

       (Ezra 10:40 NRSV)  Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

       (Ezra 10:41 NRSV)  Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,

       (Ezra 10:42 NRSV)  Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.

       (Ezra 10:43 NRSV)  Of the descendants of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, 
       Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.

       (Ezra 10:44 NRSV)  All these had married foreign women, and they sent 
       them away with their children.

       (Neh 1:1 NRSV)  The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In the month of 
       Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capital,

       (Neh 1:2 NRSV)  one of my brothers, Hanani, came with certain men from 
       Judah; and I asked them about the Jews that survived, those who had 
       escaped the captivity, and about Jerusalem.

       (Neh 1:3 NRSV)  They replied, "The survivors there in the province who 
       escaped captivity are in great trouble and shame; the wall of 
       Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been destroyed by fire."

       (Neh 1:4 NRSV)  When I heard these words I sat down and wept, and 
       mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

       (Neh 1:5 NRSV)  I said, "O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome 
       God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and 
       keep his commandments;

       (Neh 1:6 NRSV)  let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear 
       the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night 





       for your servants, the people of Israel, confessing the sins of the 
       people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Both I and my 
       family have sinned.

       (Neh 1:7 NRSV)  We have offended you deeply, failing to keep the 
       commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances that you commanded your 
       servant Moses.

       (Neh 1:8 NRSV)  Remember the word that you commanded your servant 
       Moses, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples;

       (Neh 1:9 NRSV)  but if you return to me and keep my commandments and 
       do them, though your outcasts are under the farthest skies, I will 
       gather them from there and bring them to the place at which I have 
       chosen to establish my name.'

       (Neh 1:10 NRSV)  They are your servants and your people, whom you 
       redeemed by your great power and your strong hand.

       (Neh 1:11 NRSV)  O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of 
       your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight in 
       revering your name. Give success to your servant today, and grant him 
       mercy in the sight of this man!" At the time, I was cupbearer to the 
       king.

       (Neh 2:1 NRSV)  In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King 
       Artaxerxes, when wine was served him, I carried the wine and gave it 
       to the king. Now, I had never been sad in his presence before.

       (Neh 2:2 NRSV)  So the king said to me, "Why is your face sad, since 
       you are not sick? This can only be sadness of the heart." Then I was 
       very much afraid.

       (Neh 2:3 NRSV)  I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why 
       should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my ancestors' 
       graves, lies waste, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?"

       (Neh 2:4 NRSV)  Then the king said to me, "What do you request?" So I 
       prayed to the God of heaven.

       (Neh 2:5 NRSV)  Then I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and 
       if your servant has found favor with you, I ask that you send me to 
       Judah, to the city of my ancestors' graves, so that I may rebuild it."

       (Neh 2:6 NRSV)  The king said to me (the queen also was sitting beside 
       him), "How long will you be gone, and when will you return?" So it 
       pleased the king to send me, and I set him a date.

       (Neh 2:7 NRSV)  Then I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, let 
       letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, 
       that they may grant me passage until I arrive in Judah;

       (Neh 2:8 NRSV)  and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's 
       forest, directing him to give me timber to make beams for the gates of 
       the temple fortress, and for the wall of the city, and for the house 
       that I shall occupy." And the king granted me what I asked, for the 





       gracious hand of my God was upon me.

       (Neh 2:9 NRSV)  Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond 
       the River, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent 
       officers of the army and cavalry with me.

       (Neh 2:10 NRSV)  When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite 
       official heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come 
       to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.

       (Neh 2:11 NRSV)  So I came to Jerusalem and was there for three days.

       (Neh 2:12 NRSV)  Then I got up during the night, I and a few men with 
       me; I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for 
       Jerusalem. The only animal I took was the animal I rode.

       (Neh 2:13 NRSV)  I went out by night by the Valley Gate past the 
       Dragon's Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of 
       Jerusalem that had been broken down and its gates that had been 
       destroyed by fire.

       (Neh 2:14 NRSV)  Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's 
       Pool; but there was no place for the animal I was riding to continue.

       (Neh 2:15 NRSV)  So I went up by way of the valley by night and 
       inspected the wall. Then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, 
       and so returned.

       (Neh 2:16 NRSV)  The officials did not know where I had gone or what I 
       was doing; I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the 
       officials, and the rest that were to do the work.

       (Neh 2:17 NRSV)  Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in, 
       how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us 
       rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we may no longer suffer 
       disgrace."

       (Neh 2:18 NRSV)  I told them that the hand of my God had been gracious 
       upon me, and also the words that the king had spoken to me. Then they 
       said, "Let us start building!" So they committed themselves to the 
       common good.

       (Neh 2:19 NRSV)  But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the 
       Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they mocked and 
       ridiculed us, saying, "What is this that you are doing? Are you 
       rebelling against the king?"

       (Neh 2:20 NRSV)  Then I replied to them, "The God of heaven is the one 
       who will give us success, and we his servants are going to start 
       building; but you have no share or claim or historic right in 
       Jerusalem."

       (Neh 3:1 NRSV)  Then the high priest Eliashib set to work with his 
       fellow priests and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set 
       up its doors; they consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred 
       and as far as the Tower of Hananel.






       (Neh 3:2 NRSV)  And the men of Jericho built next to him. And next to 
       them Zaccur son of Imri built.

       (Neh 3:3 NRSV)  The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid 
       its beams and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars.

       (Neh 3:4 NRSV)  Next to them Meremoth son of Uriah son of Hakkoz made 
       repairs. Next to them Meshullam son of Berechiah son of Meshezabel 
       made repairs. Next to them Zadok son of Baana made repairs.

       (Neh 3:5 NRSV)  Next to them the Tekoites made repairs; but their 
       nobles would not put their shoulders to the work of their Lord.

       (Neh 3:6 NRSV)  Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah 
       repaired the Old Gate; they laid its beams and set up its doors, its 
       bolts, and its bars.

       (Neh 3:7 NRSV)  Next to them repairs were made by Melatiah the 
       Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite--the men of Gibeon and of 
       Mizpah--who were under the jurisdiction of the governor of the 
       province Beyond the River.

       (Neh 3:8 NRSV)  Next to them Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the 
       goldsmiths, made repairs. Next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, 
       made repairs; and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.

       (Neh 3:9 NRSV)  Next to them Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of half the 
       district of Jerusalem, made repairs.

       (Neh 3:10 NRSV)  Next to them Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs 
       opposite his house; and next to him Hattush son of Hashabneiah made 
       repairs.

       (Neh 3:11 NRSV)  Malchijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-moab 
       repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens.

       (Neh 3:12 NRSV)  Next to him Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of half 
       the district of Jerusalem, made repairs, he and his daughters.

       (Neh 3:13 NRSV)  Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the 
       Valley Gate; they rebuilt it and set up its doors, its bolts, and its 
       bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall, as far as the Dung 
       Gate.

       (Neh 3:14 NRSV)  Malchijah son of Rechab, ruler of the district of 
       Beth-haccherem, repaired the Dung Gate; he rebuilt it and set up its 
       doors, its bolts, and its bars.

       (Neh 3:15 NRSV)  And Shallum son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district 
       of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate; he rebuilt it and covered it 
       and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars; and he built the wall 
       of the Pool of Shelah of the king's garden, as far as the stairs that 
       go down from the City of David.

       (Neh 3:16 NRSV)  After him Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of half the 





       district of Beth-zur, repaired from a point opposite the graves of 
       David, as far as the artificial pool and the house of the warriors.

       (Neh 3:17 NRSV)  After him the Levites made repairs: Rehum son of 
       Bani; next to him Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, 
       made repairs for his district.

       (Neh 3:18 NRSV)  After him their kin made repairs: Binnui, son of 
       Henadad, ruler of half the district of Keilah;

       (Neh 3:19 NRSV)  next to him Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, 
       repaired another section opposite the ascent to the armory at the 
       Angle.

       (Neh 3:20 NRSV)  After him Baruch son of Zabbai repaired another 
       section from the Angle to the door of the house of the high priest 
       Eliashib.

       (Neh 3:21 NRSV)  After him Meremoth son of Uriah son of Hakkoz 
       repaired another section from the door of the house of Eliashib to the 
       end of the house of Eliashib.

       (Neh 3:22 NRSV)  After him the priests, the men of the surrounding 
       area, made repairs.

       (Neh 3:23 NRSV)  After them Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs opposite 
       their house. After them Azariah son of Maaseiah son of Ananiah made 
       repairs beside his own house.

       (Neh 3:24 NRSV)  After him Binnui son of Henadad repaired another 
       section, from the house of Azariah to the Angle and to the corner.

       (Neh 3:25 NRSV)  Palal son of Uzai repaired opposite the Angle and the 
       tower projecting from the upper house of the king at the court of the 
       guard. After him Pedaiah son of Parosh

       (Neh 3:26 NRSV)  and the temple servants living on Ophel made repairs 
       up to a point opposite the Water Gate on the east and the projecting 
       tower.

       (Neh 3:27 NRSV)  After him the Tekoites repaired another section 
       opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of Ophel.

       (Neh 3:28 NRSV)  Above the Horse Gate the priests made repairs, each 
       one opposite his own house.

       (Neh 3:29 NRSV)  After them Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite 
       his own house. After him Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the 
       East Gate, made repairs.

       (Neh 3:30 NRSV)  After him Hananiah son of Shelemiah and Hanun sixth 
       son of Zalaph repaired another section. After him Meshullam son of 
       Berechiah made repairs opposite his living quarters.

       (Neh 3:31 NRSV)  After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, made 
       repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and of the 





       merchants, opposite the Muster Gate, and to the upper room of the 
       corner.

       (Neh 3:32 NRSV)  And between the upper room of the corner and the 
       Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs.

       (Neh 4:1 NRSV)  Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the 
       wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he mocked the Jews.

       (Neh 4:2 NRSV)  He said in the presence of his associates and of the 
       army of Samaria, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore 
       things? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish it in a day? Will they 
       revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish--and burned ones at 
       that?"

       (Neh 4:3 NRSV)  Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, "That 
       stone wall they are building--any fox going up on it would break it 
       down!"

       (Neh 4:4 NRSV)  Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their taunt 
       back on their own heads, and give them over as plunder in a land of 
       captivity.

       (Neh 4:5 NRSV)  Do not cover their guilt, and do not let their sin be 
       blotted out from your sight; for they have hurled insults in the face 
       of the builders.

       (Neh 4:6 NRSV)  So we rebuilt the wall, and all the wall was joined 
       together to half its height; for the people had a mind to work.

       (Neh 4:7 NRSV)  But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the 
       Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of 
       Jerusalem was going forward and the gaps were beginning to be closed, 
       they were very angry,

       (Neh 4:8 NRSV)  and all plotted together to come and fight against 
       Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it.

       (Neh 4:9 NRSV)  So we prayed to our God, and set a guard as a 
       protection against them day and night.

       (Neh 4:10 NRSV)  But Judah said, "The strength of the burden bearers 
       is failing, and there is too much rubbish so that we are unable to 
       work on the wall."

       (Neh 4:11 NRSV)  And our enemies said, "They will not know or see 
       anything before we come upon them and kill them and stop the work."

       (Neh 4:12 NRSV)  When the Jews who lived near them came, they said to 
       us ten times, "From all the places where they live they will come up 
       against us."

       (Neh 4:13 NRSV)  So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, 
       in open places, I stationed the people according to their families, 
       with their swords, their spears, and their bows.





       (Neh 4:14 NRSV)  After I looked these things over, I stood up and said 
       to the nobles and the officials and the rest of the people, "Do not be 
       afraid of them. Remember the LORD, who is great and awesome, and fight 
       for your kin, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes."

       (Neh 4:15 NRSV)  When our enemies heard that their plot was known to 
       us, and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each 
       to his work.

       (Neh 4:16 NRSV)  From that day on, half of my servants worked on 
       construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and body-armor; 
       and the leaders posted themselves behind the whole house of Judah,

       (Neh 4:17 NRSV)  who were building the wall. The burden bearers 
       carried their loads in such a way that each labored on the work with 
       one hand and with the other held a weapon.

       (Neh 4:18 NRSV)  And each of the builders had his sword strapped at 
       his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside 
       me.

       (Neh 4:19 NRSV)  And I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest 
       of the people, "The work is great and widely spread out, and we are 
       separated far from one another on the wall.

       (Neh 4:20 NRSV)  Rally to us wherever you hear the sound of the 
       trumpet. Our God will fight for us."

       (Neh 4:21 NRSV)  So we labored at the work, and half of them held the 
       spears from break of dawn until the stars came out.

       (Neh 4:22 NRSV)  I also said to the people at that time, "Let every 
       man and his servant pass the night inside Jerusalem, so that they may 
       be a guard for us by night and may labor by day."

       (Neh 4:23 NRSV)  So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the 
       men of the guard who followed me ever took off our clothes; each kept 
       his weapon in his right hand.

       (Neh 5:1 NRSV)  Now there was a great outcry of the people and of 
       their wives against their Jewish kin.

       (Neh 5:2 NRSV)  For there were those who said, "With our sons and our 
       daughters, we are many; we must get grain, so that we may eat and stay 
       alive."

       (Neh 5:3 NRSV)  There were also those who said, "We are having to 
       pledge our fields, our vineyards, and our houses in order to get grain 
       during the famine."

       (Neh 5:4 NRSV)  And there were those who said, "We are having to 
       borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay the king's tax.

       (Neh 5:5 NRSV)  Now our flesh is the same as that of our kindred; our 
       children are the same as their children; and yet we are forcing our 
       sons and daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been 





       ravished; we are powerless, and our fields and vineyards now belong to 
       others."

       (Neh 5:6 NRSV)  I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these 
       complaints.

       (Neh 5:7 NRSV)  After thinking it over, I brought charges against the 
       nobles and the officials; I said to them, "You are all taking interest 
       from your own people." And I called a great assembly to deal with 
       them,

       (Neh 5:8 NRSV)  and said to them, "As far as we were able, we have 
       bought back our Jewish kindred who had been sold to other nations; but 
       now you are selling your own kin, who must then be bought back by us!" 
       They were silent, and could not find a word to say.

       (Neh 5:9 NRSV)  So I said, "The thing that you are doing is not good. 
       Should you not walk in the fear of our God, to prevent the taunts of 
       the nations our enemies?

       (Neh 5:10 NRSV)  Moreover I and my brothers and my servants are 
       lending them money and grain. Let us stop this taking of interest.

       (Neh 5:11 NRSV)  Restore to them, this very day, their fields, their 
       vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the interest on 
       money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them."

       (Neh 5:12 NRSV)  Then they said, "We will restore everything and 
       demand nothing more from them. We will do as you say." And I called 
       the priests, and made them take an oath to do as they had promised.

       (Neh 5:13 NRSV)  I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, "So 
       may God shake out everyone from house and from property who does not 
       perform this promise. Thus may they be shaken out and emptied." And 
       all the assembly said, "Amen," and praised the LORD. And the people 
       did as they had promised.

       (Neh 5:14 NRSV)  Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be 
       their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the 
       thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my 
       brothers ate the food allowance of the governor.

       (Neh 5:15 NRSV)  The former governors who were before me laid heavy 
       burdens on the people, and took food and wine from them, besides forty 
       shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But 
       I did not do so, because of the fear of God.

       (Neh 5:16 NRSV)  Indeed, I devoted myself to the work on this wall, 
       and acquired no land; and all my servants were gathered there for the 
       work.

       (Neh 5:17 NRSV)  Moreover there were at my table one hundred fifty 
       people, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the 
       nations around us.

       (Neh 5:18 NRSV)  Now that which was prepared for one day was one ox 





       and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and every ten 
       days skins of wine in abundance; yet with all this I did not demand 
       the food allowance of the governor, because of the heavy burden of 
       labor on the people.

       (Neh 5:19 NRSV)  Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done 
       for this people.

       (Neh 6:1 NRSV)  Now when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah and 
       to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had built the 
       wall and that there was no gap left in it (though up to that time I 
       had not set up the doors in the gates),

       (Neh 6:2 NRSV)  Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, "Come and let 
       us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono." But they 
       intended to do me harm.

       (Neh 6:3 NRSV)  So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a 
       great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I 
       leave it to come down to you?"

       (Neh 6:4 NRSV)  They sent to me four times in this way, and I answered 
       them in the same manner.

       (Neh 6:5 NRSV)  In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his 
       servant to me with an open letter in his hand.

       (Neh 6:6 NRSV)  In it was written, "It is reported among the 
       nations--and Geshem also says it--that you and the Jews intend to 
       rebel; that is why you are building the wall; and according to this 
       report you wish to become their king.

       (Neh 6:7 NRSV)  You have also set up prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem 
       concerning you, 'There is a king in Judah!' And now it will be 
       reported to the king according to these words. So come, therefore, and 
       let us confer together."

       (Neh 6:8 NRSV)  Then I sent to him, saying, "No such things as you say 
       have been done; you are inventing them out of your own mind"

       (Neh 6:9 NRSV)  --for they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, "Their 
       hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done." But now, O 
       God, strengthen my hands.

       (Neh 6:10 NRSV)  One day when I went into the house of Shemaiah son of 
       Delaiah son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his house, he said, "Let 
       us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us 
       close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you; 
       indeed, tonight they are coming to kill you."

       (Neh 6:11 NRSV)  But I said, "Should a man like me run away? Would a 
       man like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!"

       (Neh 6:12 NRSV)  Then I perceived and saw that God had not sent him at 
       all, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and 
       Sanballat had hired him.






       (Neh 6:13 NRSV)  He was hired for this purpose, to intimidate me and 
       make me sin by acting in this way, and so they could give me a bad 
       name, in order to taunt me.

       (Neh 6:14 NRSV)  Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to 
       these things that they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the 
       rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid.

       (Neh 6:15 NRSV)  So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of 
       the month Elul, in fifty-two days.

       (Neh 6:16 NRSV)  And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations 
       around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem; for they 
       perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our 
       God.

       (Neh 6:17 NRSV)  Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many 
       letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them.

       (Neh 6:18 NRSV)  For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because 
       he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah: and his son Jehohanan 
       had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah.

       (Neh 6:19 NRSV)  Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence, and 
       reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.

       (Neh 7:1 NRSV)  Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the 
       doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been 
       appointed,

       (Neh 7:2 NRSV)  I gave my brother Hanani charge over Jerusalem, along 
       with Hananiah the commander of the citadel--for he was a faithful man 
       and feared God more than many.

       (Neh 7:3 NRSV)  And I said to them, "The gates of Jerusalem are not to 
       be opened until the sun is hot; while the gatekeepers are still 
       standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from 
       among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their watch posts, and 
       others before their own houses."

       (Neh 7:4 NRSV)  The city was wide and large, but the people within it 
       were few and no houses had been built.

       (Neh 7:5 NRSV)  Then my God put it into my mind to assemble the nobles 
       and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I 
       found the book of the genealogy of those who were the first to come 
       back, and I found the following written in it:

       (Neh 7:6 NRSV)  These are the people of the province who came up out 
       of the captivity of those exiles whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon 
       had carried into exile; they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to 
       his town.

       (Neh 7:7 NRSV)  They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, 
       Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, 





       Baanah. The number of the Israelite people:

       (Neh 7:8 NRSV)  the descendants of Parosh, two thousand one hundred 
       seventy-two.

       (Neh 7:9 NRSV)  Of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy-two.

       (Neh 7:10 NRSV)  Of Arah, six hundred fifty-two.

       (Neh 7:11 NRSV)  Of Pahath-moab, namely the descendants of Jeshua and 
       Joab, two thousand eight hundred eighteen.

       (Neh 7:12 NRSV)  Of Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.

       (Neh 7:13 NRSV)  Of Zattu, eight hundred forty-five.

       (Neh 7:14 NRSV)  Of Zaccai, seven hundred sixty.

       (Neh 7:15 NRSV)  Of Binnui, six hundred forty-eight.

       (Neh 7:16 NRSV)  Of Bebai, six hundred twenty-eight.

       (Neh 7:17 NRSV)  Of Azgad, two thousand three hundred twenty-two.

       (Neh 7:18 NRSV)  Of Adonikam, six hundred sixty-seven.

       (Neh 7:19 NRSV)  Of Bigvai, two thousand sixty-seven.

       (Neh 7:20 NRSV)  Of Adin, six hundred fifty-five.

       (Neh 7:21 NRSV)  Of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.

       (Neh 7:22 NRSV)  Of Hashum, three hundred twenty-eight.

       (Neh 7:23 NRSV)  Of Bezai, three hundred twenty-four.

       (Neh 7:24 NRSV)  Of Hariph, one hundred twelve.

       (Neh 7:25 NRSV)  Of Gibeon, ninety-five.

       (Neh 7:26 NRSV)  The people of Bethlehem and Netophah, one hundred 
       eighty-eight.

       (Neh 7:27 NRSV)  Of Anathoth, one hundred twenty-eight.

       (Neh 7:28 NRSV)  Of Beth-azmaveth, forty-two.

       (Neh 7:29 NRSV)  Of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven 
       hundred forty-three.

       (Neh 7:30 NRSV)  Of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty-one.

       (Neh 7:31 NRSV)  Of Michmas, one hundred twenty-two.

       (Neh 7:32 NRSV)  Of Bethel and Ai, one hundred twenty-three.





       (Neh 7:33 NRSV)  Of the other Nebo, fifty-two.

       (Neh 7:34 NRSV)  The descendants of the other Elam, one thousand two 
       hundred fifty-four.

       (Neh 7:35 NRSV)  Of Harim, three hundred twenty.

       (Neh 7:36 NRSV)  Of Jericho, three hundred forty-five.

       (Neh 7:37 NRSV)  Of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty-one.

       (Neh 7:38 NRSV)  Of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred thirty.

       (Neh 7:39 NRSV)  The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah, namely the 
       house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy-three.

       (Neh 7:40 NRSV)  Of Immer, one thousand fifty-two.

       (Neh 7:41 NRSV)  Of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred forty-seven.

       (Neh 7:42 NRSV)  Of Harim, one thousand seventeen.

       (Neh 7:43 NRSV)  The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua, namely of 
       Kadmiel of the descendants of Hodevah, seventy-four.

       (Neh 7:44 NRSV)  The singers: the descendants of Asaph, one hundred 
       forty-eight.

       (Neh 7:45 NRSV)  The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, of Ater, 
       of Talmon, of Akkub, of Hatita, of Shobai, one hundred thirty-eight.

       (Neh 7:46 NRSV)  The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, of 
       Hasupha, of Tabbaoth,

       (Neh 7:47 NRSV)  of Keros, of Sia, of Padon,

       (Neh 7:48 NRSV)  of Lebana, of Hagaba, of Shalmai,

       (Neh 7:49 NRSV)  of Hanan, of Giddel, of Gahar,

       (Neh 7:50 NRSV)  of Reaiah, of Rezin, of Nekoda,

       (Neh 7:51 NRSV)  of Gazzam, of Uzza, of Paseah,

       (Neh 7:52 NRSV)  of Besai, of Meunim, of Nephushesim,

       (Neh 7:53 NRSV)  of Bakbuk, of Hakupha, of Harhur,

       (Neh 7:54 NRSV)  of Bazlith, of Mehida, of Harsha,

       (Neh 7:55 NRSV)  of Barkos, of Sisera, of Temah,

       (Neh 7:56 NRSV)  of Neziah, of Hatipha.

       (Neh 7:57 NRSV)  The descendants of Solomon's servants: of Sotai, of 
       Sophereth, of Perida,






       (Neh 7:58 NRSV)  of Jaala, of Darkon, of Giddel,

       (Neh 7:59 NRSV)  of Shephatiah, of Hattil, of Pochereth-hazzebaim, of 
       Amon.

       (Neh 7:60 NRSV)  All the temple servants and the descendants of 
       Solomon's servants were three hundred ninety-two.

       (Neh 7:61 NRSV)  The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, 
       Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove their 
       ancestral houses or their descent, whether they belonged to Israel:

       (Neh 7:62 NRSV)  the descendants of Delaiah, of Tobiah, of Nekoda, six 
       hundred forty-two.

       (Neh 7:63 NRSV)  Also, of the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, of 
       Hakkoz, of Barzillai (who had married one of the daughters of 
       Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name).

       (Neh 7:64 NRSV)  These sought their registration among those enrolled 
       in the genealogies, but it was not found there, so they were excluded 
       from the priesthood as unclean;

       (Neh 7:65 NRSV)  the governor told them that they were not to partake 
       of the most holy food, until a priest with Urim and Thummim should 
       come.

       (Neh 7:66 NRSV)  The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand 
       three hundred sixty,

       (Neh 7:67 NRSV)  besides their male and female slaves, of whom there 
       were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven; and they had two 
       hundred forty-five singers, male and female.

       (Neh 7:68 NRSV)  They had seven hundred thirty-six horses, two hundred 
       forty-five mules,

       (Neh 7:69 NRSV)  four hundred thirty-five camels, and six thousand 
       seven hundred twenty donkeys.

       (Neh 7:70 NRSV)  Now some of the heads of ancestral houses contributed 
       to the work. The governor gave to the treasury one thousand darics of 
       gold, fifty basins, and five hundred thirty priestly robes.

       (Neh 7:71 NRSV)  And some of the heads of ancestral houses gave into 
       the building fund twenty thousand darics of gold and two thousand two 
       hundred minas of silver.

       (Neh 7:72 NRSV)  And what the rest of the people gave was twenty 
       thousand darics of gold, two thousand minas of silver, and sixty-seven 
       priestly robes.

       (Neh 7:73 NRSV)  So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the 
       singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel 
       settled in their towns. When the seventh month came--the people of 





       Israel being settled in their towns--

       (Neh 8:1 NRSV)  all the people gathered together into the square 
       before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of 
       the law of Moses, which the LORD had given to Israel.

       (Neh 8:2 NRSV)  Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before 
       the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with 
       understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month.

       (Neh 8:3 NRSV)  He read from it facing the square before the Water 
       Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and 
       the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the 
       people were attentive to the book of the law.

       (Neh 8:4 NRSV)  The scribe Ezra stood on a wooden platform that had 
       been made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, 
       Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and Pedaiah, 
       Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on 
       his left hand.

       (Neh 8:5 NRSV)  And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the 
       people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened 
       it, all the people stood up.

       (Neh 8:6 NRSV)  Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the 
       people answered, "Amen, Amen," lifting up their hands. Then they bowed 
       their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

       (Neh 8:7 NRSV)  Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, 
       Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, 
       Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the law, while 
       the people remained in their places.

       (Neh 8:8 NRSV)  So they read from the book, from the law of God, with 
       interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the 
       reading.

       (Neh 8:9 NRSV)  And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the 
       priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all 
       the people, "This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or 
       weep." For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.

       (Neh 8:10 NRSV)  Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat and 
       drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing 
       is prepared, for this day is holy to our LORD; and do not be grieved, 
       for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

       (Neh 8:11 NRSV)  So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, "Be 
       quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved."

       (Neh 8:12 NRSV)  And all the people went their way to eat and drink 
       and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had 
       understood the words that were declared to them.

       (Neh 8:13 NRSV)  On the second day the heads of ancestral houses of 





       all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to the 
       scribe Ezra in order to study the words of the law.

       (Neh 8:14 NRSV)  And they found it written in the law, which the LORD 
       had commanded by Moses, that the people of Israel should live in 
       booths during the festival of the seventh month,

       (Neh 8:15 NRSV)  and that they should publish and proclaim in all 
       their towns and in Jerusalem as follows, "Go out to the hills and 
       bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy 
       trees to make booths, as it is written."

       (Neh 8:16 NRSV)  So the people went out and brought them, and made 
       booths for themselves, each on the roofs of their houses, and in their 
       courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the 
       Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim.

       (Neh 8:17 NRSV)  And all the assembly of those who had returned from 
       the captivity made booths and lived in them; for from the days of 
       Jeshua son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. 
       And there was very great rejoicing.

       (Neh 8:18 NRSV)  And day by day, from the first day to the last day, 
       he read from the book of the law of God. They kept the festival seven 
       days; and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to 
       the ordinance.

       (Neh 9:1 NRSV)  Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people 
       of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth 
       on their heads.

       (Neh 9:2 NRSV)  Then those of Israelite descent separated themselves 
       from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins and the 
       iniquities of their ancestors.

       (Neh 9:3 NRSV)  They stood up in their place and read from the book of 
       the law of the LORD their God for a fourth part of the day, and for 
       another fourth they made confession and worshiped the LORD their God.

       (Neh 9:4 NRSV)  Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, 
       Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the stairs of the Levites and 
       cried out with a loud voice to the LORD their God.

       (Neh 9:5 NRSV)  Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, 
       Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, "Stand up and bless 
       the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your 
       glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise."

       (Neh 9:6 NRSV)  And Ezra said: "You are the LORD, you alone; you have 
       made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and 
       all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. To all of them 
       you give life, and the host of heaven worships you.

       (Neh 9:7 NRSV)  You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram and brought 
       him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham;





       (Neh 9:8 NRSV)  and you found his heart faithful before you, and made 
       with him a covenant to give to his descendants the land of the 
       Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and 
       the Girgashite; and you have fulfilled your promise, for you are 
       righteous.

       (Neh 9:9 NRSV)  "And you saw the distress of our ancestors in Egypt 
       and heard their cry at the Red Sea.

       (Neh 9:10 NRSV)  You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and 
       all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that 
       they acted insolently against our ancestors. You made a name for 
       yourself, which remains to this day.

       (Neh 9:11 NRSV)  And you divided the sea before them, so that they 
       passed through the sea on dry land, but you threw their pursuers into 
       the depths, like a stone into mighty waters.

       (Neh 9:12 NRSV)  Moreover, you led them by day with a pillar of cloud, 
       and by night with a pillar of fire, to give them light on the way in 
       which they should go.

       (Neh 9:13 NRSV)  You came down also upon Mount Sinai, and spoke with 
       them from heaven, and gave them right ordinances and true laws, good 
       statutes and commandments,

       (Neh 9:14 NRSV)  and you made known your holy sabbath to them and gave 
       them commandments and statutes and a law through your servant Moses.

       (Neh 9:15 NRSV)  For their hunger you gave them bread from heaven, and 
       for their thirst you brought water for them out of the rock, and you 
       told them to go in to possess the land that you swore to give them.

       (Neh 9:16 NRSV)  "But they and our ancestors acted presumptuously and 
       stiffened their necks and did not obey your commandments;

       (Neh 9:17 NRSV)  they refused to obey, and were not mindful of the 
       wonders that you performed among them; but they stiffened their necks 
       and determined to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God 
       ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding 
       in steadfast love, and you did not forsake them.

       (Neh 9:18 NRSV)  Even when they had cast an image of a calf for 
       themselves and said, 'This is your God who brought you up out of 
       Egypt,' and had committed great blasphemies,

       (Neh 9:19 NRSV)  you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the 
       wilderness; the pillar of cloud that led them in the way did not leave 
       them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night that gave them light on 
       the way by which they should go.

       (Neh 9:20 NRSV)  You gave your good spirit to instruct them, and did 
       not withhold your manna from their mouths, and gave them water for 
       their thirst.

       (Neh 9:21 NRSV)  Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness so 





       that they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out and their 
       feet did not swell.

       (Neh 9:22 NRSV)  And you gave them kingdoms and peoples, and allotted 
       to them every corner, so they took possession of the land of King 
       Sihon of Heshbon and the land of King Og of Bashan.

       (Neh 9:23 NRSV)  You multiplied their descendants like the stars of 
       heaven, and brought them into the land that you had told their 
       ancestors to enter and possess.

       (Neh 9:24 NRSV)  So the descendants went in and possessed the land, 
       and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the 
       Canaanites, and gave them into their hands, with their kings and the 
       peoples of the land, to do with them as they pleased.

       (Neh 9:25 NRSV)  And they captured fortress cities and a rich land, 
       and took possession of houses filled with all sorts of goods, hewn 
       cisterns, vineyards, olive orchards, and fruit trees in abundance; so 
       they ate, and were filled and became fat, and delighted themselves in 
       your great goodness.

       (Neh 9:26 NRSV)  "Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled 
       against you and cast your law behind their backs and killed your 
       prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and 
       they committed great blasphemies.

       (Neh 9:27 NRSV)  Therefore you gave them into the hands of their 
       enemies, who made them suffer. Then in the time of their suffering 
       they cried out to you and you heard them from heaven, and according to 
       your great mercies you gave them saviors who saved them from the hands 
       of their enemies.

       (Neh 9:28 NRSV)  But after they had rest, they again did evil before 
       you, and you abandoned them to the hands of their enemies, so that 
       they had dominion over them; yet when they turned and cried to you, 
       you heard from heaven, and many times you rescued them according to 
       your mercies.

       (Neh 9:29 NRSV)  And you warned them in order to turn them back to 
       your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your 
       commandments, but sinned against your ordinances, by the observance of 
       which a person shall live. They turned a stubborn shoulder and 
       stiffened their neck and would not obey.

       (Neh 9:30 NRSV)  Many years you were patient with them, and warned 
       them by your spirit through your prophets; yet they would not listen. 
       Therefore you handed them over to the peoples of the lands.

       (Neh 9:31 NRSV)  Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make 
       an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful 
       God.

       (Neh 9:32 NRSV)  "Now therefore, our God--the great and mighty and 
       awesome God, keeping covenant and steadfast love--do not treat lightly 
       all the hardship that has come upon us, upon our kings, our officials, 





       our priests, our prophets, our ancestors, and all your people, since 
       the time of the kings of Assyria until today.

       (Neh 9:33 NRSV)  You have been just in all that has come upon us, for 
       you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly;

       (Neh 9:34 NRSV)  our kings, our officials, our priests, and our 
       ancestors have not kept your law or heeded the commandments and the 
       warnings that you gave them.

       (Neh 9:35 NRSV)  Even in their own kingdom, and in the great goodness 
       you bestowed on them, and in the large and rich land that you set 
       before them, they did not serve you and did not turn from their wicked 
       works.

       (Neh 9:36 NRSV)  Here we are, slaves to this day--slaves in the land 
       that you gave to our ancestors to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts.

       (Neh 9:37 NRSV)  Its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set 
       over us because of our sins; they have power also over our bodies and 
       over our livestock at their pleasure, and we are in great distress."

       (Neh 9:38 NRSV)  Because of all this we make a firm agreement in 
       writing, and on that sealed document are inscribed the names of our 
       officials, our Levites, and our priests.

       (Neh 10:1 NRSV)  Upon the sealed document are the names of Nehemiah 
       the governor, son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah;

       (Neh 10:2 NRSV)  Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,

       (Neh 10:3 NRSV)  Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,

       (Neh 10:4 NRSV)  Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,

       (Neh 10:5 NRSV)  Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,

       (Neh 10:6 NRSV)  Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,

       (Neh 10:7 NRSV)  Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,

       (Neh 10:8 NRSV)  Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah; these are the priests.

       (Neh 10:9 NRSV)  And the Levites: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the 
       sons of Henadad, Kadmiel;

       (Neh 10:10 NRSV)  and their associates, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, 
       Pelaiah, Hanan,

       (Neh 10:11 NRSV)  Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,

       (Neh 10:12 NRSV)  Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,

       (Neh 10:13 NRSV)  Hodiah, Bani, Beninu.

       (Neh 10:14 NRSV)  The leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath-moab, 





       Elam, Zattu, Bani,

       (Neh 10:15 NRSV)  Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,

       (Neh 10:16 NRSV)  Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,

       (Neh 10:17 NRSV)  Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,

       (Neh 10:18 NRSV)  Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,

       (Neh 10:19 NRSV)  Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,

       (Neh 10:20 NRSV)  Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,

       (Neh 10:21 NRSV)  Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,

       (Neh 10:22 NRSV)  Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,

       (Neh 10:23 NRSV)  Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,

       (Neh 10:24 NRSV)  Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,

       (Neh 10:25 NRSV)  Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,

       (Neh 10:26 NRSV)  Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,

       (Neh 10:27 NRSV)  Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.

       (Neh 10:28 NRSV)  The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, 
       the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who have 
       separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to adhere to the 
       law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have 
       knowledge and understanding,

       (Neh 10:29 NRSV)  join with their kin, their nobles, and enter into a 
       curse and an oath to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the 
       servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD 
       our Lord and his ordinances and his statutes.

       (Neh 10:30 NRSV)  We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the 
       land or take their daughters for our sons;

       (Neh 10:31 NRSV)  and if the peoples of the land bring in merchandise 
       or any grain on the sabbath day to sell, we will not buy it from them 
       on the sabbath or on a holy day; and we will forego the crops of the 
       seventh year and the exaction of every debt.

       (Neh 10:32 NRSV)  We also lay on ourselves the obligation to charge 
       ourselves yearly one-third of a shekel for the service of the house of 
       our God:

       (Neh 10:33 NRSV)  for the rows of bread, the regular grain offering, 
       the regular burnt offering, the sabbaths, the new moons, the appointed 
       festivals, the sacred donations, and the sin offerings to make 
       atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.





       (Neh 10:34 NRSV)  We have also cast lots among the priests, the 
       Levites, and the people, for the wood offering, to bring it into the 
       house of our God, by ancestral houses, at appointed times, year by 
       year, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in 
       the law.

       (Neh 10:35 NRSV)  We obligate ourselves to bring the first fruits of 
       our soil and the first fruits of all fruit of every tree, year by 
       year, to the house of the LORD;

       (Neh 10:36 NRSV)  also to bring to the house of our God, to the 
       priests who minister in the house of our God, the firstborn of our 
       sons and of our livestock, as it is written in the law, and the 
       firstlings of our herds and of our flocks;

       (Neh 10:37 NRSV)  and to bring the first of our dough, and our 
       contributions, the fruit of every tree, the wine and the oil, to the 
       priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and to bring to the 
       Levites the tithes from our soil, for it is the Levites who collect 
       the tithes in all our rural towns.

       (Neh 10:38 NRSV)  And the priest, the descendant of Aaron, shall be 
       with the Levites when the Levites receive the tithes; and the Levites 
       shall bring up a tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the 
       chambers of the storehouse.

       (Neh 10:39 NRSV)  For the people of Israel and the sons of Levi shall 
       bring the contribution of grain, wine, and oil to the storerooms where 
       the vessels of the sanctuary are, and where the priests that minister, 
       and the gatekeepers and the singers are. We will not neglect the house 
       of our God.

       (Neh 11:1 NRSV)  Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem; and 
       the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in 
       the holy city Jerusalem, while nine-tenths remained in the other 
       towns.

       (Neh 11:2 NRSV)  And the people blessed all those who willingly 
       offered to live in Jerusalem.

       (Neh 11:3 NRSV)  These are the leaders of the province who lived in 
       Jerusalem; but in the towns of Judah all lived on their property in 
       their towns: Israel, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants, 
       and the descendants of Solomon's servants.

       (Neh 11:4 NRSV)  And in Jerusalem lived some of the Judahites and of 
       the Benjaminites. Of the Judahites: Athaiah son of Uzziah son of 
       Zechariah son of Amariah son of Shephatiah son of Mahalalel, of the 
       descendants of Perez;

       (Neh 11:5 NRSV)  and Maaseiah son of Baruch son of Col-hozeh son of 
       Hazaiah son of Adaiah son of Joiarib son of Zechariah son of the 
       Shilonite.

       (Neh 11:6 NRSV)  All the descendants of Perez who lived in Jerusalem 
       were four hundred sixty-eight valiant warriors.






       (Neh 11:7 NRSV)  And these are the Benjaminites: Sallu son of 
       Meshullam son of Joed son of Pedaiah son of Kolaiah son of Maaseiah 
       son of Ithiel son of Jeshaiah.

       (Neh 11:8 NRSV)  And his brothers Gabbai, Sallai: nine hundred 
       twenty-eight.

       (Neh 11:9 NRSV)  Joel son of Zichri was their overseer; and Judah son 
       of Hassenuah was second in charge of the city.

       (Neh 11:10 NRSV)  Of the priests: Jedaiah son of Joiarib, Jachin,

       (Neh 11:11 NRSV)  Seraiah son of Hilkiah son of Meshullam son of Zadok 
       son of Meraioth son of Ahitub, officer of the house of God,

       (Neh 11:12 NRSV)  and their associates who did the work of the house, 
       eight hundred twenty-two; and Adaiah son of Jeroham son of Pelaliah 
       son of Amzi son of Zechariah son of Pashhur son of Malchijah,

       (Neh 11:13 NRSV)  and his associates, heads of ancestral houses, two 
       hundred forty-two; and Amashsai son of Azarel son of Ahzai son of 
       Meshillemoth son of Immer,

       (Neh 11:14 NRSV)  and their associates, valiant warriors, one hundred 
       twenty-eight; their overseer was Zabdiel son of Haggedolim.

       (Neh 11:15 NRSV)  And of the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub son of 
       Azrikam son of Hashabiah son of Bunni;

       (Neh 11:16 NRSV)  and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the leaders of the 
       Levites, who were over the outside work of the house of God;

       (Neh 11:17 NRSV)  and Mattaniah son of Mica son of Zabdi son of Asaph, 
       who was the leader to begin the thanksgiving in prayer, and Bakbukiah, 
       the second among his associates; and Abda son of Shammua son of Galal 
       son of Jeduthun.

       (Neh 11:18 NRSV)  All the Levites in the holy city were two hundred 
       eighty-four.

       (Neh 11:19 NRSV)  The gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon and their associates, 
       who kept watch at the gates, were one hundred seventy-two.

       (Neh 11:20 NRSV)  And the rest of Israel, and of the priests and the 
       Levites, were in all the towns of Judah, all of them in their 
       inheritance.

       (Neh 11:21 NRSV)  But the temple servants lived on Ophel; and Ziha and 
       Gishpa were over the temple servants.

       (Neh 11:22 NRSV)  The overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi 
       son of Bani son of Hashabiah son of Mattaniah son of Mica, of the 
       descendants of Asaph, the singers, in charge of the work of the house 
       of God.





       (Neh 11:23 NRSV)  For there was a command from the king concerning 
       them, and a settled provision for the singers, as was required every 
       day.

       (Neh 11:24 NRSV)  And Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, of the descendants 
       of Zerah son of Judah, was at the king's hand in all matters 
       concerning the people.

       (Neh 11:25 NRSV)  And as for the villages, with their fields, some of 
       the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba and its villages, and in 
       Dibon and its villages, and in Jekabzeel and its villages,

       (Neh 11:26 NRSV)  and in Jeshua and in Moladah and Beth-pelet,

       (Neh 11:27 NRSV)  in Hazar-shual, in Beer-sheba and its villages,

       (Neh 11:28 NRSV)  in Ziklag, in Meconah and its villages,

       (Neh 11:29 NRSV)  in En-rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth,

       (Neh 11:30 NRSV)  Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its 
       fields, and Azekah and its villages. So they camped from Beer-sheba to 
       the valley of Hinnom.

       (Neh 11:31 NRSV)  The people of Benjamin also lived from Geba onward, 
       at Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its villages,

       (Neh 11:32 NRSV)  Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,

       (Neh 11:33 NRSV)  Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,

       (Neh 11:34 NRSV)  Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,

       (Neh 11:35 NRSV)  Lod, and Ono, the valley of artisans.

       (Neh 11:36 NRSV)  And certain divisions of the Levites in Judah were 
       joined to Benjamin.

       (Neh 12:1 NRSV)  These are the priests and the Levites who came up 
       with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

       (Neh 12:2 NRSV)  Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

       (Neh 12:3 NRSV)  Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

       (Neh 12:4 NRSV)  Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,

       (Neh 12:5 NRSV)  Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

       (Neh 12:6 NRSV)  Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,

       (Neh 12:7 NRSV)  Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the leaders 
       of the priests and of their associates in the days of Jeshua.

       (Neh 12:8 NRSV)  And the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, 
       Judah, and Mattaniah, who with his associates was in charge of the 





       songs of thanksgiving.

       (Neh 12:9 NRSV)  And Bakbukiah and Unno their associates stood 
       opposite them in the service.

       (Neh 12:10 NRSV)  Jeshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim the father 
       of Eliashib, Eliashib the father of Joiada,

       (Neh 12:11 NRSV)  Joiada the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan the 
       father of Jaddua.

       (Neh 12:12 NRSV)  In the days of Joiakim the priests, heads of 
       ancestral houses, were: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;

       (Neh 12:13 NRSV)  of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;

       (Neh 12:14 NRSV)  of Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;

       (Neh 12:15 NRSV)  of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;

       (Neh 12:16 NRSV)  of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

       (Neh 12:17 NRSV)  of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;

       (Neh 12:18 NRSV)  of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;

       (Neh 12:19 NRSV)  of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

       (Neh 12:20 NRSV)  of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;

       (Neh 12:21 NRSV)  of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

       (Neh 12:22 NRSV)  As for the Levites, in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, 
       Johanan, and Jaddua, there were recorded the heads of ancestral 
       houses; also the priests until the reign of Darius the Persian.

       (Neh 12:23 NRSV)  The Levites, heads of ancestral houses, were 
       recorded in the Book of the Annals until the days of Johanan son of 
       Eliashib.

       (Neh 12:24 NRSV)  And the leaders of the Levites: Hashabiah, 
       Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, with their associates over 
       against them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the 
       commandment of David the man of God, section opposite to section.

       (Neh 12:25 NRSV)  Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, 
       and Akkub were gatekeepers standing guard at the storehouses of the 
       gates.

       (Neh 12:26 NRSV)  These were in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua son 
       of Jozadak, and in the days of the governor Nehemiah and of the priest 
       Ezra, the scribe.

       (Neh 12:27 NRSV)  Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they 
       sought out the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem 
       to celebrate the dedication with rejoicing, with thanksgivings and 





       with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres.

       (Neh 12:28 NRSV)  The companies of the singers gathered together from 
       the circuit around Jerusalem and from the villages of the 
       Netophathites;

       (Neh 12:29 NRSV)  also from Beth-gilgal and from the region of Geba 
       and Azmaveth; for the singers had built for themselves villages around 
       Jerusalem.

       (Neh 12:30 NRSV)  And the priests and the Levites purified themselves; 
       and they purified the people and the gates and the wall.

       (Neh 12:31 NRSV)  Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the 
       wall, and appointed two great companies that gave thanks and went in 
       procession. One went to the right on the wall to the Dung Gate;

       (Neh 12:32 NRSV)  and after them went Hoshaiah and half the officials 
       of Judah,

       (Neh 12:33 NRSV)  and Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,

       (Neh 12:34 NRSV)  Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,

       (Neh 12:35 NRSV)  and some of the young priests with trumpets: 
       Zechariah son of Jonathan son of Shemaiah son of Mattaniah son of 
       Micaiah son of Zaccur son of Asaph;

       (Neh 12:36 NRSV)  and his kindred, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, 
       Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of 
       David the man of God; and the scribe Ezra went in front of them.

       (Neh 12:37 NRSV)  At the Fountain Gate, in front of them, they went 
       straight up by the stairs of the city of David, at the ascent of the 
       wall, above the house of David, to the Water Gate on the east.

       (Neh 12:38 NRSV)  The other company of those who gave thanks went to 
       the left, and I followed them with half of the people on the wall, 
       above the Tower of the Ovens, to the Broad Wall,

       (Neh 12:39 NRSV)  and above the Gate of Ephraim, and by the Old Gate, 
       and by the Fish Gate and the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the 
       Hundred, to the Sheep Gate; and they came to a halt at the Gate of the 
       Guard.

       (Neh 12:40 NRSV)  So both companies of those who gave thanks stood in 
       the house of God, and I and half of the officials with me;

       (Neh 12:41 NRSV)  and the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, 
       Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets;

       (Neh 12:42 NRSV)  and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, 
       Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang with Jezrahiah as 
       their leader.

       (Neh 12:43 NRSV)  They offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, 





       for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children 
       also rejoiced. The joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.

       (Neh 12:44 NRSV)  On that day men were appointed over the chambers for 
       the stores, the contributions, the first fruits, and the tithes, to 
       gather into them the portions required by the law for the priests and 
       for the Levites from the fields belonging to the towns; for Judah 
       rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who ministered.

       (Neh 12:45 NRSV)  They performed the service of their God and the 
       service of purification, as did the singers and the gatekeepers, 
       according to the command of David and his son Solomon.

       (Neh 12:46 NRSV)  For in the days of David and Asaph long ago there 
       was a leader of the singers, and there were songs of praise and 
       thanksgiving to God.

       (Neh 12:47 NRSV)  In the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of 
       Nehemiah all Israel gave the daily portions for the singers and the 
       gatekeepers. They set apart that which was for the Levites; and the 
       Levites set apart that which was for the descendants of Aaron.

       (Neh 13:1 NRSV)  On that day they read from the book of Moses in the 
       hearing of the people; and in it was found written that no Ammonite or 
       Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God,

       (Neh 13:2 NRSV)  because they did not meet the Israelites with bread 
       and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them--yet our God 
       turned the curse into a blessing.

       (Neh 13:3 NRSV)  When the people heard the law, they separated from 
       Israel all those of foreign descent.

       (Neh 13:4 NRSV)  Now before this, the priest Eliashib, who was 
       appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and who was 
       related to Tobiah,

       (Neh 13:5 NRSV)  prepared for Tobiah a large room where they had 
       previously put the grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and 
       the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, which were given by commandment to 
       the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the 
       priests.

       (Neh 13:6 NRSV)  While this was taking place I was not in Jerusalem, 
       for in the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes of Babylon I went to 
       the king. After some time I asked leave of the king

       (Neh 13:7 NRSV)  and returned to Jerusalem. I then discovered the 
       wrong that Eliashib had done on behalf of Tobiah, preparing a room for 
       him in the courts of the house of God.

       (Neh 13:8 NRSV)  And I was very angry, and I threw all the household 
       furniture of Tobiah out of the room.

       (Neh 13:9 NRSV)  Then I gave orders and they cleansed the chambers, 
       and I brought back the vessels of the house of God, with the grain 





       offering and the frankincense.

       (Neh 13:10 NRSV)  I also found out that the portions of the Levites 
       had not been given to them; so that the Levites and the singers, who 
       had conducted the service, had gone back to their fields.

       (Neh 13:11 NRSV)  So I remonstrated with the officials and said, "Why 
       is the house of God forsaken?" And I gathered them together and set 
       them in their stations.

       (Neh 13:12 NRSV)  Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, wine, 
       and oil into the storehouses.

       (Neh 13:13 NRSV)  And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouses 
       the priest Shelemiah, the scribe Zadok, and Pedaiah of the Levites, 
       and as their assistant Hanan son of Zaccur son of Mattaniah, for they 
       were considered faithful; and their duty was to distribute to their 
       associates.

       (Neh 13:14 NRSV)  Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not 
       wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and 
       for his service.

       (Neh 13:15 NRSV)  In those days I saw in Judah people treading wine 
       presses on the sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading 
       them on donkeys; and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of 
       burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day; and I 
       warned them at that time against selling food.

       (Neh 13:16 NRSV)  Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish 
       and all kinds of merchandise and sold them on the sabbath to the 
       people of Judah, and in Jerusalem.

       (Neh 13:17 NRSV)  Then I remonstrated with the nobles of Judah and 
       said to them, "What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning 
       the sabbath day?

       (Neh 13:18 NRSV)  Did not your ancestors act in this way, and did not 
       our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring 
       more wrath on Israel by profaning the sabbath."

       (Neh 13:19 NRSV)  When it began to be dark at the gates of Jerusalem 
       before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave 
       orders that they should not be opened until after the sabbath. And I 
       set some of my servants over the gates, to prevent any burden from 
       being brought in on the sabbath day.

       (Neh 13:20 NRSV)  Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of 
       merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem once or twice.

       (Neh 13:21 NRSV)  But I warned them and said to them, "Why do you 
       spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will lay 
       hands on you." From that time on they did not come on the sabbath.

       (Neh 13:22 NRSV)  And I commanded the Levites that they should purify 
       themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the sabbath day holy. 





       Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to 
       the greatness of your steadfast love.

       (Neh 13:23 NRSV)  In those days also I saw Jews who had married women 
       of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab;

       (Neh 13:24 NRSV)  and half of their children spoke the language of 
       Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke the 
       language of various peoples.

       (Neh 13:25 NRSV)  And I contended with them and cursed them and beat 
       some of them and pulled out their hair; and I made them take an oath 
       in the name of God, saying, "You shall not give your daughters to 
       their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.

       (Neh 13:26 NRSV)  Did not King Solomon of Israel sin on account of 
       such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he 
       was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; 
       nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin.

       (Neh 13:27 NRSV)  Shall we then listen to you and do all this great 
       evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?"

       (Neh 13:28 NRSV)  And one of the sons of Jehoiada, son of the high 
       priest Eliashib, was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite; I 
       chased him away from me.

       (Neh 13:29 NRSV)  Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled 
       the priesthood, the covenant of the priests and the Levites.

       (Neh 13:30 NRSV)  Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I 
       established the duties of the priests and Levites, each in his work;

       (Neh 13:31 NRSV)  and I provided for the wood offering, at appointed 
       times, and for the first fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.

       (Est 1:1 NRSV)  This happened in the days of Ahasuerus, the same 
       Ahasuerus who ruled over one hundred twenty-seven provinces from India 
       to Ethiopia.

       (Est 1:2 NRSV)  In those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal 
       throne in the citadel of Susa,

       (Est 1:3 NRSV)  in the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for 
       all his officials and ministers. The army of Persia and Media and the 
       nobles and governors of the provinces were present,

       (Est 1:4 NRSV)  while he displayed the great wealth of his kingdom and 
       the splendor and pomp of his majesty for many days, one hundred eighty 
       days in all.

       (Est 1:5 NRSV)  When these days were completed, the king gave for all 
       the people present in the citadel of Susa, both great and small, a 
       banquet lasting for seven days, in the court of the garden of the 
       king's palace.





       (Est 1:6 NRSV)  There were white cotton curtains and blue hangings 
       tied with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and marble 
       pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of 
       porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and colored stones.

       (Est 1:7 NRSV)  Drinks were served in golden goblets, goblets of 
       different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the 
       bounty of the king.

       (Est 1:8 NRSV)  Drinking was by flagons, without restraint; for the 
       king had given orders to all the officials of his palace to do as each 
       one desired.

       (Est 1:9 NRSV)  Furthermore, Queen Vashti gave a banquet for the women 
       in the palace of King Ahasuerus.

       (Est 1:10 NRSV)  On the seventh day, when the king was merry with 
       wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, 
       Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who attended him,

       (Est 1:11 NRSV)  to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing the 
       royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the officials her 
       beauty; for she was fair to behold.

       (Est 1:12 NRSV)  But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's 
       command conveyed by the eunuchs. At this the king was enraged, and his 
       anger burned within him.

       (Est 1:13 NRSV)  Then the king consulted the sages who knew the laws 
       (for this was the king's procedure toward all who were versed in law 
       and custom,

       (Est 1:14 NRSV)  and those next to him were Carshena, Shethar, 
       Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven officials of 
       Persia and Media, who had access to the king, and sat first in the 
       kingdom):

       (Est 1:15 NRSV)  "According to the law, what is to be done to Queen 
       Vashti because she has not performed the command of King Ahasuerus 
       conveyed by the eunuchs?"

       (Est 1:16 NRSV)  Then Memucan said in the presence of the king and the 
       officials, "Not only has Queen Vashti done wrong to the king, but also 
       to all the officials and all the peoples who are in all the provinces 
       of King Ahasuerus.

       (Est 1:17 NRSV)  For this deed of the queen will be made known to all 
       women, causing them to look with contempt on their husbands, since 
       they will say, 'King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought 
       before him, and she did not come.'

       (Est 1:18 NRSV)  This very day the noble ladies of Persia and Media 
       who have heard of the queen's behavior will rebel against the king's 
       officials, and there will be no end of contempt and wrath!

       (Est 1:19 NRSV)  If it pleases the king, let a royal order go out from 





       him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the 
       Medes so that it may not be altered, that Vashti is never again to 
       come before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position 
       to another who is better than she.

       (Est 1:20 NRSV)  So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed 
       throughout all his kingdom, vast as it is, all women will give honor 
       to their husbands, high and low alike."

       (Est 1:21 NRSV)  This advice pleased the king and the officials, and 
       the king did as Memucan proposed;

       (Est 1:22 NRSV)  he sent letters to all the royal provinces, to every 
       province in its own script and to every people in its own language, 
       declaring that every man should be master in his own house.

       (Est 2:1 NRSV)  After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus 
       had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had 
       been decreed against her.

       (Est 2:2 NRSV)  Then the king's servants who attended him said, "Let 
       beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king.

       (Est 2:3 NRSV)  And let the king appoint commissioners in all the 
       provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to 
       the harem in the citadel of Susa under custody of Hegai, the king's 
       eunuch, who is in charge of the women; let their cosmetic treatments 
       be given them.

       (Est 2:4 NRSV)  And let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead 
       of Vashti." This pleased the king, and he did so.

       (Est 2:5 NRSV)  Now there was a Jew in the citadel of Susa whose name 
       was Mordecai son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish, a Benjaminite.

       (Est 2:6 NRSV)  Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem among the 
       captives carried away with King Jeconiah of Judah, whom King 
       Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had carried away.

       (Est 2:7 NRSV)  Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is Esther, his 
       cousin, for she had neither father nor mother; the girl was fair and 
       beautiful, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai adopted 
       her as his own daughter.

       (Est 2:8 NRSV)  So when the king's order and his edict were 
       proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in the citadel of 
       Susa in custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king's palace 
       and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women.

       (Est 2:9 NRSV)  The girl pleased him and won his favor, and he quickly 
       provided her with her cosmetic treatments and her portion of food, and 
       with seven chosen maids from the king's palace, and advanced her and 
       her maids to the best place in the harem.

       (Est 2:10 NRSV)  Esther did not reveal her people or kindred, for 
       Mordecai had charged her not to tell.






       (Est 2:11 NRSV)  Every day Mordecai would walk around in front of the 
       court of the harem, to learn how Esther was and how she fared.

       (Est 2:12 NRSV)  The turn came for each girl to go in to King 
       Ahasuerus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the 
       women, since this was the regular period of their cosmetic treatment, 
       six months with oil of myrrh and six months with perfumes and 
       cosmetics for women.

       (Est 2:13 NRSV)  When the girl went in to the king she was given 
       whatever she asked for to take with her from the harem to the king's 
       palace.

       (Est 2:14 NRSV)  In the evening she went in; then in the morning she 
       came back to the second harem in custody of Shaashgaz, the king's 
       eunuch, who was in charge of the concubines; she did not go in to the 
       king again, unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by 
       name.

       (Est 2:15 NRSV)  When the turn came for Esther daughter of Abihail the 
       uncle of Mordecai, who had adopted her as his own daughter, to go in 
       to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king's 
       eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther was admired 
       by all who saw her.

       (Est 2:16 NRSV)  When Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus in his royal 
       palace in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the 
       seventh year of his reign,

       (Est 2:17 NRSV)  the king loved Esther more than all the other women; 
       of all the virgins she won his favor and devotion, so that he set the 
       royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.

       (Est 2:18 NRSV)  Then the king gave a great banquet to all his 
       officials and ministers--" Esther's banquet." He also granted a 
       holiday to the provinces, and gave gifts with royal liberality.

       (Est 2:19 NRSV)  When the virgins were being gathered together, 
       Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate.

       (Est 2:20 NRSV)  Now Esther had not revealed her kindred or her 
       people, as Mordecai had charged her; for Esther obeyed Mordecai just 
       as when she was brought up by him.

       (Est 2:21 NRSV)  In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the 
       king's gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, who 
       guarded the threshold, became angry and conspired to assassinate King 
       Ahasuerus.

       (Est 2:22 NRSV)  But the matter came to the knowledge of Mordecai, and 
       he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of 
       Mordecai.

       (Est 2:23 NRSV)  When the affair was investigated and found to be so, 
       both the men were hanged on the gallows. It was recorded in the book 





       of the annals in the presence of the king.

       (Est 3:1 NRSV)  After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman son 
       of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and set his seat above all 
       the officials who were with him.

       (Est 3:2 NRSV)  And all the king's servants who were at the king's 
       gate bowed down and did obeisance to Haman; for the king had so 
       commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or do 
       obeisance.

       (Est 3:3 NRSV)  Then the king's servants who were at the king's gate 
       said to Mordecai, "Why do you disobey the king's command?"

       (Est 3:4 NRSV)  When they spoke to him day after day and he would not 
       listen to them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai's 
       words would avail; for he had told them that he was a Jew.

       (Est 3:5 NRSV)  When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down or do 
       obeisance to him, Haman was infuriated.

       (Est 3:6 NRSV)  But he thought it beneath him to lay hands on Mordecai 
       alone. So, having been told who Mordecai's people were, Haman plotted 
       to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole 
       kingdom of Ahasuerus.

       (Est 3:7 NRSV)  In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in 
       the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur--which means "the 
       lot"--before Haman for the day and for the month, and the lot fell on 
       the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.

       (Est 3:8 NRSV)  Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, "There is a certain 
       people scattered and separated among the peoples in all the provinces 
       of your kingdom; their laws are different from those of every other 
       people, and they do not keep the king's laws, so that it is not 
       appropriate for the king to tolerate them.

       (Est 3:9 NRSV)  If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued for 
       their destruction, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into 
       the hands of those who have charge of the king's business, so that 
       they may put it into the king's treasuries."

       (Est 3:10 NRSV)  So the king took his signet ring from his hand and 
       gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.

       (Est 3:11 NRSV)  The king said to Haman, "The money is given to you, 
       and the people as well, to do with them as it seems good to you."

       (Est 3:12 NRSV)  Then the king's secretaries were summoned on the 
       thirteenth day of the first month, and an edict, according to all that 
       Haman commanded, was written to the king's satraps and to the 
       governors over all the provinces and to the officials of all the 
       peoples, to every province in its own script and every people in its 
       own language; it was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed 
       with the king's ring.





       (Est 3:13 NRSV)  Letters were sent by couriers to all the king's 
       provinces, giving orders to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all 
       Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth 
       day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder 
       their goods.

       (Est 3:14 NRSV)  A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree 
       in every province by proclamation, calling on all the peoples to be 
       ready for that day.

       (Est 3:15 NRSV)  The couriers went quickly by order of the king, and 
       the decree was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat 
       down to drink; but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.

       (Est 4:1 NRSV)  When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai 
       tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went through the 
       city, wailing with a loud and bitter cry;

       (Est 4:2 NRSV)  he went up to the entrance of the king's gate, for no 
       one might enter the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.

       (Est 4:3 NRSV)  In every province, wherever the king's command and his 
       decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and 
       weeping and lamenting, and most of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.

       (Est 4:4 NRSV)  When Esther's maids and her eunuchs came and told her, 
       the queen was deeply distressed; she sent garments to clothe Mordecai, 
       so that he might take off his sackcloth; but he would not accept them.

       (Est 4:5 NRSV)  Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king's 
       eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go 
       to Mordecai to learn what was happening and why.

       (Est 4:6 NRSV)  Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the 
       city in front of the king's gate,

       (Est 4:7 NRSV)  and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, 
       and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the 
       king's treasuries for the destruction of the Jews.

       (Est 4:8 NRSV)  Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree 
       issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther, 
       explain it to her, and charge her to go to the king to make 
       supplication to him and entreat him for her people.

       (Est 4:9 NRSV)  Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said.

       (Est 4:10 NRSV)  Then Esther spoke to Hathach and gave him a message 
       for Mordecai, saying,

       (Est 4:11 NRSV)  "All the king's servants and the people of the king's 
       provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the 
       inner court without being called, there is but one law--all alike are 
       to be put to death. Only if the king holds out the golden scepter to 
       someone, may that person live. I myself have not been called to come 
       in to the king for thirty days."






       (Est 4:12 NRSV)  When they told Mordecai what Esther had said,

       (Est 4:13 NRSV)  Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "Do not think 
       that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other 
       Jews.

       (Est 4:14 NRSV)  For if you keep silence at such a time as this, 
       relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, 
       but you and your father's family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you 
       have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this."

       (Est 4:15 NRSV)  Then Esther said in reply to Mordecai,

       (Est 4:16 NRSV)  "Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and 
       hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, 
       night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do. After that I 
       will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I 
       perish."

       (Est 4:17 NRSV)  Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther 
       had ordered him.

       (Est 5:1 NRSV)  On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and 
       stood in the inner court of the king's palace, opposite the king's 
       hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne inside the palace 
       opposite the entrance to the palace.

       (Est 5:2 NRSV)  As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the 
       court, she won his favor and he held out to her the golden scepter 
       that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the top of 
       the scepter.

       (Est 5:3 NRSV)  The king said to her, "What is it, Queen Esther? What 
       is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my 
       kingdom."

       (Est 5:4 NRSV)  Then Esther said, "If it pleases the king, let the 
       king and Haman come today to a banquet that I have prepared for the 
       king."

       (Est 5:5 NRSV)  Then the king said, "Bring Haman quickly, so that we 
       may do as Esther desires." So the king and Haman came to the banquet 
       that Esther had prepared.

       (Est 5:6 NRSV)  While they were drinking wine, the king said to 
       Esther, "What is your petition? It shall be granted you. And what is 
       your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled."

       (Est 5:7 NRSV)  Then Esther said, "This is my petition and request:

       (Est 5:8 NRSV)  If I have won the king's favor, and if it pleases the 
       king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and 
       Haman come tomorrow to the banquet that I will prepare for them, and 
       then I will do as the king has said."





       (Est 5:9 NRSV)  Haman went out that day happy and in good spirits. But 
       when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, and observed that he 
       neither rose nor trembled before him, he was infuriated with Mordecai;

       (Est 5:10 NRSV)  nevertheless Haman restrained himself and went home. 
       Then he sent and called for his friends and his wife Zeresh,

       (Est 5:11 NRSV)  and Haman recounted to them the splendor of his 
       riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king 
       had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and 
       the ministers of the king.

       (Est 5:12 NRSV)  Haman added, "Even Queen Esther let no one but myself 
       come with the king to the banquet that she prepared. Tomorrow also I 
       am invited by her, together with the king.

       (Est 5:13 NRSV)  Yet all this does me no good so long as I see the Jew 
       Mordecai sitting at the king's gate."

       (Est 5:14 NRSV)  Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, 
       "Let a gallows fifty cubits high be made, and in the morning tell the 
       king to have Mordecai hanged on it; then go with the king to the 
       banquet in good spirits." This advice pleased Haman, and he had the 
       gallows made.

       (Est 6:1 NRSV)  On that night the king could not sleep, and he gave 
       orders to bring the book of records, the annals, and they were read to 
       the king.

       (Est 6:2 NRSV)  It was found written how Mordecai had told about 
       Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, who guarded the 
       threshold, and who had conspired to assassinate King Ahasuerus.

       (Est 6:3 NRSV)  Then the king said, "What honor or distinction has 
       been bestowed on Mordecai for this?" The king's servants who attended 
       him said, "Nothing has been done for him."

       (Est 6:4 NRSV)  The king said, "Who is in the court?" Now Haman had 
       just entered the outer court of the king's palace to speak to the king 
       about having Mordecai hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for 
       him.

       (Est 6:5 NRSV)  So the king's servants told him, "Haman is there, 
       standing in the court." The king said, "Let him come in."

       (Est 6:6 NRSV)  So Haman came in, and the king said to him, "What 
       shall be done for the man whom the king wishes to honor?" Haman said 
       to himself, "Whom would the king wish to honor more than me?"

       (Est 6:7 NRSV)  So Haman said to the king, "For the man whom the king 
       wishes to honor,

       (Est 6:8 NRSV)  let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, 
       and a horse that the king has ridden, with a royal crown on its head.

       (Est 6:9 NRSV)  Let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of 





       the king's most noble officials; let him robe the man whom the king 
       wishes to honor, and let him conduct the man on horseback through the 
       open square of the city, proclaiming before him: 'Thus shall it be 
       done for the man whom the king wishes to honor.'"

       (Est 6:10 NRSV)  Then the king said to Haman, "Quickly, take the robes 
       and the horse, as you have said, and do so to the Jew Mordecai who 
       sits at the king's gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned."

       (Est 6:11 NRSV)  So Haman took the robes and the horse and robed 
       Mordecai and led him riding through the open square of the city, 
       proclaiming, "Thus shall it be done for the man whom the king wishes 
       to honor."

       (Est 6:12 NRSV)  Then Mordecai returned to the king's gate, but Haman 
       hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered.

       (Est 6:13 NRSV)  When Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends 
       everything that had happened to him, his advisers and his wife Zeresh 
       said to him, "If Mordecai, before whom your downfall has begun, is of 
       the Jewish people, you will not prevail against him, but will surely 
       fall before him."

       (Est 6:14 NRSV)  While they were still talking with him, the king's 
       eunuchs arrived and hurried Haman off to the banquet that Esther had 
       prepared.

       (Est 7:1 NRSV)  So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen 
       Esther.

       (Est 7:2 NRSV)  On the second day, as they were drinking wine, the 
       king again said to Esther, "What is your petition, Queen Esther? It 
       shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my 
       kingdom, it shall be fulfilled."

       (Est 7:3 NRSV)  Then Queen Esther answered, "If I have won your favor, 
       O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me--that is 
       my petition--and the lives of my people--that is my request.

       (Est 7:4 NRSV)  For we have been sold, I and my people, to be 
       destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold 
       merely as slaves, men and women, I would have held my peace; but no 
       enemy can compensate for this damage to the king."

       (Est 7:5 NRSV)  Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, "Who is he, 
       and where is he, who has presumed to do this?"

       (Est 7:6 NRSV)  Esther said, "A foe and enemy, this wicked Haman!" 
       Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.

       (Est 7:7 NRSV)  The king rose from the feast in wrath and went into 
       the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg his life from Queen Esther, 
       for he saw that the king had determined to destroy him.

       (Est 7:8 NRSV)  When the king returned from the palace garden to the 
       banquet hall, Haman had thrown himself on the couch where Esther was 





       reclining; and the king said, "Will he even assault the queen in my 
       presence, in my own house?" As the words left the mouth of the king, 
       they covered Haman's face.

       (Est 7:9 NRSV)  Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the 
       king, said, "Look, the very gallows that Haman has prepared for 
       Mordecai, whose word saved the king, stands at Haman's house, fifty 
       cubits high." And the king said, "Hang him on that."

       (Est 7:10 NRSV)  So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had 
       prepared for Mordecai. Then the anger of the king abated.

       (Est 8:1 NRSV)  On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the 
       house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews; and Mordecai came before the 
       king, for Esther had told what he was to her.

       (Est 8:2 NRSV)  Then the king took off his signet ring, which he had 
       taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. So Esther set Mordecai over 
       the house of Haman.

       (Est 8:3 NRSV)  Then Esther spoke again to the king; she fell at his 
       feet, weeping and pleading with him to avert the evil design of Haman 
       the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews.

       (Est 8:4 NRSV)  The king held out the golden scepter to Esther,

       (Est 8:5 NRSV)  and Esther rose and stood before the king. She said, 
       "If it pleases the king, and if I have won his favor, and if the thing 
       seems right before the king, and I have his approval, let an order be 
       written to revoke the letters devised by Haman son of Hammedatha the 
       Agagite, which he wrote giving orders to destroy the Jews who are in 
       all the provinces of the king.

       (Est 8:6 NRSV)  For how can I bear to see the calamity that is coming 
       on my people? Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?"

       (Est 8:7 NRSV)  Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to the 
       Jew Mordecai, "See, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they 
       have hanged him on the gallows, because he plotted to lay hands on the 
       Jews.

       (Est 8:8 NRSV)  You may write as you please with regard to the Jews, 
       in the name of the king, and seal it with the king's ring; for an 
       edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king's ring 
       cannot be revoked."

       (Est 8:9 NRSV)  The king's secretaries were summoned at that time, in 
       the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day; 
       and an edict was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded, to 
       the Jews and to the satraps and the governors and the officials of the 
       provinces from India to Ethiopia, one hundred twenty-seven provinces, 
       to every province in its own script and to every people in its own 
       language, and also to the Jews in their script and their language.

       (Est 8:10 NRSV)  He wrote letters in the name of King Ahasuerus, 
       sealed them with the king's ring, and sent them by mounted couriers 





       riding on fast steeds bred from the royal herd.

       (Est 8:11 NRSV)  By these letters the king allowed the Jews who were 
       in every city to assemble and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, 
       and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might 
       attack them, with their children and women, and to plunder their goods

       (Est 8:12 NRSV)  on a single day throughout all the provinces of King 
       Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the 
       month of Adar.

       (Est 8:13 NRSV)  A copy of the writ was to be issued as a decree in 
       every province and published to all peoples, and the Jews were to be 
       ready on that day to take revenge on their enemies.

       (Est 8:14 NRSV)  So the couriers, mounted on their swift royal steeds, 
       hurried out, urged by the king's command. The decree was issued in the 
       citadel of Susa.

       (Est 8:15 NRSV)  Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king, 
       wearing royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a 
       mantle of fine linen and purple, while the city of Susa shouted and 
       rejoiced.

       (Est 8:16 NRSV)  For the Jews there was light and gladness, joy and 
       honor.

       (Est 8:17 NRSV)  In every province and in every city, wherever the 
       king's command and his edict came, there was gladness and joy among 
       the Jews, a festival and a holiday. Furthermore, many of the peoples 
       of the country professed to be Jews, because the fear of the Jews had 
       fallen upon them.

       (Est 9:1 NRSV)  Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, 
       on the thirteenth day, when the king's command and edict were about to 
       be executed, on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to 
       gain power over them, but which had been changed to a day when the 
       Jews would gain power over their foes,

       (Est 9:2 NRSV)  the Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the 
       provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who had sought their 
       ruin; and no one could withstand them, because the fear of them had 
       fallen upon all peoples.

       (Est 9:3 NRSV)  All the officials of the provinces, the satraps and 
       the governors, and the royal officials were supporting the Jews, 
       because the fear of Mordecai had fallen upon them.

       (Est 9:4 NRSV)  For Mordecai was powerful in the king's house, and his 
       fame spread throughout all the provinces as the man Mordecai grew more 
       and more powerful.

       (Est 9:5 NRSV)  So the Jews struck down all their enemies with the 
       sword, slaughtering, and destroying them, and did as they pleased to 
       those who hated them.





       (Est 9:6 NRSV)  In the citadel of Susa the Jews killed and destroyed 
       five hundred people.

       (Est 9:7 NRSV)  They killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,

       (Est 9:8 NRSV)  Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,

       (Est 9:9 NRSV)  Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, Vaizatha,

       (Est 9:10 NRSV)  the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of 
       the Jews; but they did not touch the plunder.

       (Est 9:11 NRSV)  That very day the number of those killed in the 
       citadel of Susa was reported to the king.

       (Est 9:12 NRSV)  The king said to Queen Esther, "In the citadel of 
       Susa the Jews have killed five hundred people and also the ten sons of 
       Haman. What have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? Now 
       what is your petition? It shall be granted you. And what further is 
       your request? It shall be fulfilled."

       (Est 9:13 NRSV)  Esther said, "If it pleases the king, let the Jews 
       who are in Susa be allowed tomorrow also to do according to this day's 
       edict, and let the ten sons of Haman be hanged on the gallows."

       (Est 9:14 NRSV)  So the king commanded this to be done; a decree was 
       issued in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hanged.

       (Est 9:15 NRSV)  The Jews who were in Susa gathered also on the 
       fourteenth day of the month of Adar and they killed three hundred 
       persons in Susa; but they did not touch the plunder.

       (Est 9:16 NRSV)  Now the other Jews who were in the king's provinces 
       also gathered to defend their lives, and gained relief from their 
       enemies, and killed seventy-five thousand of those who hated them; but 
       they laid no hands on the plunder.

       (Est 9:17 NRSV)  This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, 
       and on the fourteenth day they rested and made that a day of feasting 
       and gladness.

       (Est 9:18 NRSV)  But the Jews who were in Susa gathered on the 
       thirteenth day and on the fourteenth, and rested on the fifteenth day, 
       making that a day of feasting and gladness.

       (Est 9:19 NRSV)  Therefore the Jews of the villages, who live in the 
       open towns, hold the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day for 
       gladness and feasting, a holiday on which they send gifts of food to 
       one another.

       (Est 9:20 NRSV)  Mordecai recorded these things, and sent letters to 
       all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both 
       near and far,

       (Est 9:21 NRSV)  enjoining them that they should keep the fourteenth 
       day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same month, 





       year by year,

       (Est 9:22 NRSV)  as the days on which the Jews gained relief from 
       their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from 
       sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they 
       should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts 
       of food to one another and presents to the poor.

       (Est 9:23 NRSV)  So the Jews adopted as a custom what they had begun 
       to do, as Mordecai had written to them.

       (Est 9:24 NRSV)  Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all 
       the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast 
       Pur--that is "the lot"--to crush and destroy them;

       (Est 9:25 NRSV)  but when Esther came before the king, he gave orders 
       in writing that the wicked plot that he had devised against the Jews 
       should come upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be 
       hanged on the gallows.

       (Est 9:26 NRSV)  Therefore these days are called Purim, from the word 
       Pur. Thus because of all that was written in this letter, and of what 
       they had faced in this matter, and of what had happened to them,

       (Est 9:27 NRSV)  the Jews established and accepted as a custom for 
       themselves and their descendants and all who joined them, that without 
       fail they would continue to observe these two days every year, as it 
       was written and at the time appointed.

       (Est 9:28 NRSV)  These days should be remembered and kept throughout 
       every generation, in every family, province, and city; and these days 
       of Purim should never fall into disuse among the Jews, nor should the 
       commemoration of these days cease among their descendants.

       (Est 9:29 NRSV)  Queen Esther daughter of Abihail, along with the Jew 
       Mordecai, gave full written authority, confirming this second letter 
       about Purim.

       (Est 9:30 NRSV)  Letters were sent wishing peace and security to all 
       the Jews, to the one hundred twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of 
       Ahasuerus,

       (Est 9:31 NRSV)  and giving orders that these days of Purim should be 
       observed at their appointed seasons, as the Jew Mordecai and Queen 
       Esther enjoined on the Jews, just as they had laid down for themselves 
       and for their descendants regulations concerning their fasts and their 
       lamentations.

       (Est 9:32 NRSV)  The command of Queen Esther fixed these practices of 
       Purim, and it was recorded in writing.

       (Est 10:1 NRSV)  King Ahasuerus laid tribute on the land and on the 
       islands of the sea.

       (Est 10:2 NRSV)  All the acts of his power and might, and the full 
       account of the high honor of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, 





       are they not written in the annals of the kings of Media and Persia?

       (Est 10:3 NRSV)  For Mordecai the Jew was next in rank to King 
       Ahasuerus, and he was powerful among the Jews and popular with his 
       many kindred, for he sought the good of his people and interceded for 
       the welfare of all his descendants.

       (Job 1:1 NRSV)  There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was 
       Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned 
       away from evil.

       (Job 1:2 NRSV)  There were born to him seven sons and three daughters.

       (Job 1:3 NRSV)  He had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, 
       five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and very many 
       servants; so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the 
       east.

       (Job 1:4 NRSV)  His sons used to go and hold feasts in one another's 
       houses in turn; and they would send and invite their three sisters to 
       eat and drink with them.

       (Job 1:5 NRSV)  And when the feast days had run their course, Job 
       would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning 
       and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job 
       said, "It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their 
       hearts." This is what Job always did.

       (Job 1:6 NRSV)  One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves 
       before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.

       (Job 1:7 NRSV)  The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" 
       Satan answered the LORD, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from 
       walking up and down on it."

       (Job 1:8 NRSV)  The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my 
       servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and 
       upright man who fears God and turns away from evil."

       (Job 1:9 NRSV)  Then Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for 
       nothing?

       (Job 1:10 NRSV)  Have you not put a fence around him and his house and 
       all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his 
       hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.

       (Job 1:11 NRSV)  But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he 
       has, and he will curse you to your face."

       (Job 1:12 NRSV)  The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, all that he has 
       is in your power; only do not stretch out your hand against him!" So 
       Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

       (Job 1:13 NRSV)  One day when his sons and daughters were eating and 
       drinking wine in the eldest brother's house,





       (Job 1:14 NRSV)  a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were 
       plowing and the donkeys were feeding beside them,

       (Job 1:15 NRSV)  and the Sabeans fell on them and carried them off, 
       and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have 
       escaped to tell you."

       (Job 1:16 NRSV)  While he was still speaking, another came and said, 
       "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the 
       servants, and consumed them; I alone have escaped to tell you."

       (Job 1:17 NRSV)  While he was still speaking, another came and said, 
       "The Chaldeans formed three columns, made a raid on the camels and 
       carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; 
       I alone have escaped to tell you."

       (Job 1:18 NRSV)  While he was still speaking, another came and said, 
       "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest 
       brother's house,

       (Job 1:19 NRSV)  and suddenly a great wind came across the desert, 
       struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, 
       and they are dead; I alone have escaped to tell you."

       (Job 1:20 NRSV)  Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and 
       fell on the ground and worshiped.

       (Job 1:21 NRSV)  He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and 
       naked shall I return there; the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken 
       away; blessed be the name of the LORD."

       (Job 1:22 NRSV)  In all this Job did not sin or charge God with 
       wrongdoing.

       (Job 2:1 NRSV)  One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves 
       before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself 
       before the LORD.

       (Job 2:2 NRSV)  The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" 
       Satan answered the LORD, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from 
       walking up and down on it."

       (Job 2:3 NRSV)  The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my 
       servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and 
       upright man who fears God and turns away from evil. He still persists 
       in his integrity, although you incited me against him, to destroy him 
       for no reason."

       (Job 2:4 NRSV)  Then Satan answered the LORD, "Skin for skin! All that 
       people have they will give to save their lives.

       (Job 2:5 NRSV)  But stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and 
       his flesh, and he will curse you to your face."

       (Job 2:6 NRSV)  The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, he is in your 
       power; only spare his life."






       (Job 2:7 NRSV)  So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and 
       inflicted loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the 
       crown of his head.

       (Job 2:8 NRSV)  Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and 
       sat among the ashes.

       (Job 2:9 NRSV)  Then his wife said to him, "Do you still persist in 
       your integrity? Curse God, and die."

       (Job 2:10 NRSV)  But he said to her, "You speak as any foolish woman 
       would speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not 
       receive the bad?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

       (Job 2:11 NRSV)  Now when Job's three friends heard of all these 
       troubles that had come upon him, each of them set out from his 
       home--Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the 
       Naamathite. They met together to go and console and comfort him.

       (Job 2:12 NRSV)  When they saw him from a distance, they did not 
       recognize him, and they raised their voices and wept aloud; they tore 
       their robes and threw dust in the air upon their heads.

       (Job 2:13 NRSV)  They sat with him on the ground seven days and seven 
       nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his 
       suffering was very great.

       (Job 3:1 NRSV)  After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of 
       his birth.

       (Job 3:2 NRSV)  Job said:

       (Job 3:3 NRSV)  "Let the day perish in which I was born, and the night 
       that said, 'A man-child is conceived.'

       (Job 3:4 NRSV)  Let that day be darkness! May God above not seek it, 
       or light shine on it.

       (Job 3:5 NRSV)  Let gloom and deep darkness claim it. Let clouds 
       settle upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.

       (Job 3:6 NRSV)  That night--let thick darkness seize it! let it not 
       rejoice among the days of the year; let it not come into the number of 
       the months.

       (Job 3:7 NRSV)  Yes, let that night be barren; let no joyful cry be 
       heard in it.

       (Job 3:8 NRSV)  Let those curse it who curse the Sea, those who are 
       skilled to rouse up Leviathan.

       (Job 3:9 NRSV)  Let the stars of its dawn be dark; let it hope for 
       light, but have none; may it not see the eyelids of the morning--

       (Job 3:10 NRSV)  because it did not shut the doors of my mother's 





       womb, and hide trouble from my eyes.

       (Job 3:11 NRSV)  "Why did I not die at birth, come forth from the womb 
       and expire?

       (Job 3:12 NRSV)  Why were there knees to receive me, or breasts for me 
       to suck?

       (Job 3:13 NRSV)  Now I would be lying down and quiet; I would be 
       asleep; then I would be at rest

       (Job 3:14 NRSV)  with kings and counselors of the earth who rebuild 
       ruins for themselves,

       (Job 3:15 NRSV)  or with princes who have gold, who fill their houses 
       with silver.

       (Job 3:16 NRSV)  Or why was I not buried like a stillborn child, like 
       an infant that never sees the light?

       (Job 3:17 NRSV)  There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the 
       weary are at rest.

       (Job 3:18 NRSV)  There the prisoners are at ease together; they do not 
       hear the voice of the taskmaster.

       (Job 3:19 NRSV)  The small and the great are there, and the slaves are 
       free from their masters.

       (Job 3:20 NRSV)  "Why is light given to one in misery, and life to the 
       bitter in soul,

       (Job 3:21 NRSV)  who long for death, but it does not come, and dig for 
       it more than for hidden treasures;

       (Job 3:22 NRSV)  who rejoice exceedingly, and are glad when they find 
       the grave?

       (Job 3:23 NRSV)  Why is light given to one who cannot see the way, 
       whom God has fenced in?

       (Job 3:24 NRSV)  For my sighing comes like my bread, and my groanings 
       are poured out like water.

       (Job 3:25 NRSV)  Truly the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I 
       dread befalls me.

       (Job 3:26 NRSV)  I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest; but 
       trouble comes."

       (Job 4:1 NRSV)  Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:

       (Job 4:2 NRSV)  "If one ventures a word with you, will you be 
       offended? But who can keep from speaking?

       (Job 4:3 NRSV)  See, you have instructed many; you have strengthened 





       the weak hands.

       (Job 4:4 NRSV)  Your words have supported those who were stumbling, 
       and you have made firm the feeble knees.

       (Job 4:5 NRSV)  But now it has come to you, and you are impatient; it 
       touches you, and you are dismayed.

       (Job 4:6 NRSV)  Is not your fear of God your confidence, and the 
       integrity of your ways your hope?

       (Job 4:7 NRSV)  "Think now, who that was innocent ever perished? Or 
       where were the upright cut off?

       (Job 4:8 NRSV)  As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow 
       trouble reap the same.

       (Job 4:9 NRSV)  By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of 
       his anger they are consumed.

       (Job 4:10 NRSV)  The roar of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion, 
       and the teeth of the young lions are broken.

       (Job 4:11 NRSV)  The strong lion perishes for lack of prey, and the 
       whelps of the lioness are scattered.

       (Job 4:12 NRSV)  "Now a word came stealing to me, my ear received the 
       whisper of it.

       (Job 4:13 NRSV)  Amid thoughts from visions of the night, when deep 
       sleep falls on mortals,

       (Job 4:14 NRSV)  dread came upon me, and trembling, which made all my 
       bones shake.

       (Job 4:15 NRSV)  A spirit glided past my face; the hair of my flesh 
       bristled.

       (Job 4:16 NRSV)  It stood still, but I could not discern its 
       appearance. A form was before my eyes; there was silence, then I heard 
       a voice:

       (Job 4:17 NRSV)  'Can mortals be righteous before God? Can human 
       beings be pure before their Maker?

       (Job 4:18 NRSV)  Even in his servants he puts no trust, and his angels 
       he charges with error;

       (Job 4:19 NRSV)  how much more those who live in houses of clay, whose 
       foundation is in the dust, who are crushed like a moth.

       (Job 4:20 NRSV)  Between morning and evening they are destroyed; they 
       perish forever without any regarding it.

       (Job 4:21 NRSV)  Their tent-cord is plucked up within them, and they 
       die devoid of wisdom.'






       (Job 5:1 NRSV)  "Call now; is there anyone who will answer you? To 
       which of the holy ones will you turn?

       (Job 5:2 NRSV)  Surely vexation kills the fool, and jealousy slays the 
       simple.

       (Job 5:3 NRSV)  I have seen fools taking root, but suddenly I cursed 
       their dwelling.

       (Job 5:4 NRSV)  Their children are far from safety, they are crushed 
       in the gate, and there is no one to deliver them.

       (Job 5:5 NRSV)  The hungry eat their harvest, and they take it even 
       out of the thorns; and the thirsty pant after their wealth.

       (Job 5:6 NRSV)  For misery does not come from the earth, nor does 
       trouble sprout from the ground;

       (Job 5:7 NRSV)  but human beings are born to trouble just as sparks 
       fly upward.

       (Job 5:8 NRSV)  "As for me, I would seek God, and to God I would 
       commit my cause.

       (Job 5:9 NRSV)  He does great things and unsearchable, marvelous 
       things without number.

       (Job 5:10 NRSV)  He gives rain on the earth and sends waters on the 
       fields;

       (Job 5:11 NRSV)  he sets on high those who are lowly, and those who 
       mourn are lifted to safety.

       (Job 5:12 NRSV)  He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that 
       their hands achieve no success.

       (Job 5:13 NRSV)  He takes the wise in their own craftiness; and the 
       schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.

       (Job 5:14 NRSV)  They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope at 
       noonday as in the night.

       (Job 5:15 NRSV)  But he saves the needy from the sword of their mouth, 
       from the hand of the mighty.

       (Job 5:16 NRSV)  So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.

       (Job 5:17 NRSV)  "How happy is the one whom God reproves; therefore do 
       not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

       (Job 5:18 NRSV)  For he wounds, but he binds up; he strikes, but his 
       hands heal.

       (Job 5:19 NRSV)  He will deliver you from six troubles; in seven no 
       harm shall touch you.






       (Job 5:20 NRSV)  In famine he will redeem you from death, and in war 
       from the power of the sword.

       (Job 5:21 NRSV)  You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, 
       and shall not fear destruction when it comes.

       (Job 5:22 NRSV)  At destruction and famine you shall laugh, and shall 
       not fear the wild animals of the earth.

       (Job 5:23 NRSV)  For you shall be in league with the stones of the 
       field, and the wild animals shall be at peace with you.

       (Job 5:24 NRSV)  You shall know that your tent is safe, you shall 
       inspect your fold and miss nothing.

       (Job 5:25 NRSV)  You shall know that your descendants will be many, 
       and your offspring like the grass of the earth.

       (Job 5:26 NRSV)  You shall come to your grave in ripe old age, as a 
       shock of grain comes up to the threshing floor in its season.

       (Job 5:27 NRSV)  See, we have searched this out; it is true. Hear, and 
       know it for yourself."

       (Job 6:1 NRSV)  Then Job answered:

       (Job 6:2 NRSV)  "O that my vexation were weighed, and all my calamity 
       laid in the balances!

       (Job 6:3 NRSV)  For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea; 
       therefore my words have been rash.

       (Job 6:4 NRSV)  For the arrows of the Almighty are in me; my spirit 
       drinks their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me.

       (Job 6:5 NRSV)  Does the wild ass bray over its grass, or the ox low 
       over its fodder?

       (Job 6:6 NRSV)  Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt, or 
       is there any flavor in the juice of mallows?

       (Job 6:7 NRSV)  My appetite refuses to touch them; they are like food 
       that is loathsome to me.

       (Job 6:8 NRSV)  "O that I might have my request, and that God would 
       grant my desire;

       (Job 6:9 NRSV)  that it would please God to crush me, that he would 
       let loose his hand and cut me off!

       (Job 6:10 NRSV)  This would be my consolation; I would even exult in 
       unrelenting pain; for I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

       (Job 6:11 NRSV)  What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is 
       my end, that I should be patient?






       (Job 6:12 NRSV)  Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh 
       bronze?

       (Job 6:13 NRSV)  In truth I have no help in me, and any resource is 
       driven from me.

       (Job 6:14 NRSV)  "Those who withhold kindness from a friend forsake 
       the fear of the Almighty.

       (Job 6:15 NRSV)  My companions are treacherous like a torrent-bed, 
       like freshets that pass away,

       (Job 6:16 NRSV)  that run dark with ice, turbid with melting snow.

       (Job 6:17 NRSV)  In time of heat they disappear; when it is hot, they 
       vanish from their place.

       (Job 6:18 NRSV)  The caravans turn aside from their course; they go up 
       into the waste, and perish.

       (Job 6:19 NRSV)  The caravans of Tema look, the travelers of Sheba 
       hope.

       (Job 6:20 NRSV)  They are disappointed because they were confident; 
       they come there and are confounded.

       (Job 6:21 NRSV)  Such you have now become to me; you see my calamity, 
       and are afraid.

       (Job 6:22 NRSV)  Have I said, 'Make me a gift'? Or, 'From your wealth 
       offer a bribe for me'?

       (Job 6:23 NRSV)  Or, 'Save me from an opponent's hand'? Or, 'Ransom me 
       from the hand of oppressors'?

       (Job 6:24 NRSV)  "Teach me, and I will be silent; make me understand 
       how I have gone wrong.

       (Job 6:25 NRSV)  How forceful are honest words! But your reproof, what 
       does it reprove?

       (Job 6:26 NRSV)  Do you think that you can reprove words, as if the 
       speech of the desperate were wind?

       (Job 6:27 NRSV)  You would even cast lots over the orphan, and bargain 
       over your friend.

       (Job 6:28 NRSV)  "But now, be pleased to look at me; for I will not 
       lie to your face.

       (Job 6:29 NRSV)  Turn, I pray, let no wrong be done. Turn now, my 
       vindication is at stake.

       (Job 6:30 NRSV)  Is there any wrong on my tongue? Cannot my taste 
       discern calamity?






       (Job 7:1 NRSV)  "Do not human beings have a hard service on earth, and 
       are not their days like the days of a laborer?

       (Job 7:2 NRSV)  Like a slave who longs for the shadow, and like 
       laborers who look for their wages,

       (Job 7:3 NRSV)  so I am allotted months of emptiness, and nights of 
       misery are apportioned to me.

       (Job 7:4 NRSV)  When I lie down I say, 'When shall I rise?' But the 
       night is long, and I am full of tossing until dawn.

       (Job 7:5 NRSV)  My flesh is clothed with worms and dirt; my skin 
       hardens, then breaks out again.

       (Job 7:6 NRSV)  My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and come 
       to their end without hope.

       (Job 7:7 NRSV)  "Remember that my life is a breath; my eye will never 
       again see good.

       (Job 7:8 NRSV)  The eye that beholds me will see me no more; while 
       your eyes are upon me, I shall be gone.

       (Job 7:9 NRSV)  As the cloud fades and vanishes, so those who go down 
       to Sheol do not come up;

       (Job 7:10 NRSV)  they return no more to their houses, nor do their 
       places know them any more.

       (Job 7:11 NRSV)  "Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak 
       in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my 
       soul.

       (Job 7:12 NRSV)  Am I the Sea, or the Dragon, that you set a guard 
       over me?

       (Job 7:13 NRSV)  When I say, 'My bed will comfort me, my couch will 
       ease my complaint,'

       (Job 7:14 NRSV)  then you scare me with dreams and terrify me with 
       visions,

       (Job 7:15 NRSV)  so that I would choose strangling and death rather 
       than this body.

       (Job 7:16 NRSV)  I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Let me 
       alone, for my days are a breath.

       (Job 7:17 NRSV)  What are human beings, that you make so much of them, 
       that you set your mind on them,

       (Job 7:18 NRSV)  visit them every morning, test them every moment?

       (Job 7:19 NRSV)  Will you not look away from me for a while, let me 





       alone until I swallow my spittle?

       (Job 7:20 NRSV)  If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of 
       humanity? Why have you made me your target? Why have I become a burden 
       to you?

       (Job 7:21 NRSV)  Why do you not pardon my transgression and take away 
       my iniquity? For now I shall lie in the earth; you will seek me, but I 
       shall not be."

       (Job 8:1 NRSV)  Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:

       (Job 8:2 NRSV)  "How long will you say these things, and the words of 
       your mouth be a great wind?

       (Job 8:3 NRSV)  Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert 
       the right?

       (Job 8:4 NRSV)  If your children sinned against him, he delivered them 
       into the power of their transgression.

       (Job 8:5 NRSV)  If you will seek God and make supplication to the 
       Almighty,

       (Job 8:6 NRSV)  if you are pure and upright, surely then he will rouse 
       himself for you and restore to you your rightful place.

       (Job 8:7 NRSV)  Though your beginning was small, your latter days will 
       be very great.

       (Job 8:8 NRSV)  "For inquire now of bygone generations, and consider 
       what their ancestors have found;

       (Job 8:9 NRSV)  for we are but of yesterday, and we know nothing, for 
       our days on earth are but a shadow.

       (Job 8:10 NRSV)  Will they not teach you and tell you and utter words 
       out of their understanding?

       (Job 8:11 NRSV)  "Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Can reeds 
       flourish where there is no water?

       (Job 8:12 NRSV)  While yet in flower and not cut down, they wither 
       before any other plant.

       (Job 8:13 NRSV)  Such are the paths of all who forget God; the hope of 
       the godless shall perish.

       (Job 8:14 NRSV)  Their confidence is gossamer, a spider's house their 
       trust.

       (Job 8:15 NRSV)  If one leans against its house, it will not stand; if 
       one lays hold of it, it will not endure.

       (Job 8:16 NRSV)  The wicked thrive before the sun, and their shoots 
       spread over the garden.






       (Job 8:17 NRSV)  Their roots twine around the stoneheap; they live 
       among the rocks.

       (Job 8:18 NRSV)  If they are destroyed from their place, then it will 
       deny them, saying, 'I have never seen you.'

       (Job 8:19 NRSV)  See, these are their happy ways, and out of the earth 
       still others will spring.

       (Job 8:20 NRSV)  "See, God will not reject a blameless person, nor 
       take the hand of evildoers.

       (Job 8:21 NRSV)  He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your 
       lips with shouts of joy.

       (Job 8:22 NRSV)  Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and 
       the tent of the wicked will be no more."

       (Job 9:1 NRSV)  Then Job answered:

       (Job 9:2 NRSV)  "Indeed I know that this is so; but how can a mortal 
       be just before God?

       (Job 9:3 NRSV)  If one wished to contend with him, one could not 
       answer him once in a thousand.

       (Job 9:4 NRSV)  He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength --who has 
       resisted him, and succeeded?--

       (Job 9:5 NRSV)  he who removes mountains, and they do not know it, 
       when he overturns them in his anger;

       (Job 9:6 NRSV)  who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars 
       tremble;

       (Job 9:7 NRSV)  who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals 
       up the stars;

       (Job 9:8 NRSV)  who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the 
       waves of the Sea;

       (Job 9:9 NRSV)  who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the 
       chambers of the south;

       (Job 9:10 NRSV)  who does great things beyond understanding, and 
       marvelous things without number.

       (Job 9:11 NRSV)  Look, he passes by me, and I do not see him; he moves 
       on, but I do not perceive him.

       (Job 9:12 NRSV)  He snatches away; who can stop him? Who will say to 
       him, 'What are you doing?'

       (Job 9:13 NRSV)  "God will not turn back his anger; the helpers of 
       Rahab bowed beneath him.






       (Job 9:14 NRSV)  How then can I answer him, choosing my words with 
       him?

       (Job 9:15 NRSV)  Though I am innocent, I cannot answer him; I must 
       appeal for mercy to my accuser.

       (Job 9:16 NRSV)  If I summoned him and he answered me, I do not 
       believe that he would listen to my voice.

       (Job 9:17 NRSV)  For he crushes me with a tempest, and multiplies my 
       wounds without cause;

       (Job 9:18 NRSV)  he will not let me get my breath, but fills me with 
       bitterness.

       (Job 9:19 NRSV)  If it is a contest of strength, he is the strong one! 
       If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him?

       (Job 9:20 NRSV)  Though I am innocent, my own mouth would condemn me; 
       though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse.

       (Job 9:21 NRSV)  I am blameless; I do not know myself; I loathe my 
       life.

       (Job 9:22 NRSV)  It is all one; therefore I say, he destroys both the 
       blameless and the wicked.

       (Job 9:23 NRSV)  When disaster brings sudden death, he mocks at the 
       calamity of the innocent.

       (Job 9:24 NRSV)  The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; he 
       covers the eyes of its judges-- if it is not he, who then is it?

       (Job 9:25 NRSV)  "My days are swifter than a runner; they flee away, 
       they see no good.

       (Job 9:26 NRSV)  They go by like skiffs of reed, like an eagle 
       swooping on the prey.

       (Job 9:27 NRSV)  If I say, 'I will forget my complaint; I will put off 
       my sad countenance and be of good cheer,'

       (Job 9:28 NRSV)  I become afraid of all my suffering, for I know you 
       will not hold me innocent.

       (Job 9:29 NRSV)  I shall be condemned; why then do I labor in vain?

       (Job 9:30 NRSV)  If I wash myself with soap and cleanse my hands with 
       lye,

       (Job 9:31 NRSV)  yet you will plunge me into filth, and my own clothes 
       will abhor me.

       (Job 9:32 NRSV)  For he is not a mortal, as I am, that I might answer 
       him, that we should come to trial together.






       (Job 9:33 NRSV)  There is no umpire between us, who might lay his hand 
       on us both.

       (Job 9:34 NRSV)  If he would take his rod away from me, and not let 
       dread of him terrify me,

       (Job 9:35 NRSV)  then I would speak without fear of him, for I know I 
       am not what I am thought to be.

       (Job 10:1 NRSV)  "I loathe my life; I will give free utterance to my 
       complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

       (Job 10:2 NRSV)  I will say to God, Do not condemn me; let me know why 
       you contend against me.

       (Job 10:3 NRSV)  Does it seem good to you to oppress, to despise the 
       work of your hands and favor the schemes of the wicked?

       (Job 10:4 NRSV)  Do you have eyes of flesh? Do you see as humans see?

       (Job 10:5 NRSV)  Are your days like the days of mortals, or your years 
       like human years,

       (Job 10:6 NRSV)  that you seek out my iniquity and search for my sin,

       (Job 10:7 NRSV)  although you know that I am not guilty, and there is 
       no one to deliver out of your hand?

       (Job 10:8 NRSV)  Your hands fashioned and made me; and now you turn 
       and destroy me.

       (Job 10:9 NRSV)  Remember that you fashioned me like clay; and will 
       you turn me to dust again?

       (Job 10:10 NRSV)  Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like 
       cheese?

       (Job 10:11 NRSV)  You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me 
       together with bones and sinews.

       (Job 10:12 NRSV)  You have granted me life and steadfast love, and 
       your care has preserved my spirit.

       (Job 10:13 NRSV)  Yet these things you hid in your heart; I know that 
       this was your purpose.

       (Job 10:14 NRSV)  If I sin, you watch me, and do not acquit me of my 
       iniquity.

       (Job 10:15 NRSV)  If I am wicked, woe to me! If I am righteous, I 
       cannot lift up my head, for I am filled with disgrace and look upon my 
       affliction.

       (Job 10:16 NRSV)  Bold as a lion you hunt me; you repeat your exploits 
       against me.






       (Job 10:17 NRSV)  You renew your witnesses against me, and increase 
       your vexation toward me; you bring fresh troops against me.

       (Job 10:18 NRSV)  "Why did you bring me forth from the womb? Would 
       that I had died before any eye had seen me,

       (Job 10:19 NRSV)  and were as though I had not been, carried from the 
       womb to the grave.

       (Job 10:20 NRSV)  Are not the days of my life few? Let me alone, that 
       I may find a little comfort

       (Job 10:21 NRSV)  before I go, never to return, to the land of gloom 
       and deep darkness,

       (Job 10:22 NRSV)  the land of gloom and chaos, where light is like 
       darkness."

       (Job 11:1 NRSV)  Then Zophar the Naamathite answered:

       (Job 11:2 NRSV)  "Should a multitude of words go unanswered, and 
       should one full of talk be vindicated?

       (Job 11:3 NRSV)  Should your babble put others to silence, and when 
       you mock, shall no one shame you?

       (Job 11:4 NRSV)  For you say, 'My conduct is pure, and I am clean in 
       God's sight.'

       (Job 11:5 NRSV)  But oh, that God would speak, and open his lips to 
       you,

       (Job 11:6 NRSV)  and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom! For 
       wisdom is many-sided. Know then that God exacts of you less than your 
       guilt deserves.

       (Job 11:7 NRSV)  "Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you 
       find out the limit of the Almighty?

       (Job 11:8 NRSV)  It is higher than heaven--what can you do? Deeper 
       than Sheol--what can you know?

       (Job 11:9 NRSV)  Its measure is longer than the earth, and broader 
       than the sea.

       (Job 11:10 NRSV)  If he passes through, and imprisons, and assembles 
       for judgment, who can hinder him?

       (Job 11:11 NRSV)  For he knows those who are worthless; when he sees 
       iniquity, will he not consider it?

       (Job 11:12 NRSV)  But a stupid person will get understanding, when a 
       wild ass is born human.

       (Job 11:13 NRSV)  "If you direct your heart rightly, you will stretch 





       out your hands toward him.

       (Job 11:14 NRSV)  If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and do 
       not let wickedness reside in your tents.

       (Job 11:15 NRSV)  Surely then you will lift up your face without 
       blemish; you will be secure, and will not fear.

       (Job 11:16 NRSV)  You will forget your misery; you will remember it as 
       waters that have passed away.

       (Job 11:17 NRSV)  And your life will be brighter than the noonday; its 
       darkness will be like the morning.

       (Job 11:18 NRSV)  And you will have confidence, because there is hope; 
       you will be protected and take your rest in safety.

       (Job 11:19 NRSV)  You will lie down, and no one will make you afraid; 
       many will entreat your favor.

       (Job 11:20 NRSV)  But the eyes of the wicked will fail; all way of 
       escape will be lost to them, and their hope is to breathe their last."

       (Job 12:1 NRSV)  Then Job answered:

       (Job 12:2 NRSV)  "No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die 
       with you.

       (Job 12:3 NRSV)  But I have understanding as well as you; I am not 
       inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these?

       (Job 12:4 NRSV)  I am a laughingstock to my friends; I, who called 
       upon God and he answered me, a just and blameless man, I am a 
       laughingstock.

       (Job 12:5 NRSV)  Those at ease have contempt for misfortune, but it is 
       ready for those whose feet are unstable.

       (Job 12:6 NRSV)  The tents of robbers are at peace, and those who 
       provoke God are secure, who bring their god in their hands.

       (Job 12:7 NRSV)  "But ask the animals, and they will teach you; the 
       birds of the air, and they will tell you;

       (Job 12:8 NRSV)  ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you; 
       and the fish of the sea will declare to you.

       (Job 12:9 NRSV)  Who among all these does not know that the hand of 
       the LORD has done this?

       (Job 12:10 NRSV)  In his hand is the life of every living thing and 
       the breath of every human being.

       (Job 12:11 NRSV)  Does not the ear test words as the palate tastes 
       food?





       (Job 12:12 NRSV)  Is wisdom with the aged, and understanding in length 
       of days?

       (Job 12:13 NRSV)  "With God are wisdom and strength; he has counsel 
       and understanding.

       (Job 12:14 NRSV)  If he tears down, no one can rebuild; if he shuts 
       someone in, no one can open up.

       (Job 12:15 NRSV)  If he withholds the waters, they dry up; if he sends 
       them out, they overwhelm the land.

       (Job 12:16 NRSV)  With him are strength and wisdom; the deceived and 
       the deceiver are his.

       (Job 12:17 NRSV)  He leads counselors away stripped, and makes fools 
       of judges.

       (Job 12:18 NRSV)  He looses the sash of kings, and binds a waistcloth 
       on their loins.

       (Job 12:19 NRSV)  He leads priests away stripped, and overthrows the 
       mighty.

       (Job 12:20 NRSV)  He deprives of speech those who are trusted, and 
       takes away the discernment of the elders.

       (Job 12:21 NRSV)  He pours contempt on princes, and looses the belt of 
       the strong.

       (Job 12:22 NRSV)  He uncovers the deeps out of darkness, and brings 
       deep darkness to light.

       (Job 12:23 NRSV)  He makes nations great, then destroys them; he 
       enlarges nations, then leads them away.

       (Job 12:24 NRSV)  He strips understanding from the leaders of the 
       earth, and makes them wander in a pathless waste.

       (Job 12:25 NRSV)  They grope in the dark without light; he makes them 
       stagger like a drunkard.

       (Job 13:1 NRSV)  "Look, my eye has seen all this, my ear has heard and 
       understood it.

       (Job 13:2 NRSV)  What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you.

       (Job 13:3 NRSV)  But I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to 
       argue my case with God.

       (Job 13:4 NRSV)  As for you, you whitewash with lies; all of you are 
       worthless physicians.

       (Job 13:5 NRSV)  If you would only keep silent, that would be your 
       wisdom!





       (Job 13:6 NRSV)  Hear now my reasoning, and listen to the pleadings of 
       my lips.

       (Job 13:7 NRSV)  Will you speak falsely for God, and speak deceitfully 
       for him?

       (Job 13:8 NRSV)  Will you show partiality toward him, will you plead 
       the case for God?

       (Job 13:9 NRSV)  Will it be well with you when he searches you out? Or 
       can you deceive him, as one person deceives another?

       (Job 13:10 NRSV)  He will surely rebuke you if in secret you show 
       partiality.

       (Job 13:11 NRSV)  Will not his majesty terrify you, and the dread of 
       him fall upon you?

       (Job 13:12 NRSV)  Your maxims are proverbs of ashes, your defenses are 
       defenses of clay.

       (Job 13:13 NRSV)  "Let me have silence, and I will speak, and let come 
       on me what may.

       (Job 13:14 NRSV)  I will take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in 
       my hand.

       (Job 13:15 NRSV)  See, he will kill me; I have no hope; but I will 
       defend my ways to his face.

       (Job 13:16 NRSV)  This will be my salvation, that the godless shall 
       not come before him.

       (Job 13:17 NRSV)  Listen carefully to my words, and let my declaration 
       be in your ears.

       (Job 13:18 NRSV)  I have indeed prepared my case; I know that I shall 
       be vindicated.

       (Job 13:19 NRSV)  Who is there that will contend with me? For then I 
       would be silent and die.

       (Job 13:20 NRSV)  Only grant two things to me, then I will not hide 
       myself from your face:

       (Job 13:21 NRSV)  withdraw your hand far from me, and do not let dread 
       of you terrify me.

       (Job 13:22 NRSV)  Then call, and I will answer; or let me speak, and 
       you reply to me.

       (Job 13:23 NRSV)  How many are my iniquities and my sins? Make me know 
       my transgression and my sin.

       (Job 13:24 NRSV)  Why do you hide your face, and count me as your 
       enemy?






       (Job 13:25 NRSV)  Will you frighten a windblown leaf and pursue dry 
       chaff?

       (Job 13:26 NRSV)  For you write bitter things against me, and make me 
       reap the iniquities of my youth.

       (Job 13:27 NRSV)  You put my feet in the stocks, and watch all my 
       paths; you set a bound to the soles of my feet.

       (Job 13:28 NRSV)  One wastes away like a rotten thing, like a garment 
       that is moth-eaten.

       (Job 14:1 NRSV)  "A mortal, born of woman, few of days and full of 
       trouble,

       (Job 14:2 NRSV)  comes up like a flower and withers, flees like a 
       shadow and does not last.

       (Job 14:3 NRSV)  Do you fix your eyes on such a one? Do you bring me 
       into judgment with you?

       (Job 14:4 NRSV)  Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one 
       can.

       (Job 14:5 NRSV)  Since their days are determined, and the number of 
       their months is known to you, and you have appointed the bounds that 
       they cannot pass,

       (Job 14:6 NRSV)  look away from them, and desist, that they may enjoy, 
       like laborers, their days.

       (Job 14:7 NRSV)  "For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, 
       that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease.

       (Job 14:8 NRSV)  Though its root grows old in the earth, and its stump 
       dies in the ground,

       (Job 14:9 NRSV)  yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth 
       branches like a young plant.

       (Job 14:10 NRSV)  But mortals die, and are laid low; humans expire, 
       and where are they?

       (Job 14:11 NRSV)  As waters fail from a lake, and a river wastes away 
       and dries up,

       (Job 14:12 NRSV)  so mortals lie down and do not rise again; until the 
       heavens are no more, they will not awake or be roused out of their 
       sleep.

       (Job 14:13 NRSV)  Oh that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would 
       conceal me until your wrath is past, that you would appoint me a set 
       time, and remember me!

       (Job 14:14 NRSV)  If mortals die, will they live again? All the days 





       of my service I would wait until my release should come.

       (Job 14:15 NRSV)  You would call, and I would answer you; you would 
       long for the work of your hands.

       (Job 14:16 NRSV)  For then you would not number my steps, you would 
       not keep watch over my sin;

       (Job 14:17 NRSV)  my transgression would be sealed up in a bag, and 
       you would cover over my iniquity.

       (Job 14:18 NRSV)  "But the mountain falls and crumbles away, and the 
       rock is removed from its place;

       (Job 14:19 NRSV)  the waters wear away the stones; the torrents wash 
       away the soil of the earth; so you destroy the hope of mortals.

       (Job 14:20 NRSV)  You prevail forever against them, and they pass 
       away; you change their countenance, and send them away.

       (Job 14:21 NRSV)  Their children come to honor, and they do not know 
       it; they are brought low, and it goes unnoticed.

       (Job 14:22 NRSV)  They feel only the pain of their own bodies, and 
       mourn only for themselves."

       (Job 15:1 NRSV)  Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:

       (Job 15:2 NRSV)  "Should the wise answer with windy knowledge, and 
       fill themselves with the east wind?

       (Job 15:3 NRSV)  Should they argue in unprofitable talk, or in words 
       with which they can do no good?

       (Job 15:4 NRSV)  But you are doing away with the fear of God, and 
       hindering meditation before God.

       (Job 15:5 NRSV)  For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose 
       the tongue of the crafty.

       (Job 15:6 NRSV)  Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; your own lips 
       testify against you.

       (Job 15:7 NRSV)  "Are you the firstborn of the human race? Were you 
       brought forth before the hills?

       (Job 15:8 NRSV)  Have you listened in the council of God? And do you 
       limit wisdom to yourself?

       (Job 15:9 NRSV)  What do you know that we do not know? What do you 
       understand that is not clear to us?

       (Job 15:10 NRSV)  The gray-haired and the aged are on our side, those 
       older than your father.

       (Job 15:11 NRSV)  Are the consolations of God too small for you, or 





       the word that deals gently with you?

       (Job 15:12 NRSV)  Why does your heart carry you away, and why do your 
       eyes flash,

       (Job 15:13 NRSV)  so that you turn your spirit against God, and let 
       such words go out of your mouth?

       (Job 15:14 NRSV)  What are mortals, that they can be clean? Or those 
       born of woman, that they can be righteous?

       (Job 15:15 NRSV)  God puts no trust even in his holy ones, and the 
       heavens are not clean in his sight;

       (Job 15:16 NRSV)  how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, one 
       who drinks iniquity like water!

       (Job 15:17 NRSV)  "I will show you; listen to me; what I have seen I 
       will declare--

       (Job 15:18 NRSV)  what sages have told, and their ancestors have not 
       hidden,

       (Job 15:19 NRSV)  to whom alone the land was given, and no stranger 
       passed among them.

       (Job 15:20 NRSV)  The wicked writhe in pain all their days, through 
       all the years that are laid up for the ruthless.

       (Job 15:21 NRSV)  Terrifying sounds are in their ears; in prosperity 
       the destroyer will come upon them.

       (Job 15:22 NRSV)  They despair of returning from darkness, and they 
       are destined for the sword.

       (Job 15:23 NRSV)  They wander abroad for bread, saying, 'Where is it?' 
       They know that a day of darkness is ready at hand;

       (Job 15:24 NRSV)  distress and anguish terrify them; they prevail 
       against them, like a king prepared for battle.

       (Job 15:25 NRSV)  Because they stretched out their hands against God, 
       and bid defiance to the Almighty,

       (Job 15:26 NRSV)  running stubbornly against him with a thick-bossed 
       shield;

       (Job 15:27 NRSV)  because they have covered their faces with their 
       fat, and gathered fat upon their loins,

       (Job 15:28 NRSV)  they will live in desolate cities, in houses that no 
       one should inhabit, houses destined to become heaps of ruins;

       (Job 15:29 NRSV)  they will not be rich, and their wealth will not 
       endure, nor will they strike root in the earth;





       (Job 15:30 NRSV)  they will not escape from darkness; the flame will 
       dry up their shoots, and their blossom will be swept away by the wind.

       (Job 15:31 NRSV)  Let them not trust in emptiness, deceiving 
       themselves; for emptiness will be their recompense.

       (Job 15:32 NRSV)  It will be paid in full before their time, and their 
       branch will not be green.

       (Job 15:33 NRSV)  They will shake off their unripe grape, like the 
       vine, and cast off their blossoms, like the olive tree.

       (Job 15:34 NRSV)  For the company of the godless is barren, and fire 
       consumes the tents of bribery.

       (Job 15:35 NRSV)  They conceive mischief and bring forth evil and 
       their heart prepares deceit."

       (Job 16:1 NRSV)  Then Job answered:

       (Job 16:2 NRSV)  "I have heard many such things; miserable comforters 
       are you all.

       (Job 16:3 NRSV)  Have windy words no limit? Or what provokes you that 
       you keep on talking?

       (Job 16:4 NRSV)  I also could talk as you do, if you were in my place; 
       I could join words together against you, and shake my head at you.

       (Job 16:5 NRSV)  I could encourage you with my mouth, and the solace 
       of my lips would assuage your pain.

       (Job 16:6 NRSV)  "If I speak, my pain is not assuaged, and if I 
       forbear, how much of it leaves me?

       (Job 16:7 NRSV)  Surely now God has worn me out; he has made desolate 
       all my company.

       (Job 16:8 NRSV)  And he has shriveled me up, which is a witness 
       against me; my leanness has risen up against me, and it testifies to 
       my face.

       (Job 16:9 NRSV)  He has torn me in his wrath, and hated me; he has 
       gnashed his teeth at me; my adversary sharpens his eyes against me.

       (Job 16:10 NRSV)  They have gaped at me with their mouths; they have 
       struck me insolently on the cheek; they mass themselves together 
       against me.

       (Job 16:11 NRSV)  God gives me up to the ungodly, and casts me into 
       the hands of the wicked.

       (Job 16:12 NRSV)  I was at ease, and he broke me in two; he seized me 
       by the neck and dashed me to pieces; he set me up as his target;

       (Job 16:13 NRSV)  his archers surround me. He slashes open my kidneys, 





       and shows no mercy; he pours out my gall on the ground.

       (Job 16:14 NRSV)  He bursts upon me again and again; he rushes at me 
       like a warrior.

       (Job 16:15 NRSV)  I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and have laid 
       my strength in the dust.

       (Job 16:16 NRSV)  My face is red with weeping, and deep darkness is on 
       my eyelids,

       (Job 16:17 NRSV)  though there is no violence in my hands, and my 
       prayer is pure.

       (Job 16:18 NRSV)  "O earth, do not cover my blood; let my outcry find 
       no resting place.

       (Job 16:19 NRSV)  Even now, in fact, my witness is in heaven, and he 
       that vouches for me is on high.

       (Job 16:20 NRSV)  My friends scorn me; my eye pours out tears to God,

       (Job 16:21 NRSV)  that he would maintain the right of a mortal with 
       God, as one does for a neighbor.

       (Job 16:22 NRSV)  For when a few years have come, I shall go the way 
       from which I shall not return.

       (Job 17:1 NRSV)  My spirit is broken, my days are extinct, the grave 
       is ready for me.

       (Job 17:2 NRSV)  Surely there are mockers around me, and my eye dwells 
       on their provocation.

       (Job 17:3 NRSV)  "Lay down a pledge for me with yourself; who is there 
       that will give surety for me?

       (Job 17:4 NRSV)  Since you have closed their minds to understanding, 
       therefore you will not let them triumph.

       (Job 17:5 NRSV)  Those who denounce friends for reward-- the eyes of 
       their children will fail.

       (Job 17:6 NRSV)  "He has made me a byword of the peoples, and I am one 
       before whom people spit.

       (Job 17:7 NRSV)  My eye has grown dim from grief, and all my members 
       are like a shadow.

       (Job 17:8 NRSV)  The upright are appalled at this, and the innocent 
       stir themselves up against the godless.

       (Job 17:9 NRSV)  Yet the righteous hold to their way, and they that 
       have clean hands grow stronger and stronger.

       (Job 17:10 NRSV)  But you, come back now, all of you, and I shall not 





       find a sensible person among you.

       (Job 17:11 NRSV)  My days are past, my plans are broken off, the 
       desires of my heart.

       (Job 17:12 NRSV)  They make night into day; 'The light,' they say, 'is 
       near to the darkness.'

       (Job 17:13 NRSV)  If I look for Sheol as my house, if I spread my 
       couch in darkness,

       (Job 17:14 NRSV)  if I say to the Pit, 'You are my father,' and to the 
       worm, 'My mother,' or 'My sister,'

       (Job 17:15 NRSV)  where then is my hope? Who will see my hope?

       (Job 17:16 NRSV)  Will it go down to the bars of Sheol? Shall we 
       descend together into the dust?"

       (Job 18:1 NRSV)  Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:

       (Job 18:2 NRSV)  "How long will you hunt for words? Consider, and then 
       we shall speak.

       (Job 18:3 NRSV)  Why are we counted as cattle? Why are we stupid in 
       your sight?

       (Job 18:4 NRSV)  You who tear yourself in your anger-- shall the earth 
       be forsaken because of you, or the rock be removed out of its place?

       (Job 18:5 NRSV)  "Surely the light of the wicked is put out, and the 
       flame of their fire does not shine.

       (Job 18:6 NRSV)  The light is dark in their tent, and the lamp above 
       them is put out.

       (Job 18:7 NRSV)  Their strong steps are shortened, and their own 
       schemes throw them down.

       (Job 18:8 NRSV)  For they are thrust into a net by their own feet, and 
       they walk into a pitfall.

       (Job 18:9 NRSV)  A trap seizes them by the heel; a snare lays hold of 
       them.

       (Job 18:10 NRSV)  A rope is hid for them in the ground, a trap for 
       them in the path.

       (Job 18:11 NRSV)  Terrors frighten them on every side, and chase them 
       at their heels.

       (Job 18:12 NRSV)  Their strength is consumed by hunger, and calamity 
       is ready for their stumbling.

       (Job 18:13 NRSV)  By disease their skin is consumed, the firstborn of 
       Death consumes their limbs.






       (Job 18:14 NRSV)  They are torn from the tent in which they trusted, 
       and are brought to the king of terrors.

       (Job 18:15 NRSV)  In their tents nothing remains; sulfur is scattered 
       upon their habitations.

       (Job 18:16 NRSV)  Their roots dry up beneath, and their branches 
       wither above.

       (Job 18:17 NRSV)  Their memory perishes from the earth, and they have 
       no name in the street.

       (Job 18:18 NRSV)  They are thrust from light into darkness, and driven 
       out of the world.

       (Job 18:19 NRSV)  They have no offspring or descendant among their 
       people, and no survivor where they used to live.

       (Job 18:20 NRSV)  They of the west are appalled at their fate, and 
       horror seizes those of the east.

       (Job 18:21 NRSV)  Surely such are the dwellings of the ungodly, such 
       is the place of those who do not know God."

       (Job 19:1 NRSV)  Then Job answered:

       (Job 19:2 NRSV)  "How long will you torment me, and break me in pieces 
       with words?

       (Job 19:3 NRSV)  These ten times you have cast reproach upon me; are 
       you not ashamed to wrong me?

       (Job 19:4 NRSV)  And even if it is true that I have erred, my error 
       remains with me.

       (Job 19:5 NRSV)  If indeed you magnify yourselves against me, and make 
       my humiliation an argument against me,

       (Job 19:6 NRSV)  know then that God has put me in the wrong, and 
       closed his net around me.

       (Job 19:7 NRSV)  Even when I cry out, 'Violence!' I am not answered; I 
       call aloud, but there is no justice.

       (Job 19:8 NRSV)  He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass, and he 
       has set darkness upon my paths.

       (Job 19:9 NRSV)  He has stripped my glory from me, and taken the crown 
       from my head.

       (Job 19:10 NRSV)  He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone, he 
       has uprooted my hope like a tree.

       (Job 19:11 NRSV)  He has kindled his wrath against me, and counts me 
       as his adversary.






       (Job 19:12 NRSV)  His troops come on together; they have thrown up 
       siegeworks against me, and encamp around my tent.

       (Job 19:13 NRSV)  "He has put my family far from me, and my 
       acquaintances are wholly estranged from me.

       (Job 19:14 NRSV)  My relatives and my close friends have failed me;

       (Job 19:15 NRSV)  the guests in my house have forgotten me; my serving 
       girls count me as a stranger; I have become an alien in their eyes.

       (Job 19:16 NRSV)  I call to my servant, but he gives me no answer; I 
       must myself plead with him.

       (Job 19:17 NRSV)  My breath is repulsive to my wife; I am loathsome to 
       my own family.

       (Job 19:18 NRSV)  Even young children despise me; when I rise, they 
       talk against me.

       (Job 19:19 NRSV)  All my intimate friends abhor me, and those whom I 
       loved have turned against me.

       (Job 19:20 NRSV)  My bones cling to my skin and to my flesh, and I 
       have escaped by the skin of my teeth.

       (Job 19:21 NRSV)  Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, 
       for the hand of God has touched me!

       (Job 19:22 NRSV)  Why do you, like God, pursue me, never satisfied 
       with my flesh?

       (Job 19:23 NRSV)  "O that my words were written down! O that they were 
       inscribed in a book!

       (Job 19:24 NRSV)  O that with an iron pen and with lead they were 
       engraved on a rock forever!

       (Job 19:25 NRSV)  For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the 
       last he will stand upon the earth;

       (Job 19:26 NRSV)  and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in 
       my flesh I shall see God,

       (Job 19:27 NRSV)  whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall 
       behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!

       (Job 19:28 NRSV)  If you say, 'How we will persecute him!' and, 'The 
       root of the matter is found in him';

       (Job 19:29 NRSV)  be afraid of the sword, for wrath brings the 
       punishment of the sword, so that you may know there is a judgment."

       (Job 20:1 NRSV)  Then Zophar the Naamathite answered:





       (Job 20:2 NRSV)  "Pay attention! My thoughts urge me to answer, 
       because of the agitation within me.

       (Job 20:3 NRSV)  I hear censure that insults me, and a spirit beyond 
       my understanding answers me.

       (Job 20:4 NRSV)  Do you not know this from of old, ever since mortals 
       were placed on earth,

       (Job 20:5 NRSV)  that the exulting of the wicked is short, and the joy 
       of the godless is but for a moment?

       (Job 20:6 NRSV)  Even though they mount up high as the heavens, and 
       their head reaches to the clouds,

       (Job 20:7 NRSV)  they will perish forever like their own dung; those 
       who have seen them will say, 'Where are they?'

       (Job 20:8 NRSV)  They will fly away like a dream, and not be found; 
       they will be chased away like a vision of the night.

       (Job 20:9 NRSV)  The eye that saw them will see them no more, nor will 
       their place behold them any longer.

       (Job 20:10 NRSV)  Their children will seek the favor of the poor, and 
       their hands will give back their wealth.

       (Job 20:11 NRSV)  Their bodies, once full of youth, will lie down in 
       the dust with them.

       (Job 20:12 NRSV)  "Though wickedness is sweet in their mouth, though 
       they hide it under their tongues,

       (Job 20:13 NRSV)  though they are loath to let it go, and hold it in 
       their mouths,

       (Job 20:14 NRSV)  yet their food is turned in their stomachs; it is 
       the venom of asps within them.

       (Job 20:15 NRSV)  They swallow down riches and vomit them up again; 
       God casts them out of their bellies.

       (Job 20:16 NRSV)  They will suck the poison of asps; the tongue of a 
       viper will kill them.

       (Job 20:17 NRSV)  They will not look on the rivers, the streams 
       flowing with honey and curds.

       (Job 20:18 NRSV)  They will give back the fruit of their toil, and 
       will not swallow it down; from the profit of their trading they will 
       get no enjoyment.

       (Job 20:19 NRSV)  For they have crushed and abandoned the poor, they 
       have seized a house that they did not build.

       (Job 20:20 NRSV)  "They knew no quiet in their bellies; in their greed 





       they let nothing escape.

       (Job 20:21 NRSV)  There was nothing left after they had eaten; 
       therefore their prosperity will not endure.

       (Job 20:22 NRSV)  In full sufficiency they will be in distress; all 
       the force of misery will come upon them.

       (Job 20:23 NRSV)  To fill their belly to the full God will send his 
       fierce anger into them, and rain it upon them as their food.

       (Job 20:24 NRSV)  They will flee from an iron weapon; a bronze arrow 
       will strike them through.

       (Job 20:25 NRSV)  It is drawn forth and comes out of their body, and 
       the glittering point comes out of their gall; terrors come upon them.

       (Job 20:26 NRSV)  Utter darkness is laid up for their treasures; a 
       fire fanned by no one will devour them; what is left in their tent 
       will be consumed.

       (Job 20:27 NRSV)  The heavens will reveal their iniquity, and the 
       earth will rise up against them.

       (Job 20:28 NRSV)  The possessions of their house will be carried away, 
       dragged off in the day of God's wrath.

       (Job 20:29 NRSV)  This is the portion of the wicked from God, the 
       heritage decreed for them by God."

       (Job 21:1 NRSV)  Then Job answered:

       (Job 21:2 NRSV)  "Listen carefully to my words, and let this be your 
       consolation.

       (Job 21:3 NRSV)  Bear with me, and I will speak; then after I have 
       spoken, mock on.

       (Job 21:4 NRSV)  As for me, is my complaint addressed to mortals? Why 
       should I not be impatient?

       (Job 21:5 NRSV)  Look at me, and be appalled, and lay your hand upon 
       your mouth.

       (Job 21:6 NRSV)  When I think of it I am dismayed, and shuddering 
       seizes my flesh.

       (Job 21:7 NRSV)  Why do the wicked live on, reach old age, and grow 
       mighty in power?

       (Job 21:8 NRSV)  Their children are established in their presence, and 
       their offspring before their eyes.

       (Job 21:9 NRSV)  Their houses are safe from fear, and no rod of God is 
       upon them.





       (Job 21:10 NRSV)  Their bull breeds without fail; their cow calves and 
       never miscarries.

       (Job 21:11 NRSV)  They send out their little ones like a flock, and 
       their children dance around.

       (Job 21:12 NRSV)  They sing to the tambourine and the lyre, and 
       rejoice to the sound of the pipe.

       (Job 21:13 NRSV)  They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace 
       they go down to Sheol.

       (Job 21:14 NRSV)  They say to God, 'Leave us alone! We do not desire 
       to know your ways.

       (Job 21:15 NRSV)  What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And 
       what profit do we get if we pray to him?'

       (Job 21:16 NRSV)  Is not their prosperity indeed their own 
       achievement? The plans of the wicked are repugnant to me.

       (Job 21:17 NRSV)  "How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? How 
       often does calamity come upon them? How often does God distribute 
       pains in his anger?

       (Job 21:18 NRSV)  How often are they like straw before the wind, and 
       like chaff that the storm carries away?

       (Job 21:19 NRSV)  You say, 'God stores up their iniquity for their 
       children.' Let it be paid back to them, so that they may know it.

       (Job 21:20 NRSV)  Let their own eyes see their destruction, and let 
       them drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

       (Job 21:21 NRSV)  For what do they care for their household after 
       them, when the number of their months is cut off?

       (Job 21:22 NRSV)  Will any teach God knowledge, seeing that he judges 
       those that are on high?

       (Job 21:23 NRSV)  One dies in full prosperity, being wholly at ease 
       and secure,

       (Job 21:24 NRSV)  his loins full of milk and the marrow of his bones 
       moist.

       (Job 21:25 NRSV)  Another dies in bitterness of soul, never having 
       tasted of good.

       (Job 21:26 NRSV)  They lie down alike in the dust, and the worms cover 
       them.

       (Job 21:27 NRSV)  "Oh, I know your thoughts, and your schemes to wrong 
       me.

       (Job 21:28 NRSV)  For you say, 'Where is the house of the prince? 





       Where is the tent in which the wicked lived?'

       (Job 21:29 NRSV)  Have you not asked those who travel the roads, and 
       do you not accept their testimony,

       (Job 21:30 NRSV)  that the wicked are spared in the day of calamity, 
       and are rescued in the day of wrath?

       (Job 21:31 NRSV)  Who declares their way to their face, and who repays 
       them for what they have done?

       (Job 21:32 NRSV)  When they are carried to the grave, a watch is kept 
       over their tomb.

       (Job 21:33 NRSV)  The clods of the valley are sweet to them; everyone 
       will follow after, and those who went before are innumerable.

       (Job 21:34 NRSV)  How then will you comfort me with empty nothings? 
       There is nothing left of your answers but falsehood."

       (Job 22:1 NRSV)  Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:

       (Job 22:2 NRSV)  "Can a mortal be of use to God? Can even the wisest 
       be of service to him?

       (Job 22:3 NRSV)  Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are 
       righteous, or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless?

       (Job 22:4 NRSV)  Is it for your piety that he reproves you, and enters 
       into judgment with you?

       (Job 22:5 NRSV)  Is not your wickedness great? There is no end to your 
       iniquities.

       (Job 22:6 NRSV)  For you have exacted pledges from your family for no 
       reason, and stripped the naked of their clothing.

       (Job 22:7 NRSV)  You have given no water to the weary to drink, and 
       you have withheld bread from the hungry.

       (Job 22:8 NRSV)  The powerful possess the land, and the favored live 
       in it.

       (Job 22:9 NRSV)  You have sent widows away empty-handed, and the arms 
       of the orphans you have crushed.

       (Job 22:10 NRSV)  Therefore snares are around you, and sudden terror 
       overwhelms you,

       (Job 22:11 NRSV)  or darkness so that you cannot see; a flood of water 
       covers you.

       (Job 22:12 NRSV)  "Is not God high in the heavens? See the highest 
       stars, how lofty they are!

       (Job 22:13 NRSV)  Therefore you say, 'What does God know? Can he judge 





       through the deep darkness?

       (Job 22:14 NRSV)  Thick clouds enwrap him, so that he does not see, 
       and he walks on the dome of heaven.'

       (Job 22:15 NRSV)  Will you keep to the old way that the wicked have 
       trod?

       (Job 22:16 NRSV)  They were snatched away before their time; their 
       foundation was washed away by a flood.

       (Job 22:17 NRSV)  They said to God, 'Leave us alone,' and 'What can 
       the Almighty do to us?'

       (Job 22:18 NRSV)  Yet he filled their houses with good things-- but 
       the plans of the wicked are repugnant to me.

       (Job 22:19 NRSV)  The righteous see it and are glad; the innocent 
       laugh them to scorn,

       (Job 22:20 NRSV)  saying, 'Surely our adversaries are cut off, and 
       what they left, the fire has consumed.'

       (Job 22:21 NRSV)  "Agree with God, and be at peace; in this way good 
       will come to you.

       (Job 22:22 NRSV)  Receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his 
       words in your heart.

       (Job 22:23 NRSV)  If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored, 
       if you remove unrighteousness from your tents,

       (Job 22:24 NRSV)  if you treat gold like dust, and gold of Ophir like 
       the stones of the torrent-bed,

       (Job 22:25 NRSV)  and if the Almighty is your gold and your precious 
       silver,

       (Job 22:26 NRSV)  then you will delight yourself in the Almighty, and 
       lift up your face to God.

       (Job 22:27 NRSV)  You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you 
       will pay your vows.

       (Job 22:28 NRSV)  You will decide on a matter, and it will be 
       established for you, and light will shine on your ways.

       (Job 22:29 NRSV)  When others are humiliated, you say it is pride; for 
       he saves the humble.

       (Job 22:30 NRSV)  He will deliver even those who are guilty; they will 
       escape because of the cleanness of your hands."

       (Job 23:1 NRSV)  Then Job answered:

       (Job 23:2 NRSV)  "Today also my complaint is bitter; his hand is heavy 





       despite my groaning.

       (Job 23:3 NRSV)  Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might 
       come even to his dwelling!

       (Job 23:4 NRSV)  I would lay my case before him, and fill my mouth 
       with arguments.

       (Job 23:5 NRSV)  I would learn what he would answer me, and understand 
       what he would say to me.

       (Job 23:6 NRSV)  Would he contend with me in the greatness of his 
       power? No; but he would give heed to me.

       (Job 23:7 NRSV)  There an upright person could reason with him, and I 
       should be acquitted forever by my judge.

       (Job 23:8 NRSV)  "If I go forward, he is not there; or backward, I 
       cannot perceive him;

       (Job 23:9 NRSV)  on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him; I turn 
       to the right, but I cannot see him.

       (Job 23:10 NRSV)  But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested 
       me, I shall come out like gold.

       (Job 23:11 NRSV)  My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his 
       way and have not turned aside.

       (Job 23:12 NRSV)  I have not departed from the commandment of his 
       lips; I have treasured in my bosom the words of his mouth.

       (Job 23:13 NRSV)  But he stands alone and who can dissuade him? What 
       he desires, that he does.

       (Job 23:14 NRSV)  For he will complete what he appoints for me; and 
       many such things are in his mind.

       (Job 23:15 NRSV)  Therefore I am terrified at his presence; when I 
       consider, I am in dread of him.

       (Job 23:16 NRSV)  God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has 
       terrified me;

       (Job 23:17 NRSV)  If only I could vanish in darkness, and thick 
       darkness would cover my face!

       (Job 24:1 NRSV)  "Why are times not kept by the Almighty, and why do 
       those who know him never see his days?

       (Job 24:2 NRSV)  The wicked remove landmarks; they seize flocks and 
       pasture them.

       (Job 24:3 NRSV)  They drive away the donkey of the orphan; they take 
       the widow's ox for a pledge.





       (Job 24:4 NRSV)  They thrust the needy off the road; the poor of the 
       earth all hide themselves.

       (Job 24:5 NRSV)  Like wild asses in the desert they go out to their 
       toil, scavenging in the wasteland food for their young.

       (Job 24:6 NRSV)  They reap in a field not their own and they glean in 
       the vineyard of the wicked.

       (Job 24:7 NRSV)  They lie all night naked, without clothing, and have 
       no covering in the cold.

       (Job 24:8 NRSV)  They are wet with the rain of the mountains, and 
       cling to the rock for want of shelter.

       (Job 24:9 NRSV)  "There are those who snatch the orphan child from the 
       breast, and take as a pledge the infant of the poor.

       (Job 24:10 NRSV)  They go about naked, without clothing; though 
       hungry, they carry the sheaves;

       (Job 24:11 NRSV)  between their terraces they press out oil; they 
       tread the wine presses, but suffer thirst.

       (Job 24:12 NRSV)  From the city the dying groan, and the throat of the 
       wounded cries for help; yet God pays no attention to their prayer.

       (Job 24:13 NRSV)  "There are those who rebel against the light, who 
       are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths.

       (Job 24:14 NRSV)  The murderer rises at dusk to kill the poor and 
       needy, and in the night is like a thief.

       (Job 24:15 NRSV)  The eye of the adulterer also waits for the 
       twilight, saying, 'No eye will see me'; and he disguises his face.

       (Job 24:16 NRSV)  In the dark they dig through houses; by day they 
       shut themselves up; they do not know the light.

       (Job 24:17 NRSV)  For deep darkness is morning to all of them; for 
       they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.

       (Job 24:18 NRSV)  "Swift are they on the face of the waters; their 
       portion in the land is cursed; no treader turns toward their 
       vineyards.

       (Job 24:19 NRSV)  Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters; so 
       does Sheol those who have sinned.

       (Job 24:20 NRSV)  The womb forgets them; the worm finds them sweet; 
       they are no longer remembered; so wickedness is broken like a tree.

       (Job 24:21 NRSV)  "They harm the childless woman, and do no good to 
       the widow.

       (Job 24:22 NRSV)  Yet God prolongs the life of the mighty by his 





       power; they rise up when they despair of life.

       (Job 24:23 NRSV)  He gives them security, and they are supported; his 
       eyes are upon their ways.

       (Job 24:24 NRSV)  They are exalted a little while, and then are gone; 
       they wither and fade like the mallow; they are cut off like the heads 
       of grain.

       (Job 24:25 NRSV)  If it is not so, who will prove me a liar, and show 
       that there is nothing in what I say?"

       (Job 25:1 NRSV)  Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:

       (Job 25:2 NRSV)  "Dominion and fear are with God; he makes peace in 
       his high heaven.

       (Job 25:3 NRSV)  Is there any number to his armies? Upon whom does his 
       light not arise?

       (Job 25:4 NRSV)  How then can a mortal be righteous before God? How 
       can one born of woman be pure?

       (Job 25:5 NRSV)  If even the moon is not bright and the stars are not 
       pure in his sight,

       (Job 25:6 NRSV)  how much less a mortal, who is a maggot, and a human 
       being, who is a worm!"

       (Job 26:1 NRSV)  Then Job answered:

       (Job 26:2 NRSV)  "How you have helped one who has no power! How you 
       have assisted the arm that has no strength!

       (Job 26:3 NRSV)  How you have counseled one who has no wisdom, and 
       given much good advice!

       (Job 26:4 NRSV)  With whose help have you uttered words, and whose 
       spirit has come forth from you?

       (Job 26:5 NRSV)  The shades below tremble, the waters and their 
       inhabitants.

       (Job 26:6 NRSV)  Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no 
       covering.

       (Job 26:7 NRSV)  He stretches out Zaphon over the void, and hangs the 
       earth upon nothing.

       (Job 26:8 NRSV)  He binds up the waters in his thick clouds, and the 
       cloud is not torn open by them.

       (Job 26:9 NRSV)  He covers the face of the full moon, and spreads over 
       it his cloud.

       (Job 26:10 NRSV)  He has described a circle on the face of the waters, 





       at the boundary between light and darkness.

       (Job 26:11 NRSV)  The pillars of heaven tremble, and are astounded at 
       his rebuke.

       (Job 26:12 NRSV)  By his power he stilled the Sea; by his 
       understanding he struck down Rahab.

       (Job 26:13 NRSV)  By his wind the heavens were made fair; his hand 
       pierced the fleeing serpent.

       (Job 26:14 NRSV)  These are indeed but the outskirts of his ways; and 
       how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power 
       who can understand?"

       (Job 27:1 NRSV)  Job again took up his discourse and said:

       (Job 27:2 NRSV)  "As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the 
       Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,

       (Job 27:3 NRSV)  as long as my breath is in me and the spirit of God 
       is in my nostrils,

       (Job 27:4 NRSV)  my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will 
       not utter deceit.

       (Job 27:5 NRSV)  Far be it from me to say that you are right; until I 
       die I will not put away my integrity from me.

       (Job 27:6 NRSV)  I hold fast my righteousness, and will not let it go; 
       my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.

       (Job 27:7 NRSV)  "May my enemy be like the wicked, and may my opponent 
       be like the unrighteous.

       (Job 27:8 NRSV)  For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts 
       them off, when God takes away their lives?

       (Job 27:9 NRSV)  Will God hear their cry when trouble comes upon them?

       (Job 27:10 NRSV)  Will they take delight in the Almighty? Will they 
       call upon God at all times?

       (Job 27:11 NRSV)  I will teach you concerning the hand of God; that 
       which is with the Almighty I will not conceal.

       (Job 27:12 NRSV)  All of you have seen it yourselves; why then have 
       you become altogether vain?

       (Job 27:13 NRSV)  "This is the portion of the wicked with God, and the 
       heritage that oppressors receive from the Almighty:

       (Job 27:14 NRSV)  If their children are multiplied, it is for the 
       sword; and their offspring have not enough to eat.

       (Job 27:15 NRSV)  Those who survive them the pestilence buries, and 





       their widows make no lamentation.

       (Job 27:16 NRSV)  Though they heap up silver like dust, and pile up 
       clothing like clay--

       (Job 27:17 NRSV)  they may pile it up, but the just will wear it, and 
       the innocent will divide the silver.

       (Job 27:18 NRSV)  They build their houses like nests, like booths made 
       by sentinels of the vineyard.

       (Job 27:19 NRSV)  They go to bed with wealth, but will do so no more; 
       they open their eyes, and it is gone.

       (Job 27:20 NRSV)  Terrors overtake them like a flood; in the night a 
       whirlwind carries them off.

       (Job 27:21 NRSV)  The east wind lifts them up and they are gone; it 
       sweeps them out of their place.

       (Job 27:22 NRSV)  It hurls at them without pity; they flee from its 
       power in headlong flight.

       (Job 27:23 NRSV)  It claps its hands at them, and hisses at them from 
       its place.

       (Job 28:1 NRSV)  "Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for 
       gold to be refined.

       (Job 28:2 NRSV)  Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted 
       from ore.

       (Job 28:3 NRSV)  Miners put an end to darkness, and search out to the 
       farthest bound the ore in gloom and deep darkness.

       (Job 28:4 NRSV)  They open shafts in a valley away from human 
       habitation; they are forgotten by travelers, they sway suspended, 
       remote from people.

       (Job 28:5 NRSV)  As for the earth, out of it comes bread; but 
       underneath it is turned up as by fire.

       (Job 28:6 NRSV)  Its stones are the place of sapphires, and its dust 
       contains gold.

       (Job 28:7 NRSV)  "That path no bird of prey knows, and the falcon's 
       eye has not seen it.

       (Job 28:8 NRSV)  The proud wild animals have not trodden it; the lion 
       has not passed over it.

       (Job 28:9 NRSV)  "They put their hand to the flinty rock, and overturn 
       mountains by the roots.

       (Job 28:10 NRSV)  They cut out channels in the rocks, and their eyes 
       see every precious thing.






       (Job 28:11 NRSV)  The sources of the rivers they probe; hidden things 
       they bring to light.

       (Job 28:12 NRSV)  "But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the 
       place of understanding?

       (Job 28:13 NRSV)  Mortals do not know the way to it, and it is not 
       found in the land of the living.

       (Job 28:14 NRSV)  The deep says, 'It is not in me,' and the sea says, 
       'It is not with me.'

       (Job 28:15 NRSV)  It cannot be gotten for gold, and silver cannot be 
       weighed out as its price.

       (Job 28:16 NRSV)  It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in 
       precious onyx or sapphire.

       (Job 28:17 NRSV)  Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be 
       exchanged for jewels of fine gold.

       (Job 28:18 NRSV)  No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; the 
       price of wisdom is above pearls.

       (Job 28:19 NRSV)  The chrysolite of Ethiopia cannot compare with it, 
       nor can it be valued in pure gold.

       (Job 28:20 NRSV)  "Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the 
       place of understanding?

       (Job 28:21 NRSV)  It is hidden from the eyes of all living, and 
       concealed from the birds of the air.

       (Job 28:22 NRSV)  Abaddon and Death say, 'We have heard a rumor of it 
       with our ears.'

       (Job 28:23 NRSV)  "God understands the way to it, and he knows its 
       place.

       (Job 28:24 NRSV)  For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees 
       everything under the heavens.

       (Job 28:25 NRSV)  When he gave to the wind its weight, and apportioned 
       out the waters by measure;

       (Job 28:26 NRSV)  when he made a decree for the rain, and a way for 
       the thunderbolt;

       (Job 28:27 NRSV)  then he saw it and declared it; he established it, 
       and searched it out.

       (Job 28:28 NRSV)  And he said to humankind, 'Truly, the fear of the 
       Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.'"

       (Job 29:1 NRSV)  Job again took up his discourse and said:






       (Job 29:2 NRSV)  "Oh, that I were as in the months of old, as in the 
       days when God watched over me;

       (Job 29:3 NRSV)  when his lamp shone over my head, and by his light I 
       walked through darkness;

       (Job 29:4 NRSV)  when I was in my prime, when the friendship of God 
       was upon my tent;

       (Job 29:5 NRSV)  when the Almighty was still with me, when my children 
       were around me;

       (Job 29:6 NRSV)  when my steps were washed with milk, and the rock 
       poured out for me streams of oil!

       (Job 29:7 NRSV)  When I went out to the gate of the city, when I took 
       my seat in the square,

       (Job 29:8 NRSV)  the young men saw me and withdrew, and the aged rose 
       up and stood;

       (Job 29:9 NRSV)  the nobles refrained from talking, and laid their 
       hands on their mouths;

       (Job 29:10 NRSV)  the voices of princes were hushed, and their tongues 
       stuck to the roof of their mouths.

       (Job 29:11 NRSV)  When the ear heard, it commended me, and when the 
       eye saw, it approved;

       (Job 29:12 NRSV)  because I delivered the poor who cried, and the 
       orphan who had no helper.

       (Job 29:13 NRSV)  The blessing of the wretched came upon me, and I 
       caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.

       (Job 29:14 NRSV)  I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my 
       justice was like a robe and a turban.

       (Job 29:15 NRSV)  I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame.

       (Job 29:16 NRSV)  I was a father to the needy, and I championed the 
       cause of the stranger.

       (Job 29:17 NRSV)  I broke the fangs of the unrighteous, and made them 
       drop their prey from their teeth.

       (Job 29:18 NRSV)  Then I thought, 'I shall die in my nest, and I shall 
       multiply my days like the phoenix;

       (Job 29:19 NRSV)  my roots spread out to the waters, with the dew all 
       night on my branches;

       (Job 29:20 NRSV)  my glory was fresh with me, and my bow ever new in 
       my hand.'






       (Job 29:21 NRSV)  "They listened to me, and waited, and kept silence 
       for my counsel.

       (Job 29:22 NRSV)  After I spoke they did not speak again, and my word 
       dropped upon them like dew.

       (Job 29:23 NRSV)  They waited for me as for the rain; they opened 
       their mouths as for the spring rain.

       (Job 29:24 NRSV)  I smiled on them when they had no confidence; and 
       the light of my countenance they did not extinguish.

       (Job 29:25 NRSV)  I chose their way, and sat as chief, and I lived 
       like a king among his troops, like one who comforts mourners.

       (Job 30:1 NRSV)  "But now they make sport of me, those who are younger 
       than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the dogs of 
       my flock.

       (Job 30:2 NRSV)  What could I gain from the strength of their hands? 
       All their vigor is gone.

       (Job 30:3 NRSV)  Through want and hard hunger they gnaw the dry and 
       desolate ground,

       (Job 30:4 NRSV)  they pick mallow and the leaves of bushes, and to 
       warm themselves the roots of broom.

       (Job 30:5 NRSV)  They are driven out from society; people shout after 
       them as after a thief.

       (Job 30:6 NRSV)  In the gullies of wadis they must live, in holes in 
       the ground, and in the rocks.

       (Job 30:7 NRSV)  Among the bushes they bray; under the nettles they 
       huddle together.

       (Job 30:8 NRSV)  A senseless, disreputable brood, they have been 
       whipped out of the land.

       (Job 30:9 NRSV)  "And now they mock me in song; I am a byword to them.

       (Job 30:10 NRSV)  They abhor me, they keep aloof from me; they do not 
       hesitate to spit at the sight of me.

       (Job 30:11 NRSV)  Because God has loosed my bowstring and humbled me, 
       they have cast off restraint in my presence.

       (Job 30:12 NRSV)  On my right hand the rabble rise up; they send me 
       sprawling, and build roads for my ruin.

       (Job 30:13 NRSV)  They break up my path, they promote my calamity; no 
       one restrains them.

       (Job 30:14 NRSV)  As through a wide breach they come; amid the crash 





       they roll on.

       (Job 30:15 NRSV)  Terrors are turned upon me; my honor is pursued as 
       by the wind, and my prosperity has passed away like a cloud.

       (Job 30:16 NRSV)  "And now my soul is poured out within me; days of 
       affliction have taken hold of me.

       (Job 30:17 NRSV)  The night racks my bones, and the pain that gnaws me 
       takes no rest.

       (Job 30:18 NRSV)  With violence he seizes my garment; he grasps me by 
       the collar of my tunic.

       (Job 30:19 NRSV)  He has cast me into the mire, and I have become like 
       dust and ashes.

       (Job 30:20 NRSV)  I cry to you and you do not answer me; I stand, and 
       you merely look at me.

       (Job 30:21 NRSV)  You have turned cruel to me; with the might of your 
       hand you persecute me.

       (Job 30:22 NRSV)  You lift me up on the wind, you make me ride on it, 
       and you toss me about in the roar of the storm.

       (Job 30:23 NRSV)  I know that you will bring me to death, and to the 
       house appointed for all living.

       (Job 30:24 NRSV)  "Surely one does not turn against the needy, when in 
       disaster they cry for help.

       (Job 30:25 NRSV)  Did I not weep for those whose day was hard? Was not 
       my soul grieved for the poor?

       (Job 30:26 NRSV)  But when I looked for good, evil came; and when I 
       waited for light, darkness came.

       (Job 30:27 NRSV)  My inward parts are in turmoil, and are never still; 
       days of affliction come to meet me.

       (Job 30:28 NRSV)  I go about in sunless gloom; I stand up in the 
       assembly and cry for help.

       (Job 30:29 NRSV)  I am a brother of jackals, and a companion of 
       ostriches.

       (Job 30:30 NRSV)  My skin turns black and falls from me, and my bones 
       burn with heat.

       (Job 30:31 NRSV)  My lyre is turned to mourning, and my pipe to the 
       voice of those who weep.

       (Job 31:1 NRSV)  "I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could 
       I look upon a virgin?





       (Job 31:2 NRSV)  What would be my portion from God above, and my 
       heritage from the Almighty on high?

       (Job 31:3 NRSV)  Does not calamity befall the unrighteous, and 
       disaster the workers of iniquity?

       (Job 31:4 NRSV)  Does he not see my ways, and number all my steps?

       (Job 31:5 NRSV)  "If I have walked with falsehood, and my foot has 
       hurried to deceit--

       (Job 31:6 NRSV)  let me be weighed in a just balance, and let God know 
       my integrity!--

       (Job 31:7 NRSV)  if my step has turned aside from the way, and my 
       heart has followed my eyes, and if any spot has clung to my hands;

       (Job 31:8 NRSV)  then let me sow, and another eat; and let what grows 
       for me be rooted out.

       (Job 31:9 NRSV)  "If my heart has been enticed by a woman, and I have 
       lain in wait at my neighbor's door;

       (Job 31:10 NRSV)  then let my wife grind for another, and let other 
       men kneel over her.

       (Job 31:11 NRSV)  For that would be a heinous crime; that would be a 
       criminal offense;

       (Job 31:12 NRSV)  for that would be a fire consuming down to Abaddon, 
       and it would burn to the root all my harvest.

       (Job 31:13 NRSV)  "If I have rejected the cause of my male or female 
       slaves, when they brought a complaint against me;

       (Job 31:14 NRSV)  what then shall I do when God rises up? When he 
       makes inquiry, what shall I answer him?

       (Job 31:15 NRSV)  Did not he who made me in the womb make them? And 
       did not one fashion us in the womb?

       (Job 31:16 NRSV)  "If I have withheld anything that the poor desired, 
       or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

       (Job 31:17 NRSV)  or have eaten my morsel alone, and the orphan has 
       not eaten from it--

       (Job 31:18 NRSV)  for from my youth I reared the orphan like a father, 
       and from my mother's womb I guided the widow--

       (Job 31:19 NRSV)  if I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, 
       or a poor person without covering,

       (Job 31:20 NRSV)  whose loins have not blessed me, and who was not 
       warmed with the fleece of my sheep;





       (Job 31:21 NRSV)  if I have raised my hand against the orphan, because 
       I saw I had supporters at the gate;

       (Job 31:22 NRSV)  then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder, 
       and let my arm be broken from its socket.

       (Job 31:23 NRSV)  For I was in terror of calamity from God, and I 
       could not have faced his majesty.

       (Job 31:24 NRSV)  "If I have made gold my trust, or called fine gold 
       my confidence;

       (Job 31:25 NRSV)  if I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, or 
       because my hand had gotten much;

       (Job 31:26 NRSV)  if I have looked at the sun when it shone, or the 
       moon moving in splendor,

       (Job 31:27 NRSV)  and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my mouth 
       has kissed my hand;

       (Job 31:28 NRSV)  this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the 
       judges, for I should have been false to God above.

       (Job 31:29 NRSV)  "If I have rejoiced at the ruin of those who hated 
       me, or exulted when evil overtook them--

       (Job 31:30 NRSV)  I have not let my mouth sin by asking for their 
       lives with a curse--

       (Job 31:31 NRSV)  if those of my tent ever said, 'O that we might be 
       sated with his flesh!'--

       (Job 31:32 NRSV)  the stranger has not lodged in the street; I have 
       opened my doors to the traveler--

       (Job 31:33 NRSV)  if I have concealed my transgressions as others do, 
       by hiding my iniquity in my bosom,

       (Job 31:34 NRSV)  because I stood in great fear of the multitude, and 
       the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silence, and did 
       not go out of doors--

       (Job 31:35 NRSV)  Oh, that I had one to hear me! (Here is my 
       signature! let the Almighty answer me!) Oh, that I had the indictment 
       written by my adversary!

       (Job 31:36 NRSV)  Surely I would carry it on my shoulder; I would bind 
       it on me like a crown;

       (Job 31:37 NRSV)  I would give him an account of all my steps; like a 
       prince I would approach him.

       (Job 31:38 NRSV)  "If my land has cried out against me, and its 
       furrows have wept together;





       (Job 31:39 NRSV)  if I have eaten its yield without payment, and 
       caused the death of its owners;

       (Job 31:40 NRSV)  let thorns grow instead of wheat, and foul weeds 
       instead of barley." The words of Job are ended.

       (Job 32:1 NRSV)  So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he 
       was righteous in his own eyes.

       (Job 32:2 NRSV)  Then Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family 
       of Ram, became angry. He was angry at Job because he justified himself 
       rather than God;

       (Job 32:3 NRSV)  he was angry also at Job's three friends because they 
       had found no answer, though they had declared Job to be in the wrong.

       (Job 32:4 NRSV)  Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job, because they 
       were older than he.

       (Job 32:5 NRSV)  But when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the 
       mouths of these three men, he became angry.

       (Job 32:6 NRSV)  Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite answered: "I am 
       young in years, and you are aged; therefore I was timid and afraid to 
       declare my opinion to you.

       (Job 32:7 NRSV)  I said, 'Let days speak, and many years teach 
       wisdom.'

       (Job 32:8 NRSV)  But truly it is the spirit in a mortal, the breath of 
       the Almighty, that makes for understanding.

       (Job 32:9 NRSV)  It is not the old that are wise, nor the aged that 
       understand what is right.

       (Job 32:10 NRSV)  Therefore I say, 'Listen to me; let me also declare 
       my opinion.'

       (Job 32:11 NRSV)  "See, I waited for your words, I listened for your 
       wise sayings, while you searched out what to say.

       (Job 32:12 NRSV)  I gave you my attention, but there was in fact no 
       one that confuted Job, no one among you that answered his words.

       (Job 32:13 NRSV)  Yet do not say, 'We have found wisdom; God may 
       vanquish him, not a human.'

       (Job 32:14 NRSV)  He has not directed his words against me, and I will 
       not answer him with your speeches.

       (Job 32:15 NRSV)  "They are dismayed, they answer no more; they have 
       not a word to say.

       (Job 32:16 NRSV)  And am I to wait, because they do not speak, because 
       they stand there, and answer no more?





       (Job 32:17 NRSV)  I also will give my answer; I also will declare my 
       opinion.

       (Job 32:18 NRSV)  For I am full of words; the spirit within me 
       constrains me.

       (Job 32:19 NRSV)  My heart is indeed like wine that has no vent; like 
       new wineskins, it is ready to burst.

       (Job 32:20 NRSV)  I must speak, so that I may find relief; I must open 
       my lips and answer.

       (Job 32:21 NRSV)  I will not show partiality to any person or use 
       flattery toward anyone.

       (Job 32:22 NRSV)  For I do not know how to flatter-- or my Maker would 
       soon put an end to me!

       (Job 33:1 NRSV)  "But now, hear my speech, O Job, and listen to all my 
       words.

       (Job 33:2 NRSV)  See, I open my mouth; the tongue in my mouth speaks.

       (Job 33:3 NRSV)  My words declare the uprightness of my heart, and 
       what my lips know they speak sincerely.

       (Job 33:4 NRSV)  The spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the 
       Almighty gives me life.

       (Job 33:5 NRSV)  Answer me, if you can; set your words in order before 
       me; take your stand.

       (Job 33:6 NRSV)  See, before God I am as you are; I too was formed 
       from a piece of clay.

       (Job 33:7 NRSV)  No fear of me need terrify you; my pressure will not 
       be heavy on you.

       (Job 33:8 NRSV)  "Surely, you have spoken in my hearing, and I have 
       heard the sound of your words.

       (Job 33:9 NRSV)  You say, 'I am clean, without transgression; I am 
       pure, and there is no iniquity in me.

       (Job 33:10 NRSV)  Look, he finds occasions against me, he counts me as 
       his enemy;

       (Job 33:11 NRSV)  he puts my feet in the stocks, and watches all my 
       paths.'

       (Job 33:12 NRSV)  "But in this you are not right. I will answer you: 
       God is greater than any mortal.

       (Job 33:13 NRSV)  Why do you contend against him, saying, 'He will 
       answer none of my words'?





       (Job 33:14 NRSV)  For God speaks in one way, and in two, though people 
       do not perceive it.

       (Job 33:15 NRSV)  In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep 
       sleep falls on mortals, while they slumber on their beds,

       (Job 33:16 NRSV)  then he opens their ears, and terrifies them with 
       warnings,

       (Job 33:17 NRSV)  that he may turn them aside from their deeds, and 
       keep them from pride,

       (Job 33:18 NRSV)  to spare their souls from the Pit, their lives from 
       traversing the River.

       (Job 33:19 NRSV)  They are also chastened with pain upon their beds, 
       and with continual strife in their bones,

       (Job 33:20 NRSV)  so that their lives loathe bread, and their 
       appetites dainty food.

       (Job 33:21 NRSV)  Their flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be 
       seen; and their bones, once invisible, now stick out.

       (Job 33:22 NRSV)  Their souls draw near the Pit, and their lives to 
       those who bring death.

       (Job 33:23 NRSV)  Then, if there should be for one of them an angel, a 
       mediator, one of a thousand, one who declares a person upright,

       (Job 33:24 NRSV)  and he is gracious to that person, and says, 
       'Deliver him from going down into the Pit; I have found a ransom;

       (Job 33:25 NRSV)  let his flesh become fresh with youth; let him 
       return to the days of his youthful vigor.'

       (Job 33:26 NRSV)  Then he prays to God, and is accepted by him, he 
       comes into his presence with joy, and God repays him for his 
       righteousness.

       (Job 33:27 NRSV)  That person sings to others and says, 'I sinned, and 
       perverted what was right, and it was not paid back to me.

       (Job 33:28 NRSV)  He has redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit, 
       and my life shall see the light.'

       (Job 33:29 NRSV)  "God indeed does all these things, twice, three 
       times, with mortals,

       (Job 33:30 NRSV)  to bring back their souls from the Pit, so that they 
       may see the light of life.

       (Job 33:31 NRSV)  Pay heed, Job, listen to me; be silent, and I will 
       speak.

       (Job 33:32 NRSV)  If you have anything to say, answer me; speak, for I 





       desire to justify you.

       (Job 33:33 NRSV)  If not, listen to me; be silent, and I will teach 
       you wisdom."

       (Job 34:1 NRSV)  Then Elihu continued and said:

       (Job 34:2 NRSV)  "Hear my words, you wise men, and give ear to me, you 
       who know;

       (Job 34:3 NRSV)  for the ear tests words as the palate tastes food.

       (Job 34:4 NRSV)  Let us choose what is right; let us determine among 
       ourselves what is good.

       (Job 34:5 NRSV)  For Job has said, 'I am innocent, and God has taken 
       away my right;

       (Job 34:6 NRSV)  in spite of being right I am counted a liar; my wound 
       is incurable, though I am without transgression.'

       (Job 34:7 NRSV)  Who is there like Job, who drinks up scoffing like 
       water,

       (Job 34:8 NRSV)  who goes in company with evildoers and walks with the 
       wicked?

       (Job 34:9 NRSV)  For he has said, 'It profits one nothing to take 
       delight in God.'

       (Job 34:10 NRSV)  "Therefore, hear me, you who have sense, far be it 
       from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he 
       should do wrong.

       (Job 34:11 NRSV)  For according to their deeds he will repay them, and 
       according to their ways he will make it befall them.

       (Job 34:12 NRSV)  Of a truth, God will not do wickedly, and the 
       Almighty will not pervert justice.

       (Job 34:13 NRSV)  Who gave him charge over the earth and who laid on 
       him the whole world?

       (Job 34:14 NRSV)  If he should take back his spirit to himself, and 
       gather to himself his breath,

       (Job 34:15 NRSV)  all flesh would perish together, and all mortals 
       return to dust.

       (Job 34:16 NRSV)  "If you have understanding, hear this; listen to 
       what I say.

       (Job 34:17 NRSV)  Shall one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn 
       one who is righteous and mighty,

       (Job 34:18 NRSV)  who says to a king, 'You scoundrel!' and to princes, 





       'You wicked men!';

       (Job 34:19 NRSV)  who shows no partiality to nobles, nor regards the 
       rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?

       (Job 34:20 NRSV)  In a moment they die; at midnight the people are 
       shaken and pass away, and the mighty are taken away by no human hand.

       (Job 34:21 NRSV)  "For his eyes are upon the ways of mortals, and he 
       sees all their steps.

       (Job 34:22 NRSV)  There is no gloom or deep darkness where evildoers 
       may hide themselves.

       (Job 34:23 NRSV)  For he has not appointed a time for anyone to go 
       before God in judgment.

       (Job 34:24 NRSV)  He shatters the mighty without investigation, and 
       sets others in their place.

       (Job 34:25 NRSV)  Thus, knowing their works, he overturns them in the 
       night, and they are crushed.

       (Job 34:26 NRSV)  He strikes them for their wickedness while others 
       look on,

       (Job 34:27 NRSV)  because they turned aside from following him, and 
       had no regard for any of his ways,

       (Job 34:28 NRSV)  so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to 
       him, and he heard the cry of the afflicted--

       (Job 34:29 NRSV)  When he is quiet, who can condemn? When he hides his 
       face, who can behold him, whether it be a nation or an individual?--

       (Job 34:30 NRSV)  so that the godless should not reign, or those who 
       ensnare the people.

       (Job 34:31 NRSV)  "For has anyone said to God, 'I have endured 
       punishment; I will not offend any more;

       (Job 34:32 NRSV)  teach me what I do not see; if I have done iniquity, 
       I will do it no more'?

       (Job 34:33 NRSV)  Will he then pay back to suit you, because you 
       reject it? For you must choose, and not I; therefore declare what you 
       know.

       (Job 34:34 NRSV)  Those who have sense will say to me, and the wise 
       who hear me will say,

       (Job 34:35 NRSV)  'Job speaks without knowledge, his words are without 
       insight.'

       (Job 34:36 NRSV)  Would that Job were tried to the limit, because his 
       answers are those of the wicked.






       (Job 34:37 NRSV)  For he adds rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands 
       among us, and multiplies his words against God."

       (Job 35:1 NRSV)  Elihu continued and said:

       (Job 35:2 NRSV)  "Do you think this to be just? You say, 'I am in the 
       right before God.'

       (Job 35:3 NRSV)  If you ask, 'What advantage have I? How am I better 
       off than if I had sinned?'

       (Job 35:4 NRSV)  I will answer you and your friends with you.

       (Job 35:5 NRSV)  Look at the heavens and see; observe the clouds, 
       which are higher than you.

       (Job 35:6 NRSV)  If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against 
       him? And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?

       (Job 35:7 NRSV)  If you are righteous, what do you give to him; or 
       what does he receive from your hand?

       (Job 35:8 NRSV)  Your wickedness affects others like you, and your 
       righteousness, other human beings.

       (Job 35:9 NRSV)  "Because of the multitude of oppressions people cry 
       out; they call for help because of the arm of the mighty.

       (Job 35:10 NRSV)  But no one says, 'Where is God my Maker, who gives 
       strength in the night,

       (Job 35:11 NRSV)  who teaches us more than the animals of the earth, 
       and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?'

       (Job 35:12 NRSV)  There they cry out, but he does not answer, because 
       of the pride of evildoers.

       (Job 35:13 NRSV)  Surely God does not hear an empty cry, nor does the 
       Almighty regard it.

       (Job 35:14 NRSV)  How much less when you say that you do not see him, 
       that the case is before him, and you are waiting for him!

       (Job 35:15 NRSV)  And now, because his anger does not punish, and he 
       does not greatly heed transgression,

       (Job 35:16 NRSV)  Job opens his mouth in empty talk, he multiplies 
       words without knowledge."

       (Job 36:1 NRSV)  Elihu continued and said:

       (Job 36:2 NRSV)  "Bear with me a little, and I will show you, for I 
       have yet something to say on God's behalf.

       (Job 36:3 NRSV)  I will bring my knowledge from far away, and ascribe 





       righteousness to my Maker.

       (Job 36:4 NRSV)  For truly my words are not false; one who is perfect 
       in knowledge is with you.

       (Job 36:5 NRSV)  "Surely God is mighty and does not despise any; he is 
       mighty in strength of understanding.

       (Job 36:6 NRSV)  He does not keep the wicked alive, but gives the 
       afflicted their right.

       (Job 36:7 NRSV)  He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous, but 
       with kings on the throne he sets them forever, and they are exalted.

       (Job 36:8 NRSV)  And if they are bound in fetters and caught in the 
       cords of affliction,

       (Job 36:9 NRSV)  then he declares to them their work and their 
       transgressions, that they are behaving arrogantly.

       (Job 36:10 NRSV)  He opens their ears to instruction, and commands 
       that they return from iniquity.

       (Job 36:11 NRSV)  If they listen, and serve him, they complete their 
       days in prosperity, and their years in pleasantness.

       (Job 36:12 NRSV)  But if they do not listen, they shall perish by the 
       sword, and die without knowledge.

       (Job 36:13 NRSV)  "The godless in heart cherish anger; they do not cry 
       for help when he binds them.

       (Job 36:14 NRSV)  They die in their youth, and their life ends in 
       shame.

       (Job 36:15 NRSV)  He delivers the afflicted by their affliction, and 
       opens their ear by adversity.

       (Job 36:16 NRSV)  He also allured you out of distress into a broad 
       place where there was no constraint, and what was set on your table 
       was full of fatness.

       (Job 36:17 NRSV)  "But you are obsessed with the case of the wicked; 
       judgment and justice seize you.

       (Job 36:18 NRSV)  Beware that wrath does not entice you into scoffing, 
       and do not let the greatness of the ransom turn you aside.

       (Job 36:19 NRSV)  Will your cry avail to keep you from distress, or 
       will all the force of your strength?

       (Job 36:20 NRSV)  Do not long for the night, when peoples are cut off 
       in their place.

       (Job 36:21 NRSV)  Beware! Do not turn to iniquity; because of that you 
       have been tried by affliction.






       (Job 36:22 NRSV)  See, God is exalted in his power; who is a teacher 
       like him?

       (Job 36:23 NRSV)  Who has prescribed for him his way, or who can say, 
       'You have done wrong'?

       (Job 36:24 NRSV)  "Remember to extol his work, of which mortals have 
       sung.

       (Job 36:25 NRSV)  All people have looked on it; everyone watches it 
       from far away.

       (Job 36:26 NRSV)  Surely God is great, and we do not know him; the 
       number of his years is unsearchable.

       (Job 36:27 NRSV)  For he draws up the drops of water; he distills his 
       mist in rain,

       (Job 36:28 NRSV)  which the skies pour down and drop upon mortals 
       abundantly.

       (Job 36:29 NRSV)  Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds, 
       the thunderings of his pavilion?

       (Job 36:30 NRSV)  See, he scatters his lightning around him and covers 
       the roots of the sea.

       (Job 36:31 NRSV)  For by these he governs peoples; he gives food in 
       abundance.

       (Job 36:32 NRSV)  He covers his hands with the lightning, and commands 
       it to strike the mark.

       (Job 36:33 NRSV)  Its crashing tells about him; he is jealous with 
       anger against iniquity.

       (Job 37:1 NRSV)  "At this also my heart trembles, and leaps out of its 
       place.

       (Job 37:2 NRSV)  Listen, listen to the thunder of his voice and the 
       rumbling that comes from his mouth.

       (Job 37:3 NRSV)  Under the whole heaven he lets it loose, and his 
       lightning to the corners of the earth.

       (Job 37:4 NRSV)  After it his voice roars; he thunders with his 
       majestic voice and he does not restrain the lightnings when his voice 
       is heard.

       (Job 37:5 NRSV)  God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great 
       things that we cannot comprehend.

       (Job 37:6 NRSV)  For to the snow he says, 'Fall on the earth'; and the 
       shower of rain, his heavy shower of rain,





       (Job 37:7 NRSV)  serves as a sign on everyone's hand, so that all whom 
       he has made may know it.

       (Job 37:8 NRSV)  Then the animals go into their lairs and remain in 
       their dens.

       (Job 37:9 NRSV)  From its chamber comes the whirlwind, and cold from 
       the scattering winds.

       (Job 37:10 NRSV)  By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad 
       waters are frozen fast.

       (Job 37:11 NRSV)  He loads the thick cloud with moisture; the clouds 
       scatter his lightning.

       (Job 37:12 NRSV)  They turn round and round by his guidance, to 
       accomplish all that he commands them on the face of the habitable 
       world.

       (Job 37:13 NRSV)  Whether for correction, or for his land, or for 
       love, he causes it to happen.

       (Job 37:14 NRSV)  "Hear this, O Job; stop and consider the wondrous 
       works of God.

       (Job 37:15 NRSV)  Do you know how God lays his command upon them, and 
       causes the lightning of his cloud to shine?

       (Job 37:16 NRSV)  Do you know the balancings of the clouds, the 
       wondrous works of the one whose knowledge is perfect,

       (Job 37:17 NRSV)  you whose garments are hot when the earth is still 
       because of the south wind?

       (Job 37:18 NRSV)  Can you, like him, spread out the skies, hard as a 
       molten mirror?

       (Job 37:19 NRSV)  Teach us what we shall say to him; we cannot draw up 
       our case because of darkness.

       (Job 37:20 NRSV)  Should he be told that I want to speak? Did anyone 
       ever wish to be swallowed up?

       (Job 37:21 NRSV)  Now, no one can look on the light when it is bright 
       in the skies, when the wind has passed and cleared them.

       (Job 37:22 NRSV)  Out of the north comes golden splendor; around God 
       is awesome majesty.

       (Job 37:23 NRSV)  The Almighty--we cannot find him; he is great in 
       power and justice, and abundant righteousness he will not violate.

       (Job 37:24 NRSV)  Therefore mortals fear him; he does not regard any 
       who are wise in their own conceit."

       (Job 38:1 NRSV)  Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind:






       (Job 38:2 NRSV)  "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without 
       knowledge?

       (Job 38:3 NRSV)  Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, 
       and you shall declare to me.

       (Job 38:4 NRSV)  "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the 
       earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.

       (Job 38:5 NRSV)  Who determined its measurements--surely you know! Or 
       who stretched the line upon it?

       (Job 38:6 NRSV)  On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its 
       cornerstone

       (Job 38:7 NRSV)  when the morning stars sang together and all the 
       heavenly beings shouted for joy?

       (Job 38:8 NRSV)  "Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out 
       from the womb?--

       (Job 38:9 NRSV)  when I made the clouds its garment, and thick 
       darkness its swaddling band,

       (Job 38:10 NRSV)  and prescribed bounds for it, and set bars and 
       doors,

       (Job 38:11 NRSV)  and said, 'Thus far shall you come, and no farther, 
       and here shall your proud waves be stopped'?

       (Job 38:12 NRSV)  "Have you commanded the morning since your days 
       began, and caused the dawn to know its place,

       (Job 38:13 NRSV)  so that it might take hold of the skirts of the 
       earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it?

       (Job 38:14 NRSV)  It is changed like clay under the seal, and it is 
       dyed like a garment.

       (Job 38:15 NRSV)  Light is withheld from the wicked, and their 
       uplifted arm is broken.

       (Job 38:16 NRSV)  "Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or 
       walked in the recesses of the deep?

       (Job 38:17 NRSV)  Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or 
       have you seen the gates of deep darkness?

       (Job 38:18 NRSV)  Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? 
       Declare, if you know all this.

       (Job 38:19 NRSV)  "Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and 
       where is the place of darkness,

       (Job 38:20 NRSV)  that you may take it to its territory and that you 





       may discern the paths to its home?

       (Job 38:21 NRSV)  Surely you know, for you were born then, and the 
       number of your days is great!

       (Job 38:22 NRSV)  "Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or 
       have you seen the storehouses of the hail,

       (Job 38:23 NRSV)  which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for 
       the day of battle and war?

       (Job 38:24 NRSV)  What is the way to the place where the light is 
       distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?

       (Job 38:25 NRSV)  "Who has cut a channel for the torrents of rain, and 
       a way for the thunderbolt,

       (Job 38:26 NRSV)  to bring rain on a land where no one lives, on the 
       desert, which is empty of human life,

       (Job 38:27 NRSV)  to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make 
       the ground put forth grass?

       (Job 38:28 NRSV)  "Has the rain a father, or who has begotten the 
       drops of dew?

       (Job 38:29 NRSV)  From whose womb did the ice come forth, and who has 
       given birth to the hoarfrost of heaven?

       (Job 38:30 NRSV)  The waters become hard like stone, and the face of 
       the deep is frozen.

       (Job 38:31 NRSV)  "Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades, or loose 
       the cords of Orion?

       (Job 38:32 NRSV)  Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or 
       can you guide the Bear with its children?

       (Job 38:33 NRSV)  Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you 
       establish their rule on the earth?

       (Job 38:34 NRSV)  "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, so that a 
       flood of waters may cover you?

       (Job 38:35 NRSV)  Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go 
       and say to you, 'Here we are'?

       (Job 38:36 NRSV)  Who has put wisdom in the inward parts, or given 
       understanding to the mind?

       (Job 38:37 NRSV)  Who has the wisdom to number the clouds? Or who can 
       tilt the waterskins of the heavens,

       (Job 38:38 NRSV)  when the dust runs into a mass and the clods cling 
       together?





       (Job 38:39 NRSV)  "Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the 
       appetite of the young lions,

       (Job 38:40 NRSV)  when they crouch in their dens, or lie in wait in 
       their covert?

       (Job 38:41 NRSV)  Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young 
       ones cry to God, and wander about for lack of food?

       (Job 39:1 NRSV)  "Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do 
       you observe the calving of the deer?

       (Job 39:2 NRSV)  Can you number the months that they fulfill, and do 
       you know the time when they give birth,

       (Job 39:3 NRSV)  when they crouch to give birth to their offspring, 
       and are delivered of their young?

       (Job 39:4 NRSV)  Their young ones become strong, they grow up in the 
       open; they go forth, and do not return to them.

       (Job 39:5 NRSV)  "Who has let the wild ass go free? Who has loosed the 
       bonds of the swift ass,

       (Job 39:6 NRSV)  to which I have given the steppe for its home, the 
       salt land for its dwelling place?

       (Job 39:7 NRSV)  It scorns the tumult of the city; it does not hear 
       the shouts of the driver.

       (Job 39:8 NRSV)  It ranges the mountains as its pasture, and it 
       searches after every green thing.

       (Job 39:9 NRSV)  "Is the wild ox willing to serve you? Will it spend 
       the night at your crib?

       (Job 39:10 NRSV)  Can you tie it in the furrow with ropes, or will it 
       harrow the valleys after you?

       (Job 39:11 NRSV)  Will you depend on it because its strength is great, 
       and will you hand over your labor to it?

       (Job 39:12 NRSV)  Do you have faith in it that it will return, and 
       bring your grain to your threshing floor?

       (Job 39:13 NRSV)  "The ostrich's wings flap wildly, though its pinions 
       lack plumage.

       (Job 39:14 NRSV)  For it leaves its eggs to the earth, and lets them 
       be warmed on the ground,

       (Job 39:15 NRSV)  forgetting that a foot may crush them, and that a 
       wild animal may trample them.

       (Job 39:16 NRSV)  It deals cruelly with its young, as if they were not 
       its own; though its labor should be in vain, yet it has no fear;






       (Job 39:17 NRSV)  because God has made it forget wisdom, and given it 
       no share in understanding.

       (Job 39:18 NRSV)  When it spreads its plumes aloft, it laughs at the 
       horse and its rider.

       (Job 39:19 NRSV)  "Do you give the horse its might? Do you clothe its 
       neck with mane?

       (Job 39:20 NRSV)  Do you make it leap like the locust? Its majestic 
       snorting is terrible.

       (Job 39:21 NRSV)  It paws violently, exults mightily; it goes out to 
       meet the weapons.

       (Job 39:22 NRSV)  It laughs at fear, and is not dismayed; it does not 
       turn back from the sword.

       (Job 39:23 NRSV)  Upon it rattle the quiver, the flashing spear, and 
       the javelin.

       (Job 39:24 NRSV)  With fierceness and rage it swallows the ground; it 
       cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet.

       (Job 39:25 NRSV)  When the trumpet sounds, it says 'Aha!' From a 
       distance it smells the battle, the thunder of the captains, and the 
       shouting.

       (Job 39:26 NRSV)  "Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars, and 
       spreads its wings toward the south?

       (Job 39:27 NRSV)  Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up and 
       makes its nest on high?

       (Job 39:28 NRSV)  It lives on the rock and makes its home in the 
       fastness of the rocky crag.

       (Job 39:29 NRSV)  From there it spies the prey; its eyes see it from 
       far away.

       (Job 39:30 NRSV)  Its young ones suck up blood; and where the slain 
       are, there it is."

       (Job 40:1 NRSV)  And the LORD said to Job:

       (Job 40:2 NRSV)  "Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? 
       Anyone who argues with God must respond."

       (Job 40:3 NRSV)  Then Job answered the LORD:

       (Job 40:4 NRSV)  "See, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? 
       I lay my hand on my mouth.

       (Job 40:5 NRSV)  I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but 
       will proceed no further."






       (Job 40:6 NRSV)  Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind:

       (Job 40:7 NRSV)  "Gird up your loins like a man; I will question you, 
       and you declare to me.

       (Job 40:8 NRSV)  Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn 
       me that you may be justified?

       (Job 40:9 NRSV)  Have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a 
       voice like his?

       (Job 40:10 NRSV)  "Deck yourself with majesty and dignity; clothe 
       yourself with glory and splendor.

       (Job 40:11 NRSV)  Pour out the overflowings of your anger, and look on 
       all who are proud, and abase them.

       (Job 40:12 NRSV)  Look on all who are proud, and bring them low; tread 
       down the wicked where they stand.

       (Job 40:13 NRSV)  Hide them all in the dust together; bind their faces 
       in the world below.

       (Job 40:14 NRSV)  Then I will also acknowledge to you that your own 
       right hand can give you victory.

       (Job 40:15 NRSV)  "Look at Behemoth, which I made just as I made you; 
       it eats grass like an ox.

       (Job 40:16 NRSV)  Its strength is in its loins, and its power in the 
       muscles of its belly.

       (Job 40:17 NRSV)  It makes its tail stiff like a cedar; the sinews of 
       its thighs are knit together.

       (Job 40:18 NRSV)  Its bones are tubes of bronze, its limbs like bars 
       of iron.

       (Job 40:19 NRSV)  "It is the first of the great acts of God-- only its 
       Maker can approach it with the sword.

       (Job 40:20 NRSV)  For the mountains yield food for it where all the 
       wild animals play.

       (Job 40:21 NRSV)  Under the lotus plants it lies, in the covert of the 
       reeds and in the marsh.

       (Job 40:22 NRSV)  The lotus trees cover it for shade; the willows of 
       the wadi surround it.

       (Job 40:23 NRSV)  Even if the river is turbulent, it is not 
       frightened; it is confident though Jordan rushes against its mouth.

       (Job 40:24 NRSV)  Can one take it with hooks or pierce its nose with a 
       snare?






       (Job 41:1 NRSV)  "Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook, or press 
       down its tongue with a cord?

       (Job 41:2 NRSV)  Can you put a rope in its nose, or pierce its jaw 
       with a hook?

       (Job 41:3 NRSV)  Will it make many supplications to you? Will it speak 
       soft words to you?

       (Job 41:4 NRSV)  Will it make a covenant with you to be taken as your 
       servant forever?

       (Job 41:5 NRSV)  Will you play with it as with a bird, or will you put 
       it on leash for your girls?

       (Job 41:6 NRSV)  Will traders bargain over it? Will they divide it up 
       among the merchants?

       (Job 41:7 NRSV)  Can you fill its skin with harpoons, or its head with 
       fishing spears?

       (Job 41:8 NRSV)  Lay hands on it; think of the battle; you will not do 
       it again!

       (Job 41:9 NRSV)  Any hope of capturing it will be disappointed; were 
       not even the gods overwhelmed at the sight of it?

       (Job 41:10 NRSV)  No one is so fierce as to dare to stir it up. Who 
       can stand before it?

       (Job 41:11 NRSV)  Who can confront it and be safe? --under the whole 
       heaven, who?

       (Job 41:12 NRSV)  "I will not keep silence concerning its limbs, or 
       its mighty strength, or its splendid frame.

       (Job 41:13 NRSV)  Who can strip off its outer garment? Who can 
       penetrate its double coat of mail?

       (Job 41:14 NRSV)  Who can open the doors of its face? There is terror 
       all around its teeth.

       (Job 41:15 NRSV)  Its back is made of shields in rows, shut up closely 
       as with a seal.

       (Job 41:16 NRSV)  One is so near to another that no air can come 
       between them.

       (Job 41:17 NRSV)  They are joined one to another; they clasp each 
       other and cannot be separated.

       (Job 41:18 NRSV)  Its sneezes flash forth light, and its eyes are like 
       the eyelids of the dawn.

       (Job 41:19 NRSV)  From its mouth go flaming torches; sparks of fire 





       leap out.

       (Job 41:20 NRSV)  Out of its nostrils comes smoke, as from a boiling 
       pot and burning rushes.

       (Job 41:21 NRSV)  Its breath kindles coals, and a flame comes out of 
       its mouth.

       (Job 41:22 NRSV)  In its neck abides strength, and terror dances 
       before it.

       (Job 41:23 NRSV)  The folds of its flesh cling together; it is firmly 
       cast and immovable.

       (Job 41:24 NRSV)  Its heart is as hard as stone, as hard as the lower 
       millstone.

       (Job 41:25 NRSV)  When it raises itself up the gods are afraid; at the 
       crashing they are beside themselves.

       (Job 41:26 NRSV)  Though the sword reaches it, it does not avail, nor 
       does the spear, the dart, or the javelin.

       (Job 41:27 NRSV)  It counts iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood.

       (Job 41:28 NRSV)  The arrow cannot make it flee; slingstones, for it, 
       are turned to chaff.

       (Job 41:29 NRSV)  Clubs are counted as chaff; it laughs at the rattle 
       of javelins.

       (Job 41:30 NRSV)  Its underparts are like sharp potsherds; it spreads 
       itself like a threshing sledge on the mire.

       (Job 41:31 NRSV)  It makes the deep boil like a pot; it makes the sea 
       like a pot of ointment.

       (Job 41:32 NRSV)  It leaves a shining wake behind it; one would think 
       the deep to be white-haired.

       (Job 41:33 NRSV)  On earth it has no equal, a creature without fear.

       (Job 41:34 NRSV)  It surveys everything that is lofty; it is king over 
       all that are proud."

       (Job 42:1 NRSV)  Then Job answered the LORD:

       (Job 42:2 NRSV)  "I know that you can do all things, and that no 
       purpose of yours can be thwarted.

       (Job 42:3 NRSV)  'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' 
       Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too 
       wonderful for me, which I did not know.

       (Job 42:4 NRSV)  'Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you 
       declare to me.'






       (Job 42:5 NRSV)  I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now 
       my eye sees you;

       (Job 42:6 NRSV)  therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and 
       ashes."

       (Job 42:7 NRSV)  After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, the 
       LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite: "My wrath is kindled against you 
       and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of me what is 
       right, as my servant Job has.

       (Job 42:8 NRSV)  Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams, and go 
       to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and 
       my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to 
       deal with you according to your folly; for you have not spoken of me 
       what is right, as my servant Job has done."

       (Job 42:9 NRSV)  So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and 
       Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the LORD had told them; and 
       the LORD accepted Job's prayer.

       (Job 42:10 NRSV)  And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he 
       had prayed for his friends; and the LORD gave Job twice as much as he 
       had before.

       (Job 42:11 NRSV)  Then there came to him all his brothers and sisters 
       and all who had known him before, and they ate bread with him in his 
       house; they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil 
       that the LORD had brought upon him; and each of them gave him a piece 
       of money and a gold ring.

       (Job 42:12 NRSV)  The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than 
       his beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand 
       camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand donkeys.

       (Job 42:13 NRSV)  He also had seven sons and three daughters.

       (Job 42:14 NRSV)  He named the first Jemimah, the second Keziah, and 
       the third Keren-happuch.

       (Job 42:15 NRSV)  In all the land there were no women so beautiful as 
       Job's daughters; and their father gave them an inheritance along with 
       their brothers.

       (Job 42:16 NRSV)  After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, 
       and saw his children, and his children's children, four generations.

       (Job 42:17 NRSV)  And Job died, old and full of days.

       (Psa 1:1 NRSV)  Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the 
       wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of 
       scoffers;

       (Psa 1:2 NRSV)  but their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on 
       his law they meditate day and night.






       (Psa 1:3 NRSV)  They are like trees planted by streams of water, which 
       yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In 
       all that they do, they prosper.

       (Psa 1:4 NRSV)  The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the 
       wind drives away.

       (Psa 1:5 NRSV)  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, 
       nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

       (Psa 1:6 NRSV)  for the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, 
       but the way of the wicked will perish.

       (Psa 2:1 NRSV)  Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in 
       vain?

       (Psa 2:2 NRSV)  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers 
       take counsel together, against the LORD and his anointed, saying,

       (Psa 2:3 NRSV)  "Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their 
       cords from us."

       (Psa 2:4 NRSV)  He who sits in the heavens laughs; the LORD has them 
       in derision.

       (Psa 2:5 NRSV)  Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify 
       them in his fury, saying,

       (Psa 2:6 NRSV)  "I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill."

       (Psa 2:7 NRSV)  I will tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to me, 
       "You are my son; today I have begotten you.

       (Psa 2:8 NRSV)  Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, 
       and the ends of the earth your possession.

       (Psa 2:9 NRSV)  You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them 
       in pieces like a potter's vessel."

       (Psa 2:10 NRSV)  Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers 
       of the earth.

       (Psa 2:11 NRSV)  Serve the LORD with fear, with trembling

       (Psa 2:12 NRSV)  kiss his feet, or he will be angry, and you will 
       perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Happy are all who 
       take refuge in him.

       (Psa 3:1 NRSV)  O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against 
       me;

       (Psa 3:2 NRSV)  many are saying to me, "There is no help for you in 
       God." Selah

       (Psa 3:3 NRSV)  But you, O LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and 





       the one who lifts up my head.

       (Psa 3:4 NRSV)  I cry aloud to the LORD, and he answers me from his 
       holy hill. Selah

       (Psa 3:5 NRSV)  I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the LORD 
       sustains me.

       (Psa 3:6 NRSV)  I am not afraid of ten thousands of people who have 
       set themselves against me all around.

       (Psa 3:7 NRSV)  Rise up, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! For you strike 
       all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.

       (Psa 3:8 NRSV)  Deliverance belongs to the LORD; may your blessing be 
       on your people! Selah

       (Psa 4:1 NRSV)  Answer me when I call, O God of my right! You gave me 
       room when I was in distress. Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.

       (Psa 4:2 NRSV)  How long, you people, shall my honor suffer shame? How 
       long will you love vain words, and seek after lies? Selah

       (Psa 4:3 NRSV)  But know that the LORD has set apart the faithful for 
       himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.

       (Psa 4:4 NRSV)  When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your 
       beds, and be silent. Selah

       (Psa 4:5 NRSV)  Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the 
       LORD.

       (Psa 4:6 NRSV)  There are many who say, "O that we might see some 
       good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O LORD!"

       (Psa 4:7 NRSV)  You have put gladness in my heart more than when their 
       grain and wine abound.

       (Psa 4:8 NRSV)  I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you 
       alone, O LORD, make me lie down in safety.

       (Psa 5:1 NRSV)  Give ear to my words, O LORD; give heed to my sighing.

       (Psa 5:2 NRSV)  Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for 
       to you I pray.

       (Psa 5:3 NRSV)  O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the 
       morning I plead my case to you, and watch.

       (Psa 5:4 NRSV)  For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil 
       will not sojourn with you.

       (Psa 5:5 NRSV)  The boastful will not stand before your eyes; you hate 
       all evildoers.

       (Psa 5:6 NRSV)  You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the 





       bloodthirsty and deceitful.

       (Psa 5:7 NRSV)  But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, 
       will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe 
       of you.

       (Psa 5:8 NRSV)  Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my 
       enemies; make your way straight before me.

       (Psa 5:9 NRSV)  For there is no truth in their mouths; their hearts 
       are destruction; their throats are open graves; they flatter with 
       their tongues.

       (Psa 5:10 NRSV)  Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by 
       their own counsels; because of their many transgressions cast them 
       out, for they have rebelled against you.

       (Psa 5:11 NRSV)  But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them 
       ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, so that those who 
       love your name may exult in you.

       (Psa 5:12 NRSV)  For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover them 
       with favor as with a shield.

       (Psa 6:1 NRSV)  O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger, or discipline 
       me in your wrath.

       (Psa 6:2 NRSV)  Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; O 
       LORD, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror.

       (Psa 6:3 NRSV)  My soul also is struck with terror, while you, O 
       LORD--how long?

       (Psa 6:4 NRSV)  Turn, O LORD, save my life; deliver me for the sake of 
       your steadfast love.

       (Psa 6:5 NRSV)  For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol 
       who can give you praise?

       (Psa 6:6 NRSV)  I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed 
       with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.

       (Psa 6:7 NRSV)  My eyes waste away because of grief; they grow weak 
       because of all my foes.

       (Psa 6:8 NRSV)  Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD 
       has heard the sound of my weeping.

       (Psa 6:9 NRSV)  The LORD has heard my supplication; the LORD accepts 
       my prayer.

       (Psa 6:10 NRSV)  All my enemies shall be ashamed and struck with 
       terror; they shall turn back, and in a moment be put to shame.

       (Psa 7:1 NRSV)  O LORD my God, in you I take refuge; save me from all 
       my pursuers, and deliver me,






       (Psa 7:2 NRSV)  or like a lion they will tear me apart; they will drag 
       me away, with no one to rescue.

       (Psa 7:3 NRSV)  O LORD my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong 
       in my hands,

       (Psa 7:4 NRSV)  if I have repaid my ally with harm or plundered my foe 
       without cause,

       (Psa 7:5 NRSV)  then let the enemy pursue and overtake me, trample my 
       life to the ground, and lay my soul in the dust. Selah

       (Psa 7:6 NRSV)  Rise up, O LORD, in your anger; lift yourself up 
       against the fury of my enemies; awake, O my God; you have appointed a 
       judgment.

       (Psa 7:7 NRSV)  Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered around 
       you, and over it take your seat on high.

       (Psa 7:8 NRSV)  The LORD judges the peoples; judge me, O LORD, 
       according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is 
       in me.

       (Psa 7:9 NRSV)  O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but 
       establish the righteous, you who test the minds and hearts, O 
       righteous God.

       (Psa 7:10 NRSV)  God is my shield, who saves the upright in heart.

       (Psa 7:11 NRSV)  God is a righteous judge, and a God who has 
       indignation every day.

       (Psa 7:12 NRSV)  If one does not repent, God will whet his sword; he 
       has bent and strung his bow;

       (Psa 7:13 NRSV)  he has prepared his deadly weapons, making his arrows 
       fiery shafts.

       (Psa 7:14 NRSV)  See how they conceive evil, and are pregnant with 
       mischief, and bring forth lies.

       (Psa 7:15 NRSV)  They make a pit, digging it out, and fall into the 
       hole that they have made.

       (Psa 7:16 NRSV)  Their mischief returns upon their own heads, and on 
       their own heads their violence descends.

       (Psa 7:17 NRSV)  I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his 
       righteousness, and sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.

       (Psa 8:1 NRSV)  O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in 
       all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

       (Psa 8:2 NRSV)  Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have 
       founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the 





       avenger.

       (Psa 8:3 NRSV)  When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, 
       the moon and the stars that you have established;

       (Psa 8:4 NRSV)  what are human beings that you are mindful of them, 
       mortals that you care for them?

       (Psa 8:5 NRSV)  Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and 
       crowned them with glory and honor.

       (Psa 8:6 NRSV)  You have given them dominion over the works of your 
       hands; you have put all things under their feet,

       (Psa 8:7 NRSV)  all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,

       (Psa 8:8 NRSV)  the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, 
       whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

       (Psa 8:9 NRSV)  O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in 
       all the earth!

       (Psa 9:1 NRSV)  I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I 
       will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

       (Psa 9:2 NRSV)  I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to 
       your name, O Most High.

       (Psa 9:3 NRSV)  When my enemies turned back, they stumbled and 
       perished before you.

       (Psa 9:4 NRSV)  For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on 
       the throne giving righteous judgment.

       (Psa 9:5 NRSV)  You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the 
       wicked; you have blotted out their name forever and ever.

       (Psa 9:6 NRSV)  The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins; their 
       cities you have rooted out; the very memory of them has perished.

       (Psa 9:7 NRSV)  But the LORD sits enthroned forever, he has 
       established his throne for judgment.

       (Psa 9:8 NRSV)  He judges the world with righteousness; he judges the 
       peoples with equity.

       (Psa 9:9 NRSV)  The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a 
       stronghold in times of trouble.

       (Psa 9:10 NRSV)  And those who know your name put their trust in you, 
       for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

       (Psa 9:11 NRSV)  Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion. Declare 
       his deeds among the peoples.

       (Psa 9:12 NRSV)  For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does 





       not forget the cry of the afflicted.

       (Psa 9:13 NRSV)  Be gracious to me, O LORD. See what I suffer from 
       those who hate me; you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of 
       death,

       (Psa 9:14 NRSV)  so that I may recount all your praises, and, in the 
       gates of daughter Zion, rejoice in your deliverance.

       (Psa 9:15 NRSV)  The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in 
       the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.

       (Psa 9:16 NRSV)  The LORD has made himself known, he has executed 
       judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. 
       Higgaion. Selah

       (Psa 9:17 NRSV)  The wicked shall depart to Sheol, all the nations 
       that forget God.

       (Psa 9:18 NRSV)  For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the 
       hope of the poor perish forever.

       (Psa 9:19 NRSV)  Rise up, O LORD! Do not let mortals prevail; let the 
       nations be judged before you.

       (Psa 9:20 NRSV)  Put them in fear, O LORD; let the nations know that 
       they are only human. Selah

       (Psa 10:1 NRSV)  Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide 
       yourself in times of trouble?

       (Psa 10:2 NRSV)  In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor-- let them 
       be caught in the schemes they have devised.

       (Psa 10:3 NRSV)  For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart, 
       those greedy for gain curse and renounce the LORD.

       (Psa 10:4 NRSV)  In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, 
       "God will not seek it out"; all their thoughts are, "There is no God."

       (Psa 10:5 NRSV)  Their ways prosper at all times; your judgments are 
       on high, out of their sight; as for their foes, they scoff at them.

       (Psa 10:6 NRSV)  They think in their heart, "We shall not be moved; 
       throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity."

       (Psa 10:7 NRSV)  Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and 
       oppression; under their tongues are mischief and iniquity.

       (Psa 10:8 NRSV)  They sit in ambush in the villages; in hiding places 
       they murder the innocent. Their eyes stealthily watch for the 
       helpless;

       (Psa 10:9 NRSV)  they lurk in secret like a lion in its covert; they 
       lurk that they may seize the poor; they seize the poor and drag them 
       off in their net.






       (Psa 10:10 NRSV)  They stoop, they crouch, and the helpless fall by 
       their might.

       (Psa 10:11 NRSV)  They think in their heart, "God has forgotten, he 
       has hidden his face, he will never see it."

       (Psa 10:12 NRSV)  Rise up, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; do not 
       forget the oppressed.

       (Psa 10:13 NRSV)  Why do the wicked renounce God, and say in their 
       hearts, "You will not call us to account"?

       (Psa 10:14 NRSV)  But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief, 
       that you may take it into your hands; the helpless commit themselves 
       to you; you have been the helper of the orphan.

       (Psa 10:15 NRSV)  Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers; seek out 
       their wickedness until you find none.

       (Psa 10:16 NRSV)  The LORD is king forever and ever; the nations shall 
       perish from his land.

       (Psa 10:17 NRSV)  O LORD, you will hear the desire of the meek; you 
       will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear

       (Psa 10:18 NRSV)  to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so 
       that those from earth may strike terror no more.

       (Psa 11:1 NRSV)  In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to me, 
       "Flee like a bird to the mountains;

       (Psa 11:2 NRSV)  for look, the wicked bend the bow, they have fitted 
       their arrow to the string, to shoot in the dark at the upright in 
       heart.

       (Psa 11:3 NRSV)  If the foundations are destroyed, what can the 
       righteous do?"

       (Psa 11:4 NRSV)  The LORD is in his holy temple; the Lord's throne is 
       in heaven. His eyes behold, his gaze examines humankind.

       (Psa 11:5 NRSV)  The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, and his 
       soul hates the lover of violence.

       (Psa 11:6 NRSV)  On the wicked he will rain coals of fire and sulfur; 
       a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.

       (Psa 11:7 NRSV)  For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; 
       the upright shall behold his face.

       (Psa 12:1 NRSV)  Help, O LORD, for there is no longer anyone who is 
       godly; the faithful have disappeared from humankind.

       (Psa 12:2 NRSV)  They utter lies to each other; with flattering lips 
       and a double heart they speak.






       (Psa 12:3 NRSV)  May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, the tongue 
       that makes great boasts,

       (Psa 12:4 NRSV)  those who say, "With our tongues we will prevail; our 
       lips are our own--who is our master?"

       (Psa 12:5 NRSV)  "Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy 
       groan, I will now rise up," says the LORD; "I will place them in the 
       safety for which they long."

       (Psa 12:6 NRSV)  The promises of the LORD are promises that are pure, 
       silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.

       (Psa 12:7 NRSV)  You, O LORD, will protect us; you will guard us from 
       this generation forever.

       (Psa 12:8 NRSV)  On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is 
       exalted among humankind.

       (Psa 13:1 NRSV)  How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How 
       long will you hide your face from me?

       (Psa 13:2 NRSV)  How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow 
       in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

       (Psa 13:3 NRSV)  Consider and answer me, O LORD my God! Give light to 
       my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,

       (Psa 13:4 NRSV)  and my enemy will say, "I have prevailed"; my foes 
       will rejoice because I am shaken.

       (Psa 13:5 NRSV)  But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall 
       rejoice in your salvation.

       (Psa 13:6 NRSV)  I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt 
       bountifully with me.

       (Psa 14:1 NRSV)  Fools say in their hearts, "There is no God." They 
       are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is no one who does good.

       (Psa 14:2 NRSV)  The LORD looks down from heaven on humankind to see 
       if there are any who are wise, who seek after God.

       (Psa 14:3 NRSV)  They have all gone astray, they are all alike 
       perverse; there is no one who does good, no, not one.

       (Psa 14:4 NRSV)  Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up 
       my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon the LORD?

       (Psa 14:5 NRSV)  There they shall be in great terror, for God is with 
       the company of the righteous.

       (Psa 14:6 NRSV)  You would confound the plans of the poor, but the 
       LORD is their refuge.





       (Psa 14:7 NRSV)  O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! 
       When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice; 
       Israel will be glad.

       (Psa 15:1 NRSV)  O LORD, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on 
       your holy hill?

       (Psa 15:2 NRSV)  Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and 
       speak the truth from their heart;

       (Psa 15:3 NRSV)  who do not slander with their tongue, and do no evil 
       to their friends, nor take up a reproach against their neighbors;

       (Psa 15:4 NRSV)  in whose eyes the wicked are despised, but who honor 
       those who fear the LORD; who stand by their oath even to their hurt;

       (Psa 15:5 NRSV)  who do not lend money at interest, and do not take a 
       bribe against the innocent. Those who do these things shall never be 
       moved.

       (Psa 16:1 NRSV)  Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

       (Psa 16:2 NRSV)  I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good 
       apart from you."

       (Psa 16:3 NRSV)  As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble, 
       in whom is all my delight.

       (Psa 16:4 NRSV)  Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; 
       their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names 
       upon my lips.

       (Psa 16:5 NRSV)  The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my 
       lot.

       (Psa 16:6 NRSV)  The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant 
       places; I have a goodly heritage.

       (Psa 16:7 NRSV)  I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night 
       also my heart instructs me.

       (Psa 16:8 NRSV)  I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my 
       right hand, I shall not be moved.

       (Psa 16:9 NRSV)  Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my 
       body also rests secure.

       (Psa 16:10 NRSV)  For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your 
       faithful one see the Pit.

       (Psa 16:11 NRSV)  You show me the path of life. In your presence there 
       is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

       (Psa 17:1 NRSV)  Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry; give ear 
       to my prayer from lips free of deceit.





       (Psa 17:2 NRSV)  From you let my vindication come; let your eyes see 
       the right.

       (Psa 17:3 NRSV)  If you try my heart, if you visit me by night, if you 
       test me, you will find no wickedness in me; my mouth does not 
       transgress.

       (Psa 17:4 NRSV)  As for what others do, by the word of your lips I 
       have avoided the ways of the violent.

       (Psa 17:5 NRSV)  My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have 
       not slipped.

       (Psa 17:6 NRSV)  I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; 
       incline your ear to me, hear my words.

       (Psa 17:7 NRSV)  Wondrously show your steadfast love, O savior of 
       those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.

       (Psa 17:8 NRSV)  Guard me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the 
       shadow of your wings,

       (Psa 17:9 NRSV)  from the wicked who despoil me, my deadly enemies who 
       surround me.

       (Psa 17:10 NRSV)  They close their hearts to pity; with their mouths 
       they speak arrogantly.

       (Psa 17:11 NRSV)  They track me down; now they surround me; they set 
       their eyes to cast me to the ground.

       (Psa 17:12 NRSV)  They are like a lion eager to tear, like a young 
       lion lurking in ambush.

       (Psa 17:13 NRSV)  Rise up, O LORD, confront them, overthrow them! By 
       your sword deliver my life from the wicked,

       (Psa 17:14 NRSV)  from mortals--by your hand, O LORD-- from mortals 
       whose portion in life is in this world. May their bellies be filled 
       with what you have stored up for them; may their children have more 
       than enough; may they leave something over to their little ones.

       (Psa 17:15 NRSV)  As for me, I shall behold your face in 
       righteousness; when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your 
       likeness.

       (Psa 18:1 NRSV)  I love you, O LORD, my strength.

       (Psa 18:2 NRSV)  The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, 
       my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my 
       salvation, my stronghold.

       (Psa 18:3 NRSV)  I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, so 
       I shall be saved from my enemies.

       (Psa 18:4 NRSV)  The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of 





       perdition assailed me;

       (Psa 18:5 NRSV)  the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death 
       confronted me.

       (Psa 18:6 NRSV)  In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I 
       cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him 
       reached his ears.

       (Psa 18:7 NRSV)  Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations 
       also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry.

       (Psa 18:8 NRSV)  Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire 
       from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.

       (Psa 18:9 NRSV)  He bowed the heavens, and came down; thick darkness 
       was under his feet.

       (Psa 18:10 NRSV)  He rode on a cherub, and flew; he came swiftly upon 
       the wings of the wind.

       (Psa 18:11 NRSV)  He made darkness his covering around him, his canopy 
       thick clouds dark with water.

       (Psa 18:12 NRSV)  Out of the brightness before him there broke through 
       his clouds hailstones and coals of fire.

       (Psa 18:13 NRSV)  The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most 
       High uttered his voice.

       (Psa 18:14 NRSV)  And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; he 
       flashed forth lightnings, and routed them.

       (Psa 18:15 NRSV)  Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the 
       foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the 
       blast of the breath of your nostrils.

       (Psa 18:16 NRSV)  He reached down from on high, he took me; he drew me 
       out of mighty waters.

       (Psa 18:17 NRSV)  He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those 
       who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.

       (Psa 18:18 NRSV)  They confronted me in the day of my calamity; but 
       the LORD was my support.

       (Psa 18:19 NRSV)  He brought me out into a broad place; he delivered 
       me, because he delighted in me.

       (Psa 18:20 NRSV)  The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; 
       according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.

       (Psa 18:21 NRSV)  For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not 
       wickedly departed from my God.

       (Psa 18:22 NRSV)  For all his ordinances were before me, and his 





       statutes I did not put away from me.

       (Psa 18:23 NRSV)  I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from 
       guilt.

       (Psa 18:24 NRSV)  Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to 
       my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

       (Psa 18:25 NRSV)  With the loyal you show yourself loyal; with the 
       blameless you show yourself blameless;

       (Psa 18:26 NRSV)  with the pure you show yourself pure; and with the 
       crooked you show yourself perverse.

       (Psa 18:27 NRSV)  For you deliver a humble people, but the haughty 
       eyes you bring down.

       (Psa 18:28 NRSV)  It is you who light my lamp; the LORD, my God, 
       lights up my darkness.

       (Psa 18:29 NRSV)  By you I can crush a troop, and by my God I can leap 
       over a wall.

       (Psa 18:30 NRSV)  This God--his way is perfect; the promise of the 
       LORD proves true; he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

       (Psa 18:31 NRSV)  For who is God except the LORD? And who is a rock 
       besides our God?--

       (Psa 18:32 NRSV)  the God who girded me with strength, and made my way 
       safe.

       (Psa 18:33 NRSV)  He made my feet like the feet of a deer, and set me 
       secure on the heights.

       (Psa 18:34 NRSV)  He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend 
       a bow of bronze.

       (Psa 18:35 NRSV)  You have given me the shield of your salvation, and 
       your right hand has supported me; your help has made me great.

       (Psa 18:36 NRSV)  You gave me a wide place for my steps under me, and 
       my feet did not slip.

       (Psa 18:37 NRSV)  I pursued my enemies and overtook them; and did not 
       turn back until they were consumed.

       (Psa 18:38 NRSV)  I struck them down, so that they were not able to 
       rise; they fell under my feet.

       (Psa 18:39 NRSV)  For you girded me with strength for the battle; you 
       made my assailants sink under me.

       (Psa 18:40 NRSV)  You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and 
       those who hated me I destroyed.





       (Psa 18:41 NRSV)  They cried for help, but there was no one to save 
       them; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.

       (Psa 18:42 NRSV)  I beat them fine, like dust before the wind; I cast 
       them out like the mire of the streets.

       (Psa 18:43 NRSV)  You delivered me from strife with the peoples; you 
       made me head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me.

       (Psa 18:44 NRSV)  As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me; 
       foreigners came cringing to me.

       (Psa 18:45 NRSV)  Foreigners lost heart, and came trembling out of 
       their strongholds.

       (Psa 18:46 NRSV)  The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock, and exalted be 
       the God of my salvation,

       (Psa 18:47 NRSV)  the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples 
       under me;

       (Psa 18:48 NRSV)  who delivered me from my enemies; indeed, you 
       exalted me above my adversaries; you delivered me from the violent.

       (Psa 18:49 NRSV)  For this I will extol you, O LORD, among the 
       nations, and sing praises to your name.

       (Psa 18:50 NRSV)  Great triumphs he gives to his king, and shows 
       steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.

       (Psa 19:1 NRSV)  The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the 
       firmament proclaims his handiwork.

       (Psa 19:2 NRSV)  Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night 
       declares knowledge.

       (Psa 19:3 NRSV)  There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice 
       is not heard;

       (Psa 19:4 NRSV)  yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and 
       their words to the end of the world. In the heavens he has set a tent 
       for the sun,

       (Psa 19:5 NRSV)  which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding 
       canopy, and like a strong man runs its course with joy.

       (Psa 19:6 NRSV)  Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its 
       circuit to the end of them; and nothing is hid from its heat.

       (Psa 19:7 NRSV)  The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; 
       the decrees of the LORD are sure, making wise the simple;

       (Psa 19:8 NRSV)  the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the 
       heart; the commandment of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eyes;

       (Psa 19:9 NRSV)  the fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the 





       ordinances of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

       (Psa 19:10 NRSV)  More to be desired are they than gold, even much 
       fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.

       (Psa 19:11 NRSV)  Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping 
       them there is great reward.

       (Psa 19:12 NRSV)  But who can detect their errors? Clear me from 
       hidden faults.

       (Psa 19:13 NRSV)  Keep back your servant also from the insolent; do 
       not let them have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and 
       innocent of great transgression.

       (Psa 19:14 NRSV)  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my 
       heart be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

       (Psa 20:1 NRSV)  The LORD answer you in the day of trouble! The name 
       of the God of Jacob protect you!

       (Psa 20:2 NRSV)  May he send you help from the sanctuary, and give you 
       support from Zion.

       (Psa 20:3 NRSV)  May he remember all your offerings, and regard with 
       favor your burnt sacrifices. Selah

       (Psa 20:4 NRSV)  May he grant you your heart's desire, and fulfill all 
       your plans.

       (Psa 20:5 NRSV)  May we shout for joy over your victory, and in the 
       name of our God set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your 
       petitions.

       (Psa 20:6 NRSV)  Now I know that the LORD will help his anointed; he 
       will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories by his 
       right hand.

       (Psa 20:7 NRSV)  Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but 
       our pride is in the name of the LORD our God.

       (Psa 20:8 NRSV)  They will collapse and fall, but we shall rise and 
       stand upright.

       (Psa 20:9 NRSV)  Give victory to the king, O LORD; answer us when we 
       call.

       (Psa 21:1 NRSV)  In your strength the king rejoices, O LORD, and in 
       your help how greatly he exults!

       (Psa 21:2 NRSV)  You have given him his heart's desire, and have not 
       withheld the request of his lips. Selah

       (Psa 21:3 NRSV)  For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown 
       of fine gold on his head.





       (Psa 21:4 NRSV)  He asked you for life; you gave it to him-- length of 
       days forever and ever.

       (Psa 21:5 NRSV)  His glory is great through your help; splendor and 
       majesty you bestow on him.

       (Psa 21:6 NRSV)  You bestow on him blessings forever; you make him 
       glad with the joy of your presence.

       (Psa 21:7 NRSV)  For the king trusts in the LORD, and through the 
       steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.

       (Psa 21:8 NRSV)  Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right 
       hand will find out those who hate you.

       (Psa 21:9 NRSV)  You will make them like a fiery furnace when you 
       appear. The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will 
       consume them.

       (Psa 21:10 NRSV)  You will destroy their offspring from the earth, and 
       their children from among humankind.

       (Psa 21:11 NRSV)  If they plan evil against you, if they devise 
       mischief, they will not succeed.

       (Psa 21:12 NRSV)  For you will put them to flight; you will aim at 
       their faces with your bows.

       (Psa 21:13 NRSV)  Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength! We will sing 
       and praise your power.

       (Psa 22:1 NRSV)  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you 
       so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?

       (Psa 22:2 NRSV)  O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by 
       night, but find no rest.

       (Psa 22:3 NRSV)  Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.

       (Psa 22:4 NRSV)  In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you 
       delivered them.

       (Psa 22:5 NRSV)  To you they cried, and were saved; in you they 
       trusted, and were not put to shame.

       (Psa 22:6 NRSV)  But I am a worm, and not human; scorned by others, 
       and despised by the people.

       (Psa 22:7 NRSV)  All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, 
       they shake their heads;

       (Psa 22:8 NRSV)  "Commit your cause to the LORD; let him deliver-- let 
       him rescue the one in whom he delights!"

       (Psa 22:9 NRSV)  Yet it was you who took me from the womb; you kept me 
       safe on my mother's breast.






       (Psa 22:10 NRSV)  On you I was cast from my birth, and since my mother 
       bore me you have been my God.

       (Psa 22:11 NRSV)  Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there 
       is no one to help.

       (Psa 22:12 NRSV)  Many bulls encircle me, strong bulls of Bashan 
       surround me;

       (Psa 22:13 NRSV)  they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening 
       and roaring lion.

       (Psa 22:14 NRSV)  I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out 
       of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast;

       (Psa 22:15 NRSV)  my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue 
       sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.

       (Psa 22:16 NRSV)  For dogs are all around me; a company of evildoers 
       encircles me. My hands and feet have shriveled;

       (Psa 22:17 NRSV)  I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over 
       me;

       (Psa 22:18 NRSV)  they divide my clothes among themselves, and for my 
       clothing they cast lots.

       (Psa 22:19 NRSV)  But you, O LORD, do not be far away! O my help, come 
       quickly to my aid!

       (Psa 22:20 NRSV)  Deliver my soul from the sword, my life from the 
       power of the dog!

       (Psa 22:21 NRSV)  Save me from the mouth of the lion! From the horns 
       of the wild oxen you have rescued me.

       (Psa 22:22 NRSV)  I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters; 
       in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:

       (Psa 22:23 NRSV)  You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring 
       of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of 
       Israel!

       (Psa 22:24 NRSV)  For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of 
       the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I 
       cried to him.

       (Psa 22:25 NRSV)  From you comes my praise in the great congregation; 
       my vows I will pay before those who fear him.

       (Psa 22:26 NRSV)  The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek 
       him shall praise the LORD. May your hearts live forever!

       (Psa 22:27 NRSV)  All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to 
       the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before 





       him.

       (Psa 22:28 NRSV)  For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over 
       the nations.

       (Psa 22:29 NRSV)  To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow 
       down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall 
       live for him.

       (Psa 22:30 NRSV)  Posterity will serve him; future generations will be 
       told about the Lord,

       (Psa 22:31 NRSV)  and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, 
       saying that he has done it.

       (Psa 23:1 NRSV)  The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.

       (Psa 23:2 NRSV)  He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me 
       beside still waters;

       (Psa 23:3 NRSV)  he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for 
       his name's sake.

       (Psa 23:4 NRSV)  Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear 
       no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff-- they comfort 
       me.

       (Psa 23:5 NRSV)  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my 
       enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

       (Psa 23:6 NRSV)  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the 
       days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole 
       life long.

       (Psa 24:1 NRSV)  The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the 
       world, and those who live in it;

       (Psa 24:2 NRSV)  for he has founded it on the seas, and established it 
       on the rivers.

       (Psa 24:3 NRSV)  Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall 
       stand in his holy place?

       (Psa 24:4 NRSV)  Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do 
       not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear 
       deceitfully.

       (Psa 24:5 NRSV)  They will receive blessing from the LORD, and 
       vindication from the God of their salvation.

       (Psa 24:6 NRSV)  Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek 
       the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

       (Psa 24:7 NRSV)  Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O 
       ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.





       (Psa 24:8 NRSV)  Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and 
       mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle.

       (Psa 24:9 NRSV)  Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O 
       ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.

       (Psa 24:10 NRSV)  Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is 
       the King of glory. Selah

       (Psa 25:1 NRSV)  To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.

       (Psa 25:2 NRSV)  O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to 
       shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.

       (Psa 25:3 NRSV)  Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; 
       let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

       (Psa 25:4 NRSV)  Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your 
       paths.

       (Psa 25:5 NRSV)  Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the 
       God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.

       (Psa 25:6 NRSV)  Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your 
       steadfast love, for they have been from of old.

       (Psa 25:7 NRSV)  Do not remember the sins of my youth or my 
       transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your 
       goodness' sake, O LORD!

       (Psa 25:8 NRSV)  Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs 
       sinners in the way.

       (Psa 25:9 NRSV)  He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the 
       humble his way.

       (Psa 25:10 NRSV)  All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and 
       faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

       (Psa 25:11 NRSV)  For your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for 
       it is great.

       (Psa 25:12 NRSV)  Who are they that fear the LORD? He will teach them 
       the way that they should choose.

       (Psa 25:13 NRSV)  They will abide in prosperity, and their children 
       shall possess the land.

       (Psa 25:14 NRSV)  The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear 
       him, and he makes his covenant known to them.

       (Psa 25:15 NRSV)  My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck 
       my feet out of the net.

       (Psa 25:16 NRSV)  Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely 
       and afflicted.






       (Psa 25:17 NRSV)  Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out 
       of my distress.

       (Psa 25:18 NRSV)  Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive 
       all my sins.

       (Psa 25:19 NRSV)  Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent 
       hatred they hate me.

       (Psa 25:20 NRSV)  O guard my life, and deliver me; do not let me be 
       put to shame, for I take refuge in you.

       (Psa 25:21 NRSV)  May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I 
       wait for you.

       (Psa 25:22 NRSV)  Redeem Israel, O God, out of all its troubles.

       (Psa 26:1 NRSV)  Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my 
       integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.

       (Psa 26:2 NRSV)  Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and mind.

       (Psa 26:3 NRSV)  For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk 
       in faithfulness to you.

       (Psa 26:4 NRSV)  I do not sit with the worthless, nor do I consort 
       with hypocrites;

       (Psa 26:5 NRSV)  I hate the company of evildoers, and will not sit 
       with the wicked.

       (Psa 26:6 NRSV)  I wash my hands in innocence, and go around your 
       altar, O LORD,

       (Psa 26:7 NRSV)  singing aloud a song of thanksgiving, and telling all 
       your wondrous deeds.

       (Psa 26:8 NRSV)  O LORD, I love the house in which you dwell, and the 
       place where your glory abides.

       (Psa 26:9 NRSV)  Do not sweep me away with sinners, nor my life with 
       the bloodthirsty,

       (Psa 26:10 NRSV)  those in whose hands are evil devices, and whose 
       right hands are full of bribes.

       (Psa 26:11 NRSV)  But as for me, I walk in my integrity; redeem me, 
       and be gracious to me.

       (Psa 26:12 NRSV)  My foot stands on level ground; in the great 
       congregation I will bless the LORD.

       (Psa 27:1 NRSV)  The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I 
       fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be 
       afraid?






       (Psa 27:2 NRSV)  When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh-- my 
       adversaries and foes-- they shall stumble and fall.

       (Psa 27:3 NRSV)  Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not 
       fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.

       (Psa 27:4 NRSV)  One thing I asked of the LORD, that will I seek 
       after: to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to 
       behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.

       (Psa 27:5 NRSV)  For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of 
       trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set 
       me high on a rock.

       (Psa 27:6 NRSV)  Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around 
       me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will 
       sing and make melody to the LORD.

       (Psa 27:7 NRSV)  Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and 
       answer me!

       (Psa 27:8 NRSV)  "Come," my heart says, "seek his face!" Your face, 
       LORD, do I seek.

       (Psa 27:9 NRSV)  Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your 
       servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, 
       do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!

       (Psa 27:10 NRSV)  If my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will 
       take me up.

       (Psa 27:11 NRSV)  Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level 
       path because of my enemies.

       (Psa 27:12 NRSV)  Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for 
       false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out 
       violence.

       (Psa 27:13 NRSV)  I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD 
       in the land of the living.

       (Psa 27:14 NRSV)  Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart 
       take courage; wait for the LORD!

       (Psa 28:1 NRSV)  To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, do not refuse to 
       hear me, for if you are silent to me, I shall be like those who go 
       down to the Pit.

       (Psa 28:2 NRSV)  Hear the voice of my supplication, as I cry to you 
       for help, as I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary.

       (Psa 28:3 NRSV)  Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who 
       are workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors, while 
       mischief is in their hearts.





       (Psa 28:4 NRSV)  Repay them according to their work, and according to 
       the evil of their deeds; repay them according to the work of their 
       hands; render them their due reward.

       (Psa 28:5 NRSV)  Because they do not regard the works of the LORD, or 
       the work of his hands, he will break them down and build them up no 
       more.

       (Psa 28:6 NRSV)  Blessed be the LORD, for he has heard the sound of my 
       pleadings.

       (Psa 28:7 NRSV)  The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my 
       heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I 
       give thanks to him.

       (Psa 28:8 NRSV)  The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the 
       saving refuge of his anointed.

       (Psa 28:9 NRSV)  O save your people, and bless your heritage; be their 
       shepherd, and carry them forever.

       (Psa 29:1 NRSV)  Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to 
       the LORD glory and strength.

       (Psa 29:2 NRSV)  Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name; worship 
       the LORD in holy splendor.

       (Psa 29:3 NRSV)  The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of 
       glory thunders, the LORD, over mighty waters.

       (Psa 29:4 NRSV)  The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the 
       LORD is full of majesty.

       (Psa 29:5 NRSV)  The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD 
       breaks the cedars of Lebanon.

       (Psa 29:6 NRSV)  He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a 
       young wild ox.

       (Psa 29:7 NRSV)  The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.

       (Psa 29:8 NRSV)  The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD 
       shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

       (Psa 29:9 NRSV)  The voice of the LORD causes the oaks to whirl, and 
       strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, "Glory!"

       (Psa 29:10 NRSV)  The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD 
       sits enthroned as king forever.

       (Psa 29:11 NRSV)  May the LORD give strength to his people! May the 
       LORD bless his people with peace!

       (Psa 30:1 NRSV)  I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up, 
       and did not let my foes rejoice over me.





       (Psa 30:2 NRSV)  O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have 
       healed me.

       (Psa 30:3 NRSV)  O LORD, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored 
       me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.

       (Psa 30:4 NRSV)  Sing praises to the LORD, O you his faithful ones, 
       and give thanks to his holy name.

       (Psa 30:5 NRSV)  For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a 
       lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the 
       morning.

       (Psa 30:6 NRSV)  As for me, I said in my prosperity, "I shall never be 
       moved."

       (Psa 30:7 NRSV)  By your favor, O LORD, you had established me as a 
       strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed.

       (Psa 30:8 NRSV)  To you, O LORD, I cried, and to the LORD I made 
       supplication:

       (Psa 30:9 NRSV)  "What profit is there in my death, if I go down to 
       the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?

       (Psa 30:10 NRSV)  Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me! O LORD, be my 
       helper!"

       (Psa 30:11 NRSV)  You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have 
       taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

       (Psa 30:12 NRSV)  so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O 
       LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

       (Psa 31:1 NRSV)  In you, O LORD, I seek refuge; do not let me ever be 
       put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me.

       (Psa 31:2 NRSV)  Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily. Be a rock 
       of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me.

       (Psa 31:3 NRSV)  You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your 
       name's sake lead me and guide me,

       (Psa 31:4 NRSV)  take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for you 
       are my refuge.

       (Psa 31:5 NRSV)  Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed 
       me, O LORD, faithful God.

       (Psa 31:6 NRSV)  You hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but 
       I trust in the LORD.

       (Psa 31:7 NRSV)  I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love, 
       because you have seen my affliction; you have taken heed of my 
       adversities,





       (Psa 31:8 NRSV)  and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; 
       you have set my feet in a broad place.

       (Psa 31:9 NRSV)  Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my 
       eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also.

       (Psa 31:10 NRSV)  For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with 
       sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste 
       away.

       (Psa 31:11 NRSV)  I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my 
       neighbors, an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in 
       the street flee from me.

       (Psa 31:12 NRSV)  I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I 
       have become like a broken vessel.

       (Psa 31:13 NRSV)  For I hear the whispering of many-- terror all 
       around!-- as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my 
       life.

       (Psa 31:14 NRSV)  But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God."

       (Psa 31:15 NRSV)  My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand 
       of my enemies and persecutors.

       (Psa 31:16 NRSV)  Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in 
       your steadfast love.

       (Psa 31:17 NRSV)  Do not let me be put to shame, O LORD, for I call on 
       you; let the wicked be put to shame; let them go dumbfounded to Sheol.

       (Psa 31:18 NRSV)  Let the lying lips be stilled that speak insolently 
       against the righteous with pride and contempt.

       (Psa 31:19 NRSV)  O how abundant is your goodness that you have laid 
       up for those who fear you, and accomplished for those who take refuge 
       in you, in the sight of everyone!

       (Psa 31:20 NRSV)  In the shelter of your presence you hide them from 
       human plots; you hold them safe under your shelter from contentious 
       tongues.

       (Psa 31:21 NRSV)  Blessed be the LORD, for he has wondrously shown his 
       steadfast love to me when I was beset as a city under siege.

       (Psa 31:22 NRSV)  I had said in my alarm, "I am driven far from your 
       sight." But you heard my supplications when I cried out to you for 
       help.

       (Psa 31:23 NRSV)  Love the LORD, all you his saints. The LORD 
       preserves the faithful, but abundantly repays the one who acts 
       haughtily.

       (Psa 31:24 NRSV)  Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you 
       who wait for the LORD.






       (Psa 32:1 NRSV)  Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, 
       whose sin is covered.

       (Psa 32:2 NRSV)  Happy are those to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity, 
       and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

       (Psa 32:3 NRSV)  While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my 
       groaning all day long.

       (Psa 32:4 NRSV)  For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my 
       strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

       (Psa 32:5 NRSV)  Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide 
       my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," 
       and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

       (Psa 32:6 NRSV)  Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to 
       you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach 
       them.

       (Psa 32:7 NRSV)  You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from 
       trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah

       (Psa 32:8 NRSV)  I will instruct you and teach you the way you should 
       go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

       (Psa 32:9 NRSV)  Do not be like a horse or a mule, without 
       understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else 
       it will not stay near you.

       (Psa 32:10 NRSV)  Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast 
       love surrounds those who trust in the LORD.

       (Psa 32:11 NRSV)  Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous, and 
       shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

       (Psa 33:1 NRSV)  Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous. Praise befits 
       the upright.

       (Psa 33:2 NRSV)  Praise the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him 
       with the harp of ten strings.

       (Psa 33:3 NRSV)  Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the 
       strings, with loud shouts.

       (Psa 33:4 NRSV)  For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work 
       is done in faithfulness.

       (Psa 33:5 NRSV)  He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full 
       of the steadfast love of the LORD.

       (Psa 33:6 NRSV)  By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and 
       all their host by the breath of his mouth.

       (Psa 33:7 NRSV)  He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle; he 





       put the deeps in storehouses.

       (Psa 33:8 NRSV)  Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the 
       inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

       (Psa 33:9 NRSV)  For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it 
       stood firm.

       (Psa 33:10 NRSV)  The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to 
       nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.

       (Psa 33:11 NRSV)  The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the thoughts 
       of his heart to all generations.

       (Psa 33:12 NRSV)  Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD, the 
       people whom he has chosen as his heritage.

       (Psa 33:13 NRSV)  The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all 
       humankind.

       (Psa 33:14 NRSV)  From where he sits enthroned he watches all the 
       inhabitants of the earth--

       (Psa 33:15 NRSV)  he who fashions the hearts of them all, and observes 
       all their deeds.

       (Psa 33:16 NRSV)  A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is 
       not delivered by his great strength.

       (Psa 33:17 NRSV)  The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its 
       great might it cannot save.

       (Psa 33:18 NRSV)  Truly the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, 
       on those who hope in his steadfast love,

       (Psa 33:19 NRSV)  to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them 
       alive in famine.

       (Psa 33:20 NRSV)  Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and 
       shield.

       (Psa 33:21 NRSV)  Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his 
       holy name.

       (Psa 33:22 NRSV)  Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as 
       we hope in you.

       (Psa 34:1 NRSV)  I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall 
       continually be in my mouth.

       (Psa 34:2 NRSV)  My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble 
       hear and be glad.

       (Psa 34:3 NRSV)  O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name 
       together.





       (Psa 34:4 NRSV)  I sought the LORD, and he answered me, and delivered 
       me from all my fears.

       (Psa 34:5 NRSV)  Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall 
       never be ashamed.

       (Psa 34:6 NRSV)  This poor soul cried, and was heard by the LORD, and 
       was saved from every trouble.

       (Psa 34:7 NRSV)  The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear 
       him, and delivers them.

       (Psa 34:8 NRSV)  O taste and see that the LORD is good; happy are 
       those who take refuge in him.

       (Psa 34:9 NRSV)  O fear the LORD, you his holy ones, for those who 
       fear him have no want.

       (Psa 34:10 NRSV)  The young lions suffer want and hunger, but those 
       who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

       (Psa 34:11 NRSV)  Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the 
       fear of the LORD.

       (Psa 34:12 NRSV)  Which of you desires life, and covets many days to 
       enjoy good?

       (Psa 34:13 NRSV)  Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from 
       speaking deceit.

       (Psa 34:14 NRSV)  Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and 
       pursue it.

       (Psa 34:15 NRSV)  The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his 
       ears are open to their cry.

       (Psa 34:16 NRSV)  The face of the LORD is against evildoers, to cut 
       off the remembrance of them from the earth.

       (Psa 34:17 NRSV)  When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears, and 
       rescues them from all their troubles.

       (Psa 34:18 NRSV)  The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the 
       crushed in spirit.

       (Psa 34:19 NRSV)  Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the 
       LORD rescues them from them all.

       (Psa 34:20 NRSV)  He keeps all their bones; not one of them will be 
       broken.

       (Psa 34:21 NRSV)  Evil brings death to the wicked, and those who hate 
       the righteous will be condemned.

       (Psa 34:22 NRSV)  The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of 
       those who take refuge in him will be condemned.






       (Psa 35:1 NRSV)  Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; 
       fight against those who fight against me!

       (Psa 35:2 NRSV)  Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise up to help 
       me!

       (Psa 35:3 NRSV)  Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers; say 
       to my soul, "I am your salvation."

       (Psa 35:4 NRSV)  Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after 
       my life. Let them be turned back and confounded who devise evil 
       against me.

       (Psa 35:5 NRSV)  Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the 
       angel of the LORD driving them on.

       (Psa 35:6 NRSV)  Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of 
       the LORD pursuing them.

       (Psa 35:7 NRSV)  For without cause they hid their net for me; without 
       cause they dug a pit for my life.

       (Psa 35:8 NRSV)  Let ruin come on them unawares. And let the net that 
       they hid ensnare them; let them fall in it--to their ruin.

       (Psa 35:9 NRSV)  Then my soul shall rejoice in the LORD, exulting in 
       his deliverance.

       (Psa 35:10 NRSV)  All my bones shall say, "O LORD, who is like you? 
       You deliver the weak from those too strong for them, the weak and 
       needy from those who despoil them."

       (Psa 35:11 NRSV)  Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me about 
       things I do not know.

       (Psa 35:12 NRSV)  They repay me evil for good; my soul is forlorn.

       (Psa 35:13 NRSV)  But as for me, when they were sick, I wore 
       sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting. I prayed with head bowed 
       on my bosom,

       (Psa 35:14 NRSV)  as though I grieved for a friend or a brother; I 
       went about as one who laments for a mother, bowed down and in 
       mourning.

       (Psa 35:15 NRSV)  But at my stumbling they gathered in glee, they 
       gathered together against me; ruffians whom I did not know tore at me 
       without ceasing;

       (Psa 35:16 NRSV)  they impiously mocked more and more, gnashing at me 
       with their teeth.

       (Psa 35:17 NRSV)  How long, O LORD, will you look on? Rescue me from 
       their ravages, my life from the lions!





       (Psa 35:18 NRSV)  Then I will thank you in the great congregation; in 
       the mighty throng I will praise you.

       (Psa 35:19 NRSV)  Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me, 
       or those who hate me without cause wink the eye.

       (Psa 35:20 NRSV)  For they do not speak peace, but they conceive 
       deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.

       (Psa 35:21 NRSV)  They open wide their mouths against me; they say, 
       "Aha, Aha, our eyes have seen it."

       (Psa 35:22 NRSV)  You have seen, O LORD; do not be silent! O Lord, do 
       not be far from me!

       (Psa 35:23 NRSV)  Wake up! Bestir yourself for my defense, for my 
       cause, my God and my Lord!

       (Psa 35:24 NRSV)  Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to your 
       righteousness, and do not let them rejoice over me.

       (Psa 35:25 NRSV)  Do not let them say to themselves, "Aha, we have our 
       heart's desire." Do not let them say, "We have swallowed you up."

       (Psa 35:26 NRSV)  Let all those who rejoice at my calamity be put to 
       shame and confusion; let those who exalt themselves against me be 
       clothed with shame and dishonor.

       (Psa 35:27 NRSV)  Let those who desire my vindication shout for joy 
       and be glad, and say evermore, "Great is the LORD, who delights in the 
       welfare of his servant."

       (Psa 35:28 NRSV)  Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and 
       of your praise all day long.

       (Psa 36:1 NRSV)  Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in their 
       hearts; there is no fear of God before their eyes.

       (Psa 36:2 NRSV)  For they flatter themselves in their own eyes that 
       their iniquity cannot be found out and hated.

       (Psa 36:3 NRSV)  The words of their mouths are mischief and deceit; 
       they have ceased to act wisely and do good.

       (Psa 36:4 NRSV)  They plot mischief while on their beds; they are set 
       on a way that is not good; they do not reject evil.

       (Psa 36:5 NRSV)  Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, 
       your faithfulness to the clouds.

       (Psa 36:6 NRSV)  Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your 
       judgments are like the great deep; you save humans and animals alike, 
       O LORD.

       (Psa 36:7 NRSV)  How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All 
       people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.






       (Psa 36:8 NRSV)  They feast on the abundance of your house, and you 
       give them drink from the river of your delights.

       (Psa 36:9 NRSV)  For with you is the fountain of life; in your light 
       we see light.

       (Psa 36:10 NRSV)  O continue your steadfast love to those who know 
       you, and your salvation to the upright of heart!

       (Psa 36:11 NRSV)  Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me, or 
       the hand of the wicked drive me away.

       (Psa 36:12 NRSV)  There the evildoers lie prostrate; they are thrust 
       down, unable to rise.

       (Psa 37:1 NRSV)  Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious 
       of wrongdoers,

       (Psa 37:2 NRSV)  for they will soon fade like the grass, and wither 
       like the green herb.

       (Psa 37:3 NRSV)  Trust in the LORD, and do good; so you will live in 
       the land, and enjoy security.

       (Psa 37:4 NRSV)  Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the 
       desires of your heart.

       (Psa 37:5 NRSV)  Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he 
       will act.

       (Psa 37:6 NRSV)  He will make your vindication shine like the light, 
       and the justice of your cause like the noonday.

       (Psa 37:7 NRSV)  Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him; 
       do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry 
       out evil devices.

       (Psa 37:8 NRSV)  Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not 
       fret--it leads only to evil.

       (Psa 37:9 NRSV)  For the wicked shall be cut off, but those who wait 
       for the LORD shall inherit the land.

       (Psa 37:10 NRSV)  Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; 
       though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.

       (Psa 37:11 NRSV)  But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight 
       themselves in abundant prosperity.

       (Psa 37:12 NRSV)  The wicked plot against the righteous, and gnash 
       their teeth at them;

       (Psa 37:13 NRSV)  but the LORD laughs at the wicked, for he sees that 
       their day is coming.





       (Psa 37:14 NRSV)  The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to 
       bring down the poor and needy, to kill those who walk uprightly;

       (Psa 37:15 NRSV)  their sword shall enter their own heart, and their 
       bows shall be broken.

       (Psa 37:16 NRSV)  Better is a little that the righteous person has 
       than the abundance of many wicked.

       (Psa 37:17 NRSV)  For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the 
       LORD upholds the righteous.

       (Psa 37:18 NRSV)  The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their 
       heritage will abide forever;

       (Psa 37:19 NRSV)  they are not put to shame in evil times, in the days 
       of famine they have abundance.

       (Psa 37:20 NRSV)  But the wicked perish, and the enemies of the LORD 
       are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish--like smoke they 
       vanish away.

       (Psa 37:21 NRSV)  The wicked borrow, and do not pay back, but the 
       righteous are generous and keep giving;

       (Psa 37:22 NRSV)  for those blessed by the LORD shall inherit the 
       land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

       (Psa 37:23 NRSV)  Our steps are made firm by the LORD, when he 
       delights in our way;

       (Psa 37:24 NRSV)  though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for 
       the LORD holds us by the hand.

       (Psa 37:25 NRSV)  I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not 
       seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

       (Psa 37:26 NRSV)  They are ever giving liberally and lending, and 
       their children become a blessing.

       (Psa 37:27 NRSV)  Depart from evil, and do good; so you shall abide 
       forever.

       (Psa 37:28 NRSV)  For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his 
       faithful ones. The righteous shall be kept safe forever, but the 
       children of the wicked shall be cut off.

       (Psa 37:29 NRSV)  The righteous shall inherit the land, and live in it 
       forever.

       (Psa 37:30 NRSV)  The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their 
       tongues speak justice.

       (Psa 37:31 NRSV)  The law of their God is in their hearts; their steps 
       do not slip.





       (Psa 37:32 NRSV)  The wicked watch for the righteous, and seek to kill 
       them.

       (Psa 37:33 NRSV)  The LORD will not abandon them to their power, or 
       let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.

       (Psa 37:34 NRSV)  Wait for the LORD, and keep to his way, and he will 
       exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on the destruction of the 
       wicked.

       (Psa 37:35 NRSV)  I have seen the wicked oppressing, and towering like 
       a cedar of Lebanon.

       (Psa 37:36 NRSV)  Again I passed by, and they were no more; though I 
       sought them, they could not be found.

       (Psa 37:37 NRSV)  Mark the blameless, and behold the upright, for 
       there is posterity for the peaceable.

       (Psa 37:38 NRSV)  But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the 
       posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.

       (Psa 37:39 NRSV)  The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he 
       is their refuge in the time of trouble.

       (Psa 37:40 NRSV)  The LORD helps them and rescues them; he rescues 
       them from the wicked, and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

       (Psa 38:1 NRSV)  O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger, or discipline 
       me in your wrath.

       (Psa 38:2 NRSV)  For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has 
       come down on me.

       (Psa 38:3 NRSV)  There is no soundness in my flesh because of your 
       indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin.

       (Psa 38:4 NRSV)  For my iniquities have gone over my head; they weigh 
       like a burden too heavy for me.

       (Psa 38:5 NRSV)  My wounds grow foul and fester because of my 
       foolishness;

       (Psa 38:6 NRSV)  I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all day long I 
       go around mourning.

       (Psa 38:7 NRSV)  For my loins are filled with burning, and there is no 
       soundness in my flesh.

       (Psa 38:8 NRSV)  I am utterly spent and crushed; I groan because of 
       the tumult of my heart.

       (Psa 38:9 NRSV)  O Lord, all my longing is known to you; my sighing is 
       not hidden from you.

       (Psa 38:10 NRSV)  My heart throbs, my strength fails me; as for the 





       light of my eyes--it also has gone from me.

       (Psa 38:11 NRSV)  My friends and companions stand aloof from my 
       affliction, and my neighbors stand far off.

       (Psa 38:12 NRSV)  Those who seek my life lay their snares; those who 
       seek to hurt me speak of ruin, and meditate treachery all day long.

       (Psa 38:13 NRSV)  But I am like the deaf, I do not hear; like the 
       mute, who cannot speak.

       (Psa 38:14 NRSV)  Truly, I am like one who does not hear, and in whose 
       mouth is no retort.

       (Psa 38:15 NRSV)  But it is for you, O LORD, that I wait; it is you, O 
       LORD my God, who will answer.

       (Psa 38:16 NRSV)  For I pray, "Only do not let them rejoice over me, 
       those who boast against me when my foot slips."

       (Psa 38:17 NRSV)  For I am ready to fall, and my pain is ever with me.

       (Psa 38:18 NRSV)  I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.

       (Psa 38:19 NRSV)  Those who are my foes without cause are mighty, and 
       many are those who hate me wrongfully.

       (Psa 38:20 NRSV)  Those who render me evil for good are my adversaries 
       because I follow after good.

       (Psa 38:21 NRSV)  Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, do not be far 
       from me;

       (Psa 38:22 NRSV)  make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation.

       (Psa 39:1 NRSV)  I said, "I will guard my ways that I may not sin with 
       my tongue; I will keep a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are 
       in my presence."

       (Psa 39:2 NRSV)  I was silent and still; I held my peace to no avail; 
       my distress grew worse,

       (Psa 39:3 NRSV)  my heart became hot within me. While I mused, the 
       fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue:

       (Psa 39:4 NRSV)  "LORD, let me know my end, and what is the measure of 
       my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.

       (Psa 39:5 NRSV)  You have made my days a few handbreadths, and my 
       lifetime is as nothing in your sight. Surely everyone stands as a mere 
       breath. Selah

       (Psa 39:6 NRSV)  Surely everyone goes about like a shadow. Surely for 
       nothing they are in turmoil; they heap up, and do not know who will 
       gather.





       (Psa 39:7 NRSV)  "And now, O Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in 
       you.

       (Psa 39:8 NRSV)  Deliver me from all my transgressions. Do not make me 
       the scorn of the fool.

       (Psa 39:9 NRSV)  I am silent; I do not open my mouth, for it is you 
       who have done it.

       (Psa 39:10 NRSV)  Remove your stroke from me; I am worn down by the 
       blows of your hand.

       (Psa 39:11 NRSV)  "You chastise mortals in punishment for sin, 
       consuming like a moth what is dear to them; surely everyone is a mere 
       breath. Selah

       (Psa 39:12 NRSV)  "Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; do 
       not hold your peace at my tears. For I am your passing guest, an 
       alien, like all my forebears.

       (Psa 39:13 NRSV)  Turn your gaze away from me, that I may smile again, 
       before I depart and am no more."

       (Psa 40:1 NRSV)  I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me 
       and heard my cry.

       (Psa 40:2 NRSV)  He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry 
       bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.

       (Psa 40:3 NRSV)  He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to 
       our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.

       (Psa 40:4 NRSV)  Happy are those who make the LORD their trust, who do 
       not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods.

       (Psa 40:5 NRSV)  You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous 
       deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you. Were I 
       to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be counted.

       (Psa 40:6 NRSV)  Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you 
       have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have 
       not required.

       (Psa 40:7 NRSV)  Then I said, "Here I am; in the scroll of the book it 
       is written of me.

       (Psa 40:8 NRSV)  I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is 
       within my heart."

       (Psa 40:9 NRSV)  I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great 
       congregation; see, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD.

       (Psa 40:10 NRSV)  I have not hidden your saving help within my heart, 
       I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not 
       concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great 
       congregation.






       (Psa 40:11 NRSV)  Do not, O LORD, withhold your mercy from me; let 
       your steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe forever.

       (Psa 40:12 NRSV)  For evils have encompassed me without number; my 
       iniquities have overtaken me, until I cannot see; they are more than 
       the hairs of my head, and my heart fails me.

       (Psa 40:13 NRSV)  Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; O LORD, make 
       haste to help me.

       (Psa 40:14 NRSV)  Let all those be put to shame and confusion who seek 
       to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to 
       dishonor who desire my hurt.

       (Psa 40:15 NRSV)  Let those be appalled because of their shame who say 
       to me, "Aha, Aha!"

       (Psa 40:16 NRSV)  But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; 
       may those who love your salvation say continually, "Great is the 
       LORD!"

       (Psa 40:17 NRSV)  As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes 
       thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my 
       God.

       (Psa 41:1 NRSV)  Happy are those who consider the poor; the LORD 
       delivers them in the day of trouble.

       (Psa 41:2 NRSV)  The LORD protects them and keeps them alive; they are 
       called happy in the land. You do not give them up to the will of their 
       enemies.

       (Psa 41:3 NRSV)  The LORD sustains them on their sickbed; in their 
       illness you heal all their infirmities.

       (Psa 41:4 NRSV)  As for me, I said, "O LORD, be gracious to me; heal 
       me, for I have sinned against you."

       (Psa 41:5 NRSV)  My enemies wonder in malice when I will die, and my 
       name perish.

       (Psa 41:6 NRSV)  And when they come to see me, they utter empty words, 
       while their hearts gather mischief; when they go out, they tell it 
       abroad.

       (Psa 41:7 NRSV)  All who hate me whisper together about me; they 
       imagine the worst for me.

       (Psa 41:8 NRSV)  They think that a deadly thing has fastened on me, 
       that I will not rise again from where I lie.

       (Psa 41:9 NRSV)  Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my 
       bread, has lifted the heel against me.

       (Psa 41:10 NRSV)  But you, O LORD, be gracious to me, and raise me up, 





       that I may repay them.

       (Psa 41:11 NRSV)  By this I know that you are pleased with me; because 
       my enemy has not triumphed over me.

       (Psa 41:12 NRSV)  But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and 
       set me in your presence forever.

       (Psa 41:13 NRSV)  Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from 
       everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.

       (Psa 42:1 NRSV)  As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs 
       for you, O God.

       (Psa 42:2 NRSV)  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When 
       shall I come and behold the face of God?

       (Psa 42:3 NRSV)  My tears have been my food day and night, while 
       people say to me continually, "Where is your God?"

       (Psa 42:4 NRSV)  These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I 
       went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, 
       with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping 
       festival.

       (Psa 42:5 NRSV)  Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you 
       disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my 
       help

       (Psa 42:6 NRSV)  and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore 
       I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount 
       Mizar.

       (Psa 42:7 NRSV)  Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; 
       all your waves and your billows have gone over me.

       (Psa 42:8 NRSV)  By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at 
       night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.

       (Psa 42:9 NRSV)  I say to God, my rock, "Why have you forgotten me? 
       Why must I walk about mournfully because the enemy oppresses me?"

       (Psa 42:10 NRSV)  As with a deadly wound in my body, my adversaries 
       taunt me, while they say to me continually, "Where is your God?"

       (Psa 42:11 NRSV)  Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you 
       disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my 
       help and my God.

       (Psa 43:1 NRSV)  Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an 
       ungodly people; from those who are deceitful and unjust deliver me!

       (Psa 43:2 NRSV)  For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have 
       you cast me off? Why must I walk about mournfully because of the 
       oppression of the enemy?





       (Psa 43:3 NRSV)  O send out your light and your truth; let them lead 
       me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.

       (Psa 43:4 NRSV)  Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my 
       exceeding joy; and I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.

       (Psa 43:5 NRSV)  Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you 
       disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my 
       help and my God.

       (Psa 44:1 NRSV)  We have heard with our ears, O God, our ancestors 
       have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of 
       old:

       (Psa 44:2 NRSV)  you with your own hand drove out the nations, but 
       them you planted; you afflicted the peoples, but them you set free;

       (Psa 44:3 NRSV)  for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor 
       did their own arm give them victory; but your right hand, and your 
       arm, and the light of your countenance, for you delighted in them.

       (Psa 44:4 NRSV)  You are my King and my God; you command victories for 
       Jacob.

       (Psa 44:5 NRSV)  Through you we push down our foes; through your name 
       we tread down our assailants.

       (Psa 44:6 NRSV)  For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save 
       me.

       (Psa 44:7 NRSV)  But you have saved us from our foes, and have put to 
       confusion those who hate us.

       (Psa 44:8 NRSV)  In God we have boasted continually, and we will give 
       thanks to your name forever. Selah

       (Psa 44:9 NRSV)  Yet you have rejected us and abased us, and have not 
       gone out with our armies.

       (Psa 44:10 NRSV)  You made us turn back from the foe, and our enemies 
       have gotten spoil.

       (Psa 44:11 NRSV)  You have made us like sheep for slaughter, and have 
       scattered us among the nations.

       (Psa 44:12 NRSV)  You have sold your people for a trifle, demanding no 
       high price for them.

       (Psa 44:13 NRSV)  You have made us the taunt of our neighbors, the 
       derision and scorn of those around us.

       (Psa 44:14 NRSV)  You have made us a byword among the nations, a 
       laughingstock among the peoples.

       (Psa 44:15 NRSV)  All day long my disgrace is before me, and shame has 
       covered my face






       (Psa 44:16 NRSV)  at the words of the taunters and revilers, at the 
       sight of the enemy and the avenger.

       (Psa 44:17 NRSV)  All this has come upon us, yet we have not forgotten 
       you, or been false to your covenant.

       (Psa 44:18 NRSV)  Our heart has not turned back, nor have our steps 
       departed from your way,

       (Psa 44:19 NRSV)  yet you have broken us in the haunt of jackals, and 
       covered us with deep darkness.

       (Psa 44:20 NRSV)  If we had forgotten the name of our God, or spread 
       out our hands to a strange god,

       (Psa 44:21 NRSV)  would not God discover this? For he knows the 
       secrets of the heart.

       (Psa 44:22 NRSV)  Because of you we are being killed all day long, and 
       accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

       (Psa 44:23 NRSV)  Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Awake, do 
       not cast us off forever!

       (Psa 44:24 NRSV)  Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our 
       affliction and oppression?

       (Psa 44:25 NRSV)  For we sink down to the dust; our bodies cling to 
       the ground.

       (Psa 44:26 NRSV)  Rise up, come to our help. Redeem us for the sake of 
       your steadfast love.

       (Psa 45:1 NRSV)  My heart overflows with a goodly theme; I address my 
       verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.

       (Psa 45:2 NRSV)  You are the most handsome of men; grace is poured 
       upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.

       (Psa 45:3 NRSV)  Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your 
       glory and majesty.

       (Psa 45:4 NRSV)  In your majesty ride on victoriously for the cause of 
       truth and to defend the right; let your right hand teach you dread 
       deeds.

       (Psa 45:5 NRSV)  Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's 
       enemies; the peoples fall under you.

       (Psa 45:6 NRSV)  Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your 
       royal scepter is a scepter of equity;

       (Psa 45:7 NRSV)  you love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore 
       God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your 
       companions;






       (Psa 45:8 NRSV)  your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and 
       cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;

       (Psa 45:9 NRSV)  daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at 
       your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.

       (Psa 45:10 NRSV)  Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; 
       forget your people and your father's house,

       (Psa 45:11 NRSV)  and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is 
       your lord, bow to him;

       (Psa 45:12 NRSV)  the people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, 
       the richest of the people

       (Psa 45:13 NRSV)  with all kinds of wealth. The princess is decked in 
       her chamber with gold-woven robes;

       (Psa 45:14 NRSV)  in many-colored robes she is led to the king; behind 
       her the virgins, her companions, follow.

       (Psa 45:15 NRSV)  With joy and gladness they are led along as they 
       enter the palace of the king.

       (Psa 45:16 NRSV)  In the place of ancestors you, O king, shall have 
       sons; you will make them princes in all the earth.

       (Psa 45:17 NRSV)  I will cause your name to be celebrated in all 
       generations; therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.

       (Psa 46:1 NRSV)  God is our refuge and strength, a very present help 
       in trouble.

       (Psa 46:2 NRSV)  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should 
       change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;

       (Psa 46:3 NRSV)  though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains 
       tremble with its tumult. Selah

       (Psa 46:4 NRSV)  There is a river whose streams make glad the city of 
       God, the holy habitation of the Most High.

       (Psa 46:5 NRSV)  God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be 
       moved; God will help it when the morning dawns.

       (Psa 46:6 NRSV)  The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he 
       utters his voice, the earth melts.

       (Psa 46:7 NRSV)  The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our 
       refuge. Selah

       (Psa 46:8 NRSV)  Come, behold the works of the LORD; see what 
       desolations he has brought on the earth.

       (Psa 46:9 NRSV)  He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he 





       breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with 
       fire.

       (Psa 46:10 NRSV)  "Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted 
       among the nations, I am exalted in the earth."

       (Psa 46:11 NRSV)  The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is 
       our refuge. Selah

       (Psa 47:1 NRSV)  Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with 
       loud songs of joy.

       (Psa 47:2 NRSV)  For the LORD, the Most High, is awesome, a great king 
       over all the earth.

       (Psa 47:3 NRSV)  He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our 
       feet.

       (Psa 47:4 NRSV)  He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom 
       he loves. Selah

       (Psa 47:5 NRSV)  God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound 
       of a trumpet.

       (Psa 47:6 NRSV)  Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to 
       our King, sing praises.

       (Psa 47:7 NRSV)  For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises 
       with a psalm.

       (Psa 47:8 NRSV)  God is king over the nations; God sits on his holy 
       throne.

       (Psa 47:9 NRSV)  The princes of the peoples gather as the people of 
       the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is 
       highly exalted.

       (Psa 48:1 NRSV)  Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the 
       city of our God. His holy mountain,

       (Psa 48:2 NRSV)  beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, 
       Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King.

       (Psa 48:3 NRSV)  Within its citadels God has shown himself a sure 
       defense.

       (Psa 48:4 NRSV)  Then the kings assembled, they came on together.

       (Psa 48:5 NRSV)  As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they 
       were in panic, they took to flight;

       (Psa 48:6 NRSV)  trembling took hold of them there, pains as of a 
       woman in labor,

       (Psa 48:7 NRSV)  as when an east wind shatters the ships of Tarshish.





       (Psa 48:8 NRSV)  As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the 
       LORD of hosts, in the city of our God, which God establishes forever. 
       Selah

       (Psa 48:9 NRSV)  We ponder your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of 
       your temple.

       (Psa 48:10 NRSV)  Your name, O God, like your praise, reaches to the 
       ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with victory.

       (Psa 48:11 NRSV)  Let Mount Zion be glad, let the towns of Judah 
       rejoice because of your judgments.

       (Psa 48:12 NRSV)  Walk about Zion, go all around it, count its towers,

       (Psa 48:13 NRSV)  consider well its ramparts; go through its citadels, 
       that you may tell the next generation

       (Psa 48:14 NRSV)  that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will 
       be our guide forever.

       (Psa 49:1 NRSV)  Hear this, all you peoples; give ear, all inhabitants 
       of the world,

       (Psa 49:2 NRSV)  both low and high, rich and poor together.

       (Psa 49:3 NRSV)  My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my 
       heart shall be understanding.

       (Psa 49:4 NRSV)  I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my 
       riddle to the music of the harp.

       (Psa 49:5 NRSV)  Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the 
       iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,

       (Psa 49:6 NRSV)  those who trust in their wealth and boast of the 
       abundance of their riches?

       (Psa 49:7 NRSV)  Truly, no ransom avails for one's life, there is no 
       price one can give to God for it.

       (Psa 49:8 NRSV)  For the ransom of life is costly, and can never 
       suffice

       (Psa 49:9 NRSV)  that one should live on forever and never see the 
       grave.

       (Psa 49:10 NRSV)  When we look at the wise, they die; fool and dolt 
       perish together and leave their wealth to others.

       (Psa 49:11 NRSV)  Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling 
       places to all generations, though they named lands their own.

       (Psa 49:12 NRSV)  Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like 
       the animals that perish.





       (Psa 49:13 NRSV)  Such is the fate of the foolhardy, the end of those 
       who are pleased with their lot. Selah

       (Psa 49:14 NRSV)  Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall 
       be their shepherd; straight to the grave they descend, and their form 
       shall waste away; Sheol shall be their home.

       (Psa 49:15 NRSV)  But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, 
       for he will receive me. Selah

       (Psa 49:16 NRSV)  Do not be afraid when some become rich, when the 
       wealth of their houses increases.

       (Psa 49:17 NRSV)  For when they die they will carry nothing away; 
       their wealth will not go down after them.

       (Psa 49:18 NRSV)  Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy 
       --for you are praised when you do well for yourself--

       (Psa 49:19 NRSV)  they will go to the company of their ancestors, who 
       will never again see the light.

       (Psa 49:20 NRSV)  Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like 
       the animals that perish.

       (Psa 50:1 NRSV)  The mighty one, God the LORD, speaks and summons the 
       earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.

       (Psa 50:2 NRSV)  Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines 
       forth.

       (Psa 50:3 NRSV)  Our God comes and does not keep silence, before him 
       is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around him.

       (Psa 50:4 NRSV)  He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that 
       he may judge his people:

       (Psa 50:5 NRSV)  "Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant 
       with me by sacrifice!"

       (Psa 50:6 NRSV)  The heavens declare his righteousness, for God 
       himself is judge. Selah

       (Psa 50:7 NRSV)  "Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, I 
       will testify against you. I am God, your God.

       (Psa 50:8 NRSV)  Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt 
       offerings are continually before me.

       (Psa 50:9 NRSV)  I will not accept a bull from your house, or goats 
       from your folds.

       (Psa 50:10 NRSV)  For every wild animal of the forest is mine, the 
       cattle on a thousand hills.

       (Psa 50:11 NRSV)  I know all the birds of the air, and all that moves 





       in the field is mine.

       (Psa 50:12 NRSV)  "If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the 
       world and all that is in it is mine.

       (Psa 50:13 NRSV)  Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of 
       goats?

       (Psa 50:14 NRSV)  Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay 
       your vows to the Most High.

       (Psa 50:15 NRSV)  Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver 
       you, and you shall glorify me."

       (Psa 50:16 NRSV)  But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to 
       recite my statutes, or take my covenant on your lips?

       (Psa 50:17 NRSV)  For you hate discipline, and you cast my words 
       behind you.

       (Psa 50:18 NRSV)  You make friends with a thief when you see one, and 
       you keep company with adulterers.

       (Psa 50:19 NRSV)  "You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your 
       tongue frames deceit.

       (Psa 50:20 NRSV)  You sit and speak against your kin; you slander your 
       own mother's child.

       (Psa 50:21 NRSV)  These things you have done and I have been silent; 
       you thought that I was one just like yourself. But now I rebuke you, 
       and lay the charge before you.

       (Psa 50:22 NRSV)  "Mark this, then, you who forget God, or I will tear 
       you apart, and there will be no one to deliver.

       (Psa 50:23 NRSV)  Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice 
       honor me; to those who go the right way I will show the salvation of 
       God."

       (Psa 51:1 NRSV)  Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast 
       love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

       (Psa 51:2 NRSV)  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me 
       from my sin.

       (Psa 51:3 NRSV)  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever 
       before me.

       (Psa 51:4 NRSV)  Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what 
       is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and 
       blameless when you pass judgment.

       (Psa 51:5 NRSV)  Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother 
       conceived me.





       (Psa 51:6 NRSV)  You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach 
       me wisdom in my secret heart.

       (Psa 51:7 NRSV)  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, 
       and I shall be whiter than snow.

       (Psa 51:8 NRSV)  Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you 
       have crushed rejoice.

       (Psa 51:9 NRSV)  Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my 
       iniquities.

       (Psa 51:10 NRSV)  Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and 
       right spirit within me.

       (Psa 51:11 NRSV)  Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not 
       take your holy spirit from me.

       (Psa 51:12 NRSV)  Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain 
       in me a willing spirit.

       (Psa 51:13 NRSV)  Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and 
       sinners will return to you.

       (Psa 51:14 NRSV)  Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my 
       salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.

       (Psa 51:15 NRSV)  O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your 
       praise.

       (Psa 51:16 NRSV)  For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to 
       give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.

       (Psa 51:17 NRSV)  The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; 
       a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

       (Psa 51:18 NRSV)  Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; rebuild the 
       walls of Jerusalem,

       (Psa 51:19 NRSV)  then you will delight in right sacrifices, in burnt 
       offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on 
       your altar.

       (Psa 52:1 NRSV)  Why do you boast, O mighty one, of mischief done 
       against the godly? All day long

       (Psa 52:2 NRSV)  you are plotting destruction. Your tongue is like a 
       sharp razor, you worker of treachery.

       (Psa 52:3 NRSV)  You love evil more than good, and lying more than 
       speaking the truth. Selah

       (Psa 52:4 NRSV)  You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.

       (Psa 52:5 NRSV)  But God will break you down forever; he will snatch 
       and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the 





       living. Selah

       (Psa 52:6 NRSV)  The righteous will see, and fear, and will laugh at 
       the evildoer, saying,

       (Psa 52:7 NRSV)  "See the one who would not take refuge in God, but 
       trusted in abundant riches, and sought refuge in wealth!"

       (Psa 52:8 NRSV)  But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. 
       I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.

       (Psa 52:9 NRSV)  I will thank you forever, because of what you have 
       done. In the presence of the faithful I will proclaim your name, for 
       it is good.

       (Psa 53:1 NRSV)  Fools say in their hearts, "There is no God." They 
       are corrupt, they commit abominable acts; there is no one who does 
       good.

       (Psa 53:2 NRSV)  God looks down from heaven on humankind to see if 
       there are any who are wise, who seek after God.

       (Psa 53:3 NRSV)  They have all fallen away, they are all alike 
       perverse; there is no one who does good, no, not one.

       (Psa 53:4 NRSV)  Have they no knowledge, those evildoers, who eat up 
       my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God?

       (Psa 53:5 NRSV)  There they shall be in great terror, in terror such 
       as has not been. For God will scatter the bones of the ungodly; they 
       will be put to shame, for God has rejected them.

       (Psa 53:6 NRSV)  O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! 
       When God restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice; 
       Israel will be glad.

       (Psa 54:1 NRSV)  Save me, O God, by your name, and vindicate me by 
       your might.

       (Psa 54:2 NRSV)  Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my 
       mouth.

       (Psa 54:3 NRSV)  For the insolent have risen against me, the ruthless 
       seek my life; they do not set God before them. Selah

       (Psa 54:4 NRSV)  But surely, God is my helper; the Lord is the 
       upholder of my life.

       (Psa 54:5 NRSV)  He will repay my enemies for their evil. In your 
       faithfulness, put an end to them.

       (Psa 54:6 NRSV)  With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I 
       will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good.

       (Psa 54:7 NRSV)  For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my 
       eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.






       (Psa 55:1 NRSV)  Give ear to my prayer, O God; do not hide yourself 
       from my supplication.

       (Psa 55:2 NRSV)  Attend to me, and answer me; I am troubled in my 
       complaint. I am distraught

       (Psa 55:3 NRSV)  by the noise of the enemy, because of the clamor of 
       the wicked. For they bring trouble upon me, and in anger they cherish 
       enmity against me.

       (Psa 55:4 NRSV)  My heart is in anguish within me, the terrors of 
       death have fallen upon me.

       (Psa 55:5 NRSV)  Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror 
       overwhelms me.

       (Psa 55:6 NRSV)  And I say, "O that I had wings like a dove! I would 
       fly away and be at rest;

       (Psa 55:7 NRSV)  truly, I would flee far away; I would lodge in the 
       wilderness; Selah

       (Psa 55:8 NRSV)  I would hurry to find a shelter for myself from the 
       raging wind and tempest."

       (Psa 55:9 NRSV)  Confuse, O Lord, confound their speech; for I see 
       violence and strife in the city.

       (Psa 55:10 NRSV)  Day and night they go around it on its walls, and 
       iniquity and trouble are within it;

       (Psa 55:11 NRSV)  ruin is in its midst; oppression and fraud do not 
       depart from its marketplace.

       (Psa 55:12 NRSV)  It is not enemies who taunt me-- I could bear that; 
       it is not adversaries who deal insolently with me-- I could hide from 
       them.

       (Psa 55:13 NRSV)  But it is you, my equal, my companion, my familiar 
       friend,

       (Psa 55:14 NRSV)  with whom I kept pleasant company; we walked in the 
       house of God with the throng.

       (Psa 55:15 NRSV)  Let death come upon them; let them go down alive to 
       Sheol; for evil is in their homes and in their hearts.

       (Psa 55:16 NRSV)  But I call upon God, and the LORD will save me.

       (Psa 55:17 NRSV)  Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint 
       and moan, and he will hear my voice.

       (Psa 55:18 NRSV)  He will redeem me unharmed from the battle that I 
       wage, for many are arrayed against me.





       (Psa 55:19 NRSV)  God, who is enthroned from of old, Selah will hear, 
       and will humble them-- because they do not change, and do not fear 
       God.

       (Psa 55:20 NRSV)  My companion laid hands on a friend and violated a 
       covenant with me

       (Psa 55:21 NRSV)  with speech smoother than butter, but with a heart 
       set on war; with words that were softer than oil, but in fact were 
       drawn swords.

       (Psa 55:22 NRSV)  Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain 
       you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

       (Psa 55:23 NRSV)  But you, O God, will cast them down into the lowest 
       pit; the bloodthirsty and treacherous shall not live out half their 
       days. But I will trust in you.

       (Psa 56:1 NRSV)  Be gracious to me, O God, for people trample on me; 
       all day long foes oppress me;

       (Psa 56:2 NRSV)  my enemies trample on me all day long, for many fight 
       against me. O Most High,

       (Psa 56:3 NRSV)  when I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

       (Psa 56:4 NRSV)  In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I am not 
       afraid; what can flesh do to me?

       (Psa 56:5 NRSV)  All day long they seek to injure my cause; all their 
       thoughts are against me for evil.

       (Psa 56:6 NRSV)  They stir up strife, they lurk, they watch my steps. 
       As they hoped to have my life,

       (Psa 56:7 NRSV)  so repay them for their crime; in wrath cast down the 
       peoples, O God!

       (Psa 56:8 NRSV)  You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in 
       your bottle. Are they not in your record?

       (Psa 56:9 NRSV)  Then my enemies will retreat in the day when I call. 
       This I know, that God is for me.

       (Psa 56:10 NRSV)  In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word 
       I praise,

       (Psa 56:11 NRSV)  in God I trust; I am not afraid. What can a mere 
       mortal do to me?

       (Psa 56:12 NRSV)  My vows to you I must perform, O God; I will render 
       thank offerings to you.

       (Psa 56:13 NRSV)  For you have delivered my soul from death, and my 
       feet from falling, so that I may walk before God in the light of life.





       (Psa 57:1 NRSV)  Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in 
       you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take 
       refuge, until the destroying storms pass by.

       (Psa 57:2 NRSV)  I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his 
       purpose for me.

       (Psa 57:3 NRSV)  He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to 
       shame those who trample on me. Selah God will send forth his steadfast 
       love and his faithfulness.

       (Psa 57:4 NRSV)  I lie down among lions that greedily devour human 
       prey; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.

       (Psa 57:5 NRSV)  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory 
       be over all the earth.

       (Psa 57:6 NRSV)  They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. 
       They dug a pit in my path, but they have fallen into it themselves. 
       Selah

       (Psa 57:7 NRSV)  My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. 
       I will sing and make melody.

       (Psa 57:8 NRSV)  Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake 
       the dawn.

       (Psa 57:9 NRSV)  I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; 
       I will sing praises to you among the nations.

       (Psa 57:10 NRSV)  For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; 
       your faithfulness extends to the clouds.

       (Psa 57:11 NRSV)  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory 
       be over all the earth.

       (Psa 58:1 NRSV)  Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? Do you 
       judge people fairly?

       (Psa 58:2 NRSV)  No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal 
       out violence on earth.

       (Psa 58:3 NRSV)  The wicked go astray from the womb; they err from 
       their birth, speaking lies.

       (Psa 58:4 NRSV)  They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the 
       deaf adder that stops its ear,

       (Psa 58:5 NRSV)  so that it does not hear the voice of charmers or of 
       the cunning enchanter.

       (Psa 58:6 NRSV)  O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the 
       fangs of the young lions, O LORD!

       (Psa 58:7 NRSV)  Let them vanish like water that runs away; like grass 
       let them be trodden down and wither.






       (Psa 58:8 NRSV)  Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime; 
       like the untimely birth that never sees the sun.

       (Psa 58:9 NRSV)  Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns, 
       whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!

       (Psa 58:10 NRSV)  The righteous will rejoice when they see vengeance 
       done; they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.

       (Psa 58:11 NRSV)  People will say, "Surely there is a reward for the 
       righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth."

       (Psa 59:1 NRSV)  Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from 
       those who rise up against me.

       (Psa 59:2 NRSV)  Deliver me from those who work evil; from the 
       bloodthirsty save me.

       (Psa 59:3 NRSV)  Even now they lie in wait for my life; the mighty 
       stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O 
       LORD,

       (Psa 59:4 NRSV)  for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Rouse 
       yourself, come to my help and see!

       (Psa 59:5 NRSV)  You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Awake to 
       punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot 
       evil. Selah

       (Psa 59:6 NRSV)  Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and 
       prowling about the city.

       (Psa 59:7 NRSV)  There they are, bellowing with their mouths, with 
       sharp words on their lips-- for "Who," they think, "will hear us?"

       (Psa 59:8 NRSV)  But you laugh at them, O LORD; you hold all the 
       nations in derision.

       (Psa 59:9 NRSV)  O my strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God, 
       are my fortress.

       (Psa 59:10 NRSV)  My God in his steadfast love will meet me; my God 
       will let me look in triumph on my enemies.

       (Psa 59:11 NRSV)  Do not kill them, or my people may forget; make them 
       totter by your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.

       (Psa 59:12 NRSV)  For the sin of their mouths, the words of their 
       lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies 
       that they utter,

       (Psa 59:13 NRSV)  consume them in wrath; consume them until they are 
       no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules 
       over Jacob. Selah





       (Psa 59:14 NRSV)  Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and 
       prowling about the city.

       (Psa 59:15 NRSV)  They roam about for food, and growl if they do not 
       get their fill.

       (Psa 59:16 NRSV)  But I will sing of your might; I will sing aloud of 
       your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been a fortress for 
       me and a refuge in the day of my distress.

       (Psa 59:17 NRSV)  O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, 
       O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.

       (Psa 60:1 NRSV)  O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses; you 
       have been angry; now restore us!

       (Psa 60:2 NRSV)  You have caused the land to quake; you have torn it 
       open; repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.

       (Psa 60:3 NRSV)  You have made your people suffer hard things; you 
       have given us wine to drink that made us reel.

       (Psa 60:4 NRSV)  You have set up a banner for those who fear you, to 
       rally to it out of bowshot. Selah

       (Psa 60:5 NRSV)  Give victory with your right hand, and answer us, so 
       that those whom you love may be rescued.

       (Psa 60:6 NRSV)  God has promised in his sanctuary: "With exultation I 
       will divide up Shechem, and portion out the Vale of Succoth.

       (Psa 60:7 NRSV)  Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my 
       helmet; Judah is my scepter.

       (Psa 60:8 NRSV)  Moab is my washbasin; on Edom I hurl my shoe; over 
       Philistia I shout in triumph."

       (Psa 60:9 NRSV)  Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will 
       lead me to Edom?

       (Psa 60:10 NRSV)  Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, 
       O God, with our armies.

       (Psa 60:11 NRSV)  O grant us help against the foe, for human help is 
       worthless.

       (Psa 60:12 NRSV)  With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will 
       tread down our foes.

       (Psa 61:1 NRSV)  Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.

       (Psa 61:2 NRSV)  From the end of the earth I call to you, when my 
       heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I;

       (Psa 61:3 NRSV)  for you are my refuge, a strong tower against the 
       enemy.






       (Psa 61:4 NRSV)  Let me abide in your tent forever, find refuge under 
       the shelter of your wings. Selah

       (Psa 61:5 NRSV)  For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me 
       the heritage of those who fear your name.

       (Psa 61:6 NRSV)  Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to 
       all generations!

       (Psa 61:7 NRSV)  May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint 
       steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

       (Psa 61:8 NRSV)  So I will always sing praises to your name, as I pay 
       my vows day after day.

       (Psa 62:1 NRSV)  For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him 
       comes my salvation.

       (Psa 62:2 NRSV)  He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I 
       shall never be shaken.

       (Psa 62:3 NRSV)  How long will you assail a person, will you batter 
       your victim, all of you, as you would a leaning wall, a tottering 
       fence?

       (Psa 62:4 NRSV)  Their only plan is to bring down a person of 
       prominence. They take pleasure in falsehood; they bless with their 
       mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah

       (Psa 62:5 NRSV)  For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope 
       is from him.

       (Psa 62:6 NRSV)  He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I 
       shall not be shaken.

       (Psa 62:7 NRSV)  On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty 
       rock, my refuge is in God.

       (Psa 62:8 NRSV)  Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your 
       heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah

       (Psa 62:9 NRSV)  Those of low estate are but a breath, those of high 
       estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together 
       lighter than a breath.

       (Psa 62:10 NRSV)  Put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain 
       hopes on robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.

       (Psa 62:11 NRSV)  Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that 
       power belongs to God,

       (Psa 62:12 NRSV)  and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord. For you 
       repay to all according to their work.

       (Psa 63:1 NRSV)  O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts 





       for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where 
       there is no water.

       (Psa 63:2 NRSV)  So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding 
       your power and glory.

       (Psa 63:3 NRSV)  Because your steadfast love is better than life, my 
       lips will praise you.

       (Psa 63:4 NRSV)  So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up 
       my hands and call on your name.

       (Psa 63:5 NRSV)  My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my 
       mouth praises you with joyful lips

       (Psa 63:6 NRSV)  when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in 
       the watches of the night;

       (Psa 63:7 NRSV)  for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your 
       wings I sing for joy.

       (Psa 63:8 NRSV)  My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

       (Psa 63:9 NRSV)  But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down 
       into the depths of the earth;

       (Psa 63:10 NRSV)  they shall be given over to the power of the sword, 
       they shall be prey for jackals.

       (Psa 63:11 NRSV)  But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by 
       him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.

       (Psa 64:1 NRSV)  Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my 
       life from the dread enemy.

       (Psa 64:2 NRSV)  Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the 
       scheming of evildoers,

       (Psa 64:3 NRSV)  who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter 
       words like arrows,

       (Psa 64:4 NRSV)  shooting from ambush at the blameless; they shoot 
       suddenly and without fear.

       (Psa 64:5 NRSV)  They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of 
       laying snares secretly, thinking, "Who can see us?

       (Psa 64:6 NRSV)  Who can search out our crimes? We have thought out a 
       cunningly conceived plot." For the human heart and mind are deep.

       (Psa 64:7 NRSV)  But God will shoot his arrow at them; they will be 
       wounded suddenly.

       (Psa 64:8 NRSV)  Because of their tongue he will bring them to ruin; 
       all who see them will shake with horror.





       (Psa 64:9 NRSV)  Then everyone will fear; they will tell what God has 
       brought about, and ponder what he has done.

       (Psa 64:10 NRSV)  Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD and take 
       refuge in him. Let all the upright in heart glory.

       (Psa 65:1 NRSV)  Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; and to you 
       shall vows be performed,

       (Psa 65:2 NRSV)  O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come.

       (Psa 65:3 NRSV)  When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our 
       transgressions.

       (Psa 65:4 NRSV)  Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to 
       live in your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your 
       house, your holy temple.

       (Psa 65:5 NRSV)  By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O 
       God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth 
       and of the farthest seas.

       (Psa 65:6 NRSV)  By your strength you established the mountains; you 
       are girded with might.

       (Psa 65:7 NRSV)  You silence the roaring of the seas, the roaring of 
       their waves, the tumult of the peoples.

       (Psa 65:8 NRSV)  Those who live at earth's farthest bounds are awed by 
       your signs; you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout 
       for joy.

       (Psa 65:9 NRSV)  You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich 
       it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with 
       grain, for so you have prepared it.

       (Psa 65:10 NRSV)  You water its furrows abundantly, settling its 
       ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.

       (Psa 65:11 NRSV)  You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon 
       tracks overflow with richness.

       (Psa 65:12 NRSV)  The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills 
       gird themselves with joy,

       (Psa 65:13 NRSV)  the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the 
       valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for 
       joy.

       (Psa 66:1 NRSV)  Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;

       (Psa 66:2 NRSV)  sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious 
       praise.

       (Psa 66:3 NRSV)  Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! Because of 
       your great power, your enemies cringe before you.






       (Psa 66:4 NRSV)  All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, 
       sing praises to your name." Selah

       (Psa 66:5 NRSV)  Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his 
       deeds among mortals.

       (Psa 66:6 NRSV)  He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through 
       the river on foot. There we rejoiced in him,

       (Psa 66:7 NRSV)  who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch 
       on the nations-- let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah

       (Psa 66:8 NRSV)  Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise 
       be heard,

       (Psa 66:9 NRSV)  who has kept us among the living, and has not let our 
       feet slip.

       (Psa 66:10 NRSV)  For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as 
       silver is tried.

       (Psa 66:11 NRSV)  You brought us into the net; you laid burdens on our 
       backs;

       (Psa 66:12 NRSV)  you let people ride over our heads; we went through 
       fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a spacious 
       place.

       (Psa 66:13 NRSV)  I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I 
       will pay you my vows,

       (Psa 66:14 NRSV)  those that my lips uttered and my mouth promised 
       when I was in trouble.

       (Psa 66:15 NRSV)  I will offer to you burnt offerings of fatlings, 
       with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of 
       bulls and goats. Selah

       (Psa 66:16 NRSV)  Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell 
       what he has done for me.

       (Psa 66:17 NRSV)  I cried aloud to him, and he was extolled with my 
       tongue.

       (Psa 66:18 NRSV)  If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord 
       would not have listened.

       (Psa 66:19 NRSV)  But truly God has listened; he has given heed to the 
       words of my prayer.

       (Psa 66:20 NRSV)  Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my 
       prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.

       (Psa 67:1 NRSV)  May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his 
       face to shine upon us, Selah






       (Psa 67:2 NRSV)  that your way may be known upon earth, your saving 
       power among all nations.

       (Psa 67:3 NRSV)  Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the 
       peoples praise you.

       (Psa 67:4 NRSV)  Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you 
       judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah

       (Psa 67:5 NRSV)  Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the 
       peoples praise you.

       (Psa 67:6 NRSV)  The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has 
       blessed us.

       (Psa 67:7 NRSV)  May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the 
       earth revere him.

       (Psa 68:1 NRSV)  Let God rise up, let his enemies be scattered; let 
       those who hate him flee before him.

       (Psa 68:2 NRSV)  As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax 
       melts before the fire, let the wicked perish before God.

       (Psa 68:3 NRSV)  But let the righteous be joyful; let them exult 
       before God; let them be jubilant with joy.

       (Psa 68:4 NRSV)  Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song 
       to him who rides upon the clouds -- his name is the LORD-- be exultant 
       before him.

       (Psa 68:5 NRSV)  Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in 
       his holy habitation.

       (Psa 68:6 NRSV)  God gives the desolate a home to live in; he leads 
       out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious live in a parched 
       land.

       (Psa 68:7 NRSV)  O God, when you went out before your people, when you 
       marched through the wilderness, Selah

       (Psa 68:8 NRSV)  the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain at the 
       presence of God, the God of Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of 
       Israel.

       (Psa 68:9 NRSV)  Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad; you 
       restored your heritage when it languished;

       (Psa 68:10 NRSV)  your flock found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, 
       O God, you provided for the needy.

       (Psa 68:11 NRSV)  The Lord gives the command; great is the company of 
       those who bore the tidings:

       (Psa 68:12 NRSV)  "The kings of the armies, they flee, they flee!" The 





       women at home divide the spoil,

       (Psa 68:13 NRSV)  though they stay among the sheepfolds-- the wings of 
       a dove covered with silver, its pinions with green gold.

       (Psa 68:14 NRSV)  When the Almighty scattered kings there, snow fell 
       on Zalmon.

       (Psa 68:15 NRSV)  O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan; O many-peaked 
       mountain, mountain of Bashan!

       (Psa 68:16 NRSV)  Why do you look with envy, O many-peaked mountain, 
       at the mount that God desired for his abode, where the LORD will 
       reside forever?

       (Psa 68:17 NRSV)  With mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand, thousands 
       upon thousands, the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place.

       (Psa 68:18 NRSV)  You ascended the high mount, leading captives in 
       your train and receiving gifts from people, even from those who rebel 
       against the LORD God's abiding there.

       (Psa 68:19 NRSV)  Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is 
       our salvation. Selah

       (Psa 68:20 NRSV)  Our God is a God of salvation, and to GOD, the Lord, 
       belongs escape from death.

       (Psa 68:21 NRSV)  But God will shatter the heads of his enemies, the 
       hairy crown of those who walk in their guilty ways.

       (Psa 68:22 NRSV)  The Lord said, "I will bring them back from Bashan, 
       I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,

       (Psa 68:23 NRSV)  so that you may bathe your feet in blood, so that 
       the tongues of your dogs may have their share from the foe."

       (Psa 68:24 NRSV)  Your solemn processions are seen, O God, the 
       processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary--

       (Psa 68:25 NRSV)  the singers in front, the musicians last, between 
       them girls playing tambourines:

       (Psa 68:26 NRSV)  "Bless God in the great congregation, the LORD, O 
       you who are of Israel's fountain!"

       (Psa 68:27 NRSV)  There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead, 
       the princes of Judah in a body, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of 
       Naphtali.

       (Psa 68:28 NRSV)  Summon your might, O God; show your strength, O God, 
       as you have done for us before.

       (Psa 68:29 NRSV)  Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings bear gifts 
       to you.





       (Psa 68:30 NRSV)  Rebuke the wild animals that live among the reeds, 
       the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample under foot 
       those who lust after tribute; scatter the peoples who delight in war.

       (Psa 68:31 NRSV)  Let bronze be brought from Egypt; let Ethiopia 
       hasten to stretch out its hands to God.

       (Psa 68:32 NRSV)  Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises 
       to the Lord, Selah

       (Psa 68:33 NRSV)  O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens; listen, 
       he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.

       (Psa 68:34 NRSV)  Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel; 
       and whose power is in the skies.

       (Psa 68:35 NRSV)  Awesome is God in his sanctuary, the God of Israel; 
       he gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God!

       (Psa 69:1 NRSV)  Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my 
       neck.

       (Psa 69:2 NRSV)  I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I 
       have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.

       (Psa 69:3 NRSV)  I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched. My 
       eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.

       (Psa 69:4 NRSV)  More in number than the hairs of my head are those 
       who hate me without cause; many are those who would destroy me, my 
       enemies who accuse me falsely. What I did not steal must I now 
       restore?

       (Psa 69:5 NRSV)  O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are 
       not hidden from you.

       (Psa 69:6 NRSV)  Do not let those who hope in you be put to shame 
       because of me, O Lord GOD of hosts; do not let those who seek you be 
       dishonored because of me, O God of Israel.

       (Psa 69:7 NRSV)  It is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that 
       shame has covered my face.

       (Psa 69:8 NRSV)  I have become a stranger to my kindred, an alien to 
       my mother's children.

       (Psa 69:9 NRSV)  It is zeal for your house that has consumed me; the 
       insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.

       (Psa 69:10 NRSV)  When I humbled my soul with fasting, they insulted 
       me for doing so.

       (Psa 69:11 NRSV)  When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword 
       to them.

       (Psa 69:12 NRSV)  I am the subject of gossip for those who sit in the 





       gate, and the drunkards make songs about me.

       (Psa 69:13 NRSV)  But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an 
       acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love, 
       answer me. With your faithful help

       (Psa 69:14 NRSV)  rescue me from sinking in the mire; let me be 
       delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters.

       (Psa 69:15 NRSV)  Do not let the flood sweep over me, or the deep 
       swallow me up, or the Pit close its mouth over me.

       (Psa 69:16 NRSV)  Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good; 
       according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.

       (Psa 69:17 NRSV)  Do not hide your face from your servant, for I am in 
       distress--make haste to answer me.

       (Psa 69:18 NRSV)  Draw near to me, redeem me, set me free because of 
       my enemies.

       (Psa 69:19 NRSV)  You know the insults I receive, and my shame and 
       dishonor; my foes are all known to you.

       (Psa 69:20 NRSV)  Insults have broken my heart, so that I am in 
       despair. I looked for pity, but there was none; and for comforters, 
       but I found none.

       (Psa 69:21 NRSV)  They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they 
       gave me vinegar to drink.

       (Psa 69:22 NRSV)  Let their table be a trap for them, a snare for 
       their allies.

       (Psa 69:23 NRSV)  Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, 
       and make their loins tremble continually.

       (Psa 69:24 NRSV)  Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your 
       burning anger overtake them.

       (Psa 69:25 NRSV)  May their camp be a desolation; let no one live in 
       their tents.

       (Psa 69:26 NRSV)  For they persecute those whom you have struck down, 
       and those whom you have wounded, they attack still more.

       (Psa 69:27 NRSV)  Add guilt to their guilt; may they have no acquittal 
       from you.

       (Psa 69:28 NRSV)  Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; 
       let them not be enrolled among the righteous.

       (Psa 69:29 NRSV)  But I am lowly and in pain; let your salvation, O 
       God, protect me.

       (Psa 69:30 NRSV)  I will praise the name of God with a song; I will 





       magnify him with thanksgiving.

       (Psa 69:31 NRSV)  This will please the LORD more than an ox or a bull 
       with horns and hoofs.

       (Psa 69:32 NRSV)  Let the oppressed see it and be glad; you who seek 
       God, let your hearts revive.

       (Psa 69:33 NRSV)  For the LORD hears the needy, and does not despise 
       his own that are in bonds.

       (Psa 69:34 NRSV)  Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and 
       everything that moves in them.

       (Psa 69:35 NRSV)  For God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of 
       Judah; and his servants shall live there and possess it;

       (Psa 69:36 NRSV)  the children of his servants shall inherit it, and 
       those who love his name shall live in it.

       (Psa 70:1 NRSV)  Be pleased, O God, to deliver me. O LORD, make haste 
       to help me!

       (Psa 70:2 NRSV)  Let those be put to shame and confusion who seek my 
       life. Let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who desire to 
       hurt me.

       (Psa 70:3 NRSV)  Let those who say, "Aha, Aha!" turn back because of 
       their shame.

       (Psa 70:4 NRSV)  Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let 
       those who love your salvation say evermore, "God is great!"

       (Psa 70:5 NRSV)  But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are 
       my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay!

       (Psa 71:1 NRSV)  In you, O LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to 
       shame.

       (Psa 71:2 NRSV)  In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; 
       incline your ear to me and save me.

       (Psa 71:3 NRSV)  Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save 
       me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

       (Psa 71:4 NRSV)  Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, 
       from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.

       (Psa 71:5 NRSV)  For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from 
       my youth.

       (Psa 71:6 NRSV)  Upon you I have leaned from my birth; it was you who 
       took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you.

       (Psa 71:7 NRSV)  I have been like a portent to many, but you are my 
       strong refuge.






       (Psa 71:8 NRSV)  My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your 
       glory all day long.

       (Psa 71:9 NRSV)  Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not 
       forsake me when my strength is spent.

       (Psa 71:10 NRSV)  For my enemies speak concerning me, and those who 
       watch for my life consult together.

       (Psa 71:11 NRSV)  They say, "Pursue and seize that person whom God has 
       forsaken, for there is no one to deliver."

       (Psa 71:12 NRSV)  O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste 
       to help me!

       (Psa 71:13 NRSV)  Let my accusers be put to shame and consumed; let 
       those who seek to hurt me be covered with scorn and disgrace.

       (Psa 71:14 NRSV)  But I will hope continually, and will praise you yet 
       more and more.

       (Psa 71:15 NRSV)  My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your 
       deeds of salvation all day long, though their number is past my 
       knowledge.

       (Psa 71:16 NRSV)  I will come praising the mighty deeds of the Lord 
       GOD, I will praise your righteousness, yours alone.

       (Psa 71:17 NRSV)  O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still 
       proclaim your wondrous deeds.

       (Psa 71:18 NRSV)  So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not 
       forsake me, until I proclaim your might to all the generations to 
       come. Your power

       (Psa 71:19 NRSV)  and your righteousness, O God, reach the high 
       heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?

       (Psa 71:20 NRSV)  You who have made me see many troubles and 
       calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will 
       bring me up again.

       (Psa 71:21 NRSV)  You will increase my honor, and comfort me once 
       again.

       (Psa 71:22 NRSV)  I will also praise you with the harp for your 
       faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O 
       Holy One of Israel.

       (Psa 71:23 NRSV)  My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to 
       you; my soul also, which you have rescued.

       (Psa 71:24 NRSV)  All day long my tongue will talk of your righteous 
       help, for those who tried to do me harm have been put to shame, and 
       disgraced.






       (Psa 72:1 NRSV)  Give the king your justice, O God, and your 
       righteousness to a king's son.

       (Psa 72:2 NRSV)  May he judge your people with righteousness, and your 
       poor with justice.

       (Psa 72:3 NRSV)  May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, 
       and the hills, in righteousness.

       (Psa 72:4 NRSV)  May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, 
       give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.

       (Psa 72:5 NRSV)  May he live while the sun endures, and as long as the 
       moon, throughout all generations.

       (Psa 72:6 NRSV)  May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, 
       like showers that water the earth.

       (Psa 72:7 NRSV)  In his days may righteousness flourish and peace 
       abound, until the moon is no more.

       (Psa 72:8 NRSV)  May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the 
       River to the ends of the earth.

       (Psa 72:9 NRSV)  May his foes bow down before him, and his enemies 
       lick the dust.

       (Psa 72:10 NRSV)  May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render 
       him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts.

       (Psa 72:11 NRSV)  May all kings fall down before him, all nations give 
       him service.

       (Psa 72:12 NRSV)  For he delivers the needy when they call, the poor 
       and those who have no helper.

       (Psa 72:13 NRSV)  He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the 
       lives of the needy.

       (Psa 72:14 NRSV)  From oppression and violence he redeems their life; 
       and precious is their blood in his sight.

       (Psa 72:15 NRSV)  Long may he live! May gold of Sheba be given to him. 
       May prayer be made for him continually, and blessings invoked for him 
       all day long.

       (Psa 72:16 NRSV)  May there be abundance of grain in the land; may it 
       wave on the tops of the mountains; may its fruit be like Lebanon; and 
       may people blossom in the cities like the grass of the field.

       (Psa 72:17 NRSV)  May his name endure forever, his fame continue as 
       long as the sun. May all nations be blessed in him; may they pronounce 
       him happy.

       (Psa 72:18 NRSV)  Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone 





       does wondrous things.

       (Psa 72:19 NRSV)  Blessed be his glorious name forever; may his glory 
       fill the whole earth. Amen and Amen.

       (Psa 72:20 NRSV)  The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.

       (Psa 73:1 NRSV)  Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are 
       pure in heart.

       (Psa 73:2 NRSV)  But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps 
       had nearly slipped.

       (Psa 73:3 NRSV)  For I was envious of the arrogant; I saw the 
       prosperity of the wicked.

       (Psa 73:4 NRSV)  For they have no pain; their bodies are sound and 
       sleek.

       (Psa 73:5 NRSV)  They are not in trouble as others are; they are not 
       plagued like other people.

       (Psa 73:6 NRSV)  Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers 
       them like a garment.

       (Psa 73:7 NRSV)  Their eyes swell out with fatness; their hearts 
       overflow with follies.

       (Psa 73:8 NRSV)  They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they 
       threaten oppression.

       (Psa 73:9 NRSV)  They set their mouths against heaven, and their 
       tongues range over the earth.

       (Psa 73:10 NRSV)  Therefore the people turn and praise them, and find 
       no fault in them.

       (Psa 73:11 NRSV)  And they say, "How can God know? Is there knowledge 
       in the Most High?"

       (Psa 73:12 NRSV)  Such are the wicked; always at ease, they increase 
       in riches.

       (Psa 73:13 NRSV)  All in vain I have kept my heart clean and washed my 
       hands in innocence.

       (Psa 73:14 NRSV)  For all day long I have been plagued, and am 
       punished every morning.

       (Psa 73:15 NRSV)  If I had said, "I will talk on in this way," I would 
       have been untrue to the circle of your children.

       (Psa 73:16 NRSV)  But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed 
       to me a wearisome task,

       (Psa 73:17 NRSV)  until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I 





       perceived their end.

       (Psa 73:18 NRSV)  Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them 
       fall to ruin.

       (Psa 73:19 NRSV)  How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away 
       utterly by terrors!

       (Psa 73:20 NRSV)  They are like a dream when one awakes; on awaking 
       you despise their phantoms.

       (Psa 73:21 NRSV)  When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in 
       heart,

       (Psa 73:22 NRSV)  I was stupid and ignorant; I was like a brute beast 
       toward you.

       (Psa 73:23 NRSV)  Nevertheless I am continually with you; you hold my 
       right hand.

       (Psa 73:24 NRSV)  You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you 
       will receive me with honor.

       (Psa 73:25 NRSV)  Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing 
       on earth that I desire other than you.

       (Psa 73:26 NRSV)  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the 
       strength of my heart and my portion forever.

       (Psa 73:27 NRSV)  Indeed, those who are far from you will perish; you 
       put an end to those who are false to you.

       (Psa 73:28 NRSV)  But for me it is good to be near God; I have made 
       the Lord GOD my refuge, to tell of all your works.

       (Psa 74:1 NRSV)  O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your 
       anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?

       (Psa 74:2 NRSV)  Remember your congregation, which you acquired long 
       ago, which you redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage. Remember 
       Mount Zion, where you came to dwell.

       (Psa 74:3 NRSV)  Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins; the enemy 
       has destroyed everything in the sanctuary.

       (Psa 74:4 NRSV)  Your foes have roared within your holy place; they 
       set up their emblems there.

       (Psa 74:5 NRSV)  At the upper entrance they hacked the wooden trellis 
       with axes.

       (Psa 74:6 NRSV)  And then, with hatchets and hammers, they smashed all 
       its carved work.

       (Psa 74:7 NRSV)  They set your sanctuary on fire; they desecrated the 
       dwelling place of your name, bringing it to the ground.






       (Psa 74:8 NRSV)  They said to themselves, "We will utterly subdue 
       them"; they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.

       (Psa 74:9 NRSV)  We do not see our emblems; there is no longer any 
       prophet, and there is no one among us who knows how long.

       (Psa 74:10 NRSV)  How long, O God, is the foe to scoff? Is the enemy 
       to revile your name forever?

       (Psa 74:11 NRSV)  Why do you hold back your hand; why do you keep your 
       hand in your bosom?

       (Psa 74:12 NRSV)  Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in 
       the earth.

       (Psa 74:13 NRSV)  You divided the sea by your might; you broke the 
       heads of the dragons in the waters.

       (Psa 74:14 NRSV)  You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as 
       food for the creatures of the wilderness.

       (Psa 74:15 NRSV)  You cut openings for springs and torrents; you dried 
       up ever-flowing streams.

       (Psa 74:16 NRSV)  Yours is the day, yours also the night; you 
       established the luminaries and the sun.

       (Psa 74:17 NRSV)  You have fixed all the bounds of the earth; you made 
       summer and winter.

       (Psa 74:18 NRSV)  Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs, and an 
       impious people reviles your name.

       (Psa 74:19 NRSV)  Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild 
       animals; do not forget the life of your poor forever.

       (Psa 74:20 NRSV)  Have regard for your covenant, for the dark places 
       of the land are full of the haunts of violence.

       (Psa 74:21 NRSV)  Do not let the downtrodden be put to shame; let the 
       poor and needy praise your name.

       (Psa 74:22 NRSV)  Rise up, O God, plead your cause; remember how the 
       impious scoff at you all day long.

       (Psa 74:23 NRSV)  Do not forget the clamor of your foes, the uproar of 
       your adversaries that goes up continually.

       (Psa 75:1 NRSV)  We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks; your 
       name is near. People tell of your wondrous deeds.

       (Psa 75:2 NRSV)  At the set time that I appoint I will judge with 
       equity.

       (Psa 75:3 NRSV)  When the earth totters, with all its inhabitants, it 





       is I who keep its pillars steady. Selah

       (Psa 75:4 NRSV)  I say to the boastful, "Do not boast," and to the 
       wicked, "Do not lift up your horn;

       (Psa 75:5 NRSV)  do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with 
       insolent neck."

       (Psa 75:6 NRSV)  For not from the east or from the west and not from 
       the wilderness comes lifting up;

       (Psa 75:7 NRSV)  but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one 
       and lifting up another.

       (Psa 75:8 NRSV)  For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with 
       foaming wine, well mixed; he will pour a draught from it, and all the 
       wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.

       (Psa 75:9 NRSV)  But I will rejoice forever; I will sing praises to 
       the God of Jacob.

       (Psa 75:10 NRSV)  All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the 
       horns of the righteous shall be exalted.

       (Psa 76:1 NRSV)  In Judah God is known, his name is great in Israel.

       (Psa 76:2 NRSV)  His abode has been established in Salem, his dwelling 
       place in Zion.

       (Psa 76:3 NRSV)  There he broke the flashing arrows, the shield, the 
       sword, and the weapons of war. Selah

       (Psa 76:4 NRSV)  Glorious are you, more majestic than the everlasting 
       mountains.

       (Psa 76:5 NRSV)  The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil; they 
       sank into sleep; none of the troops was able to lift a hand.

       (Psa 76:6 NRSV)  At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both rider and horse 
       lay stunned.

       (Psa 76:7 NRSV)  But you indeed are awesome! Who can stand before you 
       when once your anger is roused?

       (Psa 76:8 NRSV)  From the heavens you uttered judgment; the earth 
       feared and was still

       (Psa 76:9 NRSV)  when God rose up to establish judgment, to save all 
       the oppressed of the earth. Selah

       (Psa 76:10 NRSV)  Human wrath serves only to praise you, when you bind 
       the last bit of your wrath around you.

       (Psa 76:11 NRSV)  Make vows to the LORD your God, and perform them; 
       let all who are around him bring gifts to the one who is awesome,





       (Psa 76:12 NRSV)  who cuts off the spirit of princes, who inspires 
       fear in the kings of the earth.

       (Psa 77:1 NRSV)  I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, that he may hear 
       me.

       (Psa 77:2 NRSV)  In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the 
       night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be 
       comforted.

       (Psa 77:3 NRSV)  I think of God, and I moan; I meditate, and my spirit 
       faints. Selah

       (Psa 77:4 NRSV)  You keep my eyelids from closing; I am so troubled 
       that I cannot speak.

       (Psa 77:5 NRSV)  I consider the days of old, and remember the years of 
       long ago.

       (Psa 77:6 NRSV)  I commune with my heart in the night; I meditate and 
       search my spirit:

       (Psa 77:7 NRSV)  "Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be 
       favorable?

       (Psa 77:8 NRSV)  Has his steadfast love ceased forever? Are his 
       promises at an end for all time?

       (Psa 77:9 NRSV)  Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger 
       shut up his compassion?" Selah

       (Psa 77:10 NRSV)  And I say, "It is my grief that the right hand of 
       the Most High has changed."

       (Psa 77:11 NRSV)  I will call to mind the deeds of the LORD; I will 
       remember your wonders of old.

       (Psa 77:12 NRSV)  I will meditate on all your work, and muse on your 
       mighty deeds.

       (Psa 77:13 NRSV)  Your way, O God, is holy. What god is so great as 
       our God?

       (Psa 77:14 NRSV)  You are the God who works wonders; you have 
       displayed your might among the peoples.

       (Psa 77:15 NRSV)  With your strong arm you redeemed your people, the 
       descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

       (Psa 77:16 NRSV)  When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw 
       you, they were afraid; the very deep trembled.

       (Psa 77:17 NRSV)  The clouds poured out water; the skies thundered; 
       your arrows flashed on every side.

       (Psa 77:18 NRSV)  The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your 





       lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook.

       (Psa 77:19 NRSV)  Your way was through the sea, your path, through the 
       mighty waters; yet your footprints were unseen.

       (Psa 77:20 NRSV)  You led your people like a flock by the hand of 
       Moses and Aaron.

       (Psa 78:1 NRSV)  Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your 
       ears to the words of my mouth.

       (Psa 78:2 NRSV)  I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark 
       sayings from of old,

       (Psa 78:3 NRSV)  things that we have heard and known, that our 
       ancestors have told us.

       (Psa 78:4 NRSV)  We will not hide them from their children; we will 
       tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his 
       might, and the wonders that he has done.

       (Psa 78:5 NRSV)  He established a decree in Jacob, and appointed a law 
       in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their 
       children;

       (Psa 78:6 NRSV)  that the next generation might know them, the 
       children yet unborn, and rise up and tell them to their children,

       (Psa 78:7 NRSV)  so that they should set their hope in God, and not 
       forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;

       (Psa 78:8 NRSV)  and that they should not be like their ancestors, a 
       stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not 
       steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.

       (Psa 78:9 NRSV)  The Ephraimites, armed with the bow, turned back on 
       the day of battle.

       (Psa 78:10 NRSV)  They did not keep God's covenant, but refused to 
       walk according to his law.

       (Psa 78:11 NRSV)  They forgot what he had done, and the miracles that 
       he had shown them.

       (Psa 78:12 NRSV)  In the sight of their ancestors he worked marvels in 
       the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.

       (Psa 78:13 NRSV)  He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and 
       made the waters stand like a heap.

       (Psa 78:14 NRSV)  In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all 
       night long with a fiery light.

       (Psa 78:15 NRSV)  He split rocks open in the wilderness, and gave them 
       drink abundantly as from the deep.





       (Psa 78:16 NRSV)  He made streams come out of the rock, and caused 
       waters to flow down like rivers.

       (Psa 78:17 NRSV)  Yet they sinned still more against him, rebelling 
       against the Most High in the desert.

       (Psa 78:18 NRSV)  They tested God in their heart by demanding the food 
       they craved.

       (Psa 78:19 NRSV)  They spoke against God, saying, "Can God spread a 
       table in the wilderness?

       (Psa 78:20 NRSV)  Even though he struck the rock so that water gushed 
       out and torrents overflowed, can he also give bread, or provide meat 
       for his people?"

       (Psa 78:21 NRSV)  Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of rage; 
       a fire was kindled against Jacob, his anger mounted against Israel,

       (Psa 78:22 NRSV)  because they had no faith in God, and did not trust 
       his saving power.

       (Psa 78:23 NRSV)  Yet he commanded the skies above, and opened the 
       doors of heaven;

       (Psa 78:24 NRSV)  he rained down on them manna to eat, and gave them 
       the grain of heaven.

       (Psa 78:25 NRSV)  Mortals ate of the bread of angels; he sent them 
       food in abundance.

       (Psa 78:26 NRSV)  He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and 
       by his power he led out the south wind;

       (Psa 78:27 NRSV)  he rained flesh upon them like dust, winged birds 
       like the sand of the seas;

       (Psa 78:28 NRSV)  he let them fall within their camp, all around their 
       dwellings.

       (Psa 78:29 NRSV)  And they ate and were well filled, for he gave them 
       what they craved.

       (Psa 78:30 NRSV)  But before they had satisfied their craving, while 
       the food was still in their mouths,

       (Psa 78:31 NRSV)  the anger of God rose against them and he killed the 
       strongest of them, and laid low the flower of Israel.

       (Psa 78:32 NRSV)  In spite of all this they still sinned; they did not 
       believe in his wonders.

       (Psa 78:33 NRSV)  So he made their days vanish like a breath, and 
       their years in terror.

       (Psa 78:34 NRSV)  When he killed them, they sought for him; they 





       repented and sought God earnestly.

       (Psa 78:35 NRSV)  They remembered that God was their rock, the Most 
       High God their redeemer.

       (Psa 78:36 NRSV)  But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied 
       to him with their tongues.

       (Psa 78:37 NRSV)  Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were 
       not true to his covenant.

       (Psa 78:38 NRSV)  Yet he, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity, 
       and did not destroy them; often he restrained his anger, and did not 
       stir up all his wrath.

       (Psa 78:39 NRSV)  He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that 
       passes and does not come again.

       (Psa 78:40 NRSV)  How often they rebelled against him in the 
       wilderness and grieved him in the desert!

       (Psa 78:41 NRSV)  They tested God again and again, and provoked the 
       Holy One of Israel.

       (Psa 78:42 NRSV)  They did not keep in mind his power, or the day when 
       he redeemed them from the foe;

       (Psa 78:43 NRSV)  when he displayed his signs in Egypt, and his 
       miracles in the fields of Zoan.

       (Psa 78:44 NRSV)  He turned their rivers to blood, so that they could 
       not drink of their streams.

       (Psa 78:45 NRSV)  He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured 
       them, and frogs, which destroyed them.

       (Psa 78:46 NRSV)  He gave their crops to the caterpillar, and the 
       fruit of their labor to the locust.

       (Psa 78:47 NRSV)  He destroyed their vines with hail, and their 
       sycamores with frost.

       (Psa 78:48 NRSV)  He gave over their cattle to the hail, and their 
       flocks to thunderbolts.

       (Psa 78:49 NRSV)  He let loose on them his fierce anger, wrath, 
       indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels.

       (Psa 78:50 NRSV)  He made a path for his anger; he did not spare them 
       from death, but gave their lives over to the plague.

       (Psa 78:51 NRSV)  He struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the first 
       issue of their strength in the tents of Ham.

       (Psa 78:52 NRSV)  Then he led out his people like sheep, and guided 
       them in the wilderness like a flock.






       (Psa 78:53 NRSV)  He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid; 
       but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

       (Psa 78:54 NRSV)  And he brought them to his holy hill, to the 
       mountain that his right hand had won.

       (Psa 78:55 NRSV)  He drove out nations before them; he apportioned 
       them for a possession and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

       (Psa 78:56 NRSV)  Yet they tested the Most High God, and rebelled 
       against him. They did not observe his decrees,

       (Psa 78:57 NRSV)  but turned away and were faithless like their 
       ancestors; they twisted like a treacherous bow.

       (Psa 78:58 NRSV)  For they provoked him to anger with their high 
       places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols.

       (Psa 78:59 NRSV)  When God heard, he was full of wrath, and he utterly 
       rejected Israel.

       (Psa 78:60 NRSV)  He abandoned his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where 
       he dwelt among mortals,

       (Psa 78:61 NRSV)  and delivered his power to captivity, his glory to 
       the hand of the foe.

       (Psa 78:62 NRSV)  He gave his people to the sword, and vented his 
       wrath on his heritage.

       (Psa 78:63 NRSV)  Fire devoured their young men, and their girls had 
       no marriage song.

       (Psa 78:64 NRSV)  Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows 
       made no lamentation.

       (Psa 78:65 NRSV)  Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a warrior 
       shouting because of wine.

       (Psa 78:66 NRSV)  He put his adversaries to rout; he put them to 
       everlasting disgrace.

       (Psa 78:67 NRSV)  He rejected the tent of Joseph, he did not choose 
       the tribe of Ephraim;

       (Psa 78:68 NRSV)  but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which 
       he loves.

       (Psa 78:69 NRSV)  He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like 
       the earth, which he has founded forever.

       (Psa 78:70 NRSV)  He chose his servant David, and took him from the 
       sheepfolds;

       (Psa 78:71 NRSV)  from tending the nursing ewes he brought him to be 





       the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel, his inheritance.

       (Psa 78:72 NRSV)  With upright heart he tended them, and guided them 
       with skillful hand.

       (Psa 79:1 NRSV)  O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; 
       they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.

       (Psa 79:2 NRSV)  They have given the bodies of your servants to the 
       birds of the air for food, the flesh of your faithful to the wild 
       animals of the earth.

       (Psa 79:3 NRSV)  They have poured out their blood like water all 
       around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.

       (Psa 79:4 NRSV)  We have become a taunt to our neighbors, mocked and 
       derided by those around us.

       (Psa 79:5 NRSV)  How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever? Will 
       your jealous wrath burn like fire?

       (Psa 79:6 NRSV)  Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know 
       you, and on the kingdoms that do not call on your name.

       (Psa 79:7 NRSV)  For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his 
       habitation.

       (Psa 79:8 NRSV)  Do not remember against us the iniquities of our 
       ancestors; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are 
       brought very low.

       (Psa 79:9 NRSV)  Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of 
       your name; deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name's sake.

       (Psa 79:10 NRSV)  Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" 
       Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known 
       among the nations before our eyes.

       (Psa 79:11 NRSV)  Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; 
       according to your great power preserve those doomed to die.

       (Psa 79:12 NRSV)  Return sevenfold into the bosom of our neighbors the 
       taunts with which they taunted you, O Lord!

       (Psa 79:13 NRSV)  Then we your people, the flock of your pasture, will 
       give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will 
       recount your praise.

       (Psa 80:1 NRSV)  Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph 
       like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth

       (Psa 80:2 NRSV)  before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up 
       your might, and come to save us!

       (Psa 80:3 NRSV)  Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may 
       be saved.






       (Psa 80:4 NRSV)  O LORD God of hosts, how long will you be angry with 
       your people's prayers?

       (Psa 80:5 NRSV)  You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given 
       them tears to drink in full measure.

       (Psa 80:6 NRSV)  You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies 
       laugh among themselves.

       (Psa 80:7 NRSV)  Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that 
       we may be saved.

       (Psa 80:8 NRSV)  You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the 
       nations and planted it.

       (Psa 80:9 NRSV)  You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and 
       filled the land.

       (Psa 80:10 NRSV)  The mountains were covered with its shade, the 
       mighty cedars with its branches;

       (Psa 80:11 NRSV)  it sent out its branches to the sea, and its shoots 
       to the River.

       (Psa 80:12 NRSV)  Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all 
       who pass along the way pluck its fruit?

       (Psa 80:13 NRSV)  The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that 
       move in the field feed on it.

       (Psa 80:14 NRSV)  Turn again, O God of hosts; look down from heaven, 
       and see; have regard for this vine,

       (Psa 80:15 NRSV)  the stock that your right hand planted.

       (Psa 80:16 NRSV)  They have burned it with fire, they have cut it 
       down; may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance.

       (Psa 80:17 NRSV)  But let your hand be upon the one at your right 
       hand, the one whom you made strong for yourself.

       (Psa 80:18 NRSV)  Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, 
       and we will call on your name.

       (Psa 80:19 NRSV)  Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; let your face 
       shine, that we may be saved.

       (Psa 81:1 NRSV)  Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the 
       God of Jacob.

       (Psa 81:2 NRSV)  Raise a song, sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre 
       with the harp.

       (Psa 81:3 NRSV)  Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, 
       on our festal day.






       (Psa 81:4 NRSV)  For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the 
       God of Jacob.

       (Psa 81:5 NRSV)  He made it a decree in Joseph, when he went out over 
       the land of Egypt. I hear a voice I had not known:

       (Psa 81:6 NRSV)  "I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands 
       were freed from the basket.

       (Psa 81:7 NRSV)  In distress you called, and I rescued you; I answered 
       you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of 
       Meribah. Selah

       (Psa 81:8 NRSV)  Hear, O my people, while I admonish you; O Israel, if 
       you would but listen to me!

       (Psa 81:9 NRSV)  There shall be no strange god among you; you shall 
       not bow down to a foreign god.

       (Psa 81:10 NRSV)  I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of 
       the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

       (Psa 81:11 NRSV)  "But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel 
       would not submit to me.

       (Psa 81:12 NRSV)  So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to 
       follow their own counsels.

       (Psa 81:13 NRSV)  O that my people would listen to me, that Israel 
       would walk in my ways!

       (Psa 81:14 NRSV)  Then I would quickly subdue their enemies, and turn 
       my hand against their foes.

       (Psa 81:15 NRSV)  Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him, and 
       their doom would last forever.

       (Psa 81:16 NRSV)  I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and 
       with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."

       (Psa 82:1 NRSV)  God has taken his place in the divine council; in the 
       midst of the gods he holds judgment:

       (Psa 82:2 NRSV)  "How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality 
       to the wicked? Selah

       (Psa 82:3 NRSV)  Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the 
       right of the lowly and the destitute.

       (Psa 82:4 NRSV)  Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the 
       hand of the wicked."

       (Psa 82:5 NRSV)  They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they 
       walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.





       (Psa 82:6 NRSV)  I say, "You are gods, children of the Most High, all 
       of you;

       (Psa 82:7 NRSV)  nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall 
       like any prince."

       (Psa 82:8 NRSV)  Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations 
       belong to you!

       (Psa 83:1 NRSV)  O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or 
       be still, O God!

       (Psa 83:2 NRSV)  Even now your enemies are in tumult; those who hate 
       you have raised their heads.

       (Psa 83:3 NRSV)  They lay crafty plans against your people; they 
       consult together against those you protect.

       (Psa 83:4 NRSV)  They say, "Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; 
       let the name of Israel be remembered no more."

       (Psa 83:5 NRSV)  They conspire with one accord; against you they make 
       a covenant--

       (Psa 83:6 NRSV)  the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the 
       Hagrites,

       (Psa 83:7 NRSV)  Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the 
       inhabitants of Tyre;

       (Psa 83:8 NRSV)  Assyria also has joined them; they are the strong arm 
       of the children of Lot. Selah

       (Psa 83:9 NRSV)  Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera and 
       Jabin at the Wadi Kishon,

       (Psa 83:10 NRSV)  who were destroyed at En-dor, who became dung for 
       the ground.

       (Psa 83:11 NRSV)  Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their 
       princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

       (Psa 83:12 NRSV)  who said, "Let us take the pastures of God for our 
       own possession."

       (Psa 83:13 NRSV)  O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff 
       before the wind.

       (Psa 83:14 NRSV)  As fire consumes the forest, as the flame sets the 
       mountains ablaze,

       (Psa 83:15 NRSV)  so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them 
       with your hurricane.

       (Psa 83:16 NRSV)  Fill their faces with shame, so that they may seek 
       your name, O LORD.






       (Psa 83:17 NRSV)  Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let 
       them perish in disgrace.

       (Psa 83:18 NRSV)  Let them know that you alone, whose name is the 
       LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.

       (Psa 84:1 NRSV)  How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!

       (Psa 84:2 NRSV)  My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the 
       LORD; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.

       (Psa 84:3 NRSV)  Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest 
       for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of 
       hosts, my King and my God.

       (Psa 84:4 NRSV)  Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing 
       your praise. Selah

       (Psa 84:5 NRSV)  Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose 
       heart are the highways to Zion.

       (Psa 84:6 NRSV)  As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a 
       place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.

       (Psa 84:7 NRSV)  They go from strength to strength; the God of gods 
       will be seen in Zion.

       (Psa 84:8 NRSV)  O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God 
       of Jacob! Selah

       (Psa 84:9 NRSV)  Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your 
       anointed.

       (Psa 84:10 NRSV)  For a day in your courts is better than a thousand 
       elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than 
       live in the tents of wickedness.

       (Psa 84:11 NRSV)  For the LORD God is a sun and shield; he bestows 
       favor and honor. No good thing does the LORD withhold from those who 
       walk uprightly.

       (Psa 84:12 NRSV)  O LORD of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in 
       you.

       (Psa 85:1 NRSV)  LORD, you were favorable to your land; you restored 
       the fortunes of Jacob.

       (Psa 85:2 NRSV)  You forgave the iniquity of your people; you pardoned 
       all their sin. Selah

       (Psa 85:3 NRSV)  You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot 
       anger.

       (Psa 85:4 NRSV)  Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put 
       away your indignation toward us.






       (Psa 85:5 NRSV)  Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong 
       your anger to all generations?

       (Psa 85:6 NRSV)  Will you not revive us again, so that your people may 
       rejoice in you?

       (Psa 85:7 NRSV)  Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us 
       your salvation.

       (Psa 85:8 NRSV)  Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will 
       speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him 
       in their hearts.

       (Psa 85:9 NRSV)  Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear 
       him, that his glory may dwell in our land.

       (Psa 85:10 NRSV)  Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; 
       righteousness and peace will kiss each other.

       (Psa 85:11 NRSV)  Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and 
       righteousness will look down from the sky.

       (Psa 85:12 NRSV)  The LORD will give what is good, and our land will 
       yield its increase.

       (Psa 85:13 NRSV)  Righteousness will go before him, and will make a 
       path for his steps.

       (Psa 86:1 NRSV)  Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am 
       poor and needy.

       (Psa 86:2 NRSV)  Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you; save your 
       servant who trusts in you. You are my God;

       (Psa 86:3 NRSV)  be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all 
       day long.

       (Psa 86:4 NRSV)  Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, 
       I lift up my soul.

       (Psa 86:5 NRSV)  For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in 
       steadfast love to all who call on you.

       (Psa 86:6 NRSV)  Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my cry of 
       supplication.

       (Psa 86:7 NRSV)  In the day of my trouble I call on you, for you will 
       answer me.

       (Psa 86:8 NRSV)  There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor 
       are there any works like yours.

       (Psa 86:9 NRSV)  All the nations you have made shall come and bow down 
       before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.





       (Psa 86:10 NRSV)  For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone 
       are God.

       (Psa 86:11 NRSV)  Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your 
       truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name.

       (Psa 86:12 NRSV)  I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole 
       heart, and I will glorify your name forever.

       (Psa 86:13 NRSV)  For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have 
       delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

       (Psa 86:14 NRSV)  O God, the insolent rise up against me; a band of 
       ruffians seeks my life, and they do not set you before them.

       (Psa 86:15 NRSV)  But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, 
       slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

       (Psa 86:16 NRSV)  Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength 
       to your servant; save the child of your serving girl.

       (Psa 86:17 NRSV)  Show me a sign of your favor, so that those who hate 
       me may see it and be put to shame, because you, LORD, have helped me 
       and comforted me.

       (Psa 87:1 NRSV)  On the holy mount stands the city he founded;

       (Psa 87:2 NRSV)  the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the 
       dwellings of Jacob.

       (Psa 87:3 NRSV)  Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. 
       Selah

       (Psa 87:4 NRSV)  Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon; 
       Philistia too, and Tyre, with Ethiopia -- "This one was born there," 
       they say.

       (Psa 87:5 NRSV)  And of Zion it shall be said, "This one and that one 
       were born in it"; for the Most High himself will establish it.

       (Psa 87:6 NRSV)  The LORD records, as he registers the peoples, "This 
       one was born there." Selah

       (Psa 87:7 NRSV)  Singers and dancers alike say, "All my springs are in 
       you."

       (Psa 88:1 NRSV)  O LORD, God of my salvation, when, at night, I cry 
       out in your presence,

       (Psa 88:2 NRSV)  let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my 
       cry.

       (Psa 88:3 NRSV)  For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws 
       near to Sheol.

       (Psa 88:4 NRSV)  I am counted among those who go down to the Pit; I am 





       like those who have no help,

       (Psa 88:5 NRSV)  like those forsaken among the dead, like the slain 
       that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they 
       are cut off from your hand.

       (Psa 88:6 NRSV)  You have put me in the depths of the Pit, in the 
       regions dark and deep.

       (Psa 88:7 NRSV)  Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me 
       with all your waves. Selah

       (Psa 88:8 NRSV)  You have caused my companions to shun me; you have 
       made me a thing of horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot 
       escape;

       (Psa 88:9 NRSV)  my eye grows dim through sorrow. Every day I call on 
       you, O LORD; I spread out my hands to you.

       (Psa 88:10 NRSV)  Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the shades rise 
       up to praise you? Selah

       (Psa 88:11 NRSV)  Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or 
       your faithfulness in Abaddon?

       (Psa 88:12 NRSV)  Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your 
       saving help in the land of forgetfulness?

       (Psa 88:13 NRSV)  But I, O LORD, cry out to you; in the morning my 
       prayer comes before you.

       (Psa 88:14 NRSV)  O LORD, why do you cast me off? Why do you hide your 
       face from me?

       (Psa 88:15 NRSV)  Wretched and close to death from my youth up, I 
       suffer your terrors; I am desperate.

       (Psa 88:16 NRSV)  Your wrath has swept over me; your dread assaults 
       destroy me.

       (Psa 88:17 NRSV)  They surround me like a flood all day long; from all 
       sides they close in on me.

       (Psa 88:18 NRSV)  You have caused friend and neighbor to shun me; my 
       companions are in darkness.

       (Psa 89:1 NRSV)  I will sing of your steadfast love, O LORD, forever; 
       with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.

       (Psa 89:2 NRSV)  I declare that your steadfast love is established 
       forever; your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.

       (Psa 89:3 NRSV)  You said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, 
       I have sworn to my servant David:

       (Psa 89:4 NRSV)  'I will establish your descendants forever, and build 





       your throne for all generations.'" Selah

       (Psa 89:5 NRSV)  Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your 
       faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.

       (Psa 89:6 NRSV)  For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who 
       among the heavenly beings is like the LORD,

       (Psa 89:7 NRSV)  a God feared in the council of the holy ones, great 
       and awesome above all that are around him?

       (Psa 89:8 NRSV)  O LORD God of hosts, who is as mighty as you, O LORD? 
       Your faithfulness surrounds you.

       (Psa 89:9 NRSV)  You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, 
       you still them.

       (Psa 89:10 NRSV)  You crushed Rahab like a carcass; you scattered your 
       enemies with your mighty arm.

       (Psa 89:11 NRSV)  The heavens are yours, the earth also is yours; the 
       world and all that is in it--you have founded them.

       (Psa 89:12 NRSV)  The north and the south--you created them; Tabor and 
       Hermon joyously praise your name.

       (Psa 89:13 NRSV)  You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high 
       your right hand.

       (Psa 89:14 NRSV)  Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your 
       throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

       (Psa 89:15 NRSV)  Happy are the people who know the festal shout, who 
       walk, O LORD, in the light of your countenance;

       (Psa 89:16 NRSV)  they exult in your name all day long, and extol your 
       righteousness.

       (Psa 89:17 NRSV)  For you are the glory of their strength; by your 
       favor our horn is exalted.

       (Psa 89:18 NRSV)  For our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the 
       Holy One of Israel.

       (Psa 89:19 NRSV)  Then you spoke in a vision to your faithful one, and 
       said: "I have set the crown on one who is mighty, I have exalted one 
       chosen from the people.

       (Psa 89:20 NRSV)  I have found my servant David; with my holy oil I 
       have anointed him;

       (Psa 89:21 NRSV)  my hand shall always remain with him; my arm also 
       shall strengthen him.

       (Psa 89:22 NRSV)  The enemy shall not outwit him, the wicked shall not 
       humble him.






       (Psa 89:23 NRSV)  I will crush his foes before him and strike down 
       those who hate him.

       (Psa 89:24 NRSV)  My faithfulness and steadfast love shall be with 
       him; and in my name his horn shall be exalted.

       (Psa 89:25 NRSV)  I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on 
       the rivers.

       (Psa 89:26 NRSV)  He shall cry to me, 'You are my Father, my God, and 
       the Rock of my salvation!'

       (Psa 89:27 NRSV)  I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the 
       kings of the earth.

       (Psa 89:28 NRSV)  Forever I will keep my steadfast love for him, and 
       my covenant with him will stand firm.

       (Psa 89:29 NRSV)  I will establish his line forever, and his throne as 
       long as the heavens endure.

       (Psa 89:30 NRSV)  If his children forsake my law and do not walk 
       according to my ordinances,

       (Psa 89:31 NRSV)  if they violate my statutes and do not keep my 
       commandments,

       (Psa 89:32 NRSV)  then I will punish their transgression with the rod 
       and their iniquity with scourges;

       (Psa 89:33 NRSV)  but I will not remove from him my steadfast love, or 
       be false to my faithfulness.

       (Psa 89:34 NRSV)  I will not violate my covenant, or alter the word 
       that went forth from my lips.

       (Psa 89:35 NRSV)  Once and for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will 
       not lie to David.

       (Psa 89:36 NRSV)  His line shall continue forever, and his throne 
       endure before me like the sun.

       (Psa 89:37 NRSV)  It shall be established forever like the moon, an 
       enduring witness in the skies." Selah

       (Psa 89:38 NRSV)  But now you have spurned and rejected him; you are 
       full of wrath against your anointed.

       (Psa 89:39 NRSV)  You have renounced the covenant with your servant; 
       you have defiled his crown in the dust.

       (Psa 89:40 NRSV)  You have broken through all his walls; you have laid 
       his strongholds in ruins.

       (Psa 89:41 NRSV)  All who pass by plunder him; he has become the scorn 





       of his neighbors.

       (Psa 89:42 NRSV)  You have exalted the right hand of his foes; you 
       have made all his enemies rejoice.

       (Psa 89:43 NRSV)  Moreover, you have turned back the edge of his 
       sword, and you have not supported him in battle.

       (Psa 89:44 NRSV)  You have removed the scepter from his hand, and 
       hurled his throne to the ground.

       (Psa 89:45 NRSV)  You have cut short the days of his youth; you have 
       covered him with shame. Selah

       (Psa 89:46 NRSV)  How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever? 
       How long will your wrath burn like fire?

       (Psa 89:47 NRSV)  Remember how short my time is-- for what vanity you 
       have created all mortals!

       (Psa 89:48 NRSV)  Who can live and never see death? Who can escape the 
       power of Sheol? Selah

       (Psa 89:49 NRSV)  Lord, where is your steadfast love of old, which by 
       your faithfulness you swore to David?

       (Psa 89:50 NRSV)  Remember, O Lord, how your servant is taunted; how I 
       bear in my bosom the insults of the peoples,

       (Psa 89:51 NRSV)  with which your enemies taunt, O LORD, with which 
       they taunted the footsteps of your anointed.

       (Psa 89:52 NRSV)  Blessed be the LORD forever. Amen and Amen.

       (Psa 90:1 NRSV)  Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all 
       generations.

       (Psa 90:2 NRSV)  Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you 
       had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting 
       you are God.

       (Psa 90:3 NRSV)  You turn us back to dust, and say, "Turn back, you 
       mortals."

       (Psa 90:4 NRSV)  For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday 
       when it is past, or like a watch in the night.

       (Psa 90:5 NRSV)  You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like 
       grass that is renewed in the morning;

       (Psa 90:6 NRSV)  in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the 
       evening it fades and withers.

       (Psa 90:7 NRSV)  For we are consumed by your anger; by your wrath we 
       are overwhelmed.





       (Psa 90:8 NRSV)  You have set our iniquities before you, our secret 
       sins in the light of your countenance.

       (Psa 90:9 NRSV)  For all our days pass away under your wrath; our 
       years come to an end like a sigh.

       (Psa 90:10 NRSV)  The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps 
       eighty, if we are strong; even then their span is only toil and 
       trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.

       (Psa 90:11 NRSV)  Who considers the power of your anger? Your wrath is 
       as great as the fear that is due you.

       (Psa 90:12 NRSV)  So teach us to count our days that we may gain a 
       wise heart.

       (Psa 90:13 NRSV)  Turn, O LORD! How long? Have compassion on your 
       servants!

       (Psa 90:14 NRSV)  Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, 
       so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

       (Psa 90:15 NRSV)  Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, 
       and as many years as we have seen evil.

       (Psa 90:16 NRSV)  Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your 
       glorious power to their children.

       (Psa 90:17 NRSV)  Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and 
       prosper for us the work of our hands-- O prosper the work of our 
       hands!

       (Psa 91:1 NRSV)  You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who 
       abide in the shadow of the Almighty,

       (Psa 91:2 NRSV)  will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress; my 
       God, in whom I trust."

       (Psa 91:3 NRSV)  For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler 
       and from the deadly pestilence;

       (Psa 91:4 NRSV)  he will cover you with his pinions, and under his 
       wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

       (Psa 91:5 NRSV)  You will not fear the terror of the night, or the 
       arrow that flies by day,

       (Psa 91:6 NRSV)  or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the 
       destruction that wastes at noonday.

       (Psa 91:7 NRSV)  A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at 
       your right hand, but it will not come near you.

       (Psa 91:8 NRSV)  You will only look with your eyes and see the 
       punishment of the wicked.





       (Psa 91:9 NRSV)  Because you have made the LORD your refuge, the Most 
       High your dwelling place,

       (Psa 91:10 NRSV)  no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your 
       tent.

       (Psa 91:11 NRSV)  For he will command his angels concerning you to 
       guard you in all your ways.

       (Psa 91:12 NRSV)  On their hands they will bear you up, so that you 
       will not dash your foot against a stone.

       (Psa 91:13 NRSV)  You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young 
       lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.

       (Psa 91:14 NRSV)  Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect 
       those who know my name.

       (Psa 91:15 NRSV)  When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be 
       with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.

       (Psa 91:16 NRSV)  With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my 
       salvation.

       (Psa 92:1 NRSV)  It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing 
       praises to your name, O Most High;

       (Psa 92:2 NRSV)  to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and 
       your faithfulness by night,

       (Psa 92:3 NRSV)  to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody 
       of the lyre.

       (Psa 92:4 NRSV)  For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at 
       the works of your hands I sing for joy.

       (Psa 92:5 NRSV)  How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are 
       very deep!

       (Psa 92:6 NRSV)  The dullard cannot know, the stupid cannot understand 
       this:

       (Psa 92:7 NRSV)  though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers 
       flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever,

       (Psa 92:8 NRSV)  but you, O LORD, are on high forever.

       (Psa 92:9 NRSV)  For your enemies, O LORD, for your enemies shall 
       perish; all evildoers shall be scattered.

       (Psa 92:10 NRSV)  But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild 
       ox; you have poured over me fresh oil.

       (Psa 92:11 NRSV)  My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my 
       ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.





       (Psa 92:12 NRSV)  The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow 
       like a cedar in Lebanon.

       (Psa 92:13 NRSV)  They are planted in the house of the LORD; they 
       flourish in the courts of our God.

       (Psa 92:14 NRSV)  In old age they still produce fruit; they are always 
       green and full of sap,

       (Psa 92:15 NRSV)  showing that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and 
       there is no unrighteousness in him.

       (Psa 93:1 NRSV)  The LORD is king, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is 
       robed, he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it 
       shall never be moved;

       (Psa 93:2 NRSV)  your throne is established from of old; you are from 
       everlasting.

       (Psa 93:3 NRSV)  The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have 
       lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring.

       (Psa 93:4 NRSV)  More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters, 
       more majestic than the waves of the sea, majestic on high is the LORD!

       (Psa 93:5 NRSV)  Your decrees are very sure; holiness befits your 
       house, O LORD, forevermore.

       (Psa 94:1 NRSV)  O LORD, you God of vengeance, you God of vengeance, 
       shine forth!

       (Psa 94:2 NRSV)  Rise up, O judge of the earth; give to the proud what 
       they deserve!

       (Psa 94:3 NRSV)  O LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the 
       wicked exult?

       (Psa 94:4 NRSV)  They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers 
       boast.

       (Psa 94:5 NRSV)  They crush your people, O LORD, and afflict your 
       heritage.

       (Psa 94:6 NRSV)  They kill the widow and the stranger, they murder the 
       orphan,

       (Psa 94:7 NRSV)  and they say, "The LORD does not see; the God of 
       Jacob does not perceive."

       (Psa 94:8 NRSV)  Understand, O dullest of the people; fools, when will 
       you be wise?

       (Psa 94:9 NRSV)  He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who 
       formed the eye, does he not see?

       (Psa 94:10 NRSV)  He who disciplines the nations, he who teaches 





       knowledge to humankind, does he not chastise?

       (Psa 94:11 NRSV)  The LORD knows our thoughts, that they are but an 
       empty breath.

       (Psa 94:12 NRSV)  Happy are those whom you discipline, O LORD, and 
       whom you teach out of your law,

       (Psa 94:13 NRSV)  giving them respite from days of trouble, until a 
       pit is dug for the wicked.

       (Psa 94:14 NRSV)  For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will 
       not abandon his heritage;

       (Psa 94:15 NRSV)  for justice will return to the righteous, and all 
       the upright in heart will follow it.

       (Psa 94:16 NRSV)  Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands 
       up for me against evildoers?

       (Psa 94:17 NRSV)  If the LORD had not been my help, my soul would soon 
       have lived in the land of silence.

       (Psa 94:18 NRSV)  When I thought, "My foot is slipping," your 
       steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.

       (Psa 94:19 NRSV)  When the cares of my heart are many, your 
       consolations cheer my soul.

       (Psa 94:20 NRSV)  Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who 
       contrive mischief by statute?

       (Psa 94:21 NRSV)  They band together against the life of the 
       righteous, and condemn the innocent to death.

       (Psa 94:22 NRSV)  But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God 
       the rock of my refuge.

       (Psa 94:23 NRSV)  He will repay them for their iniquity and wipe them 
       out for their wickedness; the LORD our God will wipe them out.

       (Psa 95:1 NRSV)  O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful 
       noise to the rock of our salvation!

       (Psa 95:2 NRSV)  Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let 
       us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

       (Psa 95:3 NRSV)  For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above 
       all gods.

       (Psa 95:4 NRSV)  In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights 
       of the mountains are his also.

       (Psa 95:5 NRSV)  The sea is his, for he made it, and the dry land, 
       which his hands have formed.





       (Psa 95:6 NRSV)  O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel 
       before the LORD, our Maker!

       (Psa 95:7 NRSV)  For he is our God, and we are the people of his 
       pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to 
       his voice!

       (Psa 95:8 NRSV)  Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the 
       day at Massah in the wilderness,

       (Psa 95:9 NRSV)  when your ancestors tested me, and put me to the 
       proof, though they had seen my work.

       (Psa 95:10 NRSV)  For forty years I loathed that generation and said, 
       "They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they do not regard my 
       ways."

       (Psa 95:11 NRSV)  Therefore in my anger I swore, "They shall not enter 
       my rest."

       (Psa 96:1 NRSV)  O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all 
       the earth.

       (Psa 96:2 NRSV)  Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his 
       salvation from day to day.

       (Psa 96:3 NRSV)  Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous 
       works among all the peoples.

       (Psa 96:4 NRSV)  For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he 
       is to be revered above all gods.

       (Psa 96:5 NRSV)  For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the 
       LORD made the heavens.

       (Psa 96:6 NRSV)  Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty 
       are in his sanctuary.

       (Psa 96:7 NRSV)  Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, 
       ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

       (Psa 96:8 NRSV)  Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an 
       offering, and come into his courts.

       (Psa 96:9 NRSV)  Worship the LORD in holy splendor; tremble before 
       him, all the earth.

       (Psa 96:10 NRSV)  Say among the nations, "The LORD is king! The world 
       is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the 
       peoples with equity."

       (Psa 96:11 NRSV)  Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; 
       let the sea roar, and all that fills it;

       (Psa 96:12 NRSV)  let the field exult, and everything in it. Then 
       shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy






       (Psa 96:13 NRSV)  before the LORD; for he is coming, for he is coming 
       to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and 
       the peoples with his truth.

       (Psa 97:1 NRSV)  The LORD is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many 
       coastlands be glad!

       (Psa 97:2 NRSV)  Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; 
       righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

       (Psa 97:3 NRSV)  Fire goes before him, and consumes his adversaries on 
       every side.

       (Psa 97:4 NRSV)  His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and 
       trembles.

       (Psa 97:5 NRSV)  The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before 
       the Lord of all the earth.

       (Psa 97:6 NRSV)  The heavens proclaim his righteousness; and all the 
       peoples behold his glory.

       (Psa 97:7 NRSV)  All worshipers of images are put to shame, those who 
       make their boast in worthless idols; all gods bow down before him.

       (Psa 97:8 NRSV)  Zion hears and is glad, and the towns of Judah 
       rejoice, because of your judgments, O God.

       (Psa 97:9 NRSV)  For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; 
       you are exalted far above all gods.

       (Psa 97:10 NRSV)  The LORD loves those who hate evil; he guards the 
       lives of his faithful; he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.

       (Psa 97:11 NRSV)  Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the 
       upright in heart.

       (Psa 97:12 NRSV)  Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give 
       thanks to his holy name!

       (Psa 98:1 NRSV)  O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done 
       marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him 
       victory.

       (Psa 98:2 NRSV)  The LORD has made known his victory; he has revealed 
       his vindication in the sight of the nations.

       (Psa 98:3 NRSV)  He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness 
       to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the 
       victory of our God.

       (Psa 98:4 NRSV)  Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break 
       forth into joyous song and sing praises.

       (Psa 98:5 NRSV)  Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre 





       and the sound of melody.

       (Psa 98:6 NRSV)  With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful 
       noise before the King, the LORD.

       (Psa 98:7 NRSV)  Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world 
       and those who live in it.

       (Psa 98:8 NRSV)  Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing 
       together for joy

       (Psa 98:9 NRSV)  at the presence of the LORD, for he is coming to 
       judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the 
       peoples with equity.

       (Psa 99:1 NRSV)  The LORD is king; let the peoples tremble! He sits 
       enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!

       (Psa 99:2 NRSV)  The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the 
       peoples.

       (Psa 99:3 NRSV)  Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is 
       he!

       (Psa 99:4 NRSV)  Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established 
       equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.

       (Psa 99:5 NRSV)  Extol the LORD our God; worship at his footstool. 
       Holy is he!

       (Psa 99:6 NRSV)  Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also 
       was among those who called on his name. They cried to the LORD, and he 
       answered them.

       (Psa 99:7 NRSV)  He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept 
       his decrees, and the statutes that he gave them.

       (Psa 99:8 NRSV)  O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a 
       forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings.

       (Psa 99:9 NRSV)  Extol the LORD our God, and worship at his holy 
       mountain; for the LORD our God is holy.

       (Psa 100:1 NRSV)  Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.

       (Psa 100:2 NRSV)  Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his 
       presence with singing.

       (Psa 100:3 NRSV)  Know that the LORD is God. It is he that made us, 
       and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

       (Psa 100:4 NRSV)  Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts 
       with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.

       (Psa 100:5 NRSV)  For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures 
       forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.






       (Psa 101:1 NRSV)  I will sing of loyalty and of justice; to you, O 
       LORD, I will sing.

       (Psa 101:2 NRSV)  I will study the way that is blameless. When shall I 
       attain it? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;

       (Psa 101:3 NRSV)  I will not set before my eyes anything that is base. 
       I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.

       (Psa 101:4 NRSV)  Perverseness of heart shall be far from me; I will 
       know nothing of evil.

       (Psa 101:5 NRSV)  One who secretly slanders a neighbor I will destroy. 
       A haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not tolerate.

       (Psa 101:6 NRSV)  I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, 
       so that they may live with me; whoever walks in the way that is 
       blameless shall minister to me.

       (Psa 101:7 NRSV)  No one who practices deceit shall remain in my 
       house; no one who utters lies shall continue in my presence.

       (Psa 101:8 NRSV)  Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in 
       the land, cutting off all evildoers from the city of the LORD.

       (Psa 102:1 NRSV)  Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you.

       (Psa 102:2 NRSV)  Do not hide your face from me in the day of my 
       distress. Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I 
       call.

       (Psa 102:3 NRSV)  For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn 
       like a furnace.

       (Psa 102:4 NRSV)  My heart is stricken and withered like grass; I am 
       too wasted to eat my bread.

       (Psa 102:5 NRSV)  Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my 
       skin.

       (Psa 102:6 NRSV)  I am like an owl of the wilderness, like a little 
       owl of the waste places.

       (Psa 102:7 NRSV)  I lie awake; I am like a lonely bird on the 
       housetop.

       (Psa 102:8 NRSV)  All day long my enemies taunt me; those who deride 
       me use my name for a curse.

       (Psa 102:9 NRSV)  For I eat ashes like bread, and mingle tears with my 
       drink,

       (Psa 102:10 NRSV)  because of your indignation and anger; for you have 
       lifted me up and thrown me aside.





       (Psa 102:11 NRSV)  My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away 
       like grass.

       (Psa 102:12 NRSV)  But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever; your name 
       endures to all generations.

       (Psa 102:13 NRSV)  You will rise up and have compassion on Zion, for 
       it is time to favor it; the appointed time has come.

       (Psa 102:14 NRSV)  For your servants hold its stones dear, and have 
       pity on its dust.

       (Psa 102:15 NRSV)  The nations will fear the name of the LORD, and all 
       the kings of the earth your glory.

       (Psa 102:16 NRSV)  For the LORD will build up Zion; he will appear in 
       his glory.

       (Psa 102:17 NRSV)  He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and 
       will not despise their prayer.

       (Psa 102:18 NRSV)  Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so 
       that a people yet unborn may praise the LORD:

       (Psa 102:19 NRSV)  that he looked down from his holy height, from 
       heaven the LORD looked at the earth,

       (Psa 102:20 NRSV)  to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free 
       those who were doomed to die;

       (Psa 102:21 NRSV)  so that the name of the LORD may be declared in 
       Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem,

       (Psa 102:22 NRSV)  when peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to 
       worship the LORD.

       (Psa 102:23 NRSV)  He has broken my strength in midcourse; he has 
       shortened my days.

       (Psa 102:24 NRSV)  "O my God," I say, "do not take me away at the 
       mid-point of my life, you whose years endure throughout all 
       generations."

       (Psa 102:25 NRSV)  Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth, and 
       the heavens are the work of your hands.

       (Psa 102:26 NRSV)  They will perish, but you endure; they will all 
       wear out like a garment. You change them like clothing, and they pass 
       away;

       (Psa 102:27 NRSV)  but you are the same, and your years have no end.

       (Psa 102:28 NRSV)  The children of your servants shall live secure; 
       their offspring shall be established in your presence.

       (Psa 103:1 NRSV)  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within 





       me, bless his holy name.

       (Psa 103:2 NRSV)  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all his 
       benefits--

       (Psa 103:3 NRSV)  who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your 
       diseases,

       (Psa 103:4 NRSV)  who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you 
       with steadfast love and mercy,

       (Psa 103:5 NRSV)  who satisfies you with good as long as you live so 
       that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

       (Psa 103:6 NRSV)  The LORD works vindication and justice for all who 
       are oppressed.

       (Psa 103:7 NRSV)  He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the 
       people of Israel.

       (Psa 103:8 NRSV)  The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and 
       abounding in steadfast love.

       (Psa 103:9 NRSV)  He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his 
       anger forever.

       (Psa 103:10 NRSV)  He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor 
       repay us according to our iniquities.

       (Psa 103:11 NRSV)  For as the heavens are high above the earth, so 
       great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

       (Psa 103:12 NRSV)  as far as the east is from the west, so far he 
       removes our transgressions from us.

       (Psa 103:13 NRSV)  As a father has compassion for his children, so the 
       LORD has compassion for those who fear him.

       (Psa 103:14 NRSV)  For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we 
       are dust.

       (Psa 103:15 NRSV)  As for mortals, their days are like grass; they 
       flourish like a flower of the field;

       (Psa 103:16 NRSV)  for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and 
       its place knows it no more.

       (Psa 103:17 NRSV)  But the steadfast love of the LORD is from 
       everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his 
       righteousness to children's children,

       (Psa 103:18 NRSV)  to those who keep his covenant and remember to do 
       his commandments.

       (Psa 103:19 NRSV)  The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, 
       and his kingdom rules over all.






       (Psa 103:20 NRSV)  Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones 
       who do his bidding, obedient to his spoken word.

       (Psa 103:21 NRSV)  Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers that 
       do his will.

       (Psa 103:22 NRSV)  Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his 
       dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul.

       (Psa 104:1 NRSV)  Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are 
       very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty,

       (Psa 104:2 NRSV)  wrapped in light as with a garment. You stretch out 
       the heavens like a tent,

       (Psa 104:3 NRSV)  you set the beams of your chambers on the waters, 
       you make the clouds your chariot, you ride on the wings of the wind,

       (Psa 104:4 NRSV)  you make the winds your messengers, fire and flame 
       your ministers.

       (Psa 104:5 NRSV)  You set the earth on its foundations, so that it 
       shall never be shaken.

       (Psa 104:6 NRSV)  You cover it with the deep as with a garment; the 
       waters stood above the mountains.

       (Psa 104:7 NRSV)  At your rebuke they flee; at the sound of your 
       thunder they take to flight.

       (Psa 104:8 NRSV)  They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the 
       valleys to the place that you appointed for them.

       (Psa 104:9 NRSV)  You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that 
       they might not again cover the earth.

       (Psa 104:10 NRSV)  You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they 
       flow between the hills,

       (Psa 104:11 NRSV)  giving drink to every wild animal; the wild asses 
       quench their thirst.

       (Psa 104:12 NRSV)  By the streams the birds of the air have their 
       habitation; they sing among the branches.

       (Psa 104:13 NRSV)  From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the 
       earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

       (Psa 104:14 NRSV)  You cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and 
       plants for people to use, to bring forth food from the earth,

       (Psa 104:15 NRSV)  and wine to gladden the human heart, oil to make 
       the face shine, and bread to strengthen the human heart.

       (Psa 104:16 NRSV)  The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly, the 





       cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

       (Psa 104:17 NRSV)  In them the birds build their nests; the stork has 
       its home in the fir trees.

       (Psa 104:18 NRSV)  The high mountains are for the wild goats; the 
       rocks are a refuge for the coneys.

       (Psa 104:19 NRSV)  You have made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun 
       knows its time for setting.

       (Psa 104:20 NRSV)  You make darkness, and it is night, when all the 
       animals of the forest come creeping out.

       (Psa 104:21 NRSV)  The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their 
       food from God.

       (Psa 104:22 NRSV)  When the sun rises, they withdraw and lie down in 
       their dens.

       (Psa 104:23 NRSV)  People go out to their work and to their labor 
       until the evening.

       (Psa 104:24 NRSV)  O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you 
       have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

       (Psa 104:25 NRSV)  Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things 
       innumerable are there, living things both small and great.

       (Psa 104:26 NRSV)  There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed 
       to sport in it.

       (Psa 104:27 NRSV)  These all look to you to give them their food in 
       due season;

       (Psa 104:28 NRSV)  when you give to them, they gather it up; when you 
       open your hand, they are filled with good things.

       (Psa 104:29 NRSV)  When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when 
       you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.

       (Psa 104:30 NRSV)  When you send forth your spirit, they are created; 
       and you renew the face of the ground.

       (Psa 104:31 NRSV)  May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the 
       LORD rejoice in his works--

       (Psa 104:32 NRSV)  who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches 
       the mountains and they smoke.

       (Psa 104:33 NRSV)  I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will 
       sing praise to my God while I have being.

       (Psa 104:34 NRSV)  May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice 
       in the LORD.





       (Psa 104:35 NRSV)  Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the 
       wicked be no more. Bless the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD!

       (Psa 105:1 NRSV)  O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name, make 
       known his deeds among the peoples.

       (Psa 105:2 NRSV)  Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his 
       wonderful works.

       (Psa 105:3 NRSV)  Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who 
       seek the LORD rejoice.

       (Psa 105:4 NRSV)  Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence 
       continually.

       (Psa 105:5 NRSV)  Remember the wonderful works he has done, his 
       miracles, and the judgments he uttered,

       (Psa 105:6 NRSV)  O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of 
       Jacob, his chosen ones.

       (Psa 105:7 NRSV)  He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the 
       earth.

       (Psa 105:8 NRSV)  He is mindful of his covenant forever, of the word 
       that he commanded, for a thousand generations,

       (Psa 105:9 NRSV)  the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn 
       promise to Isaac,

       (Psa 105:10 NRSV)  which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel 
       as an everlasting covenant,

       (Psa 105:11 NRSV)  saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan as 
       your portion for an inheritance."

       (Psa 105:12 NRSV)  When they were few in number, of little account, 
       and strangers in it,

       (Psa 105:13 NRSV)  wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom 
       to another people,

       (Psa 105:14 NRSV)  he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings 
       on their account,

       (Psa 105:15 NRSV)  saying, "Do not touch my anointed ones; do my 
       prophets no harm."

       (Psa 105:16 NRSV)  When he summoned famine against the land, and broke 
       every staff of bread,

       (Psa 105:17 NRSV)  he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was 
       sold as a slave.

       (Psa 105:18 NRSV)  His feet were hurt with fetters, his neck was put 
       in a collar of iron;






       (Psa 105:19 NRSV)  until what he had said came to pass, the word of 
       the LORD kept testing him.

       (Psa 105:20 NRSV)  The king sent and released him; the ruler of the 
       peoples set him free.

       (Psa 105:21 NRSV)  He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his 
       possessions,

       (Psa 105:22 NRSV)  to instruct his officials at his pleasure, and to 
       teach his elders wisdom.

       (Psa 105:23 NRSV)  Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien 
       in the land of Ham.

       (Psa 105:24 NRSV)  And the LORD made his people very fruitful, and 
       made them stronger than their foes,

       (Psa 105:25 NRSV)  whose hearts he then turned to hate his people, to 
       deal craftily with his servants.

       (Psa 105:26 NRSV)  He sent his servant Moses, and Aaron whom he had 
       chosen.

       (Psa 105:27 NRSV)  They performed his signs among them, and miracles 
       in the land of Ham.

       (Psa 105:28 NRSV)  He sent darkness, and made the land dark; they 
       rebelled against his words.

       (Psa 105:29 NRSV)  He turned their waters into blood, and caused their 
       fish to die.

       (Psa 105:30 NRSV)  Their land swarmed with frogs, even in the chambers 
       of their kings.

       (Psa 105:31 NRSV)  He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats 
       throughout their country.

       (Psa 105:32 NRSV)  He gave them hail for rain, and lightning that 
       flashed through their land.

       (Psa 105:33 NRSV)  He struck their vines and fig trees, and shattered 
       the trees of their country.

       (Psa 105:34 NRSV)  He spoke, and the locusts came, and young locusts 
       without number;

       (Psa 105:35 NRSV)  they devoured all the vegetation in their land, and 
       ate up the fruit of their ground.

       (Psa 105:36 NRSV)  He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the 
       first issue of all their strength.

       (Psa 105:37 NRSV)  Then he brought Israel out with silver and gold, 





       and there was no one among their tribes who stumbled.

       (Psa 105:38 NRSV)  Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of 
       them had fallen upon it.

       (Psa 105:39 NRSV)  He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give 
       light by night.

       (Psa 105:40 NRSV)  They asked, and he brought quails, and gave them 
       food from heaven in abundance.

       (Psa 105:41 NRSV)  He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed 
       through the desert like a river.

       (Psa 105:42 NRSV)  For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, 
       his servant.

       (Psa 105:43 NRSV)  So he brought his people out with joy, his chosen 
       ones with singing.

       (Psa 105:44 NRSV)  He gave them the lands of the nations, and they 
       took possession of the wealth of the peoples,

       (Psa 105:45 NRSV)  that they might keep his statutes and observe his 
       laws. Praise the LORD!

       (Psa 106:1 NRSV)  Praise the LORD! O give thanks to the LORD, for he 
       is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.

       (Psa 106:2 NRSV)  Who can utter the mighty doings of the LORD, or 
       declare all his praise?

       (Psa 106:3 NRSV)  Happy are those who observe justice, who do 
       righteousness at all times.

       (Psa 106:4 NRSV)  Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your 
       people; help me when you deliver them;

       (Psa 106:5 NRSV)  that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones, 
       that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory in 
       your heritage.

       (Psa 106:6 NRSV)  Both we and our ancestors have sinned; we have 
       committed iniquity, have done wickedly.

       (Psa 106:7 NRSV)  Our ancestors, when they were in Egypt, did not 
       consider your wonderful works; they did not remember the abundance of 
       your steadfast love, but rebelled against the Most High at the Red 
       Sea.

       (Psa 106:8 NRSV)  Yet he saved them for his name's sake, so that he 
       might make known his mighty power.

       (Psa 106:9 NRSV)  He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry; he led 
       them through the deep as through a desert.





       (Psa 106:10 NRSV)  So he saved them from the hand of the foe, and 
       delivered them from the hand of the enemy.

       (Psa 106:11 NRSV)  The waters covered their adversaries; not one of 
       them was left.

       (Psa 106:12 NRSV)  Then they believed his words; they sang his praise.

       (Psa 106:13 NRSV)  But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait 
       for his counsel.

       (Psa 106:14 NRSV)  But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, 
       and put God to the test in the desert;

       (Psa 106:15 NRSV)  he gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting 
       disease among them.

       (Psa 106:16 NRSV)  They were jealous of Moses in the camp, and of 
       Aaron, the holy one of the LORD.

       (Psa 106:17 NRSV)  The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and 
       covered the faction of Abiram.

       (Psa 106:18 NRSV)  Fire also broke out in their company; the flame 
       burned up the wicked.

       (Psa 106:19 NRSV)  They made a calf at Horeb and worshiped a cast 
       image.

       (Psa 106:20 NRSV)  They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an 
       ox that eats grass.

       (Psa 106:21 NRSV)  They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great 
       things in Egypt,

       (Psa 106:22 NRSV)  wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome 
       deeds by the Red Sea.

       (Psa 106:23 NRSV)  Therefore he said he would destroy them-- had not 
       Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away 
       his wrath from destroying them.

       (Psa 106:24 NRSV)  Then they despised the pleasant land, having no 
       faith in his promise.

       (Psa 106:25 NRSV)  They grumbled in their tents, and did not obey the 
       voice of the LORD.

       (Psa 106:26 NRSV)  Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them that 
       he would make them fall in the wilderness,

       (Psa 106:27 NRSV)  and would disperse their descendants among the 
       nations, scattering them over the lands.

       (Psa 106:28 NRSV)  Then they attached themselves to the Baal of Peor, 
       and ate sacrifices offered to the dead;






       (Psa 106:29 NRSV)  they provoked the LORD to anger with their deeds, 
       and a plague broke out among them.

       (Psa 106:30 NRSV)  Then Phinehas stood up and interceded, and the 
       plague was stopped.

       (Psa 106:31 NRSV)  And that has been reckoned to him as righteousness 
       from generation to generation forever.

       (Psa 106:32 NRSV)  They angered the LORD at the waters of Meribah, and 
       it went ill with Moses on their account;

       (Psa 106:33 NRSV)  for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke words 
       that were rash.

       (Psa 106:34 NRSV)  They did not destroy the peoples, as the LORD 
       commanded them,

       (Psa 106:35 NRSV)  but they mingled with the nations and learned to do 
       as they did.

       (Psa 106:36 NRSV)  They served their idols, which became a snare to 
       them.

       (Psa 106:37 NRSV)  They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to 
       the demons;

       (Psa 106:38 NRSV)  they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their 
       sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and 
       the land was polluted with blood.

       (Psa 106:39 NRSV)  Thus they became unclean by their acts, and 
       prostituted themselves in their doings.

       (Psa 106:40 NRSV)  Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against his 
       people, and he abhorred his heritage;

       (Psa 106:41 NRSV)  he gave them into the hand of the nations, so that 
       those who hated them ruled over them.

       (Psa 106:42 NRSV)  Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought 
       into subjection under their power.

       (Psa 106:43 NRSV)  Many times he delivered them, but they were 
       rebellious in their purposes, and were brought low through their 
       iniquity.

       (Psa 106:44 NRSV)  Nevertheless he regarded their distress when he 
       heard their cry.

       (Psa 106:45 NRSV)  For their sake he remembered his covenant, and 
       showed compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.

       (Psa 106:46 NRSV)  He caused them to be pitied by all who held them 
       captive.






       (Psa 106:47 NRSV)  Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among 
       the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in 
       your praise.

       (Psa 106:48 NRSV)  Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from 
       everlasting to everlasting. And let all the people say, "Amen." Praise 
       the LORD!

       (Psa 107:1 NRSV)  O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his 
       steadfast love endures forever.

       (Psa 107:2 NRSV)  Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those he 
       redeemed from trouble

       (Psa 107:3 NRSV)  and gathered in from the lands, from the east and 
       from the west, from the north and from the south.

       (Psa 107:4 NRSV)  Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an 
       inhabited town;

       (Psa 107:5 NRSV)  hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.

       (Psa 107:6 NRSV)  Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he 
       delivered them from their distress;

       (Psa 107:7 NRSV)  he led them by a straight way, until they reached an 
       inhabited town.

       (Psa 107:8 NRSV)  Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for 
       his wonderful works to humankind.

       (Psa 107:9 NRSV)  For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he 
       fills with good things.

       (Psa 107:10 NRSV)  Some sat in darkness and in gloom, prisoners in 
       misery and in irons,

       (Psa 107:11 NRSV)  for they had rebelled against the words of God, and 
       spurned the counsel of the Most High.

       (Psa 107:12 NRSV)  Their hearts were bowed down with hard labor; they 
       fell down, with no one to help.

       (Psa 107:13 NRSV)  Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and 
       he saved them from their distress;

       (Psa 107:14 NRSV)  he brought them out of darkness and gloom, and 
       broke their bonds asunder.

       (Psa 107:15 NRSV)  Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for 
       his wonderful works to humankind.

       (Psa 107:16 NRSV)  For he shatters the doors of bronze, and cuts in 
       two the bars of iron.





       (Psa 107:17 NRSV)  Some were sick through their sinful ways, and 
       because of their iniquities endured affliction;

       (Psa 107:18 NRSV)  they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near 
       to the gates of death.

       (Psa 107:19 NRSV)  Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and 
       he saved them from their distress;

       (Psa 107:20 NRSV)  he sent out his word and healed them, and delivered 
       them from destruction.

       (Psa 107:21 NRSV)  Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for 
       his wonderful works to humankind.

       (Psa 107:22 NRSV)  And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and 
       tell of his deeds with songs of joy.

       (Psa 107:23 NRSV)  Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business 
       on the mighty waters;

       (Psa 107:24 NRSV)  they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works 
       in the deep.

       (Psa 107:25 NRSV)  For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which 
       lifted up the waves of the sea.

       (Psa 107:26 NRSV)  They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the 
       depths; their courage melted away in their calamity;

       (Psa 107:27 NRSV)  they reeled and staggered like drunkards, and were 
       at their wits' end.

       (Psa 107:28 NRSV)  Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and 
       he brought them out from their distress;

       (Psa 107:29 NRSV)  he made the storm be still, and the waves of the 
       sea were hushed.

       (Psa 107:30 NRSV)  Then they were glad because they had quiet, and he 
       brought them to their desired haven.

       (Psa 107:31 NRSV)  Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for 
       his wonderful works to humankind.

       (Psa 107:32 NRSV)  Let them extol him in the congregation of the 
       people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

       (Psa 107:33 NRSV)  He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water 
       into thirsty ground,

       (Psa 107:34 NRSV)  a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the 
       wickedness of its inhabitants.

       (Psa 107:35 NRSV)  He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched 
       land into springs of water.






       (Psa 107:36 NRSV)  And there he lets the hungry live, and they 
       establish a town to live in;

       (Psa 107:37 NRSV)  they sow fields, and plant vineyards, and get a 
       fruitful yield.

       (Psa 107:38 NRSV)  By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does 
       not let their cattle decrease.

       (Psa 107:39 NRSV)  When they are diminished and brought low through 
       oppression, trouble, and sorrow,

       (Psa 107:40 NRSV)  he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander 
       in trackless wastes;

       (Psa 107:41 NRSV)  but he raises up the needy out of distress, and 
       makes their families like flocks.

       (Psa 107:42 NRSV)  The upright see it and are glad; and all wickedness 
       stops its mouth.

       (Psa 107:43 NRSV)  Let those who are wise give heed to these things, 
       and consider the steadfast love of the LORD.

       (Psa 108:1 NRSV)  My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; 
       I will sing and make melody. Awake, my soul!

       (Psa 108:2 NRSV)  Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.

       (Psa 108:3 NRSV)  I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the 
       peoples, and I will sing praises to you among the nations.

       (Psa 108:4 NRSV)  For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens, 
       and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

       (Psa 108:5 NRSV)  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your 
       glory be over all the earth.

       (Psa 108:6 NRSV)  Give victory with your right hand, and answer me, so 
       that those whom you love may be rescued.

       (Psa 108:7 NRSV)  God has promised in his sanctuary: "With exultation 
       I will divide up Shechem, and portion out the Vale of Succoth.

       (Psa 108:8 NRSV)  Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my 
       helmet; Judah is my scepter.

       (Psa 108:9 NRSV)  Moab is my washbasin; on Edom I hurl my shoe; over 
       Philistia I shout in triumph."

       (Psa 108:10 NRSV)  Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will 
       lead me to Edom?

       (Psa 108:11 NRSV)  Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, 
       O God, with our armies.






       (Psa 108:12 NRSV)  O grant us help against the foe, for human help is 
       worthless.

       (Psa 108:13 NRSV)  With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will 
       tread down our foes.

       (Psa 109:1 NRSV)  Do not be silent, O God of my praise.

       (Psa 109:2 NRSV)  For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against 
       me, speaking against me with lying tongues.

       (Psa 109:3 NRSV)  They beset me with words of hate, and attack me 
       without cause.

       (Psa 109:4 NRSV)  In return for my love they accuse me, even while I 
       make prayer for them.

       (Psa 109:5 NRSV)  So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my 
       love.

       (Psa 109:6 NRSV)  They say, "Appoint a wicked man against him; let an 
       accuser stand on his right.

       (Psa 109:7 NRSV)  When he is tried, let him be found guilty; let his 
       prayer be counted as sin.

       (Psa 109:8 NRSV)  May his days be few; may another seize his position.

       (Psa 109:9 NRSV)  May his children be orphans, and his wife a widow.

       (Psa 109:10 NRSV)  May his children wander about and beg; may they be 
       driven out of the ruins they inhabit.

       (Psa 109:11 NRSV)  May the creditor seize all that he has; may 
       strangers plunder the fruits of his toil.

       (Psa 109:12 NRSV)  May there be no one to do him a kindness, nor 
       anyone to pity his orphaned children.

       (Psa 109:13 NRSV)  May his posterity be cut off; may his name be 
       blotted out in the second generation.

       (Psa 109:14 NRSV)  May the iniquity of his father be remembered before 
       the LORD, and do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out.

       (Psa 109:15 NRSV)  Let them be before the LORD continually, and may 
       his memory be cut off from the earth.

       (Psa 109:16 NRSV)  For he did not remember to show kindness, but 
       pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted to their death.

       (Psa 109:17 NRSV)  He loved to curse; let curses come on him. He did 
       not like blessing; may it be far from him.

       (Psa 109:18 NRSV)  He clothed himself with cursing as his coat, may it 





       soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones.

       (Psa 109:19 NRSV)  May it be like a garment that he wraps around 
       himself, like a belt that he wears every day."

       (Psa 109:20 NRSV)  May that be the reward of my accusers from the 
       LORD, of those who speak evil against my life.

       (Psa 109:21 NRSV)  But you, O LORD my Lord, act on my behalf for your 
       name's sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me.

       (Psa 109:22 NRSV)  For I am poor and needy, and my heart is pierced 
       within me.

       (Psa 109:23 NRSV)  I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off 
       like a locust.

       (Psa 109:24 NRSV)  My knees are weak through fasting; my body has 
       become gaunt.

       (Psa 109:25 NRSV)  I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they 
       see me, they shake their heads.

       (Psa 109:26 NRSV)  Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to your 
       steadfast love.

       (Psa 109:27 NRSV)  Let them know that this is your hand; you, O LORD, 
       have done it.

       (Psa 109:28 NRSV)  Let them curse, but you will bless. Let my 
       assailants be put to shame; may your servant be glad.

       (Psa 109:29 NRSV)  May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they 
       be wrapped in their own shame as in a mantle.

       (Psa 109:30 NRSV)  With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD; 
       I will praise him in the midst of the throng.

       (Psa 109:31 NRSV)  For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to 
       save them from those who would condemn them to death.

       (Psa 110:1 NRSV)  The LORD says to my lord, "Sit at my right hand 
       until I make your enemies your footstool."

       (Psa 110:2 NRSV)  The LORD sends out from Zion your mighty scepter. 
       Rule in the midst of your foes.

       (Psa 110:3 NRSV)  Your people will offer themselves willingly on the 
       day you lead your forces on the holy mountains. From the womb of the 
       morning, like dew, your youth will come to you.

       (Psa 110:4 NRSV)  The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, 
       "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."

       (Psa 110:5 NRSV)  The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter 
       kings on the day of his wrath.






       (Psa 110:6 NRSV)  He will execute judgment among the nations, filling 
       them with corpses; he will shatter heads over the wide earth.

       (Psa 110:7 NRSV)  He will drink from the stream by the path; therefore 
       he will lift up his head.

       (Psa 111:1 NRSV)  Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with 
       my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.

       (Psa 111:2 NRSV)  Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who 
       delight in them.

       (Psa 111:3 NRSV)  Full of honor and majesty is his work, and his 
       righteousness endures forever.

       (Psa 111:4 NRSV)  He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds; the 
       LORD is gracious and merciful.

       (Psa 111:5 NRSV)  He provides food for those who fear him; he is ever 
       mindful of his covenant.

       (Psa 111:6 NRSV)  He has shown his people the power of his works, in 
       giving them the heritage of the nations.

       (Psa 111:7 NRSV)  The works of his hands are faithful and just; all 
       his precepts are trustworthy.

       (Psa 111:8 NRSV)  They are established forever and ever, to be 
       performed with faithfulness and uprightness.

       (Psa 111:9 NRSV)  He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded 
       his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name.

       (Psa 111:10 NRSV)  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; 
       all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise 
       endures forever.

       (Psa 112:1 NRSV)  Praise the LORD! Happy are those who fear the LORD, 
       who greatly delight in his commandments.

       (Psa 112:2 NRSV)  Their descendants will be mighty in the land; the 
       generation of the upright will be blessed.

       (Psa 112:3 NRSV)  Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their 
       righteousness endures forever.

       (Psa 112:4 NRSV)  They rise in the darkness as a light for the 
       upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.

       (Psa 112:5 NRSV)  It is well with those who deal generously and lend, 
       who conduct their affairs with justice.

       (Psa 112:6 NRSV)  For the righteous will never be moved; they will be 
       remembered forever.





       (Psa 112:7 NRSV)  They are not afraid of evil tidings; their hearts 
       are firm, secure in the LORD.

       (Psa 112:8 NRSV)  Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid; in 
       the end they will look in triumph on their foes.

       (Psa 112:9 NRSV)  They have distributed freely, they have given to the 
       poor; their righteousness endures forever; their horn is exalted in 
       honor.

       (Psa 112:10 NRSV)  The wicked see it and are angry; they gnash their 
       teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.

       (Psa 113:1 NRSV)  Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD; 
       praise the name of the LORD.

       (Psa 113:2 NRSV)  Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time on 
       and forevermore.

       (Psa 113:3 NRSV)  From the rising of the sun to its setting the name 
       of the LORD is to be praised.

       (Psa 113:4 NRSV)  The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory 
       above the heavens.

       (Psa 113:5 NRSV)  Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high,

       (Psa 113:6 NRSV)  who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?

       (Psa 113:7 NRSV)  He raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the 
       needy from the ash heap,

       (Psa 113:8 NRSV)  to make them sit with princes, with the princes of 
       his people.

       (Psa 113:9 NRSV)  He gives the barren woman a home, making her the 
       joyous mother of children. Praise the LORD!

       (Psa 114:1 NRSV)  When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob 
       from a people of strange language,

       (Psa 114:2 NRSV)  Judah became God's sanctuary, Israel his dominion.

       (Psa 114:3 NRSV)  The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back.

       (Psa 114:4 NRSV)  The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like 
       lambs.

       (Psa 114:5 NRSV)  Why is it, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you 
       turn back?

       (Psa 114:6 NRSV)  O mountains, that you skip like rams? O hills, like 
       lambs?

       (Psa 114:7 NRSV)  Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the LORD, at 
       the presence of the God of Jacob,






       (Psa 114:8 NRSV)  who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint 
       into a spring of water.

       (Psa 115:1 NRSV)  Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give 
       glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness.

       (Psa 115:2 NRSV)  Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?"

       (Psa 115:3 NRSV)  Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he 
       pleases.

       (Psa 115:4 NRSV)  Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human 
       hands.

       (Psa 115:5 NRSV)  They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not 
       see.

       (Psa 115:6 NRSV)  They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not 
       smell.

       (Psa 115:7 NRSV)  They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not 
       walk; they make no sound in their throats.

       (Psa 115:8 NRSV)  Those who make them are like them; so are all who 
       trust in them.

       (Psa 115:9 NRSV)  O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and 
       their shield.

       (Psa 115:10 NRSV)  O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their 
       help and their shield.

       (Psa 115:11 NRSV)  You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is 
       their help and their shield.

       (Psa 115:12 NRSV)  The LORD has been mindful of us; he will bless us; 
       he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron;

       (Psa 115:13 NRSV)  he will bless those who fear the LORD, both small 
       and great.

       (Psa 115:14 NRSV)  May the LORD give you increase, both you and your 
       children.

       (Psa 115:15 NRSV)  May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven and 
       earth.

       (Psa 115:16 NRSV)  The heavens are the Lord's heavens, but the earth 
       he has given to human beings.

       (Psa 115:17 NRSV)  The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any that go 
       down into silence.

       (Psa 115:18 NRSV)  But we will bless the LORD from this time on and 
       forevermore. Praise the LORD!






       (Psa 116:1 NRSV)  I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and 
       my supplications.

       (Psa 116:2 NRSV)  Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will 
       call on him as long as I live.

       (Psa 116:3 NRSV)  The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of 
       Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish.

       (Psa 116:4 NRSV)  Then I called on the name of the LORD: "O LORD, I 
       pray, save my life!"

       (Psa 116:5 NRSV)  Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is 
       merciful.

       (Psa 116:6 NRSV)  The LORD protects the simple; when I was brought 
       low, he saved me.

       (Psa 116:7 NRSV)  Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the LORD has 
       dealt bountifully with you.

       (Psa 116:8 NRSV)  For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes 
       from tears, my feet from stumbling.

       (Psa 116:9 NRSV)  I walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

       (Psa 116:10 NRSV)  I kept my faith, even when I said, "I am greatly 
       afflicted";

       (Psa 116:11 NRSV)  I said in my consternation, "Everyone is a liar."

       (Psa 116:12 NRSV)  What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty 
       to me?

       (Psa 116:13 NRSV)  I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the 
       name of the LORD,

       (Psa 116:14 NRSV)  I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of 
       all his people.

       (Psa 116:15 NRSV)  Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of 
       his faithful ones.

       (Psa 116:16 NRSV)  O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the 
       child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds.

       (Psa 116:17 NRSV)  I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and 
       call on the name of the LORD.

       (Psa 116:18 NRSV)  I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of 
       all his people,

       (Psa 116:19 NRSV)  in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your 
       midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!





       (Psa 117:1 NRSV)  Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol him, all you 
       peoples!

       (Psa 117:2 NRSV)  For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the 
       faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!

       (Psa 118:1 NRSV)  O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his 
       steadfast love endures forever!

       (Psa 118:2 NRSV)  Let Israel say, "His steadfast love endures 
       forever."

       (Psa 118:3 NRSV)  Let the house of Aaron say, "His steadfast love 
       endures forever."

       (Psa 118:4 NRSV)  Let those who fear the LORD say, "His steadfast love 
       endures forever."

       (Psa 118:5 NRSV)  Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD 
       answered me and set me in a broad place.

       (Psa 118:6 NRSV)  With the LORD on my side I do not fear. What can 
       mortals do to me?

       (Psa 118:7 NRSV)  The LORD is on my side to help me; I shall look in 
       triumph on those who hate me.

       (Psa 118:8 NRSV)  It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to put 
       confidence in mortals.

       (Psa 118:9 NRSV)  It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to put 
       confidence in princes.

       (Psa 118:10 NRSV)  All nations surrounded me; in the name of the LORD 
       I cut them off!

       (Psa 118:11 NRSV)  They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; in 
       the name of the LORD I cut them off!

       (Psa 118:12 NRSV)  They surrounded me like bees; they blazed like a 
       fire of thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them off!

       (Psa 118:13 NRSV)  I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the 
       LORD helped me.

       (Psa 118:14 NRSV)  The LORD is my strength and my might; he has become 
       my salvation.

       (Psa 118:15 NRSV)  There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the 
       righteous: "The right hand of the LORD does valiantly;

       (Psa 118:16 NRSV)  the right hand of the LORD is exalted; the right 
       hand of the LORD does valiantly."

       (Psa 118:17 NRSV)  I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the 
       deeds of the LORD.






       (Psa 118:18 NRSV)  The LORD has punished me severely, but he did not 
       give me over to death.

       (Psa 118:19 NRSV)  Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may 
       enter through them and give thanks to the LORD.

       (Psa 118:20 NRSV)  This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall 
       enter through it.

       (Psa 118:21 NRSV)  I thank you that you have answered me and have 
       become my salvation.

       (Psa 118:22 NRSV)  The stone that the builders rejected has become the 
       chief cornerstone.

       (Psa 118:23 NRSV)  This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our 
       eyes.

       (Psa 118:24 NRSV)  This is the day that the LORD has made; let us 
       rejoice and be glad in it.

       (Psa 118:25 NRSV)  Save us, we beseech you, O LORD! O LORD, we beseech 
       you, give us success!

       (Psa 118:26 NRSV)  Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the 
       LORD. We bless you from the house of the LORD.

       (Psa 118:27 NRSV)  The LORD is God, and he has given us light. Bind 
       the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar.

       (Psa 118:28 NRSV)  You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you 
       are my God, I will extol you.

       (Psa 118:29 NRSV)  O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his 
       steadfast love endures forever.

       (Psa 119:1 NRSV)  Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in 
       the law of the LORD.

       (Psa 119:2 NRSV)  Happy are those who keep his decrees, who seek him 
       with their whole heart,

       (Psa 119:3 NRSV)  who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways.

       (Psa 119:4 NRSV)  You have commanded your precepts to be kept 
       diligently.

       (Psa 119:5 NRSV)  O that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your 
       statutes!

       (Psa 119:6 NRSV)  Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes 
       fixed on all your commandments.

       (Psa 119:7 NRSV)  I will praise you with an upright heart, when I 
       learn your righteous ordinances.






       (Psa 119:8 NRSV)  I will observe your statutes; do not utterly forsake 
       me.

       (Psa 119:9 NRSV)  How can young people keep their way pure? By 
       guarding it according to your word.

       (Psa 119:10 NRSV)  With my whole heart I seek you; do not let me stray 
       from your commandments.

       (Psa 119:11 NRSV)  I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not 
       sin against you.

       (Psa 119:12 NRSV)  Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes.

       (Psa 119:13 NRSV)  With my lips I declare all the ordinances of your 
       mouth.

       (Psa 119:14 NRSV)  I delight in the way of your decrees as much as in 
       all riches.

       (Psa 119:15 NRSV)  I will meditate on your precepts, and fix my eyes 
       on your ways.

       (Psa 119:16 NRSV)  I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget 
       your word.

       (Psa 119:17 NRSV)  Deal bountifully with your servant, so that I may 
       live and observe your word.

       (Psa 119:18 NRSV)  Open my eyes, so that I may behold wondrous things 
       out of your law.

       (Psa 119:19 NRSV)  I live as an alien in the land; do not hide your 
       commandments from me.

       (Psa 119:20 NRSV)  My soul is consumed with longing for your 
       ordinances at all times.

       (Psa 119:21 NRSV)  You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander 
       from your commandments;

       (Psa 119:22 NRSV)  take away from me their scorn and contempt, for I 
       have kept your decrees.

       (Psa 119:23 NRSV)  Even though princes sit plotting against me, your 
       servant will meditate on your statutes.

       (Psa 119:24 NRSV)  Your decrees are my delight, they are my 
       counselors.

       (Psa 119:25 NRSV)  My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to 
       your word.

       (Psa 119:26 NRSV)  When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me 
       your statutes.






       (Psa 119:27 NRSV)  Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I 
       will meditate on your wondrous works.

       (Psa 119:28 NRSV)  My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me 
       according to your word.

       (Psa 119:29 NRSV)  Put false ways far from me; and graciously teach me 
       your law.

       (Psa 119:30 NRSV)  I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your 
       ordinances before me.

       (Psa 119:31 NRSV)  I cling to your decrees, O LORD; let me not be put 
       to shame.

       (Psa 119:32 NRSV)  I run the way of your commandments, for you enlarge 
       my understanding.

       (Psa 119:33 NRSV)  Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes, and I 
       will observe it to the end.

       (Psa 119:34 NRSV)  Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and 
       observe it with my whole heart.

       (Psa 119:35 NRSV)  Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I 
       delight in it.

       (Psa 119:36 NRSV)  Turn my heart to your decrees, and not to selfish 
       gain.

       (Psa 119:37 NRSV)  Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; give me life 
       in your ways.

       (Psa 119:38 NRSV)  Confirm to your servant your promise, which is for 
       those who fear you.

       (Psa 119:39 NRSV)  Turn away the disgrace that I dread, for your 
       ordinances are good.

       (Psa 119:40 NRSV)  See, I have longed for your precepts; in your 
       righteousness give me life.

       (Psa 119:41 NRSV)  Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your 
       salvation according to your promise.

       (Psa 119:42 NRSV)  Then I shall have an answer for those who taunt me, 
       for I trust in your word.

       (Psa 119:43 NRSV)  Do not take the word of truth utterly out of my 
       mouth, for my hope is in your ordinances.

       (Psa 119:44 NRSV)  I will keep your law continually, forever and ever.

       (Psa 119:45 NRSV)  I shall walk at liberty, for I have sought your 
       precepts.






       (Psa 119:46 NRSV)  I will also speak of your decrees before kings, and 
       shall not be put to shame;

       (Psa 119:47 NRSV)  I find my delight in your commandments, because I 
       love them.

       (Psa 119:48 NRSV)  I revere your commandments, which I love, and I 
       will meditate on your statutes.

       (Psa 119:49 NRSV)  Remember your word to your servant, in which you 
       have made me hope.

       (Psa 119:50 NRSV)  This is my comfort in my distress, that your 
       promise gives me life.

       (Psa 119:51 NRSV)  The arrogant utterly deride me, but I do not turn 
       away from your law.

       (Psa 119:52 NRSV)  When I think of your ordinances from of old, I take 
       comfort, O LORD.

       (Psa 119:53 NRSV)  Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked, 
       those who forsake your law.

       (Psa 119:54 NRSV)  Your statutes have been my songs wherever I make my 
       home.

       (Psa 119:55 NRSV)  I remember your name in the night, O LORD, and keep 
       your law.

       (Psa 119:56 NRSV)  This blessing has fallen to me, for I have kept 
       your precepts.

       (Psa 119:57 NRSV)  The LORD is my portion; I promise to keep your 
       words.

       (Psa 119:58 NRSV)  I implore your favor with all my heart; be gracious 
       to me according to your promise.

       (Psa 119:59 NRSV)  When I think of your ways, I turn my feet to your 
       decrees;

       (Psa 119:60 NRSV)  I hurry and do not delay to keep your commandments.

       (Psa 119:61 NRSV)  Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me, I do not 
       forget your law.

       (Psa 119:62 NRSV)  At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your 
       righteous ordinances.

       (Psa 119:63 NRSV)  I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who 
       keep your precepts.

       (Psa 119:64 NRSV)  The earth, O LORD, is full of your steadfast love; 
       teach me your statutes.






       (Psa 119:65 NRSV)  You have dealt well with your servant, O LORD, 
       according to your word.

       (Psa 119:66 NRSV)  Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe 
       in your commandments.

       (Psa 119:67 NRSV)  Before I was humbled I went astray, but now I keep 
       your word.

       (Psa 119:68 NRSV)  You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.

       (Psa 119:69 NRSV)  The arrogant smear me with lies, but with my whole 
       heart I keep your precepts.

       (Psa 119:70 NRSV)  Their hearts are fat and gross, but I delight in 
       your law.

       (Psa 119:71 NRSV)  It is good for me that I was humbled, so that I 
       might learn your statutes.

       (Psa 119:72 NRSV)  The law of your mouth is better to me than 
       thousands of gold and silver pieces.

       (Psa 119:73 NRSV)  Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me 
       understanding that I may learn your commandments.

       (Psa 119:74 NRSV)  Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, 
       because I have hoped in your word.

       (Psa 119:75 NRSV)  I know, O LORD, that your judgments are right, and 
       that in faithfulness you have humbled me.

       (Psa 119:76 NRSV)  Let your steadfast love become my comfort according 
       to your promise to your servant.

       (Psa 119:77 NRSV)  Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for 
       your law is my delight.

       (Psa 119:78 NRSV)  Let the arrogant be put to shame, because they have 
       subverted me with guile; as for me, I will meditate on your precepts.

       (Psa 119:79 NRSV)  Let those who fear you turn to me, so that they may 
       know your decrees.

       (Psa 119:80 NRSV)  May my heart be blameless in your statutes, so that 
       I may not be put to shame.

       (Psa 119:81 NRSV)  My soul languishes for your salvation; I hope in 
       your word.

       (Psa 119:82 NRSV)  My eyes fail with watching for your promise; I ask, 
       "When will you comfort me?"

       (Psa 119:83 NRSV)  For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, yet 
       I have not forgotten your statutes.






       (Psa 119:84 NRSV)  How long must your servant endure? When will you 
       judge those who persecute me?

       (Psa 119:85 NRSV)  The arrogant have dug pitfalls for me; they flout 
       your law.

       (Psa 119:86 NRSV)  All your commandments are enduring; I am persecuted 
       without cause; help me!

       (Psa 119:87 NRSV)  They have almost made an end of me on earth; but I 
       have not forsaken your precepts.

       (Psa 119:88 NRSV)  In your steadfast love spare my life, so that I may 
       keep the decrees of your mouth.

       (Psa 119:89 NRSV)  The LORD exists forever; your word is firmly fixed 
       in heaven.

       (Psa 119:90 NRSV)  Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you 
       have established the earth, and it stands fast.

       (Psa 119:91 NRSV)  By your appointment they stand today, for all 
       things are your servants.

       (Psa 119:92 NRSV)  If your law had not been my delight, I would have 
       perished in my misery.

       (Psa 119:93 NRSV)  I will never forget your precepts, for by them you 
       have given me life.

       (Psa 119:94 NRSV)  I am yours; save me, for I have sought your 
       precepts.

       (Psa 119:95 NRSV)  The wicked lie in wait to destroy me, but I 
       consider your decrees.

       (Psa 119:96 NRSV)  I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your 
       commandment is exceedingly broad.

       (Psa 119:97 NRSV)  Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all 
       day long.

       (Psa 119:98 NRSV)  Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, 
       for it is always with me.

       (Psa 119:99 NRSV)  I have more understanding than all my teachers, for 
       your decrees are my meditation.

       (Psa 119:100 NRSV)  I understand more than the aged, for I keep your 
       precepts.

       (Psa 119:101 NRSV)  I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order 
       to keep your word.

       (Psa 119:102 NRSV)  I do not turn away from your ordinances, for you 





       have taught me.

       (Psa 119:103 NRSV)  How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than 
       honey to my mouth!

       (Psa 119:104 NRSV)  Through your precepts I get understanding; 
       therefore I hate every false way.

       (Psa 119:105 NRSV)  Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my 
       path.

       (Psa 119:106 NRSV)  I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to observe 
       your righteous ordinances.

       (Psa 119:107 NRSV)  I am severely afflicted; give me life, O LORD, 
       according to your word.

       (Psa 119:108 NRSV)  Accept my offerings of praise, O LORD, and teach 
       me your ordinances.

       (Psa 119:109 NRSV)  I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do 
       not forget your law.

       (Psa 119:110 NRSV)  The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not 
       stray from your precepts.

       (Psa 119:111 NRSV)  Your decrees are my heritage forever; they are the 
       joy of my heart.

       (Psa 119:112 NRSV)  I incline my heart to perform your statutes 
       forever, to the end.

       (Psa 119:113 NRSV)  I hate the double-minded, but I love your law.

       (Psa 119:114 NRSV)  You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in 
       your word.

       (Psa 119:115 NRSV)  Go away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep 
       the commandments of my God.

       (Psa 119:116 NRSV)  Uphold me according to your promise, that I may 
       live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope.

       (Psa 119:117 NRSV)  Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for 
       your statutes continually.

       (Psa 119:118 NRSV)  You spurn all who go astray from your statutes; 
       for their cunning is in vain.

       (Psa 119:119 NRSV)  All the wicked of the earth you count as dross; 
       therefore I love your decrees.

       (Psa 119:120 NRSV)  My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid 
       of your judgments.

       (Psa 119:121 NRSV)  I have done what is just and right; do not leave 





       me to my oppressors.

       (Psa 119:122 NRSV)  Guarantee your servant's well-being; do not let 
       the godless oppress me.

       (Psa 119:123 NRSV)  My eyes fail from watching for your salvation, and 
       for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.

       (Psa 119:124 NRSV)  Deal with your servant according to your steadfast 
       love, and teach me your statutes.

       (Psa 119:125 NRSV)  I am your servant; give me understanding, so that 
       I may know your decrees.

       (Psa 119:126 NRSV)  It is time for the LORD to act, for your law has 
       been broken.

       (Psa 119:127 NRSV)  Truly I love your commandments more than gold, 
       more than fine gold.

       (Psa 119:128 NRSV)  Truly I direct my steps by all your precepts; I 
       hate every false way.

       (Psa 119:129 NRSV)  Your decrees are wonderful; therefore my soul 
       keeps them.

       (Psa 119:130 NRSV)  The unfolding of your words gives light; it 
       imparts understanding to the simple.

       (Psa 119:131 NRSV)  With open mouth I pant, because I long for your 
       commandments.

       (Psa 119:132 NRSV)  Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your 
       custom toward those who love your name.

       (Psa 119:133 NRSV)  Keep my steps steady according to your promise, 
       and never let iniquity have dominion over me.

       (Psa 119:134 NRSV)  Redeem me from human oppression, that I may keep 
       your precepts.

       (Psa 119:135 NRSV)  Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach 
       me your statutes.

       (Psa 119:136 NRSV)  My eyes shed streams of tears because your law is 
       not kept.

       (Psa 119:137 NRSV)  You are righteous, O LORD, and your judgments are 
       right.

       (Psa 119:138 NRSV)  You have appointed your decrees in righteousness 
       and in all faithfulness.

       (Psa 119:139 NRSV)  My zeal consumes me because my foes forget your 
       words.





       (Psa 119:140 NRSV)  Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves 
       it.

       (Psa 119:141 NRSV)  I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your 
       precepts.

       (Psa 119:142 NRSV)  Your righteousness is an everlasting 
       righteousness, and your law is the truth.

       (Psa 119:143 NRSV)  Trouble and anguish have come upon me, but your 
       commandments are my delight.

       (Psa 119:144 NRSV)  Your decrees are righteous forever; give me 
       understanding that I may live.

       (Psa 119:145 NRSV)  With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O LORD. I 
       will keep your statutes.

       (Psa 119:146 NRSV)  I cry to you; save me, that I may observe your 
       decrees.

       (Psa 119:147 NRSV)  I rise before dawn and cry for help; I put my hope 
       in your words.

       (Psa 119:148 NRSV)  My eyes are awake before each watch of the night, 
       that I may meditate on your promise.

       (Psa 119:149 NRSV)  In your steadfast love hear my voice; O LORD, in 
       your justice preserve my life.

       (Psa 119:150 NRSV)  Those who persecute me with evil purpose draw 
       near; they are far from your law.

       (Psa 119:151 NRSV)  Yet you are near, O LORD, and all your 
       commandments are true.

       (Psa 119:152 NRSV)  Long ago I learned from your decrees that you have 
       established them forever.

       (Psa 119:153 NRSV)  Look on my misery and rescue me, for I do not 
       forget your law.

       (Psa 119:154 NRSV)  Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life 
       according to your promise.

       (Psa 119:155 NRSV)  Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not 
       seek your statutes.

       (Psa 119:156 NRSV)  Great is your mercy, O LORD; give me life 
       according to your justice.

       (Psa 119:157 NRSV)  Many are my persecutors and my adversaries, yet I 
       do not swerve from your decrees.

       (Psa 119:158 NRSV)  I look at the faithless with disgust, because they 
       do not keep your commands.






       (Psa 119:159 NRSV)  Consider how I love your precepts; preserve my 
       life according to your steadfast love.

       (Psa 119:160 NRSV)  The sum of your word is truth; and every one of 
       your righteous ordinances endures forever.

       (Psa 119:161 NRSV)  Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart 
       stands in awe of your words.

       (Psa 119:162 NRSV)  I rejoice at your word like one who finds great 
       spoil.

       (Psa 119:163 NRSV)  I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your law.

       (Psa 119:164 NRSV)  Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous 
       ordinances.

       (Psa 119:165 NRSV)  Great peace have those who love your law; nothing 
       can make them stumble.

       (Psa 119:166 NRSV)  I hope for your salvation, O LORD, and I fulfill 
       your commandments.

       (Psa 119:167 NRSV)  My soul keeps your decrees; I love them 
       exceedingly.

       (Psa 119:168 NRSV)  I keep your precepts and decrees, for all my ways 
       are before you.

       (Psa 119:169 NRSV)  Let my cry come before you, O LORD; give me 
       understanding according to your word.

       (Psa 119:170 NRSV)  Let my supplication come before you; deliver me 
       according to your promise.

       (Psa 119:171 NRSV)  My lips will pour forth praise, because you teach 
       me your statutes.

       (Psa 119:172 NRSV)  My tongue will sing of your promise, for all your 
       commandments are right.

       (Psa 119:173 NRSV)  Let your hand be ready to help me, for I have 
       chosen your precepts.

       (Psa 119:174 NRSV)  I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is 
       my delight.

       (Psa 119:175 NRSV)  Let me live that I may praise you, and let your 
       ordinances help me.

       (Psa 119:176 NRSV)  I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek out 
       your servant, for I do not forget your commandments.

       (Psa 120:1 NRSV)  In my distress I cry to the LORD, that he may answer 
       me:






       (Psa 120:2 NRSV)  "Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a 
       deceitful tongue."

       (Psa 120:3 NRSV)  What shall be given to you? And what more shall be 
       done to you, you deceitful tongue?

       (Psa 120:4 NRSV)  A warrior's sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the 
       broom tree!

       (Psa 120:5 NRSV)  Woe is me, that I am an alien in Meshech, that I 
       must live among the tents of Kedar.

       (Psa 120:6 NRSV)  Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate 
       peace.

       (Psa 120:7 NRSV)  I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.

       (Psa 121:1 NRSV)  I lift up my eyes to the hills-- from where will my 
       help come?

       (Psa 121:2 NRSV)  My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and 
       earth.

       (Psa 121:3 NRSV)  He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you 
       will not slumber.

       (Psa 121:4 NRSV)  He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

       (Psa 121:5 NRSV)  The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade at 
       your right hand.

       (Psa 121:6 NRSV)  The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by 
       night.

       (Psa 121:7 NRSV)  The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep 
       your life.

       (Psa 121:8 NRSV)  The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in 
       from this time on and forevermore.

       (Psa 122:1 NRSV)  I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the 
       house of the LORD!"

       (Psa 122:2 NRSV)  Our feet are standing within your gates, O 
       Jerusalem.

       (Psa 122:3 NRSV)  Jerusalem--built as a city that is bound firmly 
       together.

       (Psa 122:4 NRSV)  To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as 
       was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.

       (Psa 122:5 NRSV)  For there the thrones for judgment were set up, the 
       thrones of the house of David.





       (Psa 122:6 NRSV)  Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper 
       who love you.

       (Psa 122:7 NRSV)  Peace be within your walls, and security within your 
       towers."

       (Psa 122:8 NRSV)  For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, 
       "Peace be within you."

       (Psa 122:9 NRSV)  For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I 
       will seek your good.

       (Psa 123:1 NRSV)  To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in 
       the heavens!

       (Psa 123:2 NRSV)  As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their 
       master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes 
       look to the LORD our God, until he has mercy upon us.

       (Psa 123:3 NRSV)  Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for 
       we have had more than enough of contempt.

       (Psa 123:4 NRSV)  Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of 
       those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.

       (Psa 124:1 NRSV)  If it had not been the LORD who was on our side 
       --let Israel now say--

       (Psa 124:2 NRSV)  if it had not been the LORD who was on our side, 
       when our enemies attacked us,

       (Psa 124:3 NRSV)  then they would have swallowed us up alive, when 
       their anger was kindled against us;

       (Psa 124:4 NRSV)  then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent 
       would have gone over us;

       (Psa 124:5 NRSV)  then over us would have gone the raging waters.

       (Psa 124:6 NRSV)  Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to 
       their teeth.

       (Psa 124:7 NRSV)  We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the 
       fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped.

       (Psa 124:8 NRSV)  Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven 
       and earth.

       (Psa 125:1 NRSV)  Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, 
       which cannot be moved, but abides forever.

       (Psa 125:2 NRSV)  As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD 
       surrounds his people, from this time on and forevermore.

       (Psa 125:3 NRSV)  For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the 
       land allotted to the righteous, so that the righteous might not 





       stretch out their hands to do wrong.

       (Psa 125:4 NRSV)  Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to those 
       who are upright in their hearts.

       (Psa 125:5 NRSV)  But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways 
       the LORD will lead away with evildoers. Peace be upon Israel!

       (Psa 126:1 NRSV)  When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were 
       like those who dream.

       (Psa 126:2 NRSV)  Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our 
       tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, "The 
       LORD has done great things for them."

       (Psa 126:3 NRSV)  The LORD has done great things for us, and we 
       rejoiced.

       (Psa 126:4 NRSV)  Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses 
       in the Negeb.

       (Psa 126:5 NRSV)  May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.

       (Psa 126:6 NRSV)  Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for 
       sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.

       (Psa 127:1 NRSV)  Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it 
       labor in vain. Unless the LORD guards the city, the guard keeps watch 
       in vain.

       (Psa 127:2 NRSV)  It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to 
       rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his 
       beloved.

       (Psa 127:3 NRSV)  Sons are indeed a heritage from the LORD, the fruit 
       of the womb a reward.

       (Psa 127:4 NRSV)  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of 
       one's youth.

       (Psa 127:5 NRSV)  Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. He 
       shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

       (Psa 128:1 NRSV)  Happy is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in 
       his ways.

       (Psa 128:2 NRSV)  You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; 
       you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.

       (Psa 128:3 NRSV)  Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your 
       house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

       (Psa 128:4 NRSV)  Thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD.

       (Psa 128:5 NRSV)  The LORD bless you from Zion. May you see the 
       prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.






       (Psa 128:6 NRSV)  May you see your children's children. Peace be upon 
       Israel!

       (Psa 129:1 NRSV)  "Often have they attacked me from my youth" --let 
       Israel now say--

       (Psa 129:2 NRSV)  "often have they attacked me from my youth, yet they 
       have not prevailed against me.

       (Psa 129:3 NRSV)  The plowers plowed on my back; they made their 
       furrows long."

       (Psa 129:4 NRSV)  The LORD is righteous; he has cut the cords of the 
       wicked.

       (Psa 129:5 NRSV)  May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned 
       backward.

       (Psa 129:6 NRSV)  Let them be like the grass on the housetops that 
       withers before it grows up,

       (Psa 129:7 NRSV)  with which reapers do not fill their hands or 
       binders of sheaves their arms,

       (Psa 129:8 NRSV)  while those who pass by do not say, "The blessing of 
       the LORD be upon you! We bless you in the name of the LORD!"

       (Psa 130:1 NRSV)  Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD.

       (Psa 130:2 NRSV)  Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to 
       the voice of my supplications!

       (Psa 130:3 NRSV)  If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, Lord, who 
       could stand?

       (Psa 130:4 NRSV)  But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may 
       be revered.

       (Psa 130:5 NRSV)  I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word 
       I hope;

       (Psa 130:6 NRSV)  my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch 
       for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.

       (Psa 130:7 NRSV)  O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there 
       is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem.

       (Psa 130:8 NRSV)  It is he who will redeem Israel from all its 
       iniquities.

       (Psa 131:1 NRSV)  O LORD, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not 
       raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too 
       marvelous for me.

       (Psa 131:2 NRSV)  But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned 





       child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with 
       me.

       (Psa 131:3 NRSV)  O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time on and 
       forevermore.

       (Psa 132:1 NRSV)  O LORD, remember in David's favor all the hardships 
       he endured;

       (Psa 132:2 NRSV)  how he swore to the LORD and vowed to the Mighty One 
       of Jacob,

       (Psa 132:3 NRSV)  "I will not enter my house or get into my bed;

       (Psa 132:4 NRSV)  I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my 
       eyelids,

       (Psa 132:5 NRSV)  until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place 
       for the Mighty One of Jacob."

       (Psa 132:6 NRSV)  We heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the 
       fields of Jaar.

       (Psa 132:7 NRSV)  "Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at 
       his footstool."

       (Psa 132:8 NRSV)  Rise up, O LORD, and go to your resting place, you 
       and the ark of your might.

       (Psa 132:9 NRSV)  Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and 
       let your faithful shout for joy.

       (Psa 132:10 NRSV)  For your servant David's sake do not turn away the 
       face of your anointed one.

       (Psa 132:11 NRSV)  The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he 
       will not turn back: "One of the sons of your body I will set on your 
       throne.

       (Psa 132:12 NRSV)  If your sons keep my covenant and my decrees that I 
       shall teach them, their sons also, forevermore, shall sit on your 
       throne."

       (Psa 132:13 NRSV)  For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for 
       his habitation:

       (Psa 132:14 NRSV)  "This is my resting place forever; here I will 
       reside, for I have desired it.

       (Psa 132:15 NRSV)  I will abundantly bless its provisions; I will 
       satisfy its poor with bread.

       (Psa 132:16 NRSV)  Its priests I will clothe with salvation, and its 
       faithful will shout for joy.

       (Psa 132:17 NRSV)  There I will cause a horn to sprout up for David; I 





       have prepared a lamp for my anointed one.

       (Psa 132:18 NRSV)  His enemies I will clothe with disgrace, but on 
       him, his crown will gleam."

       (Psa 133:1 NRSV)  How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live 
       together in unity!

       (Psa 133:2 NRSV)  It is like the precious oil on the head, running 
       down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the 
       collar of his robes.

       (Psa 133:3 NRSV)  It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the 
       mountains of Zion. For there the LORD ordained his blessing, life 
       forevermore.

       (Psa 134:1 NRSV)  Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, 
       who stand by night in the house of the LORD!

       (Psa 134:2 NRSV)  Lift up your hands to the holy place, and bless the 
       LORD.

       (Psa 134:3 NRSV)  May the LORD, maker of heaven and earth, bless you 
       from Zion.

       (Psa 135:1 NRSV)  Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD; give 
       praise, O servants of the LORD,

       (Psa 135:2 NRSV)  you that stand in the house of the LORD, in the 
       courts of the house of our God.

       (Psa 135:3 NRSV)  Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing to his 
       name, for he is gracious.

       (Psa 135:4 NRSV)  For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as 
       his own possession.

       (Psa 135:5 NRSV)  For I know that the LORD is great; our Lord is above 
       all gods.

       (Psa 135:6 NRSV)  Whatever the LORD pleases he does, in heaven and on 
       earth, in the seas and all deeps.

       (Psa 135:7 NRSV)  He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the 
       earth; he makes lightnings for the rain and brings out the wind from 
       his storehouses.

       (Psa 135:8 NRSV)  He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, 
       both human beings and animals;

       (Psa 135:9 NRSV)  he sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt, 
       against Pharaoh and all his servants.

       (Psa 135:10 NRSV)  He struck down many nations and killed mighty 
       kings--





       (Psa 135:11 NRSV)  Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of 
       Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan--

       (Psa 135:12 NRSV)  and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to 
       his people Israel.

       (Psa 135:13 NRSV)  Your name, O LORD, endures forever, your renown, O 
       LORD, throughout all ages.

       (Psa 135:14 NRSV)  For the LORD will vindicate his people, and have 
       compassion on his servants.

       (Psa 135:15 NRSV)  The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the 
       work of human hands.

       (Psa 135:16 NRSV)  They have mouths, but they do not speak; they have 
       eyes, but they do not see;

       (Psa 135:17 NRSV)  they have ears, but they do not hear, and there is 
       no breath in their mouths.

       (Psa 135:18 NRSV)  Those who make them and all who trust them shall 
       become like them.

       (Psa 135:19 NRSV)  O house of Israel, bless the LORD! O house of 
       Aaron, bless the LORD!

       (Psa 135:20 NRSV)  O house of Levi, bless the LORD! You that fear the 
       LORD, bless the LORD!

       (Psa 135:21 NRSV)  Blessed be the LORD from Zion, he who resides in 
       Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!

       (Psa 136:1 NRSV)  O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his 
       steadfast love endures forever.

       (Psa 136:2 NRSV)  O give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast 
       love endures forever.

       (Psa 136:3 NRSV)  O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his 
       steadfast love endures forever;

       (Psa 136:4 NRSV)  who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love 
       endures forever;

       (Psa 136:5 NRSV)  who by understanding made the heavens, for his 
       steadfast love endures forever;

       (Psa 136:6 NRSV)  who spread out the earth on the waters, for his 
       steadfast love endures forever;

       (Psa 136:7 NRSV)  who made the great lights, for his steadfast love 
       endures forever;

       (Psa 136:8 NRSV)  the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love 
       endures forever;






       (Psa 136:9 NRSV)  the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his 
       steadfast love endures forever;

       (Psa 136:10 NRSV)  who struck Egypt through their firstborn, for his 
       steadfast love endures forever;

       (Psa 136:11 NRSV)  and brought Israel out from among them, for his 
       steadfast love endures forever;

       (Psa 136:12 NRSV)  with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his 
       steadfast love endures forever;

       (Psa 136:13 NRSV)  who divided the Red Sea in two, for his steadfast 
       love endures forever;

       (Psa 136:14 NRSV)  and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for 
       his steadfast love endures forever;

       (Psa 136:15 NRSV)  but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, 
       for his steadfast love endures forever;

       (Psa 136:16 NRSV)  who led his people through the wilderness, for his 
       steadfast love endures forever;

       (Psa 136:17 NRSV)  who struck down great kings, for his steadfast love 
       endures forever;

       (Psa 136:18 NRSV)  and killed famous kings, for his steadfast love 
       endures forever;

       (Psa 136:19 NRSV)  Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his steadfast love 
       endures forever;

       (Psa 136:20 NRSV)  and Og, king of Bashan, for his steadfast love 
       endures forever;

       (Psa 136:21 NRSV)  and gave their land as a heritage, for his 
       steadfast love endures forever;

       (Psa 136:22 NRSV)  a heritage to his servant Israel, for his steadfast 
       love endures forever.

       (Psa 136:23 NRSV)  It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for 
       his steadfast love endures forever;

       (Psa 136:24 NRSV)  and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast 
       love endures forever;

       (Psa 136:25 NRSV)  who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love 
       endures forever.

       (Psa 136:26 NRSV)  O give thanks to the God of heaven, for his 
       steadfast love endures forever.

       (Psa 137:1 NRSV)  By the rivers of Babylon-- there we sat down and 





       there we wept when we remembered Zion.

       (Psa 137:2 NRSV)  On the willows there we hung up our harps.

       (Psa 137:3 NRSV)  For there our captors asked us for songs, and our 
       tormentors asked for mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of 
       Zion!"

       (Psa 137:4 NRSV)  How could we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?

       (Psa 137:5 NRSV)  If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand 
       wither!

       (Psa 137:6 NRSV)  Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth, if I do 
       not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy.

       (Psa 137:7 NRSV)  Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites the day of 
       Jerusalem's fall, how they said, "Tear it down! Tear it down! Down to 
       its foundations!"

       (Psa 137:8 NRSV)  O daughter Babylon, you devastator! Happy shall they 
       be who pay you back what you have done to us!

       (Psa 137:9 NRSV)  Happy shall they be who take your little ones and 
       dash them against the rock!

       (Psa 138:1 NRSV)  I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; 
       before the gods I sing your praise;

       (Psa 138:2 NRSV)  I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks 
       to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; for you 
       have exalted your name and your word above everything.

       (Psa 138:3 NRSV)  On the day I called, you answered me, you increased 
       my strength of soul.

       (Psa 138:4 NRSV)  All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O LORD, 
       for they have heard the words of your mouth.

       (Psa 138:5 NRSV)  They shall sing of the ways of the LORD, for great 
       is the glory of the LORD.

       (Psa 138:6 NRSV)  For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly; 
       but the haughty he perceives from far away.

       (Psa 138:7 NRSV)  Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve 
       me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and 
       your right hand delivers me.

       (Psa 138:8 NRSV)  The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your 
       steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of 
       your hands.

       (Psa 139:1 NRSV)  O LORD, you have searched me and known me.

       (Psa 139:2 NRSV)  You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you 





       discern my thoughts from far away.

       (Psa 139:3 NRSV)  You search out my path and my lying down, and are 
       acquainted with all my ways.

       (Psa 139:4 NRSV)  Even before a word is on my tongue, O LORD, you know 
       it completely.

       (Psa 139:5 NRSV)  You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand 
       upon me.

       (Psa 139:6 NRSV)  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so 
       high that I cannot attain it.

       (Psa 139:7 NRSV)  Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee 
       from your presence?

       (Psa 139:8 NRSV)  If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my 
       bed in Sheol, you are there.

       (Psa 139:9 NRSV)  If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the 
       farthest limits of the sea,

       (Psa 139:10 NRSV)  even there your hand shall lead me, and your right 
       hand shall hold me fast.

       (Psa 139:11 NRSV)  If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me, and 
       the light around me become night,"

       (Psa 139:12 NRSV)  even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is 
       as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you.

       (Psa 139:13 NRSV)  For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit 
       me together in my mother's womb.

       (Psa 139:14 NRSV)  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully 
       made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.

       (Psa 139:15 NRSV)  My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being 
       made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

       (Psa 139:16 NRSV)  Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your 
       book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of 
       them as yet existed.

       (Psa 139:17 NRSV)  How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How 
       vast is the sum of them!

       (Psa 139:18 NRSV)  I try to count them--they are more than the sand; I 
       come to the end--I am still with you.

       (Psa 139:19 NRSV)  O that you would kill the wicked, O God, and that 
       the bloodthirsty would depart from me--

       (Psa 139:20 NRSV)  those who speak of you maliciously, and lift 
       themselves up against you for evil!






       (Psa 139:21 NRSV)  Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD? And do I 
       not loathe those who rise up against you?

       (Psa 139:22 NRSV)  I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my 
       enemies.

       (Psa 139:23 NRSV)  Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and 
       know my thoughts.

       (Psa 139:24 NRSV)  See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me 
       in the way everlasting.

       (Psa 140:1 NRSV)  Deliver me, O LORD, from evildoers; protect me from 
       those who are violent,

       (Psa 140:2 NRSV)  who plan evil things in their minds and stir up wars 
       continually.

       (Psa 140:3 NRSV)  They make their tongue sharp as a snake's, and under 
       their lips is the venom of vipers. Selah

       (Psa 140:4 NRSV)  Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; 
       protect me from the violent who have planned my downfall.

       (Psa 140:5 NRSV)  The arrogant have hidden a trap for me, and with 
       cords they have spread a net, along the road they have set snares for 
       me. Selah

       (Psa 140:6 NRSV)  I say to the LORD, "You are my God; give ear, O 
       LORD, to the voice of my supplications."

       (Psa 140:7 NRSV)  O LORD, my Lord, my strong deliverer, you have 
       covered my head in the day of battle.

       (Psa 140:8 NRSV)  Do not grant, O LORD, the desires of the wicked; do 
       not further their evil plot. Selah

       (Psa 140:9 NRSV)  Those who surround me lift up their heads; let the 
       mischief of their lips overwhelm them!

       (Psa 140:10 NRSV)  Let burning coals fall on them! Let them be flung 
       into pits, no more to rise!

       (Psa 140:11 NRSV)  Do not let the slanderer be established in the 
       land; let evil speedily hunt down the violent!

       (Psa 140:12 NRSV)  I know that the LORD maintains the cause of the 
       needy, and executes justice for the poor.

       (Psa 140:13 NRSV)  Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your 
       name; the upright shall live in your presence.

       (Psa 141:1 NRSV)  I call upon you, O LORD; come quickly to me; give 
       ear to my voice when I call to you.





       (Psa 141:2 NRSV)  Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and 
       the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.

       (Psa 141:3 NRSV)  Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over 
       the door of my lips.

       (Psa 141:4 NRSV)  Do not turn my heart to any evil, to busy myself 
       with wicked deeds in company with those who work iniquity; do not let 
       me eat of their delicacies.

       (Psa 141:5 NRSV)  Let the righteous strike me; let the faithful 
       correct me. Never let the oil of the wicked anoint my head, for my 
       prayer is continually against their wicked deeds.

       (Psa 141:6 NRSV)  When they are given over to those who shall condemn 
       them, then they shall learn that my words were pleasant.

       (Psa 141:7 NRSV)  Like a rock that one breaks apart and shatters on 
       the land, so shall their bones be strewn at the mouth of Sheol.

       (Psa 141:8 NRSV)  But my eyes are turned toward you, O GOD, my Lord; 
       in you I seek refuge; do not leave me defenseless.

       (Psa 141:9 NRSV)  Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me, 
       and from the snares of evildoers.

       (Psa 141:10 NRSV)  Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I 
       alone escape.

       (Psa 142:1 NRSV)  With my voice I cry to the LORD; with my voice I 
       make supplication to the LORD.

       (Psa 142:2 NRSV)  I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my 
       trouble before him.

       (Psa 142:3 NRSV)  When my spirit is faint, you know my way. In the 
       path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.

       (Psa 142:4 NRSV)  Look on my right hand and see-- there is no one who 
       takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for me.

       (Psa 142:5 NRSV)  I cry to you, O LORD; I say, "You are my refuge, my 
       portion in the land of the living."

       (Psa 142:6 NRSV)  Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low. Save 
       me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.

       (Psa 142:7 NRSV)  Bring me out of prison, so that I may give thanks to 
       your name. The righteous will surround me, for you will deal 
       bountifully with me.

       (Psa 143:1 NRSV)  Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my supplications 
       in your faithfulness; answer me in your righteousness.

       (Psa 143:2 NRSV)  Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for no 
       one living is righteous before you.






       (Psa 143:3 NRSV)  For the enemy has pursued me, crushing my life to 
       the ground, making me sit in darkness like those long dead.

       (Psa 143:4 NRSV)  Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart 
       within me is appalled.

       (Psa 143:5 NRSV)  I remember the days of old, I think about all your 
       deeds, I meditate on the works of your hands.

       (Psa 143:6 NRSV)  I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for 
       you like a parched land. Selah

       (Psa 143:7 NRSV)  Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not 
       hide your face from me, or I shall be like those who go down to the 
       Pit.

       (Psa 143:8 NRSV)  Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, 
       for in you I put my trust. Teach me the way I should go, for to you I 
       lift up my soul.

       (Psa 143:9 NRSV)  Save me, O LORD, from my enemies; I have fled to you 
       for refuge.

       (Psa 143:10 NRSV)  Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let 
       your good spirit lead me on a level path.

       (Psa 143:11 NRSV)  For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life. In 
       your righteousness bring me out of trouble.

       (Psa 143:12 NRSV)  In your steadfast love cut off my enemies, and 
       destroy all my adversaries, for I am your servant.

       (Psa 144:1 NRSV)  Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands 
       for war, and my fingers for battle;

       (Psa 144:2 NRSV)  my rock and my fortress, my stronghold and my 
       deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues the peoples 
       under me.

       (Psa 144:3 NRSV)  O LORD, what are human beings that you regard them, 
       or mortals that you think of them?

       (Psa 144:4 NRSV)  They are like a breath; their days are like a 
       passing shadow.

       (Psa 144:5 NRSV)  Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the 
       mountains so that they smoke.

       (Psa 144:6 NRSV)  Make the lightning flash and scatter them; send out 
       your arrows and rout them.

       (Psa 144:7 NRSV)  Stretch out your hand from on high; set me free and 
       rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hand of aliens,

       (Psa 144:8 NRSV)  whose mouths speak lies, and whose right hands are 





       false.

       (Psa 144:9 NRSV)  I will sing a new song to you, O God; upon a 
       ten-stringed harp I will play to you,

       (Psa 144:10 NRSV)  the one who gives victory to kings, who rescues his 
       servant David.

       (Psa 144:11 NRSV)  Rescue me from the cruel sword, and deliver me from 
       the hand of aliens, whose mouths speak lies, and whose right hands are 
       false.

       (Psa 144:12 NRSV)  May our sons in their youth be like plants full 
       grown, our daughters like corner pillars, cut for the building of a 
       palace.

       (Psa 144:13 NRSV)  May our barns be filled, with produce of every 
       kind; may our sheep increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our 
       fields,

       (Psa 144:14 NRSV)  and may our cattle be heavy with young. May there 
       be no breach in the walls, no exile, and no cry of distress in our 
       streets.

       (Psa 144:15 NRSV)  Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall; 
       happy are the people whose God is the LORD.

       (Psa 145:1 NRSV)  I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your 
       name forever and ever.

       (Psa 145:2 NRSV)  Every day I will bless you, and praise your name 
       forever and ever.

       (Psa 145:3 NRSV)  Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; his 
       greatness is unsearchable.

       (Psa 145:4 NRSV)  One generation shall laud your works to another, and 
       shall declare your mighty acts.

       (Psa 145:5 NRSV)  On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on 
       your wondrous works, I will meditate.

       (Psa 145:6 NRSV)  The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed, 
       and I will declare your greatness.

       (Psa 145:7 NRSV)  They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant 
       goodness, and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

       (Psa 145:8 NRSV)  The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and 
       abounding in steadfast love.

       (Psa 145:9 NRSV)  The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over 
       all that he has made.

       (Psa 145:10 NRSV)  All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, 
       and all your faithful shall bless you.






       (Psa 145:11 NRSV)  They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and 
       tell of your power,

       (Psa 145:12 NRSV)  to make known to all people your mighty deeds, and 
       the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

       (Psa 145:13 NRSV)  Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your 
       dominion endures throughout all generations. The LORD is faithful in 
       all his words, and gracious in all his deeds.

       (Psa 145:14 NRSV)  The LORD upholds all who are falling, and raises up 
       all who are bowed down.

       (Psa 145:15 NRSV)  The eyes of all look to you, and you give them 
       their food in due season.

       (Psa 145:16 NRSV)  You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every 
       living thing.

       (Psa 145:17 NRSV)  The LORD is just in all his ways, and kind in all 
       his doings.

       (Psa 145:18 NRSV)  The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who 
       call on him in truth.

       (Psa 145:19 NRSV)  He fulfills the desire of all who fear him; he also 
       hears their cry, and saves them.

       (Psa 145:20 NRSV)  The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the 
       wicked he will destroy.

       (Psa 145:21 NRSV)  My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and all 
       flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.

       (Psa 146:1 NRSV)  Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!

       (Psa 146:2 NRSV)  I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will 
       sing praises to my God all my life long.

       (Psa 146:3 NRSV)  Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in 
       whom there is no help.

       (Psa 146:4 NRSV)  When their breath departs, they return to the earth; 
       on that very day their plans perish.

       (Psa 146:5 NRSV)  Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, 
       whose hope is in the LORD their God,

       (Psa 146:6 NRSV)  who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is 
       in them; who keeps faith forever;

       (Psa 146:7 NRSV)  who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives 
       food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free;

       (Psa 146:8 NRSV)  the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts 





       up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.

       (Psa 146:9 NRSV)  The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the 
       orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

       (Psa 146:10 NRSV)  The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for 
       all generations. Praise the LORD!

       (Psa 147:1 NRSV)  Praise the LORD! How good it is to sing praises to 
       our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.

       (Psa 147:2 NRSV)  The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the 
       outcasts of Israel.

       (Psa 147:3 NRSV)  He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their 
       wounds.

       (Psa 147:4 NRSV)  He determines the number of the stars; he gives to 
       all of them their names.

       (Psa 147:5 NRSV)  Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his 
       understanding is beyond measure.

       (Psa 147:6 NRSV)  The LORD lifts up the downtrodden; he casts the 
       wicked to the ground.

       (Psa 147:7 NRSV)  Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to 
       our God on the lyre.

       (Psa 147:8 NRSV)  He covers the heavens with clouds, prepares rain for 
       the earth, makes grass grow on the hills.

       (Psa 147:9 NRSV)  He gives to the animals their food, and to the young 
       ravens when they cry.

       (Psa 147:10 NRSV)  His delight is not in the strength of the horse, 
       nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;

       (Psa 147:11 NRSV)  but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, 
       in those who hope in his steadfast love.

       (Psa 147:12 NRSV)  Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O 
       Zion!

       (Psa 147:13 NRSV)  For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he 
       blesses your children within you.

       (Psa 147:14 NRSV)  He grants peace within your borders; he fills you 
       with the finest of wheat.

       (Psa 147:15 NRSV)  He sends out his command to the earth; his word 
       runs swiftly.

       (Psa 147:16 NRSV)  He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like 
       ashes.





       (Psa 147:17 NRSV)  He hurls down hail like crumbs-- who can stand 
       before his cold?

       (Psa 147:18 NRSV)  He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his 
       wind blow, and the waters flow.

       (Psa 147:19 NRSV)  He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and 
       ordinances to Israel.

       (Psa 147:20 NRSV)  He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they 
       do not know his ordinances. Praise the LORD!

       (Psa 148:1 NRSV)  Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; 
       praise him in the heights!

       (Psa 148:2 NRSV)  Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his 
       host!

       (Psa 148:3 NRSV)  Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you 
       shining stars!

       (Psa 148:4 NRSV)  Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters 
       above the heavens!

       (Psa 148:5 NRSV)  Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he 
       commanded and they were created.

       (Psa 148:6 NRSV)  He established them forever and ever; he fixed their 
       bounds, which cannot be passed.

       (Psa 148:7 NRSV)  Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and 
       all deeps,

       (Psa 148:8 NRSV)  fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind 
       fulfilling his command!

       (Psa 148:9 NRSV)  Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!

       (Psa 148:10 NRSV)  Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and 
       flying birds!

       (Psa 148:11 NRSV)  Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all 
       rulers of the earth!

       (Psa 148:12 NRSV)  Young men and women alike, old and young together!

       (Psa 148:13 NRSV)  Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name 
       alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.

       (Psa 148:14 NRSV)  He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for 
       all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him. 
       Praise the LORD!

       (Psa 149:1 NRSV)  Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, his 
       praise in the assembly of the faithful.





       (Psa 149:2 NRSV)  Let Israel be glad in its Maker; let the children of 
       Zion rejoice in their King.

       (Psa 149:3 NRSV)  Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody 
       to him with tambourine and lyre.

       (Psa 149:4 NRSV)  For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns 
       the humble with victory.

       (Psa 149:5 NRSV)  Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for 
       joy on their couches.

       (Psa 149:6 NRSV)  Let the high praises of God be in their throats and 
       two-edged swords in their hands,

       (Psa 149:7 NRSV)  to execute vengeance on the nations and punishment 
       on the peoples,

       (Psa 149:8 NRSV)  to bind their kings with fetters and their nobles 
       with chains of iron,

       (Psa 149:9 NRSV)  to execute on them the judgment decreed. This is 
       glory for all his faithful ones. Praise the LORD!

       (Psa 150:1 NRSV)  Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise 
       him in his mighty firmament!

       (Psa 150:2 NRSV)  Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him 
       according to his surpassing greatness!

       (Psa 150:3 NRSV)  Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute 
       and harp!

       (Psa 150:4 NRSV)  Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him 
       with strings and pipe!

       (Psa 150:5 NRSV)  Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with 
       loud clashing cymbals!

       (Psa 150:6 NRSV)  Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise 
       the LORD!

       (Prov 1:1 NRSV)  The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

       (Prov 1:2 NRSV)  For learning about wisdom and instruction, for 
       understanding words of insight,

       (Prov 1:3 NRSV)  for gaining instruction in wise dealing, 
       righteousness, justice, and equity;

       (Prov 1:4 NRSV)  to teach shrewdness to the simple, knowledge and 
       prudence to the young--

       (Prov 1:5 NRSV)  Let the wise also hear and gain in learning, and the 
       discerning acquire skill,





       (Prov 1:6 NRSV)  to understand a proverb and a figure, the words of 
       the wise and their riddles.

       (Prov 1:7 NRSV)  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; 
       fools despise wisdom and instruction.

       (Prov 1:8 NRSV)  Hear, my child, your father's instruction, and do not 
       reject your mother's teaching;

       (Prov 1:9 NRSV)  for they are a fair garland for your head, and 
       pendants for your neck.

       (Prov 1:10 NRSV)  My child, if sinners entice you, do not consent.

       (Prov 1:11 NRSV)  If they say, "Come with us, let us lie in wait for 
       blood; let us wantonly ambush the innocent;

       (Prov 1:12 NRSV)  like Sheol let us swallow them alive and whole, like 
       those who go down to the Pit.

       (Prov 1:13 NRSV)  We shall find all kinds of costly things; we shall 
       fill our houses with booty.

       (Prov 1:14 NRSV)  Throw in your lot among us; we will all have one 
       purse"--

       (Prov 1:15 NRSV)  my child, do not walk in their way, keep your foot 
       from their paths;

       (Prov 1:16 NRSV)  for their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed 
       blood.

       (Prov 1:17 NRSV)  For in vain is the net baited while the bird is 
       looking on;

       (Prov 1:18 NRSV)  yet they lie in wait--to kill themselves! and set an 
       ambush--for their own lives!

       (Prov 1:19 NRSV)  Such is the end of all who are greedy for gain; it 
       takes away the life of its possessors.

       (Prov 1:20 NRSV)  Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she 
       raises her voice.

       (Prov 1:21 NRSV)  At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance 
       of the city gates she speaks:

       (Prov 1:22 NRSV)  "How long, O simple ones, will you love being 
       simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools 
       hate knowledge?

       (Prov 1:23 NRSV)  Give heed to my reproof; I will pour out my thoughts 
       to you; I will make my words known to you.

       (Prov 1:24 NRSV)  Because I have called and you refused, have 
       stretched out my hand and no one heeded,






       (Prov 1:25 NRSV)  and because you have ignored all my counsel and 
       would have none of my reproof,

       (Prov 1:26 NRSV)  I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when 
       panic strikes you,

       (Prov 1:27 NRSV)  when panic strikes you like a storm, and your 
       calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon 
       you.

       (Prov 1:28 NRSV)  Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; 
       they will seek me diligently, but will not find me.

       (Prov 1:29 NRSV)  Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the 
       fear of the LORD,

       (Prov 1:30 NRSV)  would have none of my counsel, and despised all my 
       reproof,

       (Prov 1:31 NRSV)  therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way and 
       be sated with their own devices.

       (Prov 1:32 NRSV)  For waywardness kills the simple, and the 
       complacency of fools destroys them;

       (Prov 1:33 NRSV)  but those who listen to me will be secure and will 
       live at ease, without dread of disaster."

       (Prov 2:1 NRSV)  My child, if you accept my words and treasure up my 
       commandments within you,

       (Prov 2:2 NRSV)  making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining 
       your heart to understanding;

       (Prov 2:3 NRSV)  if you indeed cry out for insight, and raise your 
       voice for understanding;

       (Prov 2:4 NRSV)  if you seek it like silver, and search for it as for 
       hidden treasures--

       (Prov 2:5 NRSV)  then you will understand the fear of the LORD and 
       find the knowledge of God.

       (Prov 2:6 NRSV)  For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come 
       knowledge and understanding;

       (Prov 2:7 NRSV)  he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a 
       shield to those who walk blamelessly,

       (Prov 2:8 NRSV)  guarding the paths of justice and preserving the way 
       of his faithful ones.

       (Prov 2:9 NRSV)  Then you will understand righteousness and justice 
       and equity, every good path;





       (Prov 2:10 NRSV)  for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge 
       will be pleasant to your soul;

       (Prov 2:11 NRSV)  prudence will watch over you; and understanding will 
       guard you.

       (Prov 2:12 NRSV)  It will save you from the way of evil, from those 
       who speak perversely,

       (Prov 2:13 NRSV)  who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the 
       ways of darkness,

       (Prov 2:14 NRSV)  who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the 
       perverseness of evil;

       (Prov 2:15 NRSV)  those whose paths are crooked, and who are devious 
       in their ways.

       (Prov 2:16 NRSV)  You will be saved from the loose woman, from the 
       adulteress with her smooth words,

       (Prov 2:17 NRSV)  who forsakes the partner of her youth and forgets 
       her sacred covenant;

       (Prov 2:18 NRSV)  for her way leads down to death, and her paths to 
       the shades;

       (Prov 2:19 NRSV)  those who go to her never come back, nor do they 
       regain the paths of life.

       (Prov 2:20 NRSV)  Therefore walk in the way of the good, and keep to 
       the paths of the just.

       (Prov 2:21 NRSV)  For the upright will abide in the land, and the 
       innocent will remain in it;

       (Prov 2:22 NRSV)  but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and 
       the treacherous will be rooted out of it.

       (Prov 3:1 NRSV)  My child, do not forget my teaching, but let your 
       heart keep my commandments;

       (Prov 3:2 NRSV)  for length of days and years of life and abundant 
       welfare they will give you.

       (Prov 3:3 NRSV)  Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you; bind 
       them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

       (Prov 3:4 NRSV)  So you will find favor and good repute in the sight 
       of God and of people.

       (Prov 3:5 NRSV)  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not 
       rely on your own insight.

       (Prov 3:6 NRSV)  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make 
       straight your paths.






       (Prov 3:7 NRSV)  Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and 
       turn away from evil.

       (Prov 3:8 NRSV)  It will be a healing for your flesh and a refreshment 
       for your body.

       (Prov 3:9 NRSV)  Honor the LORD with your substance and with the first 
       fruits of all your produce;

       (Prov 3:10 NRSV)  then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your 
       vats will be bursting with wine.

       (Prov 3:11 NRSV)  My child, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be 
       weary of his reproof,

       (Prov 3:12 NRSV)  for the LORD reproves the one he loves, as a father 
       the son in whom he delights.

       (Prov 3:13 NRSV)  Happy are those who find wisdom, and those who get 
       understanding,

       (Prov 3:14 NRSV)  for her income is better than silver, and her 
       revenue better than gold.

       (Prov 3:15 NRSV)  She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you 
       desire can compare with her.

       (Prov 3:16 NRSV)  Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are 
       riches and honor.

       (Prov 3:17 NRSV)  Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths 
       are peace.

       (Prov 3:18 NRSV)  She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; 
       those who hold her fast are called happy.

       (Prov 3:19 NRSV)  The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by 
       understanding he established the heavens;

       (Prov 3:20 NRSV)  by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the 
       clouds drop down the dew.

       (Prov 3:21 NRSV)  My child, do not let these escape from your sight: 
       keep sound wisdom and prudence,

       (Prov 3:22 NRSV)  and they will be life for your soul and adornment 
       for your neck.

       (Prov 3:23 NRSV)  Then you will walk on your way securely and your 
       foot will not stumble.

       (Prov 3:24 NRSV)  If you sit down, you will not be afraid; when you 
       lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

       (Prov 3:25 NRSV)  Do not be afraid of sudden panic, or of the storm 





       that strikes the wicked;

       (Prov 3:26 NRSV)  for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep 
       your foot from being caught.

       (Prov 3:27 NRSV)  Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, 
       when it is in your power to do it.

       (Prov 3:28 NRSV)  Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come again, 
       tomorrow I will give it"--when you have it with you.

       (Prov 3:29 NRSV)  Do not plan harm against your neighbor who lives 
       trustingly beside you.

       (Prov 3:30 NRSV)  Do not quarrel with anyone without cause, when no 
       harm has been done to you.

       (Prov 3:31 NRSV)  Do not envy the violent and do not choose any of 
       their ways;

       (Prov 3:32 NRSV)  for the perverse are an abomination to the LORD, but 
       the upright are in his confidence.

       (Prov 3:33 NRSV)  The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked, but 
       he blesses the abode of the righteous.

       (Prov 3:34 NRSV)  Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the 
       humble he shows favor.

       (Prov 3:35 NRSV)  The wise will inherit honor, but stubborn fools, 
       disgrace.

       (Prov 4:1 NRSV)  Listen, children, to a father's instruction, and be 
       attentive, that you may gain insight;

       (Prov 4:2 NRSV)  for I give you good precepts: do not forsake my 
       teaching.

       (Prov 4:3 NRSV)  When I was a son with my father, tender, and my 
       mother's favorite,

       (Prov 4:4 NRSV)  he taught me, and said to me, "Let your heart hold 
       fast my words; keep my commandments, and live.

       (Prov 4:5 NRSV)  Get wisdom; get insight: do not forget, nor turn away 
       from the words of my mouth.

       (Prov 4:6 NRSV)  Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, 
       and she will guard you.

       (Prov 4:7 NRSV)  The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and 
       whatever else you get, get insight.

       (Prov 4:8 NRSV)  Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will 
       honor you if you embrace her.





       (Prov 4:9 NRSV)  She will place on your head a fair garland; she will 
       bestow on you a beautiful crown."

       (Prov 4:10 NRSV)  Hear, my child, and accept my words, that the years 
       of your life may be many.

       (Prov 4:11 NRSV)  I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you 
       in the paths of uprightness.

       (Prov 4:12 NRSV)  When you walk, your step will not be hampered; and 
       if you run, you will not stumble.

       (Prov 4:13 NRSV)  Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, 
       for she is your life.

       (Prov 4:14 NRSV)  Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk 
       in the way of evildoers.

       (Prov 4:15 NRSV)  Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and 
       pass on.

       (Prov 4:16 NRSV)  For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; 
       they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.

       (Prov 4:17 NRSV)  For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the 
       wine of violence.

       (Prov 4:18 NRSV)  But the path of the righteous is like the light of 
       dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

       (Prov 4:19 NRSV)  The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do 
       not know what they stumble over.

       (Prov 4:20 NRSV)  My child, be attentive to my words; incline your ear 
       to my sayings.

       (Prov 4:21 NRSV)  Do not let them escape from your sight; keep them 
       within your heart.

       (Prov 4:22 NRSV)  For they are life to those who find them, and 
       healing to all their flesh.

       (Prov 4:23 NRSV)  Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow 
       the springs of life.

       (Prov 4:24 NRSV)  Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious 
       talk far from you.

       (Prov 4:25 NRSV)  Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze 
       be straight before you.

       (Prov 4:26 NRSV)  Keep straight the path of your feet, and all your 
       ways will be sure.

       (Prov 4:27 NRSV)  Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your 
       foot away from evil.






       (Prov 5:1 NRSV)  My child, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear 
       to my understanding,

       (Prov 5:2 NRSV)  so that you may hold on to prudence, and your lips 
       may guard knowledge.

       (Prov 5:3 NRSV)  For the lips of a loose woman drip honey, and her 
       speech is smoother than oil;

       (Prov 5:4 NRSV)  but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a 
       two-edged sword.

       (Prov 5:5 NRSV)  Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path 
       to Sheol.

       (Prov 5:6 NRSV)  She does not keep straight to the path of life; her 
       ways wander, and she does not know it.

       (Prov 5:7 NRSV)  And now, my child, listen to me, and do not depart 
       from the words of my mouth.

       (Prov 5:8 NRSV)  Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the 
       door of her house;

       (Prov 5:9 NRSV)  or you will give your honor to others, and your years 
       to the merciless,

       (Prov 5:10 NRSV)  and strangers will take their fill of your wealth, 
       and your labors will go to the house of an alien;

       (Prov 5:11 NRSV)  and at the end of your life you will groan, when 
       your flesh and body are consumed,

       (Prov 5:12 NRSV)  and you say, "Oh, how I hated discipline, and my 
       heart despised reproof!

       (Prov 5:13 NRSV)  I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or 
       incline my ear to my instructors.

       (Prov 5:14 NRSV)  Now I am at the point of utter ruin in the public 
       assembly."

       (Prov 5:15 NRSV)  Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water 
       from your own well.

       (Prov 5:16 NRSV)  Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of 
       water in the streets?

       (Prov 5:17 NRSV)  Let them be for yourself alone, and not for sharing 
       with strangers.

       (Prov 5:18 NRSV)  Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the 
       wife of your youth,

       (Prov 5:19 NRSV)  a lovely deer, a graceful doe. May her breasts 





       satisfy you at all times; may you be intoxicated always by her love.

       (Prov 5:20 NRSV)  Why should you be intoxicated, my son, by another 
       woman and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?

       (Prov 5:21 NRSV)  For human ways are under the eyes of the LORD, and 
       he examines all their paths.

       (Prov 5:22 NRSV)  The iniquities of the wicked ensnare them, and they 
       are caught in the toils of their sin.

       (Prov 5:23 NRSV)  They die for lack of discipline, and because of 
       their great folly they are lost.

       (Prov 6:1 NRSV)  My child, if you have given your pledge to your 
       neighbor, if you have bound yourself to another,

       (Prov 6:2 NRSV)  you are snared by the utterance of your lips, caught 
       by the words of your mouth.

       (Prov 6:3 NRSV)  So do this, my child, and save yourself, for you have 
       come into your neighbor's power: go, hurry, and plead with your 
       neighbor.

       (Prov 6:4 NRSV)  Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber;

       (Prov 6:5 NRSV)  save yourself like a gazelle from the hunter, like a 
       bird from the hand of the fowler.

       (Prov 6:6 NRSV)  Go to the ant, you lazybones; consider its ways, and 
       be wise.

       (Prov 6:7 NRSV)  Without having any chief or officer or ruler,

       (Prov 6:8 NRSV)  it prepares its food in summer, and gathers its 
       sustenance in harvest.

       (Prov 6:9 NRSV)  How long will you lie there, O lazybones? When will 
       you rise from your sleep?

       (Prov 6:10 NRSV)  A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding 
       of the hands to rest,

       (Prov 6:11 NRSV)  and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and 
       want, like an armed warrior.

       (Prov 6:12 NRSV)  A scoundrel and a villain goes around with crooked 
       speech,

       (Prov 6:13 NRSV)  winking the eyes, shuffling the feet, pointing the 
       fingers,

       (Prov 6:14 NRSV)  with perverted mind devising evil, continually 
       sowing discord;

       (Prov 6:15 NRSV)  on such a one calamity will descend suddenly; in a 





       moment, damage beyond repair.

       (Prov 6:16 NRSV)  There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that 
       are an abomination to him:

       (Prov 6:17 NRSV)  haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed 
       innocent blood,

       (Prov 6:18 NRSV)  a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that hurry 
       to run to evil,

       (Prov 6:19 NRSV)  a lying witness who testifies falsely, and one who 
       sows discord in a family.

       (Prov 6:20 NRSV)  My child, keep your father's commandment, and do not 
       forsake your mother's teaching.

       (Prov 6:21 NRSV)  Bind them upon your heart always; tie them around 
       your neck.

       (Prov 6:22 NRSV)  When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie 
       down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk 
       with you.

       (Prov 6:23 NRSV)  For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a 
       light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,

       (Prov 6:24 NRSV)  to preserve you from the wife of another, from the 
       smooth tongue of the adulteress.

       (Prov 6:25 NRSV)  Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not 
       let her capture you with her eyelashes;

       (Prov 6:26 NRSV)  for a prostitute's fee is only a loaf of bread, but 
       the wife of another stalks a man's very life.

       (Prov 6:27 NRSV)  Can fire be carried in the bosom without burning 
       one's clothes?

       (Prov 6:28 NRSV)  Or can one walk on hot coals without scorching the 
       feet?

       (Prov 6:29 NRSV)  So is he who sleeps with his neighbor's wife; no one 
       who touches her will go unpunished.

       (Prov 6:30 NRSV)  Thieves are not despised who steal only to satisfy 
       their appetite when they are hungry.

       (Prov 6:31 NRSV)  Yet if they are caught, they will pay sevenfold; 
       they will forfeit all the goods of their house.

       (Prov 6:32 NRSV)  But he who commits adultery has no sense; he who 
       does it destroys himself.

       (Prov 6:33 NRSV)  He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace 
       will not be wiped away.






       (Prov 6:34 NRSV)  For jealousy arouses a husband's fury, and he shows 
       no restraint when he takes revenge.

       (Prov 6:35 NRSV)  He will accept no compensation, and refuses a bribe 
       no matter how great.

       (Prov 7:1 NRSV)  My child, keep my words and store up my commandments 
       with you;

       (Prov 7:2 NRSV)  keep my commandments and live, keep my teachings as 
       the apple of your eye;

       (Prov 7:3 NRSV)  bind them on your fingers, write them on the tablet 
       of your heart.

       (Prov 7:4 NRSV)  Say to wisdom, "You are my sister," and call insight 
       your intimate friend,

       (Prov 7:5 NRSV)  that they may keep you from the loose woman, from the 
       adulteress with her smooth words.

       (Prov 7:6 NRSV)  For at the window of my house I looked out through my 
       lattice,

       (Prov 7:7 NRSV)  and I saw among the simple ones, I observed among the 
       youths, a young man without sense,

       (Prov 7:8 NRSV)  passing along the street near her corner, taking the 
       road to her house

       (Prov 7:9 NRSV)  in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night 
       and darkness.

       (Prov 7:10 NRSV)  Then a woman comes toward him, decked out like a 
       prostitute, wily of heart.

       (Prov 7:11 NRSV)  She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at 
       home;

       (Prov 7:12 NRSV)  now in the street, now in the squares, and at every 
       corner she lies in wait.

       (Prov 7:13 NRSV)  She seizes him and kisses him, and with impudent 
       face she says to him:

       (Prov 7:14 NRSV)  "I had to offer sacrifices, and today I have paid my 
       vows;

       (Prov 7:15 NRSV)  so now I have come out to meet you, to seek you 
       eagerly, and I have found you!

       (Prov 7:16 NRSV)  I have decked my couch with coverings, colored 
       spreads of Egyptian linen;

       (Prov 7:17 NRSV)  I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and 





       cinnamon.

       (Prov 7:18 NRSV)  Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; 
       let us delight ourselves with love.

       (Prov 7:19 NRSV)  For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long 
       journey.

       (Prov 7:20 NRSV)  He took a bag of money with him; he will not come 
       home until full moon."

       (Prov 7:21 NRSV)  With much seductive speech she persuades him; with 
       her smooth talk she compels him.

       (Prov 7:22 NRSV)  Right away he follows her, and goes like an ox to 
       the slaughter, or bounds like a stag toward the trap

       (Prov 7:23 NRSV)  until an arrow pierces its entrails. He is like a 
       bird rushing into a snare, not knowing that it will cost him his life.

       (Prov 7:24 NRSV)  And now, my children, listen to me, and be attentive 
       to the words of my mouth.

       (Prov 7:25 NRSV)  Do not let your hearts turn aside to her ways; do 
       not stray into her paths.

       (Prov 7:26 NRSV)  for many are those she has laid low, and numerous 
       are her victims.

       (Prov 7:27 NRSV)  Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the 
       chambers of death.

       (Prov 8:1 NRSV)  Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding 
       raise her voice?

       (Prov 8:2 NRSV)  On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she 
       takes her stand;

       (Prov 8:3 NRSV)  beside the gates in front of the town, at the 
       entrance of the portals she cries out:

       (Prov 8:4 NRSV)  "To you, O people, I call, and my cry is to all that 
       live.

       (Prov 8:5 NRSV)  O simple ones, learn prudence; acquire intelligence, 
       you who lack it.

       (Prov 8:6 NRSV)  Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips 
       will come what is right;

       (Prov 8:7 NRSV)  for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an 
       abomination to my lips.

       (Prov 8:8 NRSV)  All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is 
       nothing twisted or crooked in them.





       (Prov 8:9 NRSV)  They are all straight to one who understands and 
       right to those who find knowledge.

       (Prov 8:10 NRSV)  Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge 
       rather than choice gold;

       (Prov 8:11 NRSV)  for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you 
       may desire cannot compare with her.

       (Prov 8:12 NRSV)  I, wisdom, live with prudence, and I attain 
       knowledge and discretion.

       (Prov 8:13 NRSV)  The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and 
       arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

       (Prov 8:14 NRSV)  I have good advice and sound wisdom; I have insight, 
       I have strength.

       (Prov 8:15 NRSV)  By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just;

       (Prov 8:16 NRSV)  by me rulers rule, and nobles, all who govern 
       rightly.

       (Prov 8:17 NRSV)  I love those who love me, and those who seek me 
       diligently find me.

       (Prov 8:18 NRSV)  Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and 
       prosperity.

       (Prov 8:19 NRSV)  My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my 
       yield than choice silver.

       (Prov 8:20 NRSV)  I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths 
       of justice,

       (Prov 8:21 NRSV)  endowing with wealth those who love me, and filling 
       their treasuries.

       (Prov 8:22 NRSV)  The LORD created me at the beginning of his work, 
       the first of his acts of long ago.

       (Prov 8:23 NRSV)  Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the 
       beginning of the earth.

       (Prov 8:24 NRSV)  When there were no depths I was brought forth, when 
       there were no springs abounding with water.

       (Prov 8:25 NRSV)  Before the mountains had been shaped, before the 
       hills, I was brought forth--

       (Prov 8:26 NRSV)  when he had not yet made earth and fields, or the 
       world's first bits of soil.

       (Prov 8:27 NRSV)  When he established the heavens, I was there, when 
       he drew a circle on the face of the deep,





       (Prov 8:28 NRSV)  when he made firm the skies above, when he 
       established the fountains of the deep,

       (Prov 8:29 NRSV)  when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the 
       waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the 
       foundations of the earth,

       (Prov 8:30 NRSV)  then I was beside him, like a master worker; and I 
       was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always,

       (Prov 8:31 NRSV)  rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in 
       the human race.

       (Prov 8:32 NRSV)  And now, my children, listen to me: happy are those 
       who keep my ways.

       (Prov 8:33 NRSV)  Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it.

       (Prov 8:34 NRSV)  Happy is the one who listens to me, watching daily 
       at my gates, waiting beside my doors.

       (Prov 8:35 NRSV)  For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor 
       from the LORD;

       (Prov 8:36 NRSV)  but those who miss me injure themselves; all who 
       hate me love death."

       (Prov 9:1 NRSV)  Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn her seven 
       pillars.

       (Prov 9:2 NRSV)  She has slaughtered her animals, she has mixed her 
       wine, she has also set her table.

       (Prov 9:3 NRSV)  She has sent out her servant-girls, she calls from 
       the highest places in the town,

       (Prov 9:4 NRSV)  "You that are simple, turn in here!" To those without 
       sense she says,

       (Prov 9:5 NRSV)  "Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have 
       mixed.

       (Prov 9:6 NRSV)  Lay aside immaturity, and live, and walk in the way 
       of insight."

       (Prov 9:7 NRSV)  Whoever corrects a scoffer wins abuse; whoever 
       rebukes the wicked gets hurt.

       (Prov 9:8 NRSV)  A scoffer who is rebuked will only hate you; the 
       wise, when rebuked, will love you.

       (Prov 9:9 NRSV)  Give instruction to the wise, and they will become 
       wiser still; teach the righteous and they will gain in learning.

       (Prov 9:10 NRSV)  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and 
       the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.






       (Prov 9:11 NRSV)  For by me your days will be multiplied, and years 
       will be added to your life.

       (Prov 9:12 NRSV)  If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you 
       scoff, you alone will bear it.

       (Prov 9:13 NRSV)  The foolish woman is loud; she is ignorant and knows 
       nothing.

       (Prov 9:14 NRSV)  She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the 
       high places of the town,

       (Prov 9:15 NRSV)  calling to those who pass by, who are going straight 
       on their way,

       (Prov 9:16 NRSV)  "You who are simple, turn in here!" And to those 
       without sense she says,

       (Prov 9:17 NRSV)  "Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is 
       pleasant."

       (Prov 9:18 NRSV)  But they do not know that the dead are there, that 
       her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

       (Prov 10:1 NRSV)  The proverbs of Solomon. A wise child makes a glad 
       father, but a foolish child is a mother's grief.

       (Prov 10:2 NRSV)  Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but 
       righteousness delivers from death.

       (Prov 10:3 NRSV)  The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but 
       he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

       (Prov 10:4 NRSV)  A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the 
       diligent makes rich.

       (Prov 10:5 NRSV)  A child who gathers in summer is prudent, but a 
       child who sleeps in harvest brings shame.

       (Prov 10:6 NRSV)  Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the 
       mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

       (Prov 10:7 NRSV)  The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the 
       name of the wicked will rot.

       (Prov 10:8 NRSV)  The wise of heart will heed commandments, but a 
       babbling fool will come to ruin.

       (Prov 10:9 NRSV)  Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but 
       whoever follows perverse ways will be found out.

       (Prov 10:10 NRSV)  Whoever winks the eye causes trouble, but the one 
       who rebukes boldly makes peace.

       (Prov 10:11 NRSV)  The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, 





       but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

       (Prov 10:12 NRSV)  Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all 
       offenses.

       (Prov 10:13 NRSV)  On the lips of one who has understanding wisdom is 
       found, but a rod is for the back of one who lacks sense.

       (Prov 10:14 NRSV)  The wise lay up knowledge, but the babbling of a 
       fool brings ruin near.

       (Prov 10:15 NRSV)  The wealth of the rich is their fortress; the 
       poverty of the poor is their ruin.

       (Prov 10:16 NRSV)  The wage of the righteous leads to life, the gain 
       of the wicked to sin.

       (Prov 10:17 NRSV)  Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, 
       but one who rejects a rebuke goes astray.

       (Prov 10:18 NRSV)  Lying lips conceal hatred, and whoever utters 
       slander is a fool.

       (Prov 10:19 NRSV)  When words are many, transgression is not lacking, 
       but the prudent are restrained in speech.

       (Prov 10:20 NRSV)  The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the 
       mind of the wicked is of little worth.

       (Prov 10:21 NRSV)  The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die 
       for lack of sense.

       (Prov 10:22 NRSV)  The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no 
       sorrow with it.

       (Prov 10:23 NRSV)  Doing wrong is like sport to a fool, but wise 
       conduct is pleasure to a person of understanding.

       (Prov 10:24 NRSV)  What the wicked dread will come upon them, but the 
       desire of the righteous will be granted.

       (Prov 10:25 NRSV)  When the tempest passes, the wicked are no more, 
       but the righteous are established forever.

       (Prov 10:26 NRSV)  Like vinegar to the teeth, and smoke to the eyes, 
       so are the lazy to their employers.

       (Prov 10:27 NRSV)  The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years 
       of the wicked will be short.

       (Prov 10:28 NRSV)  The hope of the righteous ends in gladness, but the 
       expectation of the wicked comes to nothing.

       (Prov 10:29 NRSV)  The way of the LORD is a stronghold for the 
       upright, but destruction for evildoers.





       (Prov 10:30 NRSV)  The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked 
       will not remain in the land.

       (Prov 10:31 NRSV)  The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but 
       the perverse tongue will be cut off.

       (Prov 10:32 NRSV)  The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, 
       but the mouth of the wicked what is perverse.

       (Prov 11:1 NRSV)  A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but 
       an accurate weight is his delight.

       (Prov 11:2 NRSV)  When pride comes, then comes disgrace; but wisdom is 
       with the humble.

       (Prov 11:3 NRSV)  The integrity of the upright guides them, but the 
       crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.

       (Prov 11:4 NRSV)  Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but 
       righteousness delivers from death.

       (Prov 11:5 NRSV)  The righteousness of the blameless keeps their ways 
       straight, but the wicked fall by their own wickedness.

       (Prov 11:6 NRSV)  The righteousness of the upright saves them, but the 
       treacherous are taken captive by their schemes.

       (Prov 11:7 NRSV)  When the wicked die, their hope perishes, and the 
       expectation of the godless comes to nothing.

       (Prov 11:8 NRSV)  The righteous are delivered from trouble, and the 
       wicked get into it instead.

       (Prov 11:9 NRSV)  With their mouths the godless would destroy their 
       neighbors, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

       (Prov 11:10 NRSV)  When it goes well with the righteous, the city 
       rejoices; and when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.

       (Prov 11:11 NRSV)  By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, 
       but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

       (Prov 11:12 NRSV)  Whoever belittles another lacks sense, but an 
       intelligent person remains silent.

       (Prov 11:13 NRSV)  A gossip goes about telling secrets, but one who is 
       trustworthy in spirit keeps a confidence.

       (Prov 11:14 NRSV)  Where there is no guidance, a nation falls, but in 
       an abundance of counselors there is safety.

       (Prov 11:15 NRSV)  To guarantee loans for a stranger brings trouble, 
       but there is safety in refusing to do so.

       (Prov 11:16 NRSV)  A gracious woman gets honor, but she who hates 
       virtue is covered with shame. The timid become destitute, but the 





       aggressive gain riches.

       (Prov 11:17 NRSV)  Those who are kind reward themselves, but the cruel 
       do themselves harm.

       (Prov 11:18 NRSV)  The wicked earn no real gain, but those who sow 
       righteousness get a true reward.

       (Prov 11:19 NRSV)  Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live, 
       but whoever pursues evil will die.

       (Prov 11:20 NRSV)  Crooked minds are an abomination to the LORD, but 
       those of blameless ways are his delight.

       (Prov 11:21 NRSV)  Be assured, the wicked will not go unpunished, but 
       those who are righteous will escape.

       (Prov 11:22 NRSV)  Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful 
       woman without good sense.

       (Prov 11:23 NRSV)  The desire of the righteous ends only in good; the 
       expectation of the wicked in wrath.

       (Prov 11:24 NRSV)  Some give freely, yet grow all the richer; others 
       withhold what is due, and only suffer want.

       (Prov 11:25 NRSV)  A generous person will be enriched, and one who 
       gives water will get water.

       (Prov 11:26 NRSV)  The people curse those who hold back grain, but a 
       blessing is on the head of those who sell it.

       (Prov 11:27 NRSV)  Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor, but evil 
       comes to the one who searches for it.

       (Prov 11:28 NRSV)  Those who trust in their riches will wither, but 
       the righteous will flourish like green leaves.

       (Prov 11:29 NRSV)  Those who trouble their households will inherit 
       wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.

       (Prov 11:30 NRSV)  The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, but 
       violence takes lives away.

       (Prov 11:31 NRSV)  If the righteous are repaid on earth, how much more 
       the wicked and the sinner!

       (Prov 12:1 NRSV)  Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but those 
       who hate to be rebuked are stupid.

       (Prov 12:2 NRSV)  The good obtain favor from the LORD, but those who 
       devise evil he condemns.

       (Prov 12:3 NRSV)  No one finds security by wickedness, but the root of 
       the righteous will never be moved.





       (Prov 12:4 NRSV)  A good wife is the crown of her husband, but she who 
       brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

       (Prov 12:5 NRSV)  The thoughts of the righteous are just; the advice 
       of the wicked is treacherous.

       (Prov 12:6 NRSV)  The words of the wicked are a deadly ambush, but the 
       speech of the upright delivers them.

       (Prov 12:7 NRSV)  The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the 
       house of the righteous will stand.

       (Prov 12:8 NRSV)  One is commended for good sense, but a perverse mind 
       is despised.

       (Prov 12:9 NRSV)  Better to be despised and have a servant, than to be 
       self-important and lack food.

       (Prov 12:10 NRSV)  The righteous know the needs of their animals, but 
       the mercy of the wicked is cruel.

       (Prov 12:11 NRSV)  Those who till their land will have plenty of food, 
       but those who follow worthless pursuits have no sense.

       (Prov 12:12 NRSV)  The wicked covet the proceeds of wickedness, but 
       the root of the righteous bears fruit.

       (Prov 12:13 NRSV)  The evil are ensnared by the transgression of their 
       lips, but the righteous escape from trouble.

       (Prov 12:14 NRSV)  From the fruit of the mouth one is filled with good 
       things, and manual labor has its reward.

       (Prov 12:15 NRSV)  Fools think their own way is right, but the wise 
       listen to advice.

       (Prov 12:16 NRSV)  Fools show their anger at once, but the prudent 
       ignore an insult.

       (Prov 12:17 NRSV)  Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but 
       a false witness speaks deceitfully.

       (Prov 12:18 NRSV)  Rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue 
       of the wise brings healing.

       (Prov 12:19 NRSV)  Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue 
       lasts only a moment.

       (Prov 12:20 NRSV)  Deceit is in the mind of those who plan evil, but 
       those who counsel peace have joy.

       (Prov 12:21 NRSV)  No harm happens to the righteous, but the wicked 
       are filled with trouble.

       (Prov 12:22 NRSV)  Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but 
       those who act faithfully are his delight.






       (Prov 12:23 NRSV)  One who is clever conceals knowledge, but the mind 
       of a fool broadcasts folly.

       (Prov 12:24 NRSV)  The hand of the diligent will rule, while the lazy 
       will be put to forced labor.

       (Prov 12:25 NRSV)  Anxiety weighs down the human heart, but a good 
       word cheers it up.

       (Prov 12:26 NRSV)  The righteous gives good advice to friends, but the 
       way of the wicked leads astray.

       (Prov 12:27 NRSV)  The lazy do not roast their game, but the diligent 
       obtain precious wealth.

       (Prov 12:28 NRSV)  In the path of righteousness there is life, in 
       walking its path there is no death.

       (Prov 13:1 NRSV)  A wise child loves discipline, but a scoffer does 
       not listen to rebuke.

       (Prov 13:2 NRSV)  From the fruit of their words good persons eat good 
       things, but the desire of the treacherous is for wrongdoing.

       (Prov 13:3 NRSV)  Those who guard their mouths preserve their lives; 
       those who open wide their lips come to ruin.

       (Prov 13:4 NRSV)  The appetite of the lazy craves, and gets nothing, 
       while the appetite of the diligent is richly supplied.

       (Prov 13:5 NRSV)  The righteous hate falsehood, but the wicked act 
       shamefully and disgracefully.

       (Prov 13:6 NRSV)  Righteousness guards one whose way is upright, but 
       sin overthrows the wicked.

       (Prov 13:7 NRSV)  Some pretend to be rich, yet have nothing; others 
       pretend to be poor, yet have great wealth.

       (Prov 13:8 NRSV)  Wealth is a ransom for a person's life, but the poor 
       get no threats.

       (Prov 13:9 NRSV)  The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of 
       the wicked goes out.

       (Prov 13:10 NRSV)  By insolence the heedless make strife, but wisdom 
       is with those who take advice.

       (Prov 13:11 NRSV)  Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle, but those who 
       gather little by little will increase it.

       (Prov 13:12 NRSV)  Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire 
       fulfilled is a tree of life.

       (Prov 13:13 NRSV)  Those who despise the word bring destruction on 





       themselves, but those who respect the commandment will be rewarded.

       (Prov 13:14 NRSV)  The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, so 
       that one may avoid the snares of death.

       (Prov 13:15 NRSV)  Good sense wins favor, but the way of the faithless 
       is their ruin.

       (Prov 13:16 NRSV)  The clever do all things intelligently, but the 
       fool displays folly.

       (Prov 13:17 NRSV)  A bad messenger brings trouble, but a faithful 
       envoy, healing.

       (Prov 13:18 NRSV)  Poverty and disgrace are for the one who ignores 
       instruction, but one who heeds reproof is honored.

       (Prov 13:19 NRSV)  A desire realized is sweet to the soul, but to turn 
       away from evil is an abomination to fools.

       (Prov 13:20 NRSV)  Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the 
       companion of fools suffers harm.

       (Prov 13:21 NRSV)  Misfortune pursues sinners, but prosperity rewards 
       the righteous.

       (Prov 13:22 NRSV)  The good leave an inheritance to their children's 
       children, but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous.

       (Prov 13:23 NRSV)  The field of the poor may yield much food, but it 
       is swept away through injustice.

       (Prov 13:24 NRSV)  Those who spare the rod hate their children, but 
       those who love them are diligent to discipline them.

       (Prov 13:25 NRSV)  The righteous have enough to satisfy their 
       appetite, but the belly of the wicked is empty.

       (Prov 14:1 NRSV)  The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish 
       tears it down with her own hands.

       (Prov 14:2 NRSV)  Those who walk uprightly fear the LORD, but one who 
       is devious in conduct despises him.

       (Prov 14:3 NRSV)  The talk of fools is a rod for their backs, but the 
       lips of the wise preserve them.

       (Prov 14:4 NRSV)  Where there are no oxen, there is no grain; abundant 
       crops come by the strength of the ox.

       (Prov 14:5 NRSV)  A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness 
       breathes out lies.

       (Prov 14:6 NRSV)  A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is 
       easy for one who understands.





       (Prov 14:7 NRSV)  Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not 
       find words of knowledge.

       (Prov 14:8 NRSV)  It is the wisdom of the clever to understand where 
       they go, but the folly of fools misleads.

       (Prov 14:9 NRSV)  Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright 
       enjoy God's favor.

       (Prov 14:10 NRSV)  The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger 
       shares its joy.

       (Prov 14:11 NRSV)  The house of the wicked is destroyed, but the tent 
       of the upright flourishes.

       (Prov 14:12 NRSV)  There is a way that seems right to a person, but 
       its end is the way to death.

       (Prov 14:13 NRSV)  Even in laughter the heart is sad, and the end of 
       joy is grief.

       (Prov 14:14 NRSV)  The perverse get what their ways deserve, and the 
       good, what their deeds deserve.

       (Prov 14:15 NRSV)  The simple believe everything, but the clever 
       consider their steps.

       (Prov 14:16 NRSV)  The wise are cautious and turn away from evil, but 
       the fool throws off restraint and is careless.

       (Prov 14:17 NRSV)  One who is quick-tempered acts foolishly, and the 
       schemer is hated.

       (Prov 14:18 NRSV)  The simple are adorned with folly, but the clever 
       are crowned with knowledge.

       (Prov 14:19 NRSV)  The evil bow down before the good, the wicked at 
       the gates of the righteous.

       (Prov 14:20 NRSV)  The poor are disliked even by their neighbors, but 
       the rich have many friends.

       (Prov 14:21 NRSV)  Those who despise their neighbors are sinners, but 
       happy are those who are kind to the poor.

       (Prov 14:22 NRSV)  Do they not err that plan evil? Those who plan good 
       find loyalty and faithfulness.

       (Prov 14:23 NRSV)  In all toil there is profit, but mere talk leads 
       only to poverty.

       (Prov 14:24 NRSV)  The crown of the wise is their wisdom, but folly is 
       the garland of fools.

       (Prov 14:25 NRSV)  A truthful witness saves lives, but one who utters 
       lies is a betrayer.






       (Prov 14:26 NRSV)  In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, 
       and one's children will have a refuge.

       (Prov 14:27 NRSV)  The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, so that 
       one may avoid the snares of death.

       (Prov 14:28 NRSV)  The glory of a king is a multitude of people; 
       without people a prince is ruined.

       (Prov 14:29 NRSV)  Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, 
       but one who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

       (Prov 14:30 NRSV)  A tranquil mind gives life to the flesh, but 
       passion makes the bones rot.

       (Prov 14:31 NRSV)  Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but 
       those who are kind to the needy honor him.

       (Prov 14:32 NRSV)  The wicked are overthrown by their evildoing, but 
       the righteous find a refuge in their integrity.

       (Prov 14:33 NRSV)  Wisdom is at home in the mind of one who has 
       understanding, but it is not known in the heart of fools.

       (Prov 14:34 NRSV)  Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a 
       reproach to any people.

       (Prov 14:35 NRSV)  A servant who deals wisely has the king's favor, 
       but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.

       (Prov 15:1 NRSV)  A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word 
       stirs up anger.

       (Prov 15:2 NRSV)  The tongue of the wise dispenses knowledge, but the 
       mouths of fools pour out folly.

       (Prov 15:3 NRSV)  The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping 
       watch on the evil and the good.

       (Prov 15:4 NRSV)  A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness 
       in it breaks the spirit.

       (Prov 15:5 NRSV)  A fool despises a parent's instruction, but the one 
       who heeds admonition is prudent.

       (Prov 15:6 NRSV)  In the house of the righteous there is much 
       treasure, but trouble befalls the income of the wicked.

       (Prov 15:7 NRSV)  The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the 
       minds of fools.

       (Prov 15:8 NRSV)  The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the 
       LORD, but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

       (Prov 15:9 NRSV)  The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, 





       but he loves the one who pursues righteousness.

       (Prov 15:10 NRSV)  There is severe discipline for one who forsakes the 
       way, but one who hates a rebuke will die.

       (Prov 15:11 NRSV)  Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD, how 
       much more human hearts!

       (Prov 15:12 NRSV)  Scoffers do not like to be rebuked; they will not 
       go to the wise.

       (Prov 15:13 NRSV)  A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by 
       sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.

       (Prov 15:14 NRSV)  The mind of one who has understanding seeks 
       knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.

       (Prov 15:15 NRSV)  All the days of the poor are hard, but a cheerful 
       heart has a continual feast.

       (Prov 15:16 NRSV)  Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than 
       great treasure and trouble with it.

       (Prov 15:17 NRSV)  Better is a dinner of vegetables where love is than 
       a fatted ox and hatred with it.

       (Prov 15:18 NRSV)  Those who are hot-tempered stir up strife, but 
       those who are slow to anger calm contention.

       (Prov 15:19 NRSV)  The way of the lazy is overgrown with thorns, but 
       the path of the upright is a level highway.

       (Prov 15:20 NRSV)  A wise child makes a glad father, but the foolish 
       despise their mothers.

       (Prov 15:21 NRSV)  Folly is a joy to one who has no sense, but a 
       person of understanding walks straight ahead.

       (Prov 15:22 NRSV)  Without counsel, plans go wrong, but with many 
       advisers they succeed.

       (Prov 15:23 NRSV)  To make an apt answer is a joy to anyone, and a 
       word in season, how good it is!

       (Prov 15:24 NRSV)  For the wise the path of life leads upward, in 
       order to avoid Sheol below.

       (Prov 15:25 NRSV)  The LORD tears down the house of the proud, but 
       maintains the widow's boundaries.

       (Prov 15:26 NRSV)  Evil plans are an abomination to the LORD, but 
       gracious words are pure.

       (Prov 15:27 NRSV)  Those who are greedy for unjust gain make trouble 
       for their households, but those who hate bribes will live.





       (Prov 15:28 NRSV)  The mind of the righteous ponders how to answer, 
       but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil.

       (Prov 15:29 NRSV)  The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the 
       prayer of the righteous.

       (Prov 15:30 NRSV)  The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good 
       news refreshes the body.

       (Prov 15:31 NRSV)  The ear that heeds wholesome admonition will lodge 
       among the wise.

       (Prov 15:32 NRSV)  Those who ignore instruction despise themselves, 
       but those who heed admonition gain understanding.

       (Prov 15:33 NRSV)  The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and 
       humility goes before honor.

       (Prov 16:1 NRSV)  The plans of the mind belong to mortals, but the 
       answer of the tongue is from the LORD.

       (Prov 16:2 NRSV)  All one's ways may be pure in one's own eyes, but 
       the LORD weighs the spirit.

       (Prov 16:3 NRSV)  Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be 
       established.

       (Prov 16:4 NRSV)  The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even 
       the wicked for the day of trouble.

       (Prov 16:5 NRSV)  All those who are arrogant are an abomination to the 
       LORD; be assured, they will not go unpunished.

       (Prov 16:6 NRSV)  By loyalty and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, 
       and by the fear of the LORD one avoids evil.

       (Prov 16:7 NRSV)  When the ways of people please the LORD, he causes 
       even their enemies to be at peace with them.

       (Prov 16:8 NRSV)  Better is a little with righteousness than large 
       income with injustice.

       (Prov 16:9 NRSV)  The human mind plans the way, but the LORD directs 
       the steps.

       (Prov 16:10 NRSV)  Inspired decisions are on the lips of a king; his 
       mouth does not sin in judgment.

       (Prov 16:11 NRSV)  Honest balances and scales are the Lord's; all the 
       weights in the bag are his work.

       (Prov 16:12 NRSV)  It is an abomination to kings to do evil, for the 
       throne is established by righteousness.

       (Prov 16:13 NRSV)  Righteous lips are the delight of a king, and he 
       loves those who speak what is right.






       (Prov 16:14 NRSV)  A king's wrath is a messenger of death, and whoever 
       is wise will appease it.

       (Prov 16:15 NRSV)  In the light of a king's face there is life, and 
       his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain.

       (Prov 16:16 NRSV)  How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get 
       understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

       (Prov 16:17 NRSV)  The highway of the upright avoids evil; those who 
       guard their way preserve their lives.

       (Prov 16:18 NRSV)  Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit 
       before a fall.

       (Prov 16:19 NRSV)  It is better to be of a lowly spirit among the poor 
       than to divide the spoil with the proud.

       (Prov 16:20 NRSV)  Those who are attentive to a matter will prosper, 
       and happy are those who trust in the LORD.

       (Prov 16:21 NRSV)  The wise of heart is called perceptive, and 
       pleasant speech increases persuasiveness.

       (Prov 16:22 NRSV)  Wisdom is a fountain of life to one who has it, but 
       folly is the punishment of fools.

       (Prov 16:23 NRSV)  The mind of the wise makes their speech judicious, 
       and adds persuasiveness to their lips.

       (Prov 16:24 NRSV)  Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to 
       the soul and health to the body.

       (Prov 16:25 NRSV)  Sometimes there is a way that seems to be right, 
       but in the end it is the way to death.

       (Prov 16:26 NRSV)  The appetite of workers works for them; their 
       hunger urges them on.

       (Prov 16:27 NRSV)  Scoundrels concoct evil, and their speech is like a 
       scorching fire.

       (Prov 16:28 NRSV)  A perverse person spreads strife, and a whisperer 
       separates close friends.

       (Prov 16:29 NRSV)  The violent entice their neighbors, and lead them 
       in a way that is not good.

       (Prov 16:30 NRSV)  One who winks the eyes plans perverse things; one 
       who compresses the lips brings evil to pass.

       (Prov 16:31 NRSV)  Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a 
       righteous life.

       (Prov 16:32 NRSV)  One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, 





       and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city.

       (Prov 16:33 NRSV)  The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is 
       the Lord's alone.

       (Prov 17:1 NRSV)  Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full 
       of feasting with strife.

       (Prov 17:2 NRSV)  A slave who deals wisely will rule over a child who 
       acts shamefully, and will share the inheritance as one of the family.

       (Prov 17:3 NRSV)  The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for 
       gold, but the LORD tests the heart.

       (Prov 17:4 NRSV)  An evildoer listens to wicked lips; and a liar gives 
       heed to a mischievous tongue.

       (Prov 17:5 NRSV)  Those who mock the poor insult their Maker; those 
       who are glad at calamity will not go unpunished.

       (Prov 17:6 NRSV)  Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the 
       glory of children is their parents.

       (Prov 17:7 NRSV)  Fine speech is not becoming to a fool; still less is 
       false speech to a ruler.

       (Prov 17:8 NRSV)  A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of those 
       who give it; wherever they turn they prosper.

       (Prov 17:9 NRSV)  One who forgives an affront fosters friendship, but 
       one who dwells on disputes will alienate a friend.

       (Prov 17:10 NRSV)  A rebuke strikes deeper into a discerning person 
       than a hundred blows into a fool.

       (Prov 17:11 NRSV)  Evil people seek only rebellion, but a cruel 
       messenger will be sent against them.

       (Prov 17:12 NRSV)  Better to meet a she-bear robbed of its cubs than 
       to confront a fool immersed in folly.

       (Prov 17:13 NRSV)  Evil will not depart from the house of one who 
       returns evil for good.

       (Prov 17:14 NRSV)  The beginning of strife is like letting out water; 
       so stop before the quarrel breaks out.

       (Prov 17:15 NRSV)  One who justifies the wicked and one who condemns 
       the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD.

       (Prov 17:16 NRSV)  Why should fools have a price in hand to buy 
       wisdom, when they have no mind to learn?

       (Prov 17:17 NRSV)  A friend loves at all times, and kinsfolk are born 
       to share adversity.





       (Prov 17:18 NRSV)  It is senseless to give a pledge, to become surety 
       for a neighbor.

       (Prov 17:19 NRSV)  One who loves transgression loves strife; one who 
       builds a high threshold invites broken bones.

       (Prov 17:20 NRSV)  The crooked of mind do not prosper, and the 
       perverse of tongue fall into calamity.

       (Prov 17:21 NRSV)  The one who begets a fool gets trouble; the parent 
       of a fool has no joy.

       (Prov 17:22 NRSV)  A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast 
       spirit dries up the bones.

       (Prov 17:23 NRSV)  The wicked accept a concealed bribe to pervert the 
       ways of justice.

       (Prov 17:24 NRSV)  The discerning person looks to wisdom, but the eyes 
       of a fool to the ends of the earth.

       (Prov 17:25 NRSV)  Foolish children are a grief to their father and 
       bitterness to her who bore them.

       (Prov 17:26 NRSV)  To impose a fine on the innocent is not right, or 
       to flog the noble for their integrity.

       (Prov 17:27 NRSV)  One who spares words is knowledgeable; one who is 
       cool in spirit has understanding.

       (Prov 17:28 NRSV)  Even fools who keep silent are considered wise; 
       when they close their lips, they are deemed intelligent.

       (Prov 18:1 NRSV)  The one who lives alone is self-indulgent, showing 
       contempt for all who have sound judgment.

       (Prov 18:2 NRSV)  A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only 
       in expressing personal opinion.

       (Prov 18:3 NRSV)  When wickedness comes, contempt comes also; and with 
       dishonor comes disgrace.

       (Prov 18:4 NRSV)  The words of the mouth are deep waters; the fountain 
       of wisdom is a gushing stream.

       (Prov 18:5 NRSV)  It is not right to be partial to the guilty, or to 
       subvert the innocent in judgment.

       (Prov 18:6 NRSV)  A fool's lips bring strife, and a fool's mouth 
       invites a flogging.

       (Prov 18:7 NRSV)  The mouths of fools are their ruin, and their lips a 
       snare to themselves.

       (Prov 18:8 NRSV)  The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; 
       they go down into the inner parts of the body.






       (Prov 18:9 NRSV)  One who is slack in work is close kin to a vandal.

       (Prov 18:10 NRSV)  The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the 
       righteous run into it and are safe.

       (Prov 18:11 NRSV)  The wealth of the rich is their strong city; in 
       their imagination it is like a high wall.

       (Prov 18:12 NRSV)  Before destruction one's heart is haughty, but 
       humility goes before honor.

       (Prov 18:13 NRSV)  If one gives answer before hearing, it is folly and 
       shame.

       (Prov 18:14 NRSV)  The human spirit will endure sickness; but a broken 
       spirit--who can bear?

       (Prov 18:15 NRSV)  An intelligent mind acquires knowledge, and the ear 
       of the wise seeks knowledge.

       (Prov 18:16 NRSV)  A gift opens doors; it gives access to the great.

       (Prov 18:17 NRSV)  The one who first states a case seems right, until 
       the other comes and cross-examines.

       (Prov 18:18 NRSV)  Casting the lot puts an end to disputes and decides 
       between powerful contenders.

       (Prov 18:19 NRSV)  An ally offended is stronger than a city; such 
       quarreling is like the bars of a castle.

       (Prov 18:20 NRSV)  From the fruit of the mouth one's stomach is 
       satisfied; the yield of the lips brings satisfaction.

       (Prov 18:21 NRSV)  Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and 
       those who love it will eat its fruits.

       (Prov 18:22 NRSV)  He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains 
       favor from the LORD.

       (Prov 18:23 NRSV)  The poor use entreaties, but the rich answer 
       roughly.

       (Prov 18:24 NRSV)  Some friends play at friendship but a true friend 
       sticks closer than one's nearest kin.

       (Prov 19:1 NRSV)  Better the poor walking in integrity than one 
       perverse of speech who is a fool.

       (Prov 19:2 NRSV)  Desire without knowledge is not good, and one who 
       moves too hurriedly misses the way.

       (Prov 19:3 NRSV)  One's own folly leads to ruin, yet the heart rages 
       against the LORD.





       (Prov 19:4 NRSV)  Wealth brings many friends, but the poor are left 
       friendless.

       (Prov 19:5 NRSV)  A false witness will not go unpunished, and a liar 
       will not escape.

       (Prov 19:6 NRSV)  Many seek the favor of the generous, and everyone is 
       a friend to a giver of gifts.

       (Prov 19:7 NRSV)  If the poor are hated even by their kin, how much 
       more are they shunned by their friends! When they call after them, 
       they are not there.

       (Prov 19:8 NRSV)  To get wisdom is to love oneself; to keep 
       understanding is to prosper.

       (Prov 19:9 NRSV)  A false witness will not go unpunished, and the liar 
       will perish.

       (Prov 19:10 NRSV)  It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury, 
       much less for a slave to rule over princes.

       (Prov 19:11 NRSV)  Those with good sense are slow to anger, and it is 
       their glory to overlook an offense.

       (Prov 19:12 NRSV)  A king's anger is like the growling of a lion, but 
       his favor is like dew on the grass.

       (Prov 19:13 NRSV)  A stupid child is ruin to a father, and a wife's 
       quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.

       (Prov 19:14 NRSV)  House and wealth are inherited from parents, but a 
       prudent wife is from the LORD.

       (Prov 19:15 NRSV)  Laziness brings on deep sleep; an idle person will 
       suffer hunger.

       (Prov 19:16 NRSV)  Those who keep the commandment will live; those who 
       are heedless of their ways will die.

       (Prov 19:17 NRSV)  Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and 
       will be repaid in full.

       (Prov 19:18 NRSV)  Discipline your children while there is hope; do 
       not set your heart on their destruction.

       (Prov 19:19 NRSV)  A violent tempered person will pay the penalty; if 
       you effect a rescue, you will only have to do it again.

       (Prov 19:20 NRSV)  Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you 
       may gain wisdom for the future.

       (Prov 19:21 NRSV)  The human mind may devise many plans, but it is the 
       purpose of the LORD that will be established.

       (Prov 19:22 NRSV)  What is desirable in a person is loyalty, and it is 





       better to be poor than a liar.

       (Prov 19:23 NRSV)  The fear of the LORD is life indeed; filled with it 
       one rests secure and suffers no harm.

       (Prov 19:24 NRSV)  The lazy person buries a hand in the dish, and will 
       not even bring it back to the mouth.

       (Prov 19:25 NRSV)  Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn 
       prudence; reprove the intelligent, and they will gain knowledge.

       (Prov 19:26 NRSV)  Those who do violence to their father and chase 
       away their mother are children who cause shame and bring reproach.

       (Prov 19:27 NRSV)  Cease straying, my child, from the words of 
       knowledge, in order that you may hear instruction.

       (Prov 19:28 NRSV)  A worthless witness mocks at justice, and the mouth 
       of the wicked devours iniquity.

       (Prov 19:29 NRSV)  Condemnation is ready for scoffers, and flogging 
       for the backs of fools.

       (Prov 20:1 NRSV)  Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and 
       whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

       (Prov 20:2 NRSV)  The dread anger of a king is like the growling of a 
       lion; anyone who provokes him to anger forfeits life itself.

       (Prov 20:3 NRSV)  It is honorable to refrain from strife, but every 
       fool is quick to quarrel.

       (Prov 20:4 NRSV)  The lazy person does not plow in season; harvest 
       comes, and there is nothing to be found.

       (Prov 20:5 NRSV)  The purposes in the human mind are like deep water, 
       but the intelligent will draw them out.

       (Prov 20:6 NRSV)  Many proclaim themselves loyal, but who can find one 
       worthy of trust?

       (Prov 20:7 NRSV)  The righteous walk in integrity-- happy are the 
       children who follow them!

       (Prov 20:8 NRSV)  A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows 
       all evil with his eyes.

       (Prov 20:9 NRSV)  Who can say, "I have made my heart clean; I am pure 
       from my sin"?

       (Prov 20:10 NRSV)  Diverse weights and diverse measures are both alike 
       an abomination to the LORD.

       (Prov 20:11 NRSV)  Even children make themselves known by their acts, 
       by whether what they do is pure and right.





       (Prov 20:12 NRSV)  The hearing ear and the seeing eye-- the LORD has 
       made them both.

       (Prov 20:13 NRSV)  Do not love sleep, or else you will come to 
       poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.

       (Prov 20:14 NRSV)  "Bad, bad," says the buyer, then goes away and 
       boasts.

       (Prov 20:15 NRSV)  There is gold, and abundance of costly stones; but 
       the lips informed by knowledge are a precious jewel.

       (Prov 20:16 NRSV)  Take the garment of one who has given surety for a 
       stranger; seize the pledge given as surety for foreigners.

       (Prov 20:17 NRSV)  Bread gained by deceit is sweet, but afterward the 
       mouth will be full of gravel.

       (Prov 20:18 NRSV)  Plans are established by taking advice; wage war by 
       following wise guidance.

       (Prov 20:19 NRSV)  A gossip reveals secrets; therefore do not 
       associate with a babbler.

       (Prov 20:20 NRSV)  If you curse father or mother, your lamp will go 
       out in utter darkness.

       (Prov 20:21 NRSV)  An estate quickly acquired in the beginning will 
       not be blessed in the end.

       (Prov 20:22 NRSV)  Do not say, "I will repay evil"; wait for the LORD, 
       and he will help you.

       (Prov 20:23 NRSV)  Differing weights are an abomination to the LORD, 
       and false scales are not good.

       (Prov 20:24 NRSV)  All our steps are ordered by the LORD; how then can 
       we understand our own ways?

       (Prov 20:25 NRSV)  It is a snare for one to say rashly, "It is holy," 
       and begin to reflect only after making a vow.

       (Prov 20:26 NRSV)  A wise king winnows the wicked, and drives the 
       wheel over them.

       (Prov 20:27 NRSV)  The human spirit is the lamp of the LORD, searching 
       every inmost part.

       (Prov 20:28 NRSV)  Loyalty and faithfulness preserve the king, and his 
       throne is upheld by righteousness.

       (Prov 20:29 NRSV)  The glory of youths is their strength, but the 
       beauty of the aged is their gray hair.

       (Prov 20:30 NRSV)  Blows that wound cleanse away evil; beatings make 
       clean the innermost parts.






       (Prov 21:1 NRSV)  The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of 
       the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.

       (Prov 21:2 NRSV)  All deeds are right in the sight of the doer, but 
       the LORD weighs the heart.

       (Prov 21:3 NRSV)  To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable 
       to the LORD than sacrifice.

       (Prov 21:4 NRSV)  Haughty eyes and a proud heart-- the lamp of the 
       wicked--are sin.

       (Prov 21:5 NRSV)  The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, 
       but everyone who is hasty comes only to want.

       (Prov 21:6 NRSV)  The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a 
       fleeting vapor and a snare of death.

       (Prov 21:7 NRSV)  The violence of the wicked will sweep them away, 
       because they refuse to do what is just.

       (Prov 21:8 NRSV)  The way of the guilty is crooked, but the conduct of 
       the pure is right.

       (Prov 21:9 NRSV)  It is better to live in a corner of the housetop 
       than in a house shared with a contentious wife.

       (Prov 21:10 NRSV)  The souls of the wicked desire evil; their 
       neighbors find no mercy in their eyes.

       (Prov 21:11 NRSV)  When a scoffer is punished, the simple become 
       wiser; when the wise are instructed, they increase in knowledge.

       (Prov 21:12 NRSV)  The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked; 
       he casts the wicked down to ruin.

       (Prov 21:13 NRSV)  If you close your ear to the cry of the poor, you 
       will cry out and not be heard.

       (Prov 21:14 NRSV)  A gift in secret averts anger; and a concealed 
       bribe in the bosom, strong wrath.

       (Prov 21:15 NRSV)  When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous, 
       but dismay to evildoers.

       (Prov 21:16 NRSV)  Whoever wanders from the way of understanding will 
       rest in the assembly of the dead.

       (Prov 21:17 NRSV)  Whoever loves pleasure will suffer want; whoever 
       loves wine and oil will not be rich.

       (Prov 21:18 NRSV)  The wicked is a ransom for the righteous, and the 
       faithless for the upright.

       (Prov 21:19 NRSV)  It is better to live in a desert land than with a 





       contentious and fretful wife.

       (Prov 21:20 NRSV)  Precious treasure remains in the house of the wise, 
       but the fool devours it.

       (Prov 21:21 NRSV)  Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will 
       find life and honor.

       (Prov 21:22 NRSV)  One wise person went up against a city of warriors 
       and brought down the stronghold in which they trusted.

       (Prov 21:23 NRSV)  To watch over mouth and tongue is to keep out of 
       trouble.

       (Prov 21:24 NRSV)  The proud, haughty person, named "Scoffer," acts 
       with arrogant pride.

       (Prov 21:25 NRSV)  The craving of the lazy person is fatal, for lazy 
       hands refuse to labor.

       (Prov 21:26 NRSV)  All day long the wicked covet, but the righteous 
       give and do not hold back.

       (Prov 21:27 NRSV)  The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how 
       much more when brought with evil intent.

       (Prov 21:28 NRSV)  A false witness will perish, but a good listener 
       will testify successfully.

       (Prov 21:29 NRSV)  The wicked put on a bold face, but the upright give 
       thought to their ways.

       (Prov 21:30 NRSV)  No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel, can avail 
       against the LORD.

       (Prov 21:31 NRSV)  The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but 
       the victory belongs to the LORD.

       (Prov 22:1 NRSV)  A good name is to be chosen rather than great 
       riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.

       (Prov 22:2 NRSV)  The rich and the poor have this in common: the LORD 
       is the maker of them all.

       (Prov 22:3 NRSV)  The clever see danger and hide; but the simple go 
       on, and suffer for it.

       (Prov 22:4 NRSV)  The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is 
       riches and honor and life.

       (Prov 22:5 NRSV)  Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; 
       the cautious will keep far from them.

       (Prov 22:6 NRSV)  Train children in the right way, and when old, they 
       will not stray.





       (Prov 22:7 NRSV)  The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is 
       the slave of the lender.

       (Prov 22:8 NRSV)  Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the 
       rod of anger will fail.

       (Prov 22:9 NRSV)  Those who are generous are blessed, for they share 
       their bread with the poor.

       (Prov 22:10 NRSV)  Drive out a scoffer, and strife goes out; 
       quarreling and abuse will cease.

       (Prov 22:11 NRSV)  Those who love a pure heart and are gracious in 
       speech will have the king as a friend.

       (Prov 22:12 NRSV)  The eyes of the LORD keep watch over knowledge, but 
       he overthrows the words of the faithless.

       (Prov 22:13 NRSV)  The lazy person says, "There is a lion outside! I 
       shall be killed in the streets!"

       (Prov 22:14 NRSV)  The mouth of a loose woman is a deep pit; he with 
       whom the LORD is angry falls into it.

       (Prov 22:15 NRSV)  Folly is bound up in the heart of a boy, but the 
       rod of discipline drives it far away.

       (Prov 22:16 NRSV)  Oppressing the poor in order to enrich oneself, and 
       giving to the rich, will lead only to loss.

       (Prov 22:17 NRSV)  The words of the wise: Incline your ear and hear my 
       words, and apply your mind to my teaching;

       (Prov 22:18 NRSV)  for it will be pleasant if you keep them within 
       you, if all of them are ready on your lips.

       (Prov 22:19 NRSV)  So that your trust may be in the LORD, I have made 
       them known to you today--yes, to you.

       (Prov 22:20 NRSV)  Have I not written for you thirty sayings of 
       admonition and knowledge,

       (Prov 22:21 NRSV)  to show you what is right and true, so that you may 
       give a true answer to those who sent you?

       (Prov 22:22 NRSV)  Do not rob the poor because they are poor, or crush 
       the afflicted at the gate;

       (Prov 22:23 NRSV)  for the LORD pleads their cause and despoils of 
       life those who despoil them.

       (Prov 22:24 NRSV)  Make no friends with those given to anger, and do 
       not associate with hotheads,

       (Prov 22:25 NRSV)  or you may learn their ways and entangle yourself 
       in a snare.






       (Prov 22:26 NRSV)  Do not be one of those who give pledges, who become 
       surety for debts.

       (Prov 22:27 NRSV)  If you have nothing with which to pay, why should 
       your bed be taken from under you?

       (Prov 22:28 NRSV)  Do not remove the ancient landmark that your 
       ancestors set up.

       (Prov 22:29 NRSV)  Do you see those who are skillful in their work? 
       they will serve kings; they will not serve common people.

       (Prov 23:1 NRSV)  When you sit down to eat with a ruler, observe 
       carefully what is before you,

       (Prov 23:2 NRSV)  and put a knife to your throat if you have a big 
       appetite.

       (Prov 23:3 NRSV)  Do not desire the ruler's delicacies, for they are 
       deceptive food.

       (Prov 23:4 NRSV)  Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough 
       to desist.

       (Prov 23:5 NRSV)  When your eyes light upon it, it is gone; for 
       suddenly it takes wings to itself, flying like an eagle toward heaven.

       (Prov 23:6 NRSV)  Do not eat the bread of the stingy; do not desire 
       their delicacies;

       (Prov 23:7 NRSV)  for like a hair in the throat, so are they. "Eat and 
       drink!" they say to you; but they do not mean it.

       (Prov 23:8 NRSV)  You will vomit up the little you have eaten, and you 
       will waste your pleasant words.

       (Prov 23:9 NRSV)  Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, who will only 
       despise the wisdom of your words.

       (Prov 23:10 NRSV)  Do not remove an ancient landmark or encroach on 
       the fields of orphans,

       (Prov 23:11 NRSV)  for their redeemer is strong; he will plead their 
       cause against you.

       (Prov 23:12 NRSV)  Apply your mind to instruction and your ear to 
       words of knowledge.

       (Prov 23:13 NRSV)  Do not withhold discipline from your children; if 
       you beat them with a rod, they will not die.

       (Prov 23:14 NRSV)  If you beat them with the rod, you will save their 
       lives from Sheol.

       (Prov 23:15 NRSV)  My child, if your heart is wise, my heart too will 





       be glad.

       (Prov 23:16 NRSV)  My soul will rejoice when your lips speak what is 
       right.

       (Prov 23:17 NRSV)  Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always 
       continue in the fear of the LORD.

       (Prov 23:18 NRSV)  Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be 
       cut off.

       (Prov 23:19 NRSV)  Hear, my child, and be wise, and direct your mind 
       in the way.

       (Prov 23:20 NRSV)  Do not be among winebibbers, or among gluttonous 
       eaters of meat;

       (Prov 23:21 NRSV)  for the drunkard and the glutton will come to 
       poverty, and drowsiness will clothe them with rags.

       (Prov 23:22 NRSV)  Listen to your father who begot you, and do not 
       despise your mother when she is old.

       (Prov 23:23 NRSV)  Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, 
       instruction, and understanding.

       (Prov 23:24 NRSV)  The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; 
       he who begets a wise son will be glad in him.

       (Prov 23:25 NRSV)  Let your father and mother be glad; let her who 
       bore you rejoice.

       (Prov 23:26 NRSV)  My child, give me your heart, and let your eyes 
       observe my ways.

       (Prov 23:27 NRSV)  For a prostitute is a deep pit; an adulteress is a 
       narrow well.

       (Prov 23:28 NRSV)  She lies in wait like a robber and increases the 
       number of the faithless.

       (Prov 23:29 NRSV)  Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who 
       has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of 
       eyes?

       (Prov 23:30 NRSV)  Those who linger late over wine, those who keep 
       trying mixed wines.

       (Prov 23:31 NRSV)  Do not look at wine when it is red, when it 
       sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.

       (Prov 23:32 NRSV)  At the last it bites like a serpent, and stings 
       like an adder.

       (Prov 23:33 NRSV)  Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind 
       utter perverse things.






       (Prov 23:34 NRSV)  You will be like one who lies down in the midst of 
       the sea, like one who lies on the top of a mast.

       (Prov 23:35 NRSV)  "They struck me," you will say, "but I was not 
       hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake? I will 
       seek another drink."

       (Prov 24:1 NRSV)  Do not envy the wicked, nor desire to be with them;

       (Prov 24:2 NRSV)  for their minds devise violence, and their lips talk 
       of mischief.

       (Prov 24:3 NRSV)  By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it 
       is established;

       (Prov 24:4 NRSV)  by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious 
       and pleasant riches.

       (Prov 24:5 NRSV)  Wise warriors are mightier than strong ones, and 
       those who have knowledge than those who have strength;

       (Prov 24:6 NRSV)  for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in 
       abundance of counselors there is victory.

       (Prov 24:7 NRSV)  Wisdom is too high for fools; in the gate they do 
       not open their mouths.

       (Prov 24:8 NRSV)  Whoever plans to do evil will be called a 
       mischief-maker.

       (Prov 24:9 NRSV)  The devising of folly is sin, and the scoffer is an 
       abomination to all.

       (Prov 24:10 NRSV)  If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength 
       being small;

       (Prov 24:11 NRSV)  if you hold back from rescuing those taken away to 
       death, those who go staggering to the slaughter;

       (Prov 24:12 NRSV)  if you say, "Look, we did not know this"-- does not 
       he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over 
       your soul know it? And will he not repay all according to their deeds?

       (Prov 24:13 NRSV)  My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the 
       drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.

       (Prov 24:14 NRSV)  Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find 
       it, you will find a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

       (Prov 24:15 NRSV)  Do not lie in wait like an outlaw against the home 
       of the righteous; do no violence to the place where the righteous 
       live;

       (Prov 24:16 NRSV)  for though they fall seven times, they will rise 
       again; but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.






       (Prov 24:17 NRSV)  Do not rejoice when your enemies fall, and do not 
       let your heart be glad when they stumble,

       (Prov 24:18 NRSV)  or else the LORD will see it and be displeased, and 
       turn away his anger from them.

       (Prov 24:19 NRSV)  Do not fret because of evildoers. Do not envy the 
       wicked;

       (Prov 24:20 NRSV)  for the evil have no future; the lamp of the wicked 
       will go out.

       (Prov 24:21 NRSV)  My child, fear the LORD and the king, and do not 
       disobey either of them;

       (Prov 24:22 NRSV)  for disaster comes from them suddenly, and who 
       knows the ruin that both can bring?

       (Prov 24:23 NRSV)  These also are sayings of the wise: Partiality in 
       judging is not good.

       (Prov 24:24 NRSV)  Whoever says to the wicked, "You are innocent," 
       will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations;

       (Prov 24:25 NRSV)  but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, 
       and a good blessing will come upon them.

       (Prov 24:26 NRSV)  One who gives an honest answer gives a kiss on the 
       lips.

       (Prov 24:27 NRSV)  Prepare your work outside, get everything ready for 
       you in the field; and after that build your house.

       (Prov 24:28 NRSV)  Do not be a witness against your neighbor without 
       cause, and do not deceive with your lips.

       (Prov 24:29 NRSV)  Do not say, "I will do to others as they have done 
       to me; I will pay them back for what they have done."

       (Prov 24:30 NRSV)  I passed by the field of one who was lazy, by the 
       vineyard of a stupid person;

       (Prov 24:31 NRSV)  and see, it was all overgrown with thorns; the 
       ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.

       (Prov 24:32 NRSV)  Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received 
       instruction.

       (Prov 24:33 NRSV)  A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding 
       of the hands to rest,

       (Prov 24:34 NRSV)  and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and 
       want, like an armed warrior.

       (Prov 25:1 NRSV)  These are other proverbs of Solomon that the 





       officials of King Hezekiah of Judah copied.

       (Prov 25:2 NRSV)  It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the 
       glory of kings is to search things out.

       (Prov 25:3 NRSV)  Like the heavens for height, like the earth for 
       depth, so the mind of kings is unsearchable.

       (Prov 25:4 NRSV)  Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith 
       has material for a vessel;

       (Prov 25:5 NRSV)  take away the wicked from the presence of the king, 
       and his throne will be established in righteousness.

       (Prov 25:6 NRSV)  Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence 
       or stand in the place of the great;

       (Prov 25:7 NRSV)  for it is better to be told, "Come up here," than to 
       be put lower in the presence of a noble. What your eyes have seen

       (Prov 25:8 NRSV)  do not hastily bring into court; for what will you 
       do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame?

       (Prov 25:9 NRSV)  Argue your case with your neighbor directly, and do 
       not disclose another's secret;

       (Prov 25:10 NRSV)  or else someone who hears you will bring shame upon 
       you, and your ill repute will have no end.

       (Prov 25:11 NRSV)  A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a 
       setting of silver.

       (Prov 25:12 NRSV)  Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise 
       rebuke to a listening ear.

       (Prov 25:13 NRSV)  Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest are 
       faithful messengers to those who send them; they refresh the spirit of 
       their masters.

       (Prov 25:14 NRSV)  Like clouds and wind without rain is one who boasts 
       of a gift never given.

       (Prov 25:15 NRSV)  With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft 
       tongue can break bones.

       (Prov 25:16 NRSV)  If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, 
       or else, having too much, you will vomit it.

       (Prov 25:17 NRSV)  Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house, 
       otherwise the neighbor will become weary of you and hate you.

       (Prov 25:18 NRSV)  Like a war club, a sword, or a sharp arrow is one 
       who bears false witness against a neighbor.

       (Prov 25:19 NRSV)  Like a bad tooth or a lame foot is trust in a 
       faithless person in time of trouble.






       (Prov 25:20 NRSV)  Like vinegar on a wound is one who sings songs to a 
       heavy heart. Like a moth in clothing or a worm in wood, sorrow gnaws 
       at the human heart.

       (Prov 25:21 NRSV)  If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat; 
       and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink;

       (Prov 25:22 NRSV)  for you will heap coals of fire on their heads, and 
       the LORD will reward you.

       (Prov 25:23 NRSV)  The north wind produces rain, and a backbiting 
       tongue, angry looks.

       (Prov 25:24 NRSV)  It is better to live in a corner of the housetop 
       than in a house shared with a contentious wife.

       (Prov 25:25 NRSV)  Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news 
       from a far country.

       (Prov 25:26 NRSV)  Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain are 
       the righteous who give way before the wicked.

       (Prov 25:27 NRSV)  It is not good to eat much honey, or to seek honor 
       on top of honor.

       (Prov 25:28 NRSV)  Like a city breached, without walls, is one who 
       lacks self-control.

       (Prov 26:1 NRSV)  Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is 
       not fitting for a fool.

       (Prov 26:2 NRSV)  Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in 
       its flying, an undeserved curse goes nowhere.

       (Prov 26:3 NRSV)  A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a 
       rod for the back of fools.

       (Prov 26:4 NRSV)  Do not answer fools according to their folly, or you 
       will be a fool yourself.

       (Prov 26:5 NRSV)  Answer fools according to their folly, or they will 
       be wise in their own eyes.

       (Prov 26:6 NRSV)  It is like cutting off one's foot and drinking down 
       violence, to send a message by a fool.

       (Prov 26:7 NRSV)  The legs of a disabled person hang limp; so does a 
       proverb in the mouth of a fool.

       (Prov 26:8 NRSV)  It is like binding a stone in a sling to give honor 
       to a fool.

       (Prov 26:9 NRSV)  Like a thornbush brandished by the hand of a 
       drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.





       (Prov 26:10 NRSV)  Like an archer who wounds everybody is one who 
       hires a passing fool or drunkard.

       (Prov 26:11 NRSV)  Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who 
       reverts to his folly.

       (Prov 26:12 NRSV)  Do you see persons wise in their own eyes? There is 
       more hope for fools than for them.

       (Prov 26:13 NRSV)  The lazy person says, "There is a lion in the road! 
       There is a lion in the streets!"

       (Prov 26:14 NRSV)  As a door turns on its hinges, so does a lazy 
       person in bed.

       (Prov 26:15 NRSV)  The lazy person buries a hand in the dish, and is 
       too tired to bring it back to the mouth.

       (Prov 26:16 NRSV)  The lazy person is wiser in self-esteem than seven 
       who can answer discreetly.

       (Prov 26:17 NRSV)  Like somebody who takes a passing dog by the ears 
       is one who meddles in the quarrel of another.

       (Prov 26:18 NRSV)  Like a maniac who shoots deadly firebrands and 
       arrows,

       (Prov 26:19 NRSV)  so is one who deceives a neighbor and says, "I am 
       only joking!"

       (Prov 26:20 NRSV)  For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there 
       is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.

       (Prov 26:21 NRSV)  As charcoal is to hot embers and wood to fire, so 
       is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.

       (Prov 26:22 NRSV)  The words of a whisperer are like delicious 
       morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.

       (Prov 26:23 NRSV)  Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel are 
       smooth lips with an evil heart.

       (Prov 26:24 NRSV)  An enemy dissembles in speaking while harboring 
       deceit within;

       (Prov 26:25 NRSV)  when an enemy speaks graciously, do not believe it, 
       for there are seven abominations concealed within;

       (Prov 26:26 NRSV)  though hatred is covered with guile, the enemy's 
       wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

       (Prov 26:27 NRSV)  Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone 
       will come back on the one who starts it rolling.

       (Prov 26:28 NRSV)  A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering 
       mouth works ruin.






       (Prov 27:1 NRSV)  Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know 
       what a day may bring.

       (Prov 27:2 NRSV)  Let another praise you, and not your own mouth-- a 
       stranger, and not your own lips.

       (Prov 27:3 NRSV)  A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty, but a fool's 
       provocation is heavier than both.

       (Prov 27:4 NRSV)  Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who is 
       able to stand before jealousy?

       (Prov 27:5 NRSV)  Better is open rebuke than hidden love.

       (Prov 27:6 NRSV)  Well meant are the wounds a friend inflicts, but 
       profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

       (Prov 27:7 NRSV)  The sated appetite spurns honey, but to a ravenous 
       appetite even the bitter is sweet.

       (Prov 27:8 NRSV)  Like a bird that strays from its nest is one who 
       strays from home.

       (Prov 27:9 NRSV)  Perfume and incense make the heart glad, but the 
       soul is torn by trouble.

       (Prov 27:10 NRSV)  Do not forsake your friend or the friend of your 
       parent; do not go to the house of your kindred in the day of your 
       calamity. Better is a neighbor who is nearby than kindred who are far 
       away.

       (Prov 27:11 NRSV)  Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad, so that 
       I may answer whoever reproaches me.

       (Prov 27:12 NRSV)  The clever see danger and hide; but the simple go 
       on, and suffer for it.

       (Prov 27:13 NRSV)  Take the garment of one who has given surety for a 
       stranger; seize the pledge given as surety for foreigners.

       (Prov 27:14 NRSV)  Whoever blesses a neighbor with a loud voice, 
       rising early in the morning, will be counted as cursing.

       (Prov 27:15 NRSV)  A continual dripping on a rainy day and a 
       contentious wife are alike;

       (Prov 27:16 NRSV)  to restrain her is to restrain the wind or to grasp 
       oil in the right hand.

       (Prov 27:17 NRSV)  Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the 
       wits of another.

       (Prov 27:18 NRSV)  Anyone who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and 
       anyone who takes care of a master will be honored.





       (Prov 27:19 NRSV)  Just as water reflects the face, so one human heart 
       reflects another.

       (Prov 27:20 NRSV)  Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and human 
       eyes are never satisfied.

       (Prov 27:21 NRSV)  The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for 
       gold, so a person is tested by being praised.

       (Prov 27:22 NRSV)  Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with 
       crushed grain, but the folly will not be driven out.

       (Prov 27:23 NRSV)  Know well the condition of your flocks, and give 
       attention to your herds;

       (Prov 27:24 NRSV)  for riches do not last forever, nor a crown for all 
       generations.

       (Prov 27:25 NRSV)  When the grass is gone, and new growth appears, and 
       the herbage of the mountains is gathered,

       (Prov 27:26 NRSV)  the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats 
       the price of a field;

       (Prov 27:27 NRSV)  there will be enough goats' milk for your food, for 
       the food of your household and nourishment for your servant-girls.

       (Prov 28:1 NRSV)  The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the 
       righteous are as bold as a lion.

       (Prov 28:2 NRSV)  When a land rebels it has many rulers; but with an 
       intelligent ruler there is lasting order.

       (Prov 28:3 NRSV)  A ruler who oppresses the poor is a beating rain 
       that leaves no food.

       (Prov 28:4 NRSV)  Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but 
       those who keep the law struggle against them.

       (Prov 28:5 NRSV)  The evil do not understand justice, but those who 
       seek the LORD understand it completely.

       (Prov 28:6 NRSV)  Better to be poor and walk in integrity than to be 
       crooked in one's ways even though rich.

       (Prov 28:7 NRSV)  Those who keep the law are wise children, but 
       companions of gluttons shame their parents.

       (Prov 28:8 NRSV)  One who augments wealth by exorbitant interest 
       gathers it for another who is kind to the poor.

       (Prov 28:9 NRSV)  When one will not listen to the law, even one's 
       prayers are an abomination.

       (Prov 28:10 NRSV)  Those who mislead the upright into evil ways will 
       fall into pits of their own making, but the blameless will have a 





       goodly inheritance.

       (Prov 28:11 NRSV)  The rich is wise in self-esteem, but an intelligent 
       poor person sees through the pose.

       (Prov 28:12 NRSV)  When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, 
       but when the wicked prevail, people go into hiding.

       (Prov 28:13 NRSV)  No one who conceals transgressions will prosper, 
       but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

       (Prov 28:14 NRSV)  Happy is the one who is never without fear, but one 
       who is hard-hearted will fall into calamity.

       (Prov 28:15 NRSV)  Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked 
       ruler over a poor people.

       (Prov 28:16 NRSV)  A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel 
       oppressor; but one who hates unjust gain will enjoy a long life.

       (Prov 28:17 NRSV)  If someone is burdened with the blood of another, 
       let that killer be a fugitive until death; let no one offer 
       assistance.

       (Prov 28:18 NRSV)  One who walks in integrity will be safe, but 
       whoever follows crooked ways will fall into the Pit.

       (Prov 28:19 NRSV)  Anyone who tills the land will have plenty of 
       bread, but one who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of 
       poverty.

       (Prov 28:20 NRSV)  The faithful will abound with blessings, but one 
       who is in a hurry to be rich will not go unpunished.

       (Prov 28:21 NRSV)  To show partiality is not good-- yet for a piece of 
       bread a person may do wrong.

       (Prov 28:22 NRSV)  The miser is in a hurry to get rich and does not 
       know that loss is sure to come.

       (Prov 28:23 NRSV)  Whoever rebukes a person will afterward find more 
       favor than one who flatters with the tongue.

       (Prov 28:24 NRSV)  Anyone who robs father or mother and says, "That is 
       no crime," is partner to a thug.

       (Prov 28:25 NRSV)  The greedy person stirs up strife, but whoever 
       trusts in the LORD will be enriched.

       (Prov 28:26 NRSV)  Those who trust in their own wits are fools; but 
       those who walk in wisdom come through safely.

       (Prov 28:27 NRSV)  Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but 
       one who turns a blind eye will get many a curse.

       (Prov 28:28 NRSV)  When the wicked prevail, people go into hiding; but 





       when they perish, the righteous increase.

       (Prov 29:1 NRSV)  One who is often reproved, yet remains stubborn, 
       will suddenly be broken beyond healing.

       (Prov 29:2 NRSV)  When the righteous are in authority, the people 
       rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan.

       (Prov 29:3 NRSV)  A child who loves wisdom makes a parent glad, but to 
       keep company with prostitutes is to squander one's substance.

       (Prov 29:4 NRSV)  By justice a king gives stability to the land, but 
       one who makes heavy exactions ruins it.

       (Prov 29:5 NRSV)  Whoever flatters a neighbor is spreading a net for 
       the neighbor's feet.

       (Prov 29:6 NRSV)  In the transgression of the evil there is a snare, 
       but the righteous sing and rejoice.

       (Prov 29:7 NRSV)  The righteous know the rights of the poor; the 
       wicked have no such understanding.

       (Prov 29:8 NRSV)  Scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away 
       wrath.

       (Prov 29:9 NRSV)  If the wise go to law with fools, there is ranting 
       and ridicule without relief.

       (Prov 29:10 NRSV)  The bloodthirsty hate the blameless, and they seek 
       the life of the upright.

       (Prov 29:11 NRSV)  A fool gives full vent to anger, but the wise 
       quietly holds it back.

       (Prov 29:12 NRSV)  If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials 
       will be wicked.

       (Prov 29:13 NRSV)  The poor and the oppressor have this in common: the 
       LORD gives light to the eyes of both.

       (Prov 29:14 NRSV)  If a king judges the poor with equity, his throne 
       will be established forever.

       (Prov 29:15 NRSV)  The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a mother is 
       disgraced by a neglected child.

       (Prov 29:16 NRSV)  When the wicked are in authority, transgression 
       increases, but the righteous will look upon their downfall.

       (Prov 29:17 NRSV)  Discipline your children, and they will give you 
       rest; they will give delight to your heart.

       (Prov 29:18 NRSV)  Where there is no prophecy, the people cast off 
       restraint, but happy are those who keep the law.





       (Prov 29:19 NRSV)  By mere words servants are not disciplined, for 
       though they understand, they will not give heed.

       (Prov 29:20 NRSV)  Do you see someone who is hasty in speech? There is 
       more hope for a fool than for anyone like that.

       (Prov 29:21 NRSV)  A slave pampered from childhood will come to a bad 
       end.

       (Prov 29:22 NRSV)  One given to anger stirs up strife, and the hothead 
       causes much transgression.

       (Prov 29:23 NRSV)  A person's pride will bring humiliation, but one 
       who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.

       (Prov 29:24 NRSV)  To be a partner of a thief is to hate one's own 
       life; one hears the victim's curse, but discloses nothing.

       (Prov 29:25 NRSV)  The fear of others lays a snare, but one who trusts 
       in the LORD is secure.

       (Prov 29:26 NRSV)  Many seek the favor of a ruler, but it is from the 
       LORD that one gets justice.

       (Prov 29:27 NRSV)  The unjust are an abomination to the righteous, but 
       the upright are an abomination to the wicked.

       (Prov 30:1 NRSV)  The words of Agur son of Jakeh. An oracle. Thus says 
       the man: I am weary, O God, I am weary, O God. How can I prevail?

       (Prov 30:2 NRSV)  Surely I am too stupid to be human; I do not have 
       human understanding.

       (Prov 30:3 NRSV)  I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of 
       the holy ones.

       (Prov 30:4 NRSV)  Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has 
       gathered the wind in the hollow of the hand? Who has wrapped up the 
       waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? 
       What is the person's name? And what is the name of the person's child? 
       Surely you know!

       (Prov 30:5 NRSV)  Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to 
       those who take refuge in him.

       (Prov 30:6 NRSV)  Do not add to his words, or else he will rebuke you, 
       and you will be found a liar.

       (Prov 30:7 NRSV)  Two things I ask of you; do not deny them to me 
       before I die:

       (Prov 30:8 NRSV)  Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me 
       neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that I need,

       (Prov 30:9 NRSV)  or I shall be full, and deny you, and say, "Who is 
       the LORD?" or I shall be poor, and steal, and profane the name of my 





       God.

       (Prov 30:10 NRSV)  Do not slander a servant to a master, or the 
       servant will curse you, and you will be held guilty.

       (Prov 30:11 NRSV)  There are those who curse their fathers and do not 
       bless their mothers.

       (Prov 30:12 NRSV)  There are those who are pure in their own eyes yet 
       are not cleansed of their filthiness.

       (Prov 30:13 NRSV)  There are those--how lofty are their eyes, how high 
       their eyelids lift!

       (Prov 30:14 NRSV)  There are those whose teeth are swords, whose teeth 
       are knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, the needy from 
       among mortals.

       (Prov 30:15 NRSV)  The leech has two daughters; "Give, give," they 
       cry. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, "Enough":

       (Prov 30:16 NRSV)  Sheol, the barren womb, the earth ever thirsty for 
       water, and the fire that never says, "Enough."

       (Prov 30:17 NRSV)  The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a 
       mother will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the 
       vultures.

       (Prov 30:18 NRSV)  Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do 
       not understand:

       (Prov 30:19 NRSV)  the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake 
       on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man 
       with a girl.

       (Prov 30:20 NRSV)  This is the way of an adulteress: she eats, and 
       wipes her mouth, and says, "I have done no wrong."

       (Prov 30:21 NRSV)  Under three things the earth trembles; under four 
       it cannot bear up:

       (Prov 30:22 NRSV)  a slave when he becomes king, and a fool when 
       glutted with food;

       (Prov 30:23 NRSV)  an unloved woman when she gets a husband, and a 
       maid when she succeeds her mistress.

       (Prov 30:24 NRSV)  Four things on earth are small, yet they are 
       exceedingly wise:

       (Prov 30:25 NRSV)  the ants are a people without strength, yet they 
       provide their food in the summer;

       (Prov 30:26 NRSV)  the badgers are a people without power, yet they 
       make their homes in the rocks;





       (Prov 30:27 NRSV)  the locusts have no king, yet all of them march in 
       rank;

       (Prov 30:28 NRSV)  the lizard can be grasped in the hand, yet it is 
       found in kings' palaces.

       (Prov 30:29 NRSV)  Three things are stately in their stride; four are 
       stately in their gait:

       (Prov 30:30 NRSV)  the lion, which is mightiest among wild animals and 
       does not turn back before any;

       (Prov 30:31 NRSV)  the strutting rooster, the he-goat, and a king 
       striding before his people.

       (Prov 30:32 NRSV)  If you have been foolish, exalting yourself, or if 
       you have been devising evil, put your hand on your mouth.

       (Prov 30:33 NRSV)  For as pressing milk produces curds, and pressing 
       the nose produces blood, so pressing anger produces strife.

       (Prov 31:1 NRSV)  The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother 
       taught him:

       (Prov 31:2 NRSV)  No, my son! No, son of my womb! No, son of my vows!

       (Prov 31:3 NRSV)  Do not give your strength to women, your ways to 
       those who destroy kings.

       (Prov 31:4 NRSV)  It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings 
       to drink wine, or for rulers to desire strong drink;

       (Prov 31:5 NRSV)  or else they will drink and forget what has been 
       decreed, and will pervert the rights of all the afflicted.

       (Prov 31:6 NRSV)  Give strong drink to one who is perishing, and wine 
       to those in bitter distress;

       (Prov 31:7 NRSV)  let them drink and forget their poverty, and 
       remember their misery no more.

       (Prov 31:8 NRSV)  Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights 
       of all the destitute.

       (Prov 31:9 NRSV)  Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of 
       the poor and needy.

       (Prov 31:10 NRSV)  A capable wife who can find? She is far more 
       precious than jewels.

       (Prov 31:11 NRSV)  The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will 
       have no lack of gain.

       (Prov 31:12 NRSV)  She does him good, and not harm, all the days of 
       her life.





       (Prov 31:13 NRSV)  She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing 
       hands.

       (Prov 31:14 NRSV)  She is like the ships of the merchant, she brings 
       her food from far away.

       (Prov 31:15 NRSV)  She rises while it is still night and provides food 
       for her household and tasks for her servant-girls.

       (Prov 31:16 NRSV)  She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit 
       of her hands she plants a vineyard.

       (Prov 31:17 NRSV)  She girds herself with strength, and makes her arms 
       strong.

       (Prov 31:18 NRSV)  She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. 
       Her lamp does not go out at night.

       (Prov 31:19 NRSV)  She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands 
       hold the spindle.

       (Prov 31:20 NRSV)  She opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her 
       hands to the needy.

       (Prov 31:21 NRSV)  She is not afraid for her household when it snows, 
       for all her household are clothed in crimson.

       (Prov 31:22 NRSV)  She makes herself coverings; her clothing is fine 
       linen and purple.

       (Prov 31:23 NRSV)  Her husband is known in the city gates, taking his 
       seat among the elders of the land.

       (Prov 31:24 NRSV)  She makes linen garments and sells them; she 
       supplies the merchant with sashes.

       (Prov 31:25 NRSV)  Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she 
       laughs at the time to come.

       (Prov 31:26 NRSV)  She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching 
       of kindness is on her tongue.

       (Prov 31:27 NRSV)  She looks well to the ways of her household, and 
       does not eat the bread of idleness.

       (Prov 31:28 NRSV)  Her children rise up and call her happy; her 
       husband too, and he praises her:

       (Prov 31:29 NRSV)  "Many women have done excellently, but you surpass 
       them all."

       (Prov 31:30 NRSV)  Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman 
       who fears the LORD is to be praised.

       (Prov 31:31 NRSV)  Give her a share in the fruit of her hands, and let 
       her works praise her in the city gates.






       (Eccl 1:1 NRSV)  The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in 
       Jerusalem.

       (Eccl 1:2 NRSV)  Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of 
       vanities! All is vanity.

       (Eccl 1:3 NRSV)  What do people gain from all the toil at which they 
       toil under the sun?

       (Eccl 1:4 NRSV)  A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the 
       earth remains forever.

       (Eccl 1:5 NRSV)  The sun rises and the sun goes down, and hurries to 
       the place where it rises.

       (Eccl 1:6 NRSV)  The wind blows to the south, and goes around to the 
       north; round and round goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind 
       returns.

       (Eccl 1:7 NRSV)  All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; 
       to the place where the streams flow, there they continue to flow.

       (Eccl 1:8 NRSV)  All things are wearisome; more than one can express; 
       the eye is not satisfied with seeing, or the ear filled with hearing.

       (Eccl 1:9 NRSV)  What has been is what will be, and what has been done 
       is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.

       (Eccl 1:10 NRSV)  Is there a thing of which it is said, "See, this is 
       new"? It has already been, in the ages before us.

       (Eccl 1:11 NRSV)  The people of long ago are not remembered, nor will 
       there be any remembrance of people yet to come by those who come after 
       them.

       (Eccl 1:12 NRSV)  I, the Teacher, when king over Israel in Jerusalem,

       (Eccl 1:13 NRSV)  applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom 
       all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has 
       given to human beings to be busy with.

       (Eccl 1:14 NRSV)  I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and 
       see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

       (Eccl 1:15 NRSV)  What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is 
       lacking cannot be counted.

       (Eccl 1:16 NRSV)  I said to myself, "I have acquired great wisdom, 
       surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has had 
       great experience of wisdom and knowledge."

       (Eccl 1:17 NRSV)  And I applied my mind to know wisdom and to know 
       madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a chasing after 
       wind.





       (Eccl 1:18 NRSV)  For in much wisdom is much vexation, and those who 
       increase knowledge increase sorrow.

       (Eccl 2:1 NRSV)  I said to myself, "Come now, I will make a test of 
       pleasure; enjoy yourself." But again, this also was vanity.

       (Eccl 2:2 NRSV)  I said of laughter, "It is mad," and of pleasure, 
       "What use is it?"

       (Eccl 2:3 NRSV)  I searched with my mind how to cheer my body with 
       wine--my mind still guiding me with wisdom--and how to lay hold on 
       folly, until I might see what was good for mortals to do under heaven 
       during the few days of their life.

       (Eccl 2:4 NRSV)  I made great works; I built houses and planted 
       vineyards for myself;

       (Eccl 2:5 NRSV)  I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them 
       all kinds of fruit trees.

       (Eccl 2:6 NRSV)  I made myself pools from which to water the forest of 
       growing trees.

       (Eccl 2:7 NRSV)  I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who 
       were born in my house; I also had great possessions of herds and 
       flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem.

       (Eccl 2:8 NRSV)  I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the 
       treasure of kings and of the provinces; I got singers, both men and 
       women, and delights of the flesh, and many concubines.

       (Eccl 2:9 NRSV)  So I became great and surpassed all who were before 
       me in Jerusalem; also my wisdom remained with me.

       (Eccl 2:10 NRSV)  Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them; I 
       kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my 
       toil, and this was my reward for all my toil.

       (Eccl 2:11 NRSV)  Then I considered all that my hands had done and the 
       toil I had spent in doing it, and again, all was vanity and a chasing 
       after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

       (Eccl 2:12 NRSV)  So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and 
       folly; for what can the one do who comes after the king? Only what has 
       already been done.

       (Eccl 2:13 NRSV)  Then I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels 
       darkness.

       (Eccl 2:14 NRSV)  The wise have eyes in their head, but fools walk in 
       darkness. Yet I perceived that the same fate befalls all of them.

       (Eccl 2:15 NRSV)  Then I said to myself, "What happens to the fool 
       will happen to me also; why then have I been so very wise?" And I said 
       to myself that this also is vanity.





       (Eccl 2:16 NRSV)  For there is no enduring remembrance of the wise or 
       of fools, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long 
       forgotten. How can the wise die just like fools?

       (Eccl 2:17 NRSV)  So I hated life, because what is done under the sun 
       was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

       (Eccl 2:18 NRSV)  I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the 
       sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me

       (Eccl 2:19 NRSV)  --and who knows whether they will be wise or 
       foolish? Yet they will be master of all for which I toiled and used my 
       wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity.

       (Eccl 2:20 NRSV)  So I turned and gave my heart up to despair 
       concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun,

       (Eccl 2:21 NRSV)  because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and 
       knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did 
       not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

       (Eccl 2:22 NRSV)  What do mortals get from all the toil and strain 
       with which they toil under the sun?

       (Eccl 2:23 NRSV)  For all their days are full of pain, and their work 
       is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is 
       vanity.

       (Eccl 2:24 NRSV)  There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and 
       drink, and find enjoyment in their toil. This also, I saw, is from the 
       hand of God;

       (Eccl 2:25 NRSV)  for apart from him who can eat or who can have 
       enjoyment?

       (Eccl 2:26 NRSV)  For to the one who pleases him God gives wisdom and 
       knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the work of gathering 
       and heaping, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity 
       and a chasing after wind.

       (Eccl 3:1 NRSV)  For everything there is a season, and a time for 
       every matter under heaven:

       (Eccl 3:2 NRSV)  a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to 
       plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

       (Eccl 3:3 NRSV)  a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break 
       down, and a time to build up;

       (Eccl 3:4 NRSV)  a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, 
       and a time to dance;

       (Eccl 3:5 NRSV)  a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather 
       stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from 
       embracing;





       (Eccl 3:6 NRSV)  a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, 
       and a time to throw away;

       (Eccl 3:7 NRSV)  a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep 
       silence, and a time to speak;

       (Eccl 3:8 NRSV)  a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, 
       and a time for peace.

       (Eccl 3:9 NRSV)  What gain have the workers from their toil?

       (Eccl 3:10 NRSV)  I have seen the business that God has given to 
       everyone to be busy with.

       (Eccl 3:11 NRSV)  He has made everything suitable for its time; 
       moreover he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet 
       they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

       (Eccl 3:12 NRSV)  I know that there is nothing better for them than to 
       be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live;

       (Eccl 3:13 NRSV)  moreover, it is God's gift that all should eat and 
       drink and take pleasure in all their toil.

       (Eccl 3:14 NRSV)  I know that whatever God does endures forever; 
       nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has done 
       this, so that all should stand in awe before him.

       (Eccl 3:15 NRSV)  That which is, already has been; that which is to 
       be, already is; and God seeks out what has gone by.

       (Eccl 3:16 NRSV)  Moreover I saw under the sun that in the place of 
       justice, wickedness was there, and in the place of righteousness, 
       wickedness was there as well.

       (Eccl 3:17 NRSV)  I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and 
       the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter, and for 
       every work.

       (Eccl 3:18 NRSV)  I said in my heart with regard to human beings that 
       God is testing them to show that they are but animals.

       (Eccl 3:19 NRSV)  For the fate of humans and the fate of animals is 
       the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same 
       breath, and humans have no advantage over the animals; for all is 
       vanity.

       (Eccl 3:20 NRSV)  All go to one place; all are from the dust, and all 
       turn to dust again.

       (Eccl 3:21 NRSV)  Who knows whether the human spirit goes upward and 
       the spirit of animals goes downward to the earth?

       (Eccl 3:22 NRSV)  So I saw that there is nothing better than that all 
       should enjoy their work, for that is their lot; who can bring them to 
       see what will be after them?






       (Eccl 4:1 NRSV)  Again I saw all the oppressions that are practiced 
       under the sun. Look, the tears of the oppressed--with no one to 
       comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power--with no 
       one to comfort them.

       (Eccl 4:2 NRSV)  And I thought the dead, who have already died, more 
       fortunate than the living, who are still alive;

       (Eccl 4:3 NRSV)  but better than both is the one who has not yet been, 
       and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.

       (Eccl 4:4 NRSV)  Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come 
       from one person's envy of another. This also is vanity and a chasing 
       after wind.

       (Eccl 4:5 NRSV)  Fools fold their hands and consume their own flesh.

       (Eccl 4:6 NRSV)  Better is a handful with quiet than two handfuls with 
       toil, and a chasing after wind.

       (Eccl 4:7 NRSV)  Again, I saw vanity under the sun:

       (Eccl 4:8 NRSV)  the case of solitary individuals, without sons or 
       brothers; yet there is no end to all their toil, and their eyes are 
       never satisfied with riches. "For whom am I toiling," they ask, "and 
       depriving myself of pleasure?" This also is vanity and an unhappy 
       business.

       (Eccl 4:9 NRSV)  Two are better than one, because they have a good 
       reward for their toil.

       (Eccl 4:10 NRSV)  For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but 
       woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help.

       (Eccl 4:11 NRSV)  Again, if two lie together, they keep warm; but how 
       can one keep warm alone?

       (Eccl 4:12 NRSV)  And though one might prevail against another, two 
       will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken.

       (Eccl 4:13 NRSV)  Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but 
       foolish king, who will no longer take advice.

       (Eccl 4:14 NRSV)  One can indeed come out of prison to reign, even 
       though born poor in the kingdom.

       (Eccl 4:15 NRSV)  I saw all the living who, moving about under the 
       sun, follow that youth who replaced the king;

       (Eccl 4:16 NRSV)  there was no end to all those people whom he led. 
       Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is 
       vanity and a chasing after wind.

       (Eccl 5:1 NRSV)  Guard your steps when you go to the house of God; to 
       draw near to listen is better than the sacrifice offered by fools; for 





       they do not know how to keep from doing evil.

       (Eccl 5:2 NRSV)  Never be rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be 
       quick to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven, and you upon 
       earth; therefore let your words be few.

       (Eccl 5:3 NRSV)  For dreams come with many cares, and a fool's voice 
       with many words.

       (Eccl 5:4 NRSV)  When you make a vow to God, do not delay fulfilling 
       it; for he has no pleasure in fools. Fulfill what you vow.

       (Eccl 5:5 NRSV)  It is better that you should not vow than that you 
       should vow and not fulfill it.

       (Eccl 5:6 NRSV)  Do not let your mouth lead you into sin, and do not 
       say before the messenger that it was a mistake; why should God be 
       angry at your words, and destroy the work of your hands?

       (Eccl 5:7 NRSV)  With many dreams come vanities and a multitude of 
       words; but fear God.

       (Eccl 5:8 NRSV)  If you see in a province the oppression of the poor 
       and the violation of justice and right, do not be amazed at the 
       matter; for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are 
       yet higher ones over them.

       (Eccl 5:9 NRSV)  But all things considered, this is an advantage for a 
       land: a king for a plowed field.

       (Eccl 5:10 NRSV)  The lover of money will not be satisfied with money; 
       nor the lover of wealth, with gain. This also is vanity.

       (Eccl 5:11 NRSV)  When goods increase, those who eat them increase; 
       and what gain has their owner but to see them with his eyes?

       (Eccl 5:12 NRSV)  Sweet is the sleep of laborers, whether they eat 
       little or much; but the surfeit of the rich will not let them sleep.

       (Eccl 5:13 NRSV)  There is a grievous ill that I have seen under the 
       sun: riches were kept by their owners to their hurt,

       (Eccl 5:14 NRSV)  and those riches were lost in a bad venture; though 
       they are parents of children, they have nothing in their hands.

       (Eccl 5:15 NRSV)  As they came from their mother's womb, so they shall 
       go again, naked as they came; they shall take nothing for their toil, 
       which they may carry away with their hands.

       (Eccl 5:16 NRSV)  This also is a grievous ill: just as they came, so 
       shall they go; and what gain do they have from toiling for the wind?

       (Eccl 5:17 NRSV)  Besides, all their days they eat in darkness, in 
       much vexation and sickness and resentment.

       (Eccl 5:18 NRSV)  This is what I have seen to be good: it is fitting 





       to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one 
       toils under the sun the few days of the life God gives us; for this is 
       our lot.

       (Eccl 5:19 NRSV)  Likewise all to whom God gives wealth and 
       possessions and whom he enables to enjoy them, and to accept their lot 
       and find enjoyment in their toil--this is the gift of God.

       (Eccl 5:20 NRSV)  For they will scarcely brood over the days of their 
       lives, because God keeps them occupied with the joy of their hearts.

       (Eccl 6:1 NRSV)  There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and 
       it lies heavy upon humankind:

       (Eccl 6:2 NRSV)  those to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and 
       honor, so that they lack nothing of all that they desire, yet God does 
       not enable them to enjoy these things, but a stranger enjoys them. 
       This is vanity; it is a grievous ill.

       (Eccl 6:3 NRSV)  A man may beget a hundred children, and live many 
       years; but however many are the days of his years, if he does not 
       enjoy life's good things, or has no burial, I say that a stillborn 
       child is better off than he.

       (Eccl 6:4 NRSV)  For it comes into vanity and goes into darkness, and 
       in darkness its name is covered;

       (Eccl 6:5 NRSV)  moreover it has not seen the sun or known anything; 
       yet it finds rest rather than he.

       (Eccl 6:6 NRSV)  Even though he should live a thousand years twice 
       over, yet enjoy no good--do not all go to one place?

       (Eccl 6:7 NRSV)  All human toil is for the mouth, yet the appetite is 
       not satisfied.

       (Eccl 6:8 NRSV)  For what advantage have the wise over fools? And what 
       do the poor have who know how to conduct themselves before the living?

       (Eccl 6:9 NRSV)  Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of 
       desire; this also is vanity and a chasing after wind.

       (Eccl 6:10 NRSV)  Whatever has come to be has already been named, and 
       it is known what human beings are, and that they are not able to 
       dispute with those who are stronger.

       (Eccl 6:11 NRSV)  The more words, the more vanity, so how is one the 
       better?

       (Eccl 6:12 NRSV)  For who knows what is good for mortals while they 
       live the few days of their vain life, which they pass like a shadow? 
       For who can tell them what will be after them under the sun?

       (Eccl 7:1 NRSV)  A good name is better than precious ointment, and the 
       day of death, than the day of birth.





       (Eccl 7:2 NRSV)  It is better to go to the house of mourning than to 
       go to the house of feasting; for this is the end of everyone, and the 
       living will lay it to heart.

       (Eccl 7:3 NRSV)  Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of 
       countenance the heart is made glad.

       (Eccl 7:4 NRSV)  The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; 
       but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

       (Eccl 7:5 NRSV)  It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than to 
       hear the song of fools.

       (Eccl 7:6 NRSV)  For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is 
       the laughter of fools; this also is vanity.

       (Eccl 7:7 NRSV)  Surely oppression makes the wise foolish, and a bribe 
       corrupts the heart.

       (Eccl 7:8 NRSV)  Better is the end of a thing than its beginning; the 
       patient in spirit are better than the proud in spirit.

       (Eccl 7:9 NRSV)  Do not be quick to anger, for anger lodges in the 
       bosom of fools.

       (Eccl 7:10 NRSV)  Do not say, "Why were the former days better than 
       these?" For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.

       (Eccl 7:11 NRSV)  Wisdom is as good as an inheritance, an advantage to 
       those who see the sun.

       (Eccl 7:12 NRSV)  For the protection of wisdom is like the protection 
       of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to 
       the one who possesses it.

       (Eccl 7:13 NRSV)  Consider the work of God; who can make straight what 
       he has made crooked?

       (Eccl 7:14 NRSV)  In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day 
       of adversity consider; God has made the one as well as the other, so 
       that mortals may not find out anything that will come after them.

       (Eccl 7:15 NRSV)  In my vain life I have seen everything; there are 
       righteous people who perish in their righteousness, and there are 
       wicked people who prolong their life in their evildoing.

       (Eccl 7:16 NRSV)  Do not be too righteous, and do not act too wise; 
       why should you destroy yourself?

       (Eccl 7:17 NRSV)  Do not be too wicked, and do not be a fool; why 
       should you die before your time?

       (Eccl 7:18 NRSV)  It is good that you should take hold of the one, 
       without letting go of the other; for the one who fears God shall 
       succeed with both.





       (Eccl 7:19 NRSV)  Wisdom gives strength to the wise more than ten 
       rulers that are in a city.

       (Eccl 7:20 NRSV)  Surely there is no one on earth so righteous as to 
       do good without ever sinning.

       (Eccl 7:21 NRSV)  Do not give heed to everything that people say, or 
       you may hear your servant cursing you;

       (Eccl 7:22 NRSV)  your heart knows that many times you have yourself 
       cursed others.

       (Eccl 7:23 NRSV)  All this I have tested by wisdom; I said, "I will be 
       wise," but it was far from me.

       (Eccl 7:24 NRSV)  That which is, is far off, and deep, very deep; who 
       can find it out?

       (Eccl 7:25 NRSV)  I turned my mind to know and to search out and to 
       seek wisdom and the sum of things, and to know that wickedness is 
       folly and that foolishness is madness.

       (Eccl 7:26 NRSV)  I found more bitter than death the woman who is a 
       trap, whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are fetters; one who 
       pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her.

       (Eccl 7:27 NRSV)  See, this is what I found, says the Teacher, adding 
       one thing to another to find the sum,

       (Eccl 7:28 NRSV)  which my mind has sought repeatedly, but I have not 
       found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I 
       have not found.

       (Eccl 7:29 NRSV)  See, this alone I found, that God made human beings 
       straightforward, but they have devised many schemes.

       (Eccl 8:1 NRSV)  Who is like the wise man? And who knows the 
       interpretation of a thing? Wisdom makes one's face shine, and the 
       hardness of one's countenance is changed.

       (Eccl 8:2 NRSV)  Keep the king's command because of your sacred oath.

       (Eccl 8:3 NRSV)  Do not be terrified; go from his presence, do not 
       delay when the matter is unpleasant, for he does whatever he pleases.

       (Eccl 8:4 NRSV)  For the word of the king is powerful, and who can say 
       to him, "What are you doing?"

       (Eccl 8:5 NRSV)  Whoever obeys a command will meet no harm, and the 
       wise mind will know the time and way.

       (Eccl 8:6 NRSV)  For every matter has its time and way, although the 
       troubles of mortals lie heavy upon them.

       (Eccl 8:7 NRSV)  Indeed, they do not know what is to be, for who can 
       tell them how it will be?






       (Eccl 8:8 NRSV)  No one has power over the wind to restrain the wind, 
       or power over the day of death; there is no discharge from the battle, 
       nor does wickedness deliver those who practice it.

       (Eccl 8:9 NRSV)  All this I observed, applying my mind to all that is 
       done under the sun, while one person exercises authority over another 
       to the other's hurt.

       (Eccl 8:10 NRSV)  Then I saw the wicked buried; they used to go in and 
       out of the holy place, and were praised in the city where they had 
       done such things. This also is vanity.

       (Eccl 8:11 NRSV)  Because sentence against an evil deed is not 
       executed speedily, the human heart is fully set to do evil.

       (Eccl 8:12 NRSV)  Though sinners do evil a hundred times and prolong 
       their lives, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, 
       because they stand in fear before him,

       (Eccl 8:13 NRSV)  but it will not be well with the wicked, neither 
       will they prolong their days like a shadow, because they do not stand 
       in fear before God.

       (Eccl 8:14 NRSV)  There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that 
       there are righteous people who are treated according to the conduct of 
       the wicked, and there are wicked people who are treated according to 
       the conduct of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.

       (Eccl 8:15 NRSV)  So I commend enjoyment, for there is nothing better 
       for people under the sun than to eat, and drink, and enjoy themselves, 
       for this will go with them in their toil through the days of life that 
       God gives them under the sun.

       (Eccl 8:16 NRSV)  When I applied my mind to know wisdom, and to see 
       the business that is done on earth, how one's eyes see sleep neither 
       day nor night,

       (Eccl 8:17 NRSV)  then I saw all the work of God, that no one can find 
       out what is happening under the sun. However much they may toil in 
       seeking, they will not find it out; even though those who are wise 
       claim to know, they cannot find it out.

       (Eccl 9:1 NRSV)  All this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the 
       righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God; whether 
       it is love or hate one does not know. Everything that confronts them

       (Eccl 9:2 NRSV)  is vanity, since the same fate comes to all, to the 
       righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and 
       the unclean, to those who sacrifice and those who do not sacrifice. As 
       are the good, so are the sinners; those who swear are like those who 
       shun an oath.

       (Eccl 9:3 NRSV)  This is an evil in all that happens under the sun, 
       that the same fate comes to everyone. Moreover, the hearts of all are 
       full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after 





       that they go to the dead.

       (Eccl 9:4 NRSV)  But whoever is joined with all the living has hope, 
       for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

       (Eccl 9:5 NRSV)  The living know that they will die, but the dead know 
       nothing; they have no more reward, and even the memory of them is 
       lost.

       (Eccl 9:6 NRSV)  Their love and their hate and their envy have already 
       perished; never again will they have any share in all that happens 
       under the sun.

       (Eccl 9:7 NRSV)  Go, eat your bread with enjoyment, and drink your 
       wine with a merry heart; for God has long ago approved what you do.

       (Eccl 9:8 NRSV)  Let your garments always be white; do not let oil be 
       lacking on your head.

       (Eccl 9:9 NRSV)  Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days 
       of your vain life that are given you under the sun, because that is 
       your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun.

       (Eccl 9:10 NRSV)  Whatever your hand finds to do, do with your might; 
       for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to 
       which you are going.

       (Eccl 9:11 NRSV)  Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to 
       the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor 
       riches to the intelligent, nor favor to the skillful; but time and 
       chance happen to them all.

       (Eccl 9:12 NRSV)  For no one can anticipate the time of disaster. Like 
       fish taken in a cruel net, and like birds caught in a snare, so 
       mortals are snared at a time of calamity, when it suddenly falls upon 
       them.

       (Eccl 9:13 NRSV)  I have also seen this example of wisdom under the 
       sun, and it seemed great to me.

       (Eccl 9:14 NRSV)  There was a little city with few people in it. A 
       great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks 
       against it.

       (Eccl 9:15 NRSV)  Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by 
       his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man.

       (Eccl 9:16 NRSV)  So I said, "Wisdom is better than might; yet the 
       poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heeded."

       (Eccl 9:17 NRSV)  The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded 
       than the shouting of a ruler among fools.

       (Eccl 9:18 NRSV)  Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one 
       bungler destroys much good.





       (Eccl 10:1 NRSV)  Dead flies make the perfumer's ointment give off a 
       foul odor; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

       (Eccl 10:2 NRSV)  The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the 
       heart of a fool to the left.

       (Eccl 10:3 NRSV)  Even when fools walk on the road, they lack sense, 
       and show to everyone that they are fools.

       (Eccl 10:4 NRSV)  If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not 
       leave your post, for calmness will undo great offenses.

       (Eccl 10:5 NRSV)  There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as 
       great an error as if it proceeded from the ruler:

       (Eccl 10:6 NRSV)  folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit 
       in a low place.

       (Eccl 10:7 NRSV)  I have seen slaves on horseback, and princes walking 
       on foot like slaves.

       (Eccl 10:8 NRSV)  Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; and whoever 
       breaks through a wall will be bitten by a snake.

       (Eccl 10:9 NRSV)  Whoever quarries stones will be hurt by them; and 
       whoever splits logs will be endangered by them.

       (Eccl 10:10 NRSV)  If the iron is blunt, and one does not whet the 
       edge, then more strength must be exerted; but wisdom helps one to 
       succeed.

       (Eccl 10:11 NRSV)  If the snake bites before it is charmed, there is 
       no advantage in a charmer.

       (Eccl 10:12 NRSV)  Words spoken by the wise bring them favor, but the 
       lips of fools consume them.

       (Eccl 10:13 NRSV)  The words of their mouths begin in foolishness, and 
       their talk ends in wicked madness;

       (Eccl 10:14 NRSV)  yet fools talk on and on. No one knows what is to 
       happen, and who can tell anyone what the future holds?

       (Eccl 10:15 NRSV)  The toil of fools wears them out, for they do not 
       even know the way to town.

       (Eccl 10:16 NRSV)  Alas for you, O land, when your king is a servant, 
       and your princes feast in the morning!

       (Eccl 10:17 NRSV)  Happy are you, O land, when your king is a 
       nobleman, and your princes feast at the proper time-- for strength, 
       and not for drunkenness!

       (Eccl 10:18 NRSV)  Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through 
       indolence the house leaks.





       (Eccl 10:19 NRSV)  Feasts are made for laughter; wine gladdens life, 
       and money meets every need.

       (Eccl 10:20 NRSV)  Do not curse the king, even in your thoughts, or 
       curse the rich, even in your bedroom; for a bird of the air may carry 
       your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter.

       (Eccl 11:1 NRSV)  Send out your bread upon the waters, for after many 
       days you will get it back.

       (Eccl 11:2 NRSV)  Divide your means seven ways, or even eight, for you 
       do not know what disaster may happen on earth.

       (Eccl 11:3 NRSV)  When clouds are full, they empty rain on the earth; 
       whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where 
       the tree falls, there it will lie.

       (Eccl 11:4 NRSV)  Whoever observes the wind will not sow; and whoever 
       regards the clouds will not reap.

       (Eccl 11:5 NRSV)  Just as you do not know how the breath comes to the 
       bones in the mother's womb, so you do not know the work of God, who 
       makes everything.

       (Eccl 11:6 NRSV)  In the morning sow your seed, and at evening do not 
       let your hands be idle; for you do not know which will prosper, this 
       or that, or whether both alike will be good.

       (Eccl 11:7 NRSV)  Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to 
       see the sun.

       (Eccl 11:8 NRSV)  Even those who live many years should rejoice in 
       them all; yet let them remember that the days of darkness will be 
       many. All that comes is vanity.

       (Eccl 11:9 NRSV)  Rejoice, young man, while you are young, and let 
       your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Follow the inclination 
       of your heart and the desire of your eyes, but know that for all these 
       things God will bring you into judgment.

       (Eccl 11:10 NRSV)  Banish anxiety from your mind, and put away pain 
       from your body; for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.

       (Eccl 12:1 NRSV)  Remember your creator in the days of your youth, 
       before the days of trouble come, and the years draw near when you will 
       say, "I have no pleasure in them";

       (Eccl 12:2 NRSV)  before the sun and the light and the moon and the 
       stars are darkened and the clouds return with the rain;

       (Eccl 12:3 NRSV)  in the day when the guards of the house tremble, and 
       the strong men are bent, and the women who grind cease working because 
       they are few, and those who look through the windows see dimly;

       (Eccl 12:4 NRSV)  when the doors on the street are shut, and the sound 
       of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and 





       all the daughters of song are brought low;

       (Eccl 12:5 NRSV)  when one is afraid of heights, and terrors are in 
       the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along 
       and desire fails; because all must go to their eternal home, and the 
       mourners will go about the streets;

       (Eccl 12:6 NRSV)  before the silver cord is snapped, and the golden 
       bowl is broken, and the pitcher is broken at the fountain, and the 
       wheel broken at the cistern,

       (Eccl 12:7 NRSV)  and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the 
       breath returns to God who gave it.

       (Eccl 12:8 NRSV)  Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher; all is vanity.

       (Eccl 12:9 NRSV)  Besides being wise, the Teacher also taught the 
       people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs.

       (Eccl 12:10 NRSV)  The Teacher sought to find pleasing words, and he 
       wrote words of truth plainly.

       (Eccl 12:11 NRSV)  The sayings of the wise are like goads, and like 
       nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings that are given by one 
       shepherd.

       (Eccl 12:12 NRSV)  Of anything beyond these, my child, beware. Of 
       making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of 
       the flesh.

       (Eccl 12:13 NRSV)  The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear 
       God, and keep his commandments; for that is the whole duty of 
       everyone.

       (Eccl 12:14 NRSV)  For God will bring every deed into judgment, 
       including every secret thing, whether good or evil.

       (Song 1:1 NRSV)  The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's.

       (Song 1:2 NRSV)  Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For 
       your love is better than wine,

       (Song 1:3 NRSV)  your anointing oils are fragrant, your name is 
       perfume poured out; therefore the maidens love you.

       (Song 1:4 NRSV)  Draw me after you, let us make haste. The king has 
       brought me into his chambers. We will exult and rejoice in you; we 
       will extol your love more than wine; rightly do they love you.

       (Song 1:5 NRSV)  I am black and beautiful, O daughters of Jerusalem, 
       like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.

       (Song 1:6 NRSV)  Do not gaze at me because I am dark, because the sun 
       has gazed on me. My mother's sons were angry with me; they made me 
       keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept!





       (Song 1:7 NRSV)  Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where you pasture 
       your flock, where you make it lie down at noon; for why should I be 
       like one who is veiled beside the flocks of your companions?

       (Song 1:8 NRSV)  If you do not know, O fairest among women, follow the 
       tracks of the flock, and pasture your kids beside the shepherds' 
       tents.

       (Song 1:9 NRSV)  I compare you, my love, to a mare among Pharaoh's 
       chariots.

       (Song 1:10 NRSV)  Your cheeks are comely with ornaments, your neck 
       with strings of jewels.

       (Song 1:11 NRSV)  We will make you ornaments of gold, studded with 
       silver.

       (Song 1:12 NRSV)  While the king was on his couch, my nard gave forth 
       its fragrance.

       (Song 1:13 NRSV)  My beloved is to me a bag of myrrh that lies between 
       my breasts.

       (Song 1:14 NRSV)  My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in 
       the vineyards of En-gedi.

       (Song 1:15 NRSV)  Ah, you are beautiful, my love; ah, you are 
       beautiful; your eyes are doves.

       (Song 1:16 NRSV)  Ah, you are beautiful, my beloved, truly lovely. Our 
       couch is green;

       (Song 1:17 NRSV)  the beams of our house are cedar, our rafters are 
       pine.

       (Song 2:1 NRSV)  I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.

       (Song 2:2 NRSV)  As a lily among brambles, so is my love among 
       maidens.

       (Song 2:3 NRSV)  As an apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is 
       my beloved among young men. With great delight I sat in his shadow, 
       and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

       (Song 2:4 NRSV)  He brought me to the banqueting house, and his 
       intention toward me was love.

       (Song 2:5 NRSV)  Sustain me with raisins, refresh me with apples; for 
       I am faint with love.

       (Song 2:6 NRSV)  O that his left hand were under my head, and that his 
       right hand embraced me!

       (Song 2:7 NRSV)  I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the 
       gazelles or the wild does: do not stir up or awaken love until it is 
       ready!






       (Song 2:8 NRSV)  The voice of my beloved! Look, he comes, leaping upon 
       the mountains, bounding over the hills.

       (Song 2:9 NRSV)  My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look, 
       there he stands behind our wall, gazing in at the windows, looking 
       through the lattice.

       (Song 2:10 NRSV)  My beloved speaks and says to me: "Arise, my love, 
       my fair one, and come away;

       (Song 2:11 NRSV)  for now the winter is past, the rain is over and 
       gone.

       (Song 2:12 NRSV)  The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing 
       has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

       (Song 2:13 NRSV)  The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are 
       in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, 
       and come away.

       (Song 2:14 NRSV)  O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the covert 
       of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your 
       voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.

       (Song 2:15 NRSV)  Catch us the foxes, the little foxes, that ruin the 
       vineyards-- for our vineyards are in blossom."

       (Song 2:16 NRSV)  My beloved is mine and I am his; he pastures his 
       flock among the lilies.

       (Song 2:17 NRSV)  Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, turn, 
       my beloved, be like a gazelle or a young stag on the cleft mountains.

       (Song 3:1 NRSV)  Upon my bed at night I sought him whom my soul loves; 
       I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he gave no answer.

       (Song 3:2 NRSV)  "I will rise now and go about the city, in the 
       streets and in the squares; I will seek him whom my soul loves." I 
       sought him, but found him not.

       (Song 3:3 NRSV)  The sentinels found me, as they went about in the 
       city. "Have you seen him whom my soul loves?"

       (Song 3:4 NRSV)  Scarcely had I passed them, when I found him whom my 
       soul loves. I held him, and would not let him go until I brought him 
       into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.

       (Song 3:5 NRSV)  I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the 
       gazelles or the wild does: do not stir up or awaken love until it is 
       ready!

       (Song 3:6 NRSV)  What is that coming up from the wilderness, like a 
       column of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the 
       fragrant powders of the merchant?





       (Song 3:7 NRSV)  Look, it is the litter of Solomon! Around it are 
       sixty mighty men of the mighty men of Israel,

       (Song 3:8 NRSV)  all equipped with swords and expert in war, each with 
       his sword at his thigh because of alarms by night.

       (Song 3:9 NRSV)  King Solomon made himself a palanquin from the wood 
       of Lebanon.

       (Song 3:10 NRSV)  He made its posts of silver, its back of gold, its 
       seat of purple; its interior was inlaid with love. Daughters of 
       Jerusalem,

       (Song 3:11 NRSV)  come out. Look, O daughters of Zion, at King 
       Solomon, at the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of 
       his wedding, on the day of the gladness of his heart.

       (Song 4:1 NRSV)  How beautiful you are, my love, how very beautiful! 
       Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of 
       goats, moving down the slopes of Gilead.

       (Song 4:2 NRSV)  Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes that have 
       come up from the washing, all of which bear twins, and not one among 
       them is bereaved.

       (Song 4:3 NRSV)  Your lips are like a crimson thread, and your mouth 
       is lovely. Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind your 
       veil.

       (Song 4:4 NRSV)  Your neck is like the tower of David, built in 
       courses; on it hang a thousand bucklers, all of them shields of 
       warriors.

       (Song 4:5 NRSV)  Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a 
       gazelle, that feed among the lilies.

       (Song 4:6 NRSV)  Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, I will 
       hasten to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense.

       (Song 4:7 NRSV)  You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no 
       flaw in you.

       (Song 4:8 NRSV)  Come with me from Lebanon, my bride; come with me 
       from Lebanon. Depart from the peak of Amana, from the peak of Senir 
       and Hermon, from the dens of lions, from the mountains of leopards.

       (Song 4:9 NRSV)  You have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride, you 
       have ravished my heart with a glance of your eyes, with one jewel of 
       your necklace.

       (Song 4:10 NRSV)  How sweet is your love, my sister, my bride! how 
       much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils 
       than any spice!

       (Song 4:11 NRSV)  Your lips distill nectar, my bride; honey and milk 
       are under your tongue; the scent of your garments is like the scent of 





       Lebanon.

       (Song 4:12 NRSV)  A garden locked is my sister, my bride, a garden 
       locked, a fountain sealed.

       (Song 4:13 NRSV)  Your channel is an orchard of pomegranates with all 
       choicest fruits, henna with nard,

       (Song 4:14 NRSV)  nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all 
       trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all chief spices--

       (Song 4:15 NRSV)  a garden fountain, a well of living water, and 
       flowing streams from Lebanon.

       (Song 4:16 NRSV)  Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind! Blow 
       upon my garden that its fragrance may be wafted abroad. Let my beloved 
       come to his garden, and eat its choicest fruits.

       (Song 5:1 NRSV)  I come to my garden, my sister, my bride; I gather my 
       myrrh with my spice, I eat my honeycomb with my honey, I drink my wine 
       with my milk. Eat, friends, drink, and be drunk with love.

       (Song 5:2 NRSV)  I slept, but my heart was awake. Listen! my beloved 
       is knocking. "Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one; 
       for my head is wet with dew, my locks with the drops of the night."

       (Song 5:3 NRSV)  I had put off my garment; how could I put it on 
       again? I had bathed my feet; how could I soil them?

       (Song 5:4 NRSV)  My beloved thrust his hand into the opening, and my 
       inmost being yearned for him.

       (Song 5:5 NRSV)  I arose to open to my beloved, and my hands dripped 
       with myrrh, my fingers with liquid myrrh, upon the handles of the 
       bolt.

       (Song 5:6 NRSV)  I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had turned and 
       was gone. My soul failed me when he spoke. I sought him, but did not 
       find him; I called him, but he gave no answer.

       (Song 5:7 NRSV)  Making their rounds in the city the sentinels found 
       me; they beat me, they wounded me, they took away my mantle, those 
       sentinels of the walls.

       (Song 5:8 NRSV)  I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find 
       my beloved, tell him this: I am faint with love.

       (Song 5:9 NRSV)  What is your beloved more than another beloved, O 
       fairest among women? What is your beloved more than another beloved, 
       that you thus adjure us?

       (Song 5:10 NRSV)  My beloved is all radiant and ruddy, distinguished 
       among ten thousand.

       (Song 5:11 NRSV)  His head is the finest gold; his locks are wavy, 
       black as a raven.






       (Song 5:12 NRSV)  His eyes are like doves beside springs of water, 
       bathed in milk, fitly set.

       (Song 5:13 NRSV)  His cheeks are like beds of spices, yielding 
       fragrance. His lips are lilies, distilling liquid myrrh.

       (Song 5:14 NRSV)  His arms are rounded gold, set with jewels. His body 
       is ivory work, encrusted with sapphires.

       (Song 5:15 NRSV)  His legs are alabaster columns, set upon bases of 
       gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as the cedars.

       (Song 5:16 NRSV)  His speech is most sweet, and he is altogether 
       desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of 
       Jerusalem.

       (Song 6:1 NRSV)  Where has your beloved gone, O fairest among women? 
       Which way has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?

       (Song 6:2 NRSV)  My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds 
       of spices, to pasture his flock in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

       (Song 6:3 NRSV)  I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine; he pastures 
       his flock among the lilies.

       (Song 6:4 NRSV)  You are beautiful as Tirzah, my love, comely as 
       Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.

       (Song 6:5 NRSV)  Turn away your eyes from me, for they overwhelm me! 
       Your hair is like a flock of goats, moving down the slopes of Gilead.

       (Song 6:6 NRSV)  Your teeth are like a flock of ewes, that have come 
       up from the washing; all of them bear twins, and not one among them is 
       bereaved.

       (Song 6:7 NRSV)  Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind 
       your veil.

       (Song 6:8 NRSV)  There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and 
       maidens without number.

       (Song 6:9 NRSV)  My dove, my perfect one, is the only one, the darling 
       of her mother, flawless to her that bore her. The maidens saw her and 
       called her happy; the queens and concubines also, and they praised 
       her.

       (Song 6:10 NRSV)  "Who is this that looks forth like the dawn, fair as 
       the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army with banners?"

       (Song 6:11 NRSV)  I went down to the nut orchard, to look at the 
       blossoms of the valley, to see whether the vines had budded, whether 
       the pomegranates were in bloom.

       (Song 6:12 NRSV)  Before I was aware, my fancy set me in a chariot 
       beside my prince.






       (Song 6:13 NRSV)  Return, return, O Shulammite! Return, return, that 
       we may look upon you. Why should you look upon the Shulammite, as upon 
       a dance before two armies?

       (Song 7:1 NRSV)  How graceful are your feet in sandals, O queenly 
       maiden! Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of a master 
       hand.

       (Song 7:2 NRSV)  Your navel is a rounded bowl that never lacks mixed 
       wine. Your belly is a heap of wheat, encircled with lilies.

       (Song 7:3 NRSV)  Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a 
       gazelle.

       (Song 7:4 NRSV)  Your neck is like an ivory tower. Your eyes are pools 
       in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim. Your nose is like a tower of 
       Lebanon, overlooking Damascus.

       (Song 7:5 NRSV)  Your head crowns you like Carmel, and your flowing 
       locks are like purple; a king is held captive in the tresses.

       (Song 7:6 NRSV)  How fair and pleasant you are, O loved one, 
       delectable maiden!

       (Song 7:7 NRSV)  You are stately as a palm tree, and your breasts are 
       like its clusters.

       (Song 7:8 NRSV)  I say I will climb the palm tree and lay hold of its 
       branches. Oh, may your breasts be like clusters of the vine, and the 
       scent of your breath like apples,

       (Song 7:9 NRSV)  and your kisses like the best wine that goes down 
       smoothly, gliding over lips and teeth.

       (Song 7:10 NRSV)  I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me.

       (Song 7:11 NRSV)  Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the fields, 
       and lodge in the villages;

       (Song 7:12 NRSV)  let us go out early to the vineyards, and see 
       whether the vines have budded, whether the grape blossoms have opened 
       and the pomegranates are in bloom. There I will give you my love.

       (Song 7:13 NRSV)  The mandrakes give forth fragrance, and over our 
       doors are all choice fruits, new as well as old, which I have laid up 
       for you, O my beloved.

       (Song 8:1 NRSV)  O that you were like a brother to me, who nursed at 
       my mother's breast! If I met you outside, I would kiss you, and no one 
       would despise me.

       (Song 8:2 NRSV)  I would lead you and bring you into the house of my 
       mother, and into the chamber of the one who bore me. I would give you 
       spiced wine to drink, the juice of my pomegranates.





       (Song 8:3 NRSV)  O that his left hand were under my head, and that his 
       right hand embraced me!

       (Song 8:4 NRSV)  I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, do not stir 
       up or awaken love until it is ready!

       (Song 8:5 NRSV)  Who is that coming up from the wilderness, leaning 
       upon her beloved? Under the apple tree I awakened you. There your 
       mother was in labor with you; there she who bore you was in labor.

       (Song 8:6 NRSV)  Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your 
       arm; for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave. Its 
       flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame.

       (Song 8:7 NRSV)  Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods 
       drown it. If one offered for love all the wealth of his house, it 
       would be utterly scorned.

       (Song 8:8 NRSV)  We have a little sister, and she has no breasts. What 
       shall we do for our sister, on the day when she is spoken for?

       (Song 8:9 NRSV)  If she is a wall, we will build upon her a battlement 
       of silver; but if she is a door, we will enclose her with boards of 
       cedar.

       (Song 8:10 NRSV)  I was a wall, and my breasts were like towers; then 
       I was in his eyes as one who brings peace.

       (Song 8:11 NRSV)  Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; he entrusted 
       the vineyard to keepers; each one was to bring for its fruit a 
       thousand pieces of silver.

       (Song 8:12 NRSV)  My vineyard, my very own, is for myself; you, O 
       Solomon, may have the thousand, and the keepers of the fruit two 
       hundred!

       (Song 8:13 NRSV)  O you who dwell in the gardens, my companions are 
       listening for your voice; let me hear it.

       (Song 8:14 NRSV)  Make haste, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a 
       young stag upon the mountains of spices!

       (Isa 1:1 NRSV)  The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw 
       concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, 
       and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

       (Isa 1:2 NRSV)  Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth; for the LORD has 
       spoken: I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled 
       against me.

       (Isa 1:3 NRSV)  The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's 
       crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.

       (Isa 1:4 NRSV)  Ah, sinful nation, people laden with iniquity, 
       offspring who do evil, children who deal corruptly, who have forsaken 
       the LORD, who have despised the Holy One of Israel, who are utterly 





       estranged!

       (Isa 1:5 NRSV)  Why do you seek further beatings? Why do you continue 
       to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

       (Isa 1:6 NRSV)  From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is 
       no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and bleeding wounds; they 
       have not been drained, or bound up, or softened with oil.

       (Isa 1:7 NRSV)  Your country lies desolate, your cities are burned 
       with fire; in your very presence aliens devour your land; it is 
       desolate, as overthrown by foreigners.

       (Isa 1:8 NRSV)  And daughter Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard, 
       like a shelter in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.

       (Isa 1:9 NRSV)  If the LORD of hosts had not left us a few survivors, 
       we would have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah.

       (Isa 1:10 NRSV)  Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! 
       Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!

       (Isa 1:11 NRSV)  What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says 
       the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of 
       fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of 
       goats.

       (Isa 1:12 NRSV)  When you come to appear before me, who asked this 
       from your hand? Trample my courts no more;

       (Isa 1:13 NRSV)  bringing offerings is futile; incense is an 
       abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation-- I 
       cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.

       (Isa 1:14 NRSV)  Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul 
       hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them.

       (Isa 1:15 NRSV)  When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes 
       from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your 
       hands are full of blood.

       (Isa 1:16 NRSV)  Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the 
       evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil,

       (Isa 1:17 NRSV)  learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, 
       defend the orphan, plead for the widow.

       (Isa 1:18 NRSV)  Come now, let us argue it out, says the LORD: though 
       your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are 
       red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

       (Isa 1:19 NRSV)  If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the 
       good of the land;

       (Isa 1:20 NRSV)  but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by 
       the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.






       (Isa 1:21 NRSV)  How the faithful city has become a whore! She that 
       was full of justice, righteousness lodged in her-- but now murderers!

       (Isa 1:22 NRSV)  Your silver has become dross, your wine is mixed with 
       water.

       (Isa 1:23 NRSV)  Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. 
       Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not defend the 
       orphan, and the widow's cause does not come before them.

       (Isa 1:24 NRSV)  Therefore says the Sovereign, the LORD of hosts, the 
       Mighty One of Israel: Ah, I will pour out my wrath on my enemies, and 
       avenge myself on my foes!

       (Isa 1:25 NRSV)  I will turn my hand against you; I will smelt away 
       your dross as with lye and remove all your alloy.

       (Isa 1:26 NRSV)  And I will restore your judges as at the first, and 
       your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the 
       city of righteousness, the faithful city.

       (Isa 1:27 NRSV)  Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her 
       who repent, by righteousness.

       (Isa 1:28 NRSV)  But rebels and sinners shall be destroyed together, 
       and those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed.

       (Isa 1:29 NRSV)  For you shall be ashamed of the oaks in which you 
       delighted; and you shall blush for the gardens that you have chosen.

       (Isa 1:30 NRSV)  For you shall be like an oak whose leaf withers, and 
       like a garden without water.

       (Isa 1:31 NRSV)  The strong shall become like tinder, and their work 
       like a spark; they and their work shall burn together, with no one to 
       quench them.

       (Isa 2:1 NRSV)  The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah 
       and Jerusalem.

       (Isa 2:2 NRSV)  In days to come the mountain of the Lord's house shall 
       be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised 
       above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it.

       (Isa 2:3 NRSV)  Many peoples shall come and say, "Come, let us go up 
       to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he 
       may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of 
       Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from 
       Jerusalem.

       (Isa 2:4 NRSV)  He shall judge between the nations, and shall 
       arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into 
       plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift 
       up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.





       (Isa 2:5 NRSV)  O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of 
       the LORD!

       (Isa 2:6 NRSV)  For you have forsaken the ways of your people, O house 
       of Jacob. Indeed they are full of diviners from the east and of 
       soothsayers like the Philistines, and they clasp hands with 
       foreigners.

       (Isa 2:7 NRSV)  Their land is filled with silver and gold, and there 
       is no end to their treasures; their land is filled with horses, and 
       there is no end to their chariots.

       (Isa 2:8 NRSV)  Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the 
       work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made.

       (Isa 2:9 NRSV)  And so people are humbled, and everyone is brought 
       low-- do not forgive them!

       (Isa 2:10 NRSV)  Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust from the 
       terror of the LORD, and from the glory of his majesty.

       (Isa 2:11 NRSV)  The haughty eyes of people shall be brought low, and 
       the pride of everyone shall be humbled; and the LORD alone will be 
       exalted in that day.

       (Isa 2:12 NRSV)  For the LORD of hosts has a day against all that is 
       proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up and high;

       (Isa 2:13 NRSV)  against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted 
       up; and against all the oaks of Bashan;

       (Isa 2:14 NRSV)  against all the high mountains, and against all the 
       lofty hills;

       (Isa 2:15 NRSV)  against every high tower, and against every fortified 
       wall;

       (Isa 2:16 NRSV)  against all the ships of Tarshish, and against all 
       the beautiful craft.

       (Isa 2:17 NRSV)  The haughtiness of people shall be humbled, and the 
       pride of everyone shall be brought low; and the LORD alone will be 
       exalted on that day.

       (Isa 2:18 NRSV)  The idols shall utterly pass away.

       (Isa 2:19 NRSV)  Enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the 
       ground, from the terror of the LORD, and from the glory of his 
       majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth.

       (Isa 2:20 NRSV)  On that day people will throw away to the moles and 
       to the bats their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they 
       made for themselves to worship,

       (Isa 2:21 NRSV)  to enter the caverns of the rocks and the clefts in 
       the crags, from the terror of the LORD, and from the glory of his 





       majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth.

       (Isa 2:22 NRSV)  Turn away from mortals, who have only breath in their 
       nostrils, for of what account are they?

       (Isa 3:1 NRSV)  For now the Sovereign, the LORD of hosts, is taking 
       away from Jerusalem and from Judah support and staff-- all support of 
       bread, and all support of water--

       (Isa 3:2 NRSV)  warrior and soldier, judge and prophet, diviner and 
       elder,

       (Isa 3:3 NRSV)  captain of fifty and dignitary, counselor and skillful 
       magician and expert enchanter.

       (Isa 3:4 NRSV)  And I will make boys their princes, and babes shall 
       rule over them.

       (Isa 3:5 NRSV)  The people will be oppressed, everyone by another and 
       everyone by a neighbor; the youth will be insolent to the elder, and 
       the base to the honorable.

       (Isa 3:6 NRSV)  Someone will even seize a relative, a member of the 
       clan, saying, "You have a cloak; you shall be our leader, and this 
       heap of ruins shall be under your rule."

       (Isa 3:7 NRSV)  But the other will cry out on that day, saying, "I 
       will not be a healer; in my house there is neither bread nor cloak; 
       you shall not make me leader of the people."

       (Isa 3:8 NRSV)  For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen, 
       because their speech and their deeds are against the LORD, defying his 
       glorious presence.

       (Isa 3:9 NRSV)  The look on their faces bears witness against them; 
       they proclaim their sin like Sodom, they do not hide it. Woe to them! 
       For they have brought evil on themselves.

       (Isa 3:10 NRSV)  Tell the innocent how fortunate they are, for they 
       shall eat the fruit of their labors.

       (Isa 3:11 NRSV)  Woe to the guilty! How unfortunate they are, for what 
       their hands have done shall be done to them.

       (Isa 3:12 NRSV)  My people--children are their oppressors, and women 
       rule over them. O my people, your leaders mislead you, and confuse the 
       course of your paths.

       (Isa 3:13 NRSV)  The LORD rises to argue his case; he stands to judge 
       the peoples.

       (Isa 3:14 NRSV)  The LORD enters into judgment with the elders and 
       princes of his people: It is you who have devoured the vineyard; the 
       spoil of the poor is in your houses.

       (Isa 3:15 NRSV)  What do you mean by crushing my people, by grinding 





       the face of the poor? says the Lord GOD of hosts.

       (Isa 3:16 NRSV)  The LORD said: Because the daughters of Zion are 
       haughty and walk with outstretched necks, glancing wantonly with their 
       eyes, mincing along as they go, tinkling with their feet;

       (Isa 3:17 NRSV)  the Lord will afflict with scabs the heads of the 
       daughters of Zion, and the LORD will lay bare their secret parts.

       (Isa 3:18 NRSV)  In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the 
       anklets, the headbands, and the crescents;

       (Isa 3:19 NRSV)  the pendants, the bracelets, and the scarfs;

       (Isa 3:20 NRSV)  the headdresses, the armlets, the sashes, the perfume 
       boxes, and the amulets;

       (Isa 3:21 NRSV)  the signet rings and nose rings;

       (Isa 3:22 NRSV)  the festal robes, the mantles, the cloaks, and the 
       handbags;

       (Isa 3:23 NRSV)  the garments of gauze, the linen garments, the 
       turbans, and the veils.

       (Isa 3:24 NRSV)  Instead of perfume there will be a stench; and 
       instead of a sash, a rope; and instead of well-set hair, baldness; and 
       instead of a rich robe, a binding of sackcloth; instead of beauty, 
       shame.

       (Isa 3:25 NRSV)  Your men shall fall by the sword and your warriors in 
       battle.

       (Isa 3:26 NRSV)  And her gates shall lament and mourn; ravaged, she 
       shall sit upon the ground.

       (Isa 4:1 NRSV)  Seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, 
       saying, "We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes; just let 
       us be called by your name; take away our disgrace."

       (Isa 4:2 NRSV)  On that day the branch of the LORD shall be beautiful 
       and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory 
       of the survivors of Israel.

       (Isa 4:3 NRSV)  Whoever is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will 
       be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem,

       (Isa 4:4 NRSV)  once the Lord has washed away the filth of the 
       daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its 
       midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning.

       (Isa 4:5 NRSV)  Then the LORD will create over the whole site of Mount 
       Zion and over its places of assembly a cloud by day and smoke and the 
       shining of a flaming fire by night. Indeed over all the glory there 
       will be a canopy.





       (Isa 4:6 NRSV)  It will serve as a pavilion, a shade by day from the 
       heat, and a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.

       (Isa 5:1 NRSV)  Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his 
       vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.

       (Isa 5:2 NRSV)  He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it 
       with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed 
       out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded 
       wild grapes.

       (Isa 5:3 NRSV)  And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, 
       judge between me and my vineyard.

       (Isa 5:4 NRSV)  What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have 
       not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield 
       wild grapes?

       (Isa 5:5 NRSV)  And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. 
       I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down 
       its wall, and it shall be trampled down.

       (Isa 5:6 NRSV)  I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or 
       hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also 
       command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

       (Isa 5:7 NRSV)  For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of 
       Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected 
       justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!

       (Isa 5:8 NRSV)  Ah, you who join house to house, who add field to 
       field, until there is room for no one but you, and you are left to 
       live alone in the midst of the land!

       (Isa 5:9 NRSV)  The LORD of hosts has sworn in my hearing: Surely many 
       houses shall be desolate, large and beautiful houses, without 
       inhabitant.

       (Isa 5:10 NRSV)  For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath, 
       and a homer of seed shall yield a mere ephah.

       (Isa 5:11 NRSV)  Ah, you who rise early in the morning in pursuit of 
       strong drink, who linger in the evening to be inflamed by wine,

       (Isa 5:12 NRSV)  whose feasts consist of lyre and harp, tambourine and 
       flute and wine, but who do not regard the deeds of the LORD, or see 
       the work of his hands!

       (Isa 5:13 NRSV)  Therefore my people go into exile without knowledge; 
       their nobles are dying of hunger, and their multitude is parched with 
       thirst.

       (Isa 5:14 NRSV)  Therefore Sheol has enlarged its appetite and opened 
       its mouth beyond measure; the nobility of Jerusalem and her multitude 
       go down, her throng and all who exult in her.





       (Isa 5:15 NRSV)  People are bowed down, everyone is brought low, and 
       the eyes of the haughty are humbled.

       (Isa 5:16 NRSV)  But the LORD of hosts is exalted by justice, and the 
       Holy God shows himself holy by righteousness.

       (Isa 5:17 NRSV)  Then the lambs shall graze as in their pasture, 
       fatlings and kids shall feed among the ruins.

       (Isa 5:18 NRSV)  Ah, you who drag iniquity along with cords of 
       falsehood, who drag sin along as with cart ropes,

       (Isa 5:19 NRSV)  who say, "Let him make haste, let him speed his work 
       that we may see it; let the plan of the Holy One of Israel hasten to 
       fulfillment, that we may know it!"

       (Isa 5:20 NRSV)  Ah, you who call evil good and good evil, who put 
       darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet 
       and sweet for bitter!

       (Isa 5:21 NRSV)  Ah, you who are wise in your own eyes, and shrewd in 
       your own sight!

       (Isa 5:22 NRSV)  Ah, you who are heroes in drinking wine and valiant 
       at mixing drink,

       (Isa 5:23 NRSV)  who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the 
       innocent of their rights!

       (Isa 5:24 NRSV)  Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, 
       and as dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root will become 
       rotten, and their blossom go up like dust; for they have rejected the 
       instruction of the LORD of hosts, and have despised the word of the 
       Holy One of Israel.

       (Isa 5:25 NRSV)  Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against 
       his people, and he stretched out his hand against them and struck 
       them; the mountains quaked, and their corpses were like refuse in the 
       streets. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is 
       stretched out still.

       (Isa 5:26 NRSV)  He will raise a signal for a nation far away, and 
       whistle for a people at the ends of the earth; Here they come, 
       swiftly, speedily!

       (Isa 5:27 NRSV)  None of them is weary, none stumbles, none slumbers 
       or sleeps, not a loincloth is loose, not a sandal-thong broken;

       (Isa 5:28 NRSV)  their arrows are sharp, all their bows bent, their 
       horses' hoofs seem like flint, and their wheels like the whirlwind.

       (Isa 5:29 NRSV)  Their roaring is like a lion, like young lions they 
       roar; they growl and seize their prey, they carry it off, and no one 
       can rescue.

       (Isa 5:30 NRSV)  They will roar over it on that day, like the roaring 





       of the sea. And if one look to the land-- only darkness and distress; 
       and the light grows dark with clouds.

       (Isa 6:1 NRSV)  In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord 
       sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled 
       the temple.

       (Isa 6:2 NRSV)  Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six 
       wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered 
       their feet, and with two they flew.

       (Isa 6:3 NRSV)  And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy 
       is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory."

       (Isa 6:4 NRSV)  The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of 
       those who called, and the house filled with smoke.

       (Isa 6:5 NRSV)  And I said: "Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of 
       unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes 
       have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"

       (Isa 6:6 NRSV)  Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live 
       coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.

       (Isa 6:7 NRSV)  The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: "Now 
       that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin 
       is blotted out."

       (Isa 6:8 NRSV)  Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall 
       I send, and who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I; send me!"

       (Isa 6:9 NRSV)  And he said, "Go and say to this people: 'Keep 
       listening, but do not comprehend; keep looking, but do not 
       understand.'

       (Isa 6:10 NRSV)  Make the mind of this people dull, and stop their 
       ears, and shut their eyes, so that they may not look with their eyes, 
       and listen with their ears, and comprehend with their minds, and turn 
       and be healed."

       (Isa 6:11 NRSV)  Then I said, "How long, O Lord?" And he said: "Until 
       cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and 
       the land is utterly desolate;

       (Isa 6:12 NRSV)  until the LORD sends everyone far away, and vast is 
       the emptiness in the midst of the land.

       (Isa 6:13 NRSV)  Even if a tenth part remain in it, it will be burned 
       again, like a terebinth or an oak whose stump remains standing when it 
       is felled." The holy seed is its stump.

       (Isa 7:1 NRSV)  In the days of Ahaz son of Jotham son of Uzziah, king 
       of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel 
       went up to attack Jerusalem, but could not mount an attack against it.

       (Isa 7:2 NRSV)  When the house of David heard that Aram had allied 





       itself with Ephraim, the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people 
       shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.

       (Isa 7:3 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to Isaiah, Go out to meet Ahaz, you 
       and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool 
       on the highway to the Fuller's Field,

       (Isa 7:4 NRSV)  and say to him, Take heed, be quiet, do not fear, and 
       do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps 
       of firebrands, because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and the 
       son of Remaliah.

       (Isa 7:5 NRSV)  Because Aram--with Ephraim and the son of 
       Remaliah--has plotted evil against you, saying,

       (Isa 7:6 NRSV)  Let us go up against Judah and cut off Jerusalem and 
       conquer it for ourselves and make the son of Tabeel king in it;

       (Isa 7:7 NRSV)  therefore thus says the Lord GOD: It shall not stand, 
       and it shall not come to pass.

       (Isa 7:8 NRSV)  For the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of 
       Damascus is Rezin. (Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered, 
       no longer a people.)

       (Isa 7:9 NRSV)  The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of 
       Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you do not stand firm in faith, you 
       shall not stand at all.

       (Isa 7:10 NRSV)  Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying,

       (Isa 7:11 NRSV)  Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as 
       Sheol or high as heaven.

       (Isa 7:12 NRSV)  But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the 
       LORD to the test.

       (Isa 7:13 NRSV)  Then Isaiah said: "Hear then, O house of David! Is it 
       too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also?

       (Isa 7:14 NRSV)  Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. 
       Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall 
       name him Immanuel.

       (Isa 7:15 NRSV)  He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how 
       to refuse the evil and choose the good.

       (Isa 7:16 NRSV)  For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and 
       choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will 
       be deserted.

       (Isa 7:17 NRSV)  The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on 
       your ancestral house such days as have not come since the day that 
       Ephraim departed from Judah--the king of Assyria."

       (Isa 7:18 NRSV)  On that day the LORD will whistle for the fly that is 





       at the sources of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the 
       land of Assyria.

       (Isa 7:19 NRSV)  And they will all come and settle in the steep 
       ravines, and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thornbushes, 
       and on all the pastures.

       (Isa 7:20 NRSV)  On that day the Lord will shave with a razor hired 
       beyond the River--with the king of Assyria--the head and the hair of 
       the feet, and it will take off the beard as well.

       (Isa 7:21 NRSV)  On that day one will keep alive a young cow and two 
       sheep,

       (Isa 7:22 NRSV)  and will eat curds because of the abundance of milk 
       that they give; for everyone that is left in the land shall eat curds 
       and honey.

       (Isa 7:23 NRSV)  On that day every place where there used to be a 
       thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels of silver, will become briers 
       and thorns.

       (Isa 7:24 NRSV)  With bow and arrows one will go there, for all the 
       land will be briers and thorns;

       (Isa 7:25 NRSV)  and as for all the hills that used to be hoed with a 
       hoe, you will not go there for fear of briers and thorns; but they 
       will become a place where cattle are let loose and where sheep tread.

       (Isa 8:1 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to me, Take a large tablet and 
       write on it in common characters, "Belonging to 
       Maher-shalal-hash-baz,"

       (Isa 8:2 NRSV)  and have it attested for me by reliable witnesses, the 
       priest Uriah and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah.

       (Isa 8:3 NRSV)  And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and 
       bore a son. Then the LORD said to me, Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz;

       (Isa 8:4 NRSV)  for before the child knows how to call "My father" or 
       "My mother," the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be 
       carried away by the king of Assyria.

       (Isa 8:5 NRSV)  The LORD spoke to me again:

       (Isa 8:6 NRSV)  Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah 
       that flow gently, and melt in fear before Rezin and the son of 
       Remaliah;

       (Isa 8:7 NRSV)  therefore, the Lord is bringing up against it the 
       mighty flood waters of the River, the king of Assyria and all his 
       glory; it will rise above all its channels and overflow all its banks;

       (Isa 8:8 NRSV)  it will sweep on into Judah as a flood, and, pouring 
       over, it will reach up to the neck; and its outspread wings will fill 
       the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.






       (Isa 8:9 NRSV)  Band together, you peoples, and be dismayed; listen, 
       all you far countries; gird yourselves and be dismayed; gird 
       yourselves and be dismayed!

       (Isa 8:10 NRSV)  Take counsel together, but it shall be brought to 
       naught; speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us.

       (Isa 8:11 NRSV)  For the LORD spoke thus to me while his hand was 
       strong upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, 
       saying:

       (Isa 8:12 NRSV)  Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls 
       conspiracy, and do not fear what it fears, or be in dread.

       (Isa 8:13 NRSV)  But the LORD of hosts, him you shall regard as holy; 
       let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

       (Isa 8:14 NRSV)  He will become a sanctuary, a stone one strikes 
       against; for both houses of Israel he will become a rock one stumbles 
       over--a trap and a snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

       (Isa 8:15 NRSV)  And many among them shall stumble; they shall fall 
       and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.

       (Isa 8:16 NRSV)  Bind up the testimony, seal the teaching among my 
       disciples.

       (Isa 8:17 NRSV)  I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from 
       the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.

       (Isa 8:18 NRSV)  See, I and the children whom the LORD has given me 
       are signs and portents in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on 
       Mount Zion.

       (Isa 8:19 NRSV)  Now if people say to you, "Consult the ghosts and the 
       familiar spirits that chirp and mutter; should not a people consult 
       their gods, the dead on behalf of the living,

       (Isa 8:20 NRSV)  for teaching and for instruction?" Surely, those who 
       speak like this will have no dawn!

       (Isa 8:21 NRSV)  They will pass through the land, greatly distressed 
       and hungry; when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will curse 
       their king and their gods. They will turn their faces upward,

       (Isa 8:22 NRSV)  or they will look to the earth, but will see only 
       distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be thrust 
       into thick darkness.

       (Isa 9:1 NRSV)  But there will be no gloom for those who were in 
       anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of 
       Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make 
       glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of 
       the nations.





       (Isa 9:2 NRSV)  The people who walked in darkness have seen a great 
       light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness-- on them light has 
       shined.

       (Isa 9:3 NRSV)  You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its 
       joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people 
       exult when dividing plunder.

       (Isa 9:4 NRSV)  For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their 
       shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day 
       of Midian.

       (Isa 9:5 NRSV)  For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the 
       garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire.

       (Isa 9:6 NRSV)  For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; 
       authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful 
       Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

       (Isa 9:7 NRSV)  His authority shall grow continually, and there shall 
       be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will 
       establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this 
       time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do 
       this.

       (Isa 9:8 NRSV)  The Lord sent a word against Jacob, and it fell on 
       Israel;

       (Isa 9:9 NRSV)  and all the people knew it-- Ephraim and the 
       inhabitants of Samaria-- but in pride and arrogance of heart they 
       said:

       (Isa 9:10 NRSV)  "The bricks have fallen, but we will build with 
       dressed stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put 
       cedars in their place."

       (Isa 9:11 NRSV)  So the LORD raised adversaries against them, and 
       stirred up their enemies,

       (Isa 9:12 NRSV)  the Arameans on the east and the Philistines on the 
       west, and they devoured Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger 
       has not turned away; his hand is stretched out still.

       (Isa 9:13 NRSV)  The people did not turn to him who struck them, or 
       seek the LORD of hosts.

       (Isa 9:14 NRSV)  So the LORD cut off from Israel head and tail, palm 
       branch and reed in one day--

       (Isa 9:15 NRSV)  elders and dignitaries are the head, and prophets who 
       teach lies are the tail;

       (Isa 9:16 NRSV)  for those who led this people led them astray, and 
       those who were led by them were left in confusion.

       (Isa 9:17 NRSV)  That is why the Lord did not have pity on their young 





       people, or compassion on their orphans and widows; for everyone was 
       godless and an evildoer, and every mouth spoke folly. For all this his 
       anger has not turned away, his hand is stretched out still.

       (Isa 9:18 NRSV)  For wickedness burned like a fire, consuming briers 
       and thorns; it kindled the thickets of the forest, and they swirled 
       upward in a column of smoke.

       (Isa 9:19 NRSV)  Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts the land was 
       burned, and the people became like fuel for the fire; no one spared 
       another.

       (Isa 9:20 NRSV)  They gorged on the right, but still were hungry, and 
       they devoured on the left, but were not satisfied; they devoured the 
       flesh of their own kindred;

       (Isa 9:21 NRSV)  Manasseh devoured Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh, and 
       together they were against Judah. For all this his anger has not 
       turned away; his hand is stretched out still.

       (Isa 10:1 NRSV)  Ah, you who make iniquitous decrees, who write 
       oppressive statutes,

       (Isa 10:2 NRSV)  to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the 
       poor of my people of their right, that widows may be your spoil, and 
       that you may make the orphans your prey!

       (Isa 10:3 NRSV)  What will you do on the day of punishment, in the 
       calamity that will come from far away? To whom will you flee for help, 
       and where will you leave your wealth,

       (Isa 10:4 NRSV)  so as not to crouch among the prisoners or fall among 
       the slain? For all this his anger has not turned away; his hand is 
       stretched out still.

       (Isa 10:5 NRSV)  Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger-- the club in their 
       hands is my fury!

       (Isa 10:6 NRSV)  Against a godless nation I send him, and against the 
       people of my wrath I command him, to take spoil and seize plunder, and 
       to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

       (Isa 10:7 NRSV)  But this is not what he intends, nor does he have 
       this in mind; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off 
       nations not a few.

       (Isa 10:8 NRSV)  For he says: "Are not my commanders all kings?

       (Isa 10:9 NRSV)  Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like 
       Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?

       (Isa 10:10 NRSV)  As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols 
       whose images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,

       (Isa 10:11 NRSV)  shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols what I 
       have done to Samaria and her images?"






       (Isa 10:12 NRSV)  When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount 
       Zion and on Jerusalem, he will punish the arrogant boasting of the 
       king of Assyria and his haughty pride.

       (Isa 10:13 NRSV)  For he says: "By the strength of my hand I have done 
       it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding; I have removed the 
       boundaries of peoples, and have plundered their treasures; like a bull 
       I have brought down those who sat on thrones.

       (Isa 10:14 NRSV)  My hand has found, like a nest, the wealth of the 
       peoples; and as one gathers eggs that have been forsaken, so I have 
       gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved a wing, or 
       opened its mouth, or chirped."

       (Isa 10:15 NRSV)  Shall the ax vaunt itself over the one who wields 
       it, or the saw magnify itself against the one who handles it? As if a 
       rod should raise the one who lifts it up, or as if a staff should lift 
       the one who is not wood!

       (Isa 10:16 NRSV)  Therefore the Sovereign, the LORD of hosts, will 
       send wasting sickness among his stout warriors, and under his glory a 
       burning will be kindled, like the burning of fire.

       (Isa 10:17 NRSV)  The light of Israel will become a fire, and his Holy 
       One a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and briers in one 
       day.

       (Isa 10:18 NRSV)  The glory of his forest and his fruitful land the 
       LORD will destroy, both soul and body, and it will be as when an 
       invalid wastes away.

       (Isa 10:19 NRSV)  The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so 
       few that a child can write them down.

       (Isa 10:20 NRSV)  On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors 
       of the house of Jacob will no more lean on the one who struck them, 
       but will lean on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

       (Isa 10:21 NRSV)  A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the 
       mighty God.

       (Isa 10:22 NRSV)  For though your people Israel were like the sand of 
       the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, 
       overflowing with righteousness.

       (Isa 10:23 NRSV)  For the Lord GOD of hosts will make a full end, as 
       decreed, in all the earth.

       (Isa 10:24 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts: O my 
       people, who live in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians when they 
       beat you with a rod and lift up their staff against you as the 
       Egyptians did.

       (Isa 10:25 NRSV)  For in a very little while my indignation will come 
       to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction.






       (Isa 10:26 NRSV)  The LORD of hosts will wield a whip against them, as 
       when he struck Midian at the rock of Oreb; his staff will be over the 
       sea, and he will lift it as he did in Egypt.

       (Isa 10:27 NRSV)  On that day his burden will be removed from your 
       shoulder, and his yoke will be destroyed from your neck. He has gone 
       up from Rimmon,

       (Isa 10:28 NRSV)  he has come to Aiath; he has passed through Migron, 
       at Michmash he stores his baggage;

       (Isa 10:29 NRSV)  they have crossed over the pass, at Geba they lodge 
       for the night; Ramah trembles, Gibeah of Saul has fled.

       (Isa 10:30 NRSV)  Cry aloud, O daughter Gallim! Listen, O Laishah! 
       Answer her, O Anathoth!

       (Isa 10:31 NRSV)  Madmenah is in flight, the inhabitants of Gebim flee 
       for safety.

       (Isa 10:32 NRSV)  This very day he will halt at Nob, he will shake his 
       fist at the mount of daughter Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

       (Isa 10:33 NRSV)  Look, the Sovereign, the LORD of hosts, will lop the 
       boughs with terrifying power; the tallest trees will be cut down, and 
       the lofty will be brought low.

       (Isa 10:34 NRSV)  He will hack down the thickets of the forest with an 
       ax, and Lebanon with its majestic trees will fall.

       (Isa 11:1 NRSV)  A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a 
       branch shall grow out of his roots.

       (Isa 11:2 NRSV)  The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit 
       of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the 
       spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

       (Isa 11:3 NRSV)  His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He 
       shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear;

       (Isa 11:4 NRSV)  but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and 
       decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the 
       earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he 
       shall kill the wicked.

       (Isa 11:5 NRSV)  Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and 
       faithfulness the belt around his loins.

       (Isa 11:6 NRSV)  The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall 
       lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, 
       and a little child shall lead them.

       (Isa 11:7 NRSV)  The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall 
       lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.





       (Isa 11:8 NRSV)  The nursing child shall play over the hole of the 
       asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.

       (Isa 11:9 NRSV)  They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy 
       mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as 
       the waters cover the sea.

       (Isa 11:10 NRSV)  On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a 
       signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his 
       dwelling shall be glorious.

       (Isa 11:11 NRSV)  On that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a 
       second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people, from 
       Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Ethiopia, from Elam, from 
       Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.

       (Isa 11:12 NRSV)  He will raise a signal for the nations, and will 
       assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah 
       from the four corners of the earth.

       (Isa 11:13 NRSV)  The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, the hostility 
       of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and 
       Judah shall not be hostile towards Ephraim.

       (Isa 11:14 NRSV)  But they shall swoop down on the backs of the 
       Philistines in the west, together they shall plunder the people of the 
       east. They shall put forth their hand against Edom and Moab, and the 
       Ammonites shall obey them.

       (Isa 11:15 NRSV)  And the LORD will utterly destroy the tongue of the 
       sea of Egypt; and will wave his hand over the River with his scorching 
       wind; and will split it into seven channels, and make a way to cross 
       on foot;

       (Isa 11:16 NRSV)  so there shall be a highway from Assyria for the 
       remnant that is left of his people, as there was for Israel when they 
       came up from the land of Egypt.

       (Isa 12:1 NRSV)  You will say in that day: I will give thanks to you, 
       O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, and 
       you comforted me.

       (Isa 12:2 NRSV)  Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will 
       not be afraid, for the LORD GOD is my strength and my might; he has 
       become my salvation.

       (Isa 12:3 NRSV)  With joy you will draw water from the wells of 
       salvation.

       (Isa 12:4 NRSV)  And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the 
       LORD, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; 
       proclaim that his name is exalted.

       (Isa 12:5 NRSV)  Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; 
       let this be known in all the earth.





       (Isa 12:6 NRSV)  Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great 
       in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

       (Isa 13:1 NRSV)  The oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz 
       saw.

       (Isa 13:2 NRSV)  On a bare hill raise a signal, cry aloud to them; 
       wave the hand for them to enter the gates of the nobles.

       (Isa 13:3 NRSV)  I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, have 
       summoned my warriors, my proudly exulting ones, to execute my anger.

       (Isa 13:4 NRSV)  Listen, a tumult on the mountains as of a great 
       multitude! Listen, an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering 
       together! The LORD of hosts is mustering an army for battle.

       (Isa 13:5 NRSV)  They come from a distant land, from the end of the 
       heavens, the LORD and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the 
       whole earth.

       (Isa 13:6 NRSV)  Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; it will come 
       like destruction from the Almighty!

       (Isa 13:7 NRSV)  Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human 
       heart will melt,

       (Isa 13:8 NRSV)  and they will be dismayed. Pangs and agony will seize 
       them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look 
       aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame.

       (Isa 13:9 NRSV)  See, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and 
       fierce anger, to make the earth a desolation, and to destroy its 
       sinners from it.

       (Isa 13:10 NRSV)  For the stars of the heavens and their 
       constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its 
       rising, and the moon will not shed its light.

       (Isa 13:11 NRSV)  I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked 
       for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant, 
       and lay low the insolence of tyrants.

       (Isa 13:12 NRSV)  I will make mortals more rare than fine gold, and 
       humans than the gold of Ophir.

       (Isa 13:13 NRSV)  Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the 
       earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the LORD of 
       hosts in the day of his fierce anger.

       (Isa 13:14 NRSV)  Like a hunted gazelle, or like sheep with no one to 
       gather them, all will turn to their own people, and all will flee to 
       their own lands.

       (Isa 13:15 NRSV)  Whoever is found will be thrust through, and whoever 
       is caught will fall by the sword.





       (Isa 13:16 NRSV)  Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their 
       eyes; their houses will be plundered, and their wives ravished.

       (Isa 13:17 NRSV)  See, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who 
       have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold.

       (Isa 13:18 NRSV)  Their bows will slaughter the young men; they will 
       have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity 
       children.

       (Isa 13:19 NRSV)  And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and 
       pride of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God 
       overthrew them.

       (Isa 13:20 NRSV)  It will never be inhabited or lived in for all 
       generations; Arabs will not pitch their tents there, shepherds will 
       not make their flocks lie down there.

       (Isa 13:21 NRSV)  But wild animals will lie down there, and its houses 
       will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches will live, and 
       there goat-demons will dance.

       (Isa 13:22 NRSV)  Hyenas will cry in its towers, and jackals in the 
       pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand, and its days will not be 
       prolonged.

       (Isa 14:1 NRSV)  But the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and will 
       again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land; and aliens 
       will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob.

       (Isa 14:2 NRSV)  And the nations will take them and bring them to 
       their place, and the house of Israel will possess the nations as male 
       and female slaves in the Lord's land; they will take captive those who 
       were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them.

       (Isa 14:3 NRSV)  When the LORD has given you rest from your pain and 
       turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve,

       (Isa 14:4 NRSV)  you will take up this taunt against the king of 
       Babylon: How the oppressor has ceased! How his insolence has ceased!

       (Isa 14:5 NRSV)  The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the 
       scepter of rulers,

       (Isa 14:6 NRSV)  that struck down the peoples in wrath with unceasing 
       blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution.

       (Isa 14:7 NRSV)  The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break 
       forth into singing.

       (Isa 14:8 NRSV)  The cypresses exult over you, the cedars of Lebanon, 
       saying, "Since you were laid low, no one comes to cut us down."

       (Isa 14:9 NRSV)  Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you 
       come; it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the 
       earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations.






       (Isa 14:10 NRSV)  All of them will speak and say to you: "You too have 
       become as weak as we! You have become like us!"

       (Isa 14:11 NRSV)  Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, and the sound of 
       your harps; maggots are the bed beneath you, and worms are your 
       covering.

       (Isa 14:12 NRSV)  How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of 
       Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations 
       low!

       (Isa 14:13 NRSV)  You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I 
       will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount 
       of assembly on the heights of Zaphon;

       (Isa 14:14 NRSV)  I will ascend to the tops of the clouds, I will make 
       myself like the Most High."

       (Isa 14:15 NRSV)  But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of 
       the Pit.

       (Isa 14:16 NRSV)  Those who see you will stare at you, and ponder over 
       you: "Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,

       (Isa 14:17 NRSV)  who made the world like a desert and overthrew its 
       cities, who would not let his prisoners go home?"

       (Isa 14:18 NRSV)  All the kings of the nations lie in glory, each in 
       his own tomb;

       (Isa 14:19 NRSV)  but you are cast out, away from your grave, like 
       loathsome carrion, clothed with the dead, those pierced by the sword, 
       who go down to the stones of the Pit, like a corpse trampled 
       underfoot.

       (Isa 14:20 NRSV)  You will not be joined with them in burial, because 
       you have destroyed your land, you have killed your people. May the 
       descendants of evildoers nevermore be named!

       (Isa 14:21 NRSV)  Prepare slaughter for his sons because of the guilt 
       of their father. Let them never rise to possess the earth or cover the 
       face of the world with cities.

       (Isa 14:22 NRSV)  I will rise up against them, says the LORD of hosts, 
       and will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, offspring and 
       posterity, says the LORD.

       (Isa 14:23 NRSV)  And I will make it a possession of the hedgehog, and 
       pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction, 
       says the LORD of hosts.

       (Isa 14:24 NRSV)  The LORD of hosts has sworn: As I have designed, so 
       shall it be; and as I have planned, so shall it come to pass:

       (Isa 14:25 NRSV)  I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my 





       mountains trample him under foot; his yoke shall be removed from them, 
       and his burden from their shoulders.

       (Isa 14:26 NRSV)  This is the plan that is planned concerning the 
       whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the 
       nations.

       (Isa 14:27 NRSV)  For the LORD of hosts has planned, and who will 
       annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?

       (Isa 14:28 NRSV)  In the year that King Ahaz died this oracle came:

       (Isa 14:29 NRSV)  Do not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod 
       that struck you is broken, for from the root of the snake will come 
       forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent.

       (Isa 14:30 NRSV)  The firstborn of the poor will graze, and the needy 
       lie down in safety; but I will make your root die of famine, and your 
       remnant I will kill.

       (Isa 14:31 NRSV)  Wail, O gate; cry, O city; melt in fear, O 
       Philistia, all of you! For smoke comes out of the north, and there is 
       no straggler in its ranks.

       (Isa 14:32 NRSV)  What will one answer the messengers of the nation? 
       "The LORD has founded Zion, and the needy among his people will find 
       refuge in her."

       (Isa 15:1 NRSV)  An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar is laid waste 
       in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir is laid waste in a night, Moab 
       is undone.

       (Isa 15:2 NRSV)  Dibon has gone up to the temple, to the high places 
       to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is 
       baldness, every beard is shorn;

       (Isa 15:3 NRSV)  in the streets they bind on sackcloth; on the 
       housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.

       (Isa 15:4 NRSV)  Heshbon and Elealeh cry out, their voices are heard 
       as far as Jahaz; therefore the loins of Moab quiver; his soul 
       trembles.

       (Isa 15:5 NRSV)  My heart cries out for Moab; his fugitives flee to 
       Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up 
       weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;

       (Isa 15:6 NRSV)  the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is 
       withered, the new growth fails, the verdure is no more.

       (Isa 15:7 NRSV)  Therefore the abundance they have gained and what 
       they have laid up they carry away over the Wadi of the Willows.

       (Isa 15:8 NRSV)  For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; the 
       wailing reaches to Eglaim, the wailing reaches to Beer-elim.





       (Isa 15:9 NRSV)  For the waters of Dibon are full of blood; yet I will 
       bring upon Dibon even more-- a lion for those of Moab who escape, for 
       the remnant of the land.

       (Isa 16:1 NRSV)  Send lambs to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by 
       way of the desert, to the mount of daughter Zion.

       (Isa 16:2 NRSV)  Like fluttering birds, like scattered nestlings, so 
       are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon.

       (Isa 16:3 NRSV)  "Give counsel, grant justice; make your shade like 
       night at the height of noon; hide the outcasts, do not betray the 
       fugitive;

       (Isa 16:4 NRSV)  let the outcasts of Moab settle among you; be a 
       refuge to them from the destroyer." When the oppressor is no more, and 
       destruction has ceased, and marauders have vanished from the land,

       (Isa 16:5 NRSV)  then a throne shall be established in steadfast love 
       in the tent of David, and on it shall sit in faithfulness a ruler who 
       seeks justice and is swift to do what is right.

       (Isa 16:6 NRSV)  We have heard of the pride of Moab --how proud he 
       is!-- of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; his boasts are 
       false.

       (Isa 16:7 NRSV)  Therefore let Moab wail, let everyone wail for Moab. 
       Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth.

       (Isa 16:8 NRSV)  For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vines of 
       Sibmah, whose clusters once made drunk the lords of the nations, 
       reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; their shoots once spread 
       abroad and crossed over the sea.

       (Isa 16:9 NRSV)  Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the 
       vines of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; 
       for the shout over your fruit harvest and your grain harvest has 
       ceased.

       (Isa 16:10 NRSV)  Joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful 
       field; and in the vineyards no songs are sung, no shouts are raised; 
       no treader treads out wine in the presses; the vintage-shout is 
       hushed.

       (Isa 16:11 NRSV)  Therefore my heart throbs like a harp for Moab, and 
       my very soul for Kir-heres.

       (Isa 16:12 NRSV)  When Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself 
       upon the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will 
       not prevail.

       (Isa 16:13 NRSV)  This was the word that the LORD spoke concerning 
       Moab in the past.

       (Isa 16:14 NRSV)  But now the LORD says, In three years, like the 
       years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into 





       contempt, in spite of all its great multitude; and those who survive 
       will be very few and feeble.

       (Isa 17:1 NRSV)  An oracle concerning Damascus. See, Damascus will 
       cease to be a city, and will become a heap of ruins.

       (Isa 17:2 NRSV)  Her towns will be deserted forever; they will be 
       places for flocks, which will lie down, and no one will make them 
       afraid.

       (Isa 17:3 NRSV)  The fortress will disappear from Ephraim, and the 
       kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Aram will be like the glory 
       of the children of Israel, says the LORD of hosts.

       (Isa 17:4 NRSV)  On that day the glory of Jacob will be brought low, 
       and the fat of his flesh will grow lean.

       (Isa 17:5 NRSV)  And it shall be as when reapers gather standing grain 
       and their arms harvest the ears, and as when one gleans the ears of 
       grain in the Valley of Rephaim.

       (Isa 17:6 NRSV)  Gleanings will be left in it, as when an olive tree 
       is beaten-- two or three berries in the top of the highest bough, four 
       or five on the branches of a fruit tree, says the LORD God of Israel.

       (Isa 17:7 NRSV)  On that day people will regard their Maker, and their 
       eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel;

       (Isa 17:8 NRSV)  they will not have regard for the altars, the work of 
       their hands, and they will not look to what their own fingers have 
       made, either the sacred poles or the altars of incense.

       (Isa 17:9 NRSV)  On that day their strong cities will be like the 
       deserted places of the Hivites and the Amorites, which they deserted 
       because of the children of Israel, and there will be desolation.

       (Isa 17:10 NRSV)  For you have forgotten the God of your salvation, 
       and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge; therefore, though you 
       plant pleasant plants and set out slips of an alien god,

       (Isa 17:11 NRSV)  though you make them grow on the day that you plant 
       them, and make them blossom in the morning that you sow; yet the 
       harvest will flee away in a day of grief and incurable pain.

       (Isa 17:12 NRSV)  Ah, the thunder of many peoples, they thunder like 
       the thundering of the sea! Ah, the roar of nations, they roar like the 
       roaring of mighty waters!

       (Isa 17:13 NRSV)  The nations roar like the roaring of many waters, 
       but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away, chased like 
       chaff on the mountains before the wind and whirling dust before the 
       storm.

       (Isa 17:14 NRSV)  At evening time, lo, terror! Before morning, they 
       are no more. This is the fate of those who despoil us, and the lot of 
       those who plunder us.






       (Isa 18:1 NRSV)  Ah, land of whirring wings beyond the rivers of 
       Ethiopia,

       (Isa 18:2 NRSV)  sending ambassadors by the Nile in vessels of papyrus 
       on the waters! Go, you swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth, 
       to a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose 
       land the rivers divide.

       (Isa 18:3 NRSV)  All you inhabitants of the world, you who live on the 
       earth, when a signal is raised on the mountains, look! When a trumpet 
       is blown, listen!

       (Isa 18:4 NRSV)  For thus the LORD said to me: I will quietly look 
       from my dwelling like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in 
       the heat of harvest.

       (Isa 18:5 NRSV)  For before the harvest, when the blossom is over and 
       the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the shoots with 
       pruning hooks, and the spreading branches he will hew away.

       (Isa 18:6 NRSV)  They shall all be left to the birds of prey of the 
       mountains and to the animals of the earth. And the birds of prey will 
       summer on them, and all the animals of the earth will winter on them.

       (Isa 18:7 NRSV)  At that time gifts will be brought to the LORD of 
       hosts from a people tall and smooth, from a people feared near and 
       far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide, to 
       Mount Zion, the place of the name of the LORD of hosts.

       (Isa 19:1 NRSV)  An oracle concerning Egypt. See, the LORD is riding 
       on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; the idols of Egypt will tremble 
       at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.

       (Isa 19:2 NRSV)  I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians, and they 
       will fight, one against the other, neighbor against neighbor, city 
       against city, kingdom against kingdom;

       (Isa 19:3 NRSV)  the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be 
       emptied out, and I will confound their plans; they will consult the 
       idols and the spirits of the dead and the ghosts and the familiar 
       spirits;

       (Isa 19:4 NRSV)  I will deliver the Egyptians into the hand of a hard 
       master; a fierce king will rule over them, says the Sovereign, the 
       LORD of hosts.

       (Isa 19:5 NRSV)  The waters of the Nile will be dried up, and the 
       river will be parched and dry;

       (Isa 19:6 NRSV)  its canals will become foul, and the branches of 
       Egypt's Nile will diminish and dry up, reeds and rushes will rot away.

       (Isa 19:7 NRSV)  There will be bare places by the Nile, on the brink 
       of the Nile; and all that is sown by the Nile will dry up, be driven 
       away, and be no more.






       (Isa 19:8 NRSV)  Those who fish will mourn; all who cast hooks in the 
       Nile will lament, and those who spread nets on the water will 
       languish.

       (Isa 19:9 NRSV)  The workers in flax will be in despair, and the 
       carders and those at the loom will grow pale.

       (Isa 19:10 NRSV)  Its weavers will be dismayed, and all who work for 
       wages will be grieved.

       (Isa 19:11 NRSV)  The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the wise 
       counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel. How can you say to Pharaoh, 
       "I am one of the sages, a descendant of ancient kings"?

       (Isa 19:12 NRSV)  Where now are your sages? Let them tell you and make 
       known what the LORD of hosts has planned against Egypt.

       (Isa 19:13 NRSV)  The princes of Zoan have become fools, and the 
       princes of Memphis are deluded; those who are the cornerstones of its 
       tribes have led Egypt astray.

       (Isa 19:14 NRSV)  The LORD has poured into them a spirit of confusion; 
       and they have made Egypt stagger in all its doings as a drunkard 
       staggers around in vomit.

       (Isa 19:15 NRSV)  Neither head nor tail, palm branch or reed, will be 
       able to do anything for Egypt.

       (Isa 19:16 NRSV)  On that day the Egyptians will be like women, and 
       tremble with fear before the hand that the LORD of hosts raises 
       against them.

       (Isa 19:17 NRSV)  And the land of Judah will become a terror to the 
       Egyptians; everyone to whom it is mentioned will fear because of the 
       plan that the LORD of hosts is planning against them.

       (Isa 19:18 NRSV)  On that day there will be five cities in the land of 
       Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the 
       LORD of hosts. One of these will be called the City of the Sun.

       (Isa 19:19 NRSV)  On that day there will be an altar to the LORD in 
       the center of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its 
       border.

       (Isa 19:20 NRSV)  It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts 
       in the land of Egypt; when they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, 
       he will send them a savior, and will defend and deliver them.

       (Isa 19:21 NRSV)  The LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians; 
       and the Egyptians will know the LORD on that day, and will worship 
       with sacrifice and burnt offering, and they will make vows to the LORD 
       and perform them.

       (Isa 19:22 NRSV)  The LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing; 
       they will return to the LORD, and he will listen to their 





       supplications and heal them.

       (Isa 19:23 NRSV)  On that day there will be a highway from Egypt to 
       Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into 
       Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.

       (Isa 19:24 NRSV)  On that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and 
       Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth,

       (Isa 19:25 NRSV)  whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, "Blessed 
       be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my 
       heritage."

       (Isa 20:1 NRSV)  In the year that the commander-in-chief, who was sent 
       by King Sargon of Assyria, came to Ashdod and fought against it and 
       took it--

       (Isa 20:2 NRSV)  at that time the LORD had spoken to Isaiah son of 
       Amoz, saying, "Go, and loose the sackcloth from your loins and take 
       your sandals off your feet," and he had done so, walking naked and 
       barefoot.

       (Isa 20:3 NRSV)  Then the LORD said, "Just as my servant Isaiah has 
       walked naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and a portent 
       against Egypt and Ethiopia,

       (Isa 20:4 NRSV)  so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians 
       as captives and the Ethiopians as exiles, both the young and the old, 
       naked and barefoot, with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

       (Isa 20:5 NRSV)  And they shall be dismayed and confounded because of 
       Ethiopia their hope and of Egypt their boast.

       (Isa 20:6 NRSV)  In that day the inhabitants of this coastland will 
       say, 'See, this is what has happened to those in whom we hoped and to 
       whom we fled for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! And 
       we, how shall we escape?'"

       (Isa 21:1 NRSV)  The oracle concerning the wilderness of the sea. As 
       whirlwinds in the Negeb sweep on, it comes from the desert, from a 
       terrible land.

       (Isa 21:2 NRSV)  A stern vision is told to me; the betrayer betrays, 
       and the destroyer destroys. Go up, O Elam, lay siege, O Media; all the 
       sighing she has caused I bring to an end.

       (Isa 21:3 NRSV)  Therefore my loins are filled with anguish; pangs 
       have seized me, like the pangs of a woman in labor; I am bowed down so 
       that I cannot hear, I am dismayed so that I cannot see.

       (Isa 21:4 NRSV)  My mind reels, horror has appalled me; the twilight I 
       longed for has been turned for me into trembling.

       (Isa 21:5 NRSV)  They prepare the table, they spread the rugs, they 
       eat, they drink. Rise up, commanders, oil the shield!





       (Isa 21:6 NRSV)  For thus the Lord said to me: "Go, post a lookout, 
       let him announce what he sees.

       (Isa 21:7 NRSV)  When he sees riders, horsemen in pairs, riders on 
       donkeys, riders on camels, let him listen diligently, very 
       diligently."

       (Isa 21:8 NRSV)  Then the watcher called out: "Upon a watchtower I 
       stand, O Lord, continually by day, and at my post I am stationed 
       throughout the night.

       (Isa 21:9 NRSV)  Look, there they come, riders, horsemen in pairs!" 
       Then he responded, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the images of 
       her gods lie shattered on the ground."

       (Isa 21:10 NRSV)  O my threshed and winnowed one, what I have heard 
       from the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, I announce to you.

       (Isa 21:11 NRSV)  The oracle concerning Dumah. One is calling to me 
       from Seir, "Sentinel, what of the night? Sentinel, what of the night?"

       (Isa 21:12 NRSV)  The sentinel says: "Morning comes, and also the 
       night. If you will inquire, inquire; come back again."

       (Isa 21:13 NRSV)  The oracle concerning the desert plain. In the scrub 
       of the desert plain you will lodge, O caravans of Dedanites.

       (Isa 21:14 NRSV)  Bring water to the thirsty, meet the fugitive with 
       bread, O inhabitants of the land of Tema.

       (Isa 21:15 NRSV)  For they have fled from the swords, from the drawn 
       sword, from the bent bow, and from the stress of battle.

       (Isa 21:16 NRSV)  For thus the Lord said to me: Within a year, 
       according to the years of a hired worker, all the glory of Kedar will 
       come to an end;

       (Isa 21:17 NRSV)  and the remaining bows of Kedar's warriors will be 
       few; for the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken.

       (Isa 22:1 NRSV)  The oracle concerning the valley of vision. What do 
       you mean that you have gone up, all of you, to the housetops,

       (Isa 22:2 NRSV)  you that are full of shoutings, tumultuous city, 
       exultant town? Your slain are not slain by the sword, nor are they 
       dead in battle.

       (Isa 22:3 NRSV)  Your rulers have all fled together; they were 
       captured without the use of a bow. All of you who were found were 
       captured, though they had fled far away.

       (Isa 22:4 NRSV)  Therefore I said: Look away from me, let me weep 
       bitter tears; do not try to comfort me for the destruction of my 
       beloved people.

       (Isa 22:5 NRSV)  For the Lord GOD of hosts has a day of tumult and 





       trampling and confusion in the valley of vision, a battering down of 
       walls and a cry for help to the mountains.

       (Isa 22:6 NRSV)  Elam bore the quiver with chariots and cavalry, and 
       Kir uncovered the shield.

       (Isa 22:7 NRSV)  Your choicest valleys were full of chariots, and the 
       cavalry took their stand at the gates.

       (Isa 22:8 NRSV)  He has taken away the covering of Judah. On that day 
       you looked to the weapons of the House of the Forest,

       (Isa 22:9 NRSV)  and you saw that there were many breaches in the city 
       of David, and you collected the waters of the lower pool.

       (Isa 22:10 NRSV)  You counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke 
       down the houses to fortify the wall.

       (Isa 22:11 NRSV)  You made a reservoir between the two walls for the 
       water of the old pool. But you did not look to him who did it, or have 
       regard for him who planned it long ago.

       (Isa 22:12 NRSV)  In that day the Lord GOD of hosts called to weeping 
       and mourning, to baldness and putting on sackcloth;

       (Isa 22:13 NRSV)  but instead there was joy and festivity, killing 
       oxen and slaughtering sheep, eating meat and drinking wine. "Let us 
       eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."

       (Isa 22:14 NRSV)  The LORD of hosts has revealed himself in my ears: 
       Surely this iniquity will not be forgiven you until you die, says the 
       Lord GOD of hosts.

       (Isa 22:15 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD of hosts: Come, go to this 
       steward, to Shebna, who is master of the household, and say to him:

       (Isa 22:16 NRSV)  What right do you have here? Who are your relatives 
       here, that you have cut out a tomb here for yourself, cutting a tomb 
       on the height, and carving a habitation for yourself in the rock?

       (Isa 22:17 NRSV)  The LORD is about to hurl you away violently, my 
       fellow. He will seize firm hold on you,

       (Isa 22:18 NRSV)  whirl you round and round, and throw you like a ball 
       into a wide land; there you shall die, and there your splendid 
       chariots shall lie, O you disgrace to your master's house!

       (Isa 22:19 NRSV)  I will thrust you from your office, and you will be 
       pulled down from your post.

       (Isa 22:20 NRSV)  On that day I will call my servant Eliakim son of 
       Hilkiah,

       (Isa 22:21 NRSV)  and will clothe him with your robe and bind your 
       sash on him. I will commit your authority to his hand, and he shall be 
       a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.






       (Isa 22:22 NRSV)  I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of 
       David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one 
       shall open.

       (Isa 22:23 NRSV)  I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and 
       he will become a throne of honor to his ancestral house.

       (Isa 22:24 NRSV)  And they will hang on him the whole weight of his 
       ancestral house, the offspring and issue, every small vessel, from the 
       cups to all the flagons.

       (Isa 22:25 NRSV)  On that day, says the LORD of hosts, the peg that 
       was fastened in a secure place will give way; it will be cut down and 
       fall, and the load that was on it will perish, for the LORD has 
       spoken.

       (Isa 23:1 NRSV)  The oracle concerning Tyre. Wail, O ships of 
       Tarshish, for your fortress is destroyed. When they came in from 
       Cyprus they learned of it.

       (Isa 23:2 NRSV)  Be still, O inhabitants of the coast, O merchants of 
       Sidon, your messengers crossed over the sea

       (Isa 23:3 NRSV)  and were on the mighty waters; your revenue was the 
       grain of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile; you were the merchant of the 
       nations.

       (Isa 23:4 NRSV)  Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea has spoken, the 
       fortress of the sea, saying: "I have neither labored nor given birth, 
       I have neither reared young men nor brought up young women."

       (Isa 23:5 NRSV)  When the report comes to Egypt, they will be in 
       anguish over the report about Tyre.

       (Isa 23:6 NRSV)  Cross over to Tarshish-- wail, O inhabitants of the 
       coast!

       (Isa 23:7 NRSV)  Is this your exultant city whose origin is from days 
       of old, whose feet carried her to settle far away?

       (Isa 23:8 NRSV)  Who has planned this against Tyre, the bestower of 
       crowns, whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored 
       of the earth?

       (Isa 23:9 NRSV)  The LORD of hosts has planned it-- to defile the 
       pride of all glory, to shame all the honored of the earth.

       (Isa 23:10 NRSV)  Cross over to your own land, O ships of Tarshish; 
       this is a harbor no more.

       (Isa 23:11 NRSV)  He has stretched out his hand over the sea, he has 
       shaken the kingdoms; the LORD has given command concerning Canaan to 
       destroy its fortresses.

       (Isa 23:12 NRSV)  He said: You will exult no longer, O oppressed 





       virgin daughter Sidon; rise, cross over to Cyprus-- even there you 
       will have no rest.

       (Isa 23:13 NRSV)  Look at the land of the Chaldeans! This is the 
       people; it was not Assyria. They destined Tyre for wild animals. They 
       erected their siege towers, they tore down her palaces, they made her 
       a ruin.

       (Isa 23:14 NRSV)  Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for your fortress is 
       destroyed.

       (Isa 23:15 NRSV)  From that day Tyre will be forgotten for seventy 
       years, the lifetime of one king. At the end of seventy years, it will 
       happen to Tyre as in the song about the prostitute:

       (Isa 23:16 NRSV)  Take a harp, go about the city, you forgotten 
       prostitute! Make sweet melody, sing many songs, that you may be 
       remembered.

       (Isa 23:17 NRSV)  At the end of seventy years, the LORD will visit 
       Tyre, and she will return to her trade, and will prostitute herself 
       with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth.

       (Isa 23:18 NRSV)  Her merchandise and her wages will be dedicated to 
       the LORD; her profits will not be stored or hoarded, but her 
       merchandise will supply abundant food and fine clothing for those who 
       live in the presence of the LORD.

       (Isa 24:1 NRSV)  Now the LORD is about to lay waste the earth and make 
       it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its 
       inhabitants.

       (Isa 24:2 NRSV)  And it shall be, as with the people, so with the 
       priest; as with the slave, so with his master; as with the maid, so 
       with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the 
       lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the 
       debtor.

       (Isa 24:3 NRSV)  The earth shall be utterly laid waste and utterly 
       despoiled; for the LORD has spoken this word.

       (Isa 24:4 NRSV)  The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes 
       and withers; the heavens languish together with the earth.

       (Isa 24:5 NRSV)  The earth lies polluted under its inhabitants; for 
       they have transgressed laws, violated the statutes, broken the 
       everlasting covenant.

       (Isa 24:6 NRSV)  Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its 
       inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the 
       earth dwindled, and few people are left.

       (Isa 24:7 NRSV)  The wine dries up, the vine languishes, all the 
       merry-hearted sigh.

       (Isa 24:8 NRSV)  The mirth of the timbrels is stilled, the noise of 





       the jubilant has ceased, the mirth of the lyre is stilled.

       (Isa 24:9 NRSV)  No longer do they drink wine with singing; strong 
       drink is bitter to those who drink it.

       (Isa 24:10 NRSV)  The city of chaos is broken down, every house is 
       shut up so that no one can enter.

       (Isa 24:11 NRSV)  There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine; 
       all joy has reached its eventide; the gladness of the earth is 
       banished.

       (Isa 24:12 NRSV)  Desolation is left in the city, the gates are 
       battered into ruins.

       (Isa 24:13 NRSV)  For thus it shall be on the earth and among the 
       nations, as when an olive tree is beaten, as at the gleaning when the 
       grape harvest is ended.

       (Isa 24:14 NRSV)  They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; they 
       shout from the west over the majesty of the LORD.

       (Isa 24:15 NRSV)  Therefore in the east give glory to the LORD; in the 
       coastlands of the sea glorify the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.

       (Isa 24:16 NRSV)  From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, 
       of glory to the Righteous One. But I say, I pine away, I pine away. 
       Woe is me! For the treacherous deal treacherously, the treacherous 
       deal very treacherously.

       (Isa 24:17 NRSV)  Terror, and the pit, and the snare are upon you, O 
       inhabitant of the earth!

       (Isa 24:18 NRSV)  Whoever flees at the sound of the terror shall fall 
       into the pit; and whoever climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the 
       snare. For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of 
       the earth tremble.

       (Isa 24:19 NRSV)  The earth is utterly broken, the earth is torn 
       asunder, the earth is violently shaken.

       (Isa 24:20 NRSV)  The earth staggers like a drunkard, it sways like a 
       hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not 
       rise again.

       (Isa 24:21 NRSV)  On that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven 
       in heaven, and on earth the kings of the earth.

       (Isa 24:22 NRSV)  They will be gathered together like prisoners in a 
       pit; they will be shut up in a prison, and after many days they will 
       be punished.

       (Isa 24:23 NRSV)  Then the moon will be abashed, and the sun ashamed; 
       for the LORD of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and 
       before his elders he will manifest his glory.





       (Isa 25:1 NRSV)  O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you, I will 
       praise your name; for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of 
       old, faithful and sure.

       (Isa 25:2 NRSV)  For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city 
       a ruin; the palace of aliens is a city no more, it will never be 
       rebuilt.

       (Isa 25:3 NRSV)  Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of 
       ruthless nations will fear you.

       (Isa 25:4 NRSV)  For you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to 
       the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade 
       from the heat. When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter 
       rainstorm,

       (Isa 25:5 NRSV)  the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place, you 
       subdued the heat with the shade of clouds; the song of the ruthless 
       was stilled.

       (Isa 25:6 NRSV)  On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all 
       peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food 
       filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.

       (Isa 25:7 NRSV)  And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that 
       is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; 
       he will swallow up death forever.

       (Isa 25:8 NRSV)  Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all 
       faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the 
       earth, for the LORD has spoken.

       (Isa 25:9 NRSV)  It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we 
       have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the LORD for 
       whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

       (Isa 25:10 NRSV)  For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain. 
       The Moabites shall be trodden down in their place as straw is trodden 
       down in a dung-pit.

       (Isa 25:11 NRSV)  Though they spread out their hands in the midst of 
       it, as swimmers spread out their hands to swim, their pride will be 
       laid low despite the struggle of their hands.

       (Isa 25:12 NRSV)  The high fortifications of his walls will be brought 
       down, laid low, cast to the ground, even to the dust.

       (Isa 26:1 NRSV)  On that day this song will be sung in the land of 
       Judah: We have a strong city; he sets up victory like walls and 
       bulwarks.

       (Isa 26:2 NRSV)  Open the gates, so that the righteous nation that 
       keeps faith may enter in.

       (Isa 26:3 NRSV)  Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace-- in peace 
       because they trust in you.






       (Isa 26:4 NRSV)  Trust in the LORD forever, for in the LORD GOD you 
       have an everlasting rock.

       (Isa 26:5 NRSV)  For he has brought low the inhabitants of the height; 
       the lofty city he lays low. He lays it low to the ground, casts it to 
       the dust.

       (Isa 26:6 NRSV)  The foot tramples it, the feet of the poor, the steps 
       of the needy.

       (Isa 26:7 NRSV)  The way of the righteous is level; O Just One, you 
       make smooth the path of the righteous.

       (Isa 26:8 NRSV)  In the path of your judgments, O LORD, we wait for 
       you; your name and your renown are the soul's desire.

       (Isa 26:9 NRSV)  My soul yearns for you in the night, my spirit within 
       me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the 
       inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

       (Isa 26:10 NRSV)  If favor is shown to the wicked, they do not learn 
       righteousness; in the land of uprightness they deal perversely and do 
       not see the majesty of the LORD.

       (Isa 26:11 NRSV)  O LORD, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see 
       it. Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed. Let the 
       fire for your adversaries consume them.

       (Isa 26:12 NRSV)  O LORD, you will ordain peace for us, for indeed, 
       all that we have done, you have done for us.

       (Isa 26:13 NRSV)  O LORD our God, other lords besides you have ruled 
       over us, but we acknowledge your name alone.

       (Isa 26:14 NRSV)  The dead do not live; shades do not rise-- because 
       you have punished and destroyed them, and wiped out all memory of 
       them.

       (Isa 26:15 NRSV)  But you have increased the nation, O LORD, you have 
       increased the nation; you are glorified; you have enlarged all the 
       borders of the land.

       (Isa 26:16 NRSV)  O LORD, in distress they sought you, they poured out 
       a prayer when your chastening was on them.

       (Isa 26:17 NRSV)  Like a woman with child, who writhes and cries out 
       in her pangs when she is near her time, so were we because of you, O 
       LORD;

       (Isa 26:18 NRSV)  we were with child, we writhed, but we gave birth 
       only to wind. We have won no victories on earth, and no one is born to 
       inhabit the world.

       (Isa 26:19 NRSV)  Your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise. O 
       dwellers in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a 





       radiant dew, and the earth will give birth to those long dead.

       (Isa 26:20 NRSV)  Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your 
       doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the wrath 
       is past.

       (Isa 26:21 NRSV)  For the LORD comes out from his place to punish the 
       inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth will disclose 
       the blood shed on it, and will no longer cover its slain.

       (Isa 27:1 NRSV)  On that day the LORD with his cruel and great and 
       strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the 
       twisting serpent, and he will kill the dragon that is in the sea.

       (Isa 27:2 NRSV)  On that day: A pleasant vineyard, sing about it!

       (Isa 27:3 NRSV)  I, the LORD, am its keeper; every moment I water it. 
       I guard it night and day so that no one can harm it;

       (Isa 27:4 NRSV)  I have no wrath. If it gives me thorns and briers, I 
       will march to battle against it. I will burn it up.

       (Isa 27:5 NRSV)  Or else let it cling to me for protection, let it 
       make peace with me, let it make peace with me.

       (Isa 27:6 NRSV)  In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall 
       blossom and put forth shoots, and fill the whole world with fruit.

       (Isa 27:7 NRSV)  Has he struck them down as he struck down those who 
       struck them? Or have they been killed as their killers were killed?

       (Isa 27:8 NRSV)  By expulsion, by exile you struggled against them; 
       with his fierce blast he removed them in the day of the east wind.

       (Isa 27:9 NRSV)  Therefore by this the guilt of Jacob will be 
       expiated, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin: 
       when he makes all the stones of the altars like chalkstones crushed to 
       pieces, no sacred poles or incense altars will remain standing.

       (Isa 27:10 NRSV)  For the fortified city is solitary, a habitation 
       deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness; the calves graze there, 
       there they lie down, and strip its branches.

       (Isa 27:11 NRSV)  When its boughs are dry, they are broken; women come 
       and make a fire of them. For this is a people without understanding; 
       therefore he that made them will not have compassion on them, he that 
       formed them will show them no favor.

       (Isa 27:12 NRSV)  On that day the LORD will thresh from the channel of 
       the Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you will be gathered one by 
       one, O people of Israel.

       (Isa 27:13 NRSV)  And on that day a great trumpet will be blown, and 
       those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven 
       out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy 
       mountain at Jerusalem.






       (Isa 28:1 NRSV)  Ah, the proud garland of the drunkards of Ephraim, 
       and the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of 
       those bloated with rich food, of those overcome with wine!

       (Isa 28:2 NRSV)  See, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong; like 
       a storm of hail, a destroying tempest, like a storm of mighty, 
       overflowing waters; with his hand he will hurl them down to the earth.

       (Isa 28:3 NRSV)  Trampled under foot will be the proud garland of the 
       drunkards of Ephraim.

       (Isa 28:4 NRSV)  And the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which 
       is on the head of those bloated with rich food, will be like a 
       first-ripe fig before the summer; whoever sees it, eats it up as soon 
       as it comes to hand.

       (Isa 28:5 NRSV)  In that day the LORD of hosts will be a garland of 
       glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people;

       (Isa 28:6 NRSV)  and a spirit of justice to the one who sits in 
       judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

       (Isa 28:7 NRSV)  These also reel with wine and stagger with strong 
       drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are 
       confused with wine, they stagger with strong drink; they err in 
       vision, they stumble in giving judgment.

       (Isa 28:8 NRSV)  All tables are covered with filthy vomit; no place is 
       clean.

       (Isa 28:9 NRSV)  "Whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he 
       explain the message? Those who are weaned from milk, those taken from 
       the breast?

       (Isa 28:10 NRSV)  For it is precept upon precept, precept upon 
       precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a 
       little."

       (Isa 28:11 NRSV)  Truly, with stammering lip and with alien tongue he 
       will speak to this people,

       (Isa 28:12 NRSV)  to whom he has said, "This is rest; give rest to the 
       weary; and this is repose"; yet they would not hear.

       (Isa 28:13 NRSV)  Therefore the word of the LORD will be to them, 
       "Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon 
       line, here a little, there a little;" in order that they may go, and 
       fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

       (Isa 28:14 NRSV)  Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers 
       who rule this people in Jerusalem.

       (Isa 28:15 NRSV)  Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with 
       death, and with Sheol we have an agreement; when the overwhelming 
       scourge passes through it will not come to us; for we have made lies 





       our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter";

       (Isa 28:16 NRSV)  therefore thus says the Lord GOD, See, I am laying 
       in Zion a foundation stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a 
       sure foundation: "One who trusts will not panic."

       (Isa 28:17 NRSV)  And I will make justice the line, and righteousness 
       the plummet; hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will 
       overwhelm the shelter.

       (Isa 28:18 NRSV)  Then your covenant with death will be annulled, and 
       your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overwhelming 
       scourge passes through you will be beaten down by it.

       (Isa 28:19 NRSV)  As often as it passes through, it will take you; for 
       morning by morning it will pass through, by day and by night; and it 
       will be sheer terror to understand the message.

       (Isa 28:20 NRSV)  For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on it, 
       and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in it.

       (Isa 28:21 NRSV)  For the LORD will rise up as on Mount Perazim, he 
       will rage as in the valley of Gibeon; to do his deed--strange is his 
       deed! and to work his work--alien is his work!

       (Isa 28:22 NRSV)  Now therefore do not scoff, or your bonds will be 
       made stronger; for I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord 
       GOD of hosts upon the whole land.

       (Isa 28:23 NRSV)  Listen, and hear my voice; Pay attention, and hear 
       my speech.

       (Isa 28:24 NRSV)  Do those who plow for sowing plow continually? Do 
       they continually open and harrow their ground?

       (Isa 28:25 NRSV)  When they have leveled its surface, do they not 
       scatter dill, sow cummin, and plant wheat in rows and barley in its 
       proper place, and spelt as the border?

       (Isa 28:26 NRSV)  For they are well instructed; their God teaches 
       them.

       (Isa 28:27 NRSV)  Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is 
       a cart wheel rolled over cummin; but dill is beaten out with a stick, 
       and cummin with a rod.

       (Isa 28:28 NRSV)  Grain is crushed for bread, but one does not thresh 
       it forever; one drives the cart wheel and horses over it, but does not 
       pulverize it.

       (Isa 28:29 NRSV)  This also comes from the LORD of hosts; he is 
       wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom.

       (Isa 29:1 NRSV)  Ah, Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped! Add 
       year to year; let the festivals run their round.





       (Isa 29:2 NRSV)  Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be moaning 
       and lamentation, and Jerusalem shall be to me like an Ariel.

       (Isa 29:3 NRSV)  And like David I will encamp against you; I will 
       besiege you with towers and raise siegeworks against you.

       (Isa 29:4 NRSV)  Then deep from the earth you shall speak, from low in 
       the dust your words shall come; your voice shall come from the ground 
       like the voice of a ghost, and your speech shall whisper out of the 
       dust.

       (Isa 29:5 NRSV)  But the multitude of your foes shall be like small 
       dust, and the multitude of tyrants like flying chaff. And in an 
       instant, suddenly,

       (Isa 29:6 NRSV)  you will be visited by the LORD of hosts with thunder 
       and earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the 
       flame of a devouring fire.

       (Isa 29:7 NRSV)  And the multitude of all the nations that fight 
       against Ariel, all that fight against her and her stronghold, and who 
       distress her, shall be like a dream, a vision of the night.

       (Isa 29:8 NRSV)  Just as when a hungry person dreams of eating and 
       wakes up still hungry, or a thirsty person dreams of drinking and 
       wakes up faint, still thirsty, so shall the multitude of all the 
       nations be that fight against Mount Zion.

       (Isa 29:9 NRSV)  Stupefy yourselves and be in a stupor, blind 
       yourselves and be blind! Be drunk, but not from wine; stagger, but not 
       from strong drink!

       (Isa 29:10 NRSV)  For the LORD has poured out upon you a spirit of 
       deep sleep; he has closed your eyes, you prophets, and covered your 
       heads, you seers.

       (Isa 29:11 NRSV)  The vision of all this has become for you like the 
       words of a sealed document. If it is given to those who can read, with 
       the command, "Read this," they say, "We cannot, for it is sealed."

       (Isa 29:12 NRSV)  And if it is given to those who cannot read, saying, 
       "Read this," they say, "We cannot read."

       (Isa 29:13 NRSV)  The Lord said: Because these people draw near with 
       their mouths and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far 
       from me, and their worship of me is a human commandment learned by 
       rote;

       (Isa 29:14 NRSV)  so I will again do amazing things with this people, 
       shocking and amazing. The wisdom of their wise shall perish, and the 
       discernment of the discerning shall be hidden.

       (Isa 29:15 NRSV)  Ha! You who hide a plan too deep for the LORD, whose 
       deeds are in the dark, and who say, "Who sees us? Who knows us?"

       (Isa 29:16 NRSV)  You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be 





       regarded as the clay? Shall the thing made say of its maker, "He did 
       not make me"; or the thing formed say of the one who formed it, "He 
       has no understanding"?

       (Isa 29:17 NRSV)  Shall not Lebanon in a very little while become a 
       fruitful field, and the fruitful field be regarded as a forest?

       (Isa 29:18 NRSV)  On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a 
       scroll, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind 
       shall see.

       (Isa 29:19 NRSV)  The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the 
       neediest people shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.

       (Isa 29:20 NRSV)  For the tyrant shall be no more, and the scoffer 
       shall cease to be; all those alert to do evil shall be cut off--

       (Isa 29:21 NRSV)  those who cause a person to lose a lawsuit, who set 
       a trap for the arbiter in the gate, and without grounds deny justice 
       to the one in the right.

       (Isa 29:22 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, 
       concerning the house of Jacob: No longer shall Jacob be ashamed, no 
       longer shall his face grow pale.

       (Isa 29:23 NRSV)  For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, 
       in his midst, they will sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy 
       One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.

       (Isa 29:24 NRSV)  And those who err in spirit will come to 
       understanding, and those who grumble will accept instruction.

       (Isa 30:1 NRSV)  Oh, rebellious children, says the LORD, who carry out 
       a plan, but not mine; who make an alliance, but against my will, 
       adding sin to sin;

       (Isa 30:2 NRSV)  who set out to go down to Egypt without asking for my 
       counsel, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh, and to seek 
       shelter in the shadow of Egypt;

       (Isa 30:3 NRSV)  Therefore the protection of Pharaoh shall become your 
       shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt your humiliation.

       (Isa 30:4 NRSV)  For though his officials are at Zoan and his envoys 
       reach Hanes,

       (Isa 30:5 NRSV)  everyone comes to shame through a people that cannot 
       profit them, that brings neither help nor profit, but shame and 
       disgrace.

       (Isa 30:6 NRSV)  An oracle concerning the animals of the Negeb. 
       Through a land of trouble and distress, of lioness and roaring lion, 
       of viper and flying serpent, they carry their riches on the backs of 
       donkeys, and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people that 
       cannot profit them.





       (Isa 30:7 NRSV)  For Egypt's help is worthless and empty, therefore I 
       have called her, "Rahab who sits still."

       (Isa 30:8 NRSV)  Go now, write it before them on a tablet, and 
       inscribe it in a book, so that it may be for the time to come as a 
       witness forever.

       (Isa 30:9 NRSV)  For they are a rebellious people, faithless children, 
       children who will not hear the instruction of the LORD;

       (Isa 30:10 NRSV)  who say to the seers, "Do not see"; and to the 
       prophets, "Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth 
       things, prophesy illusions,

       (Isa 30:11 NRSV)  leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear 
       no more about the Holy One of Israel."

       (Isa 30:12 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel: Because 
       you reject this word, and put your trust in oppression and deceit, and 
       rely on them;

       (Isa 30:13 NRSV)  therefore this iniquity shall become for you like a 
       break in a high wall, bulging out, and about to collapse, whose crash 
       comes suddenly, in an instant;

       (Isa 30:14 NRSV)  its breaking is like that of a potter's vessel that 
       is smashed so ruthlessly that among its fragments not a sherd is found 
       for taking fire from the hearth, or dipping water out of the cistern.

       (Isa 30:15 NRSV)  For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: 
       In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust 
       shall be your strength. But you refused

       (Isa 30:16 NRSV)  and said, "No! We will flee upon horses"-- therefore 
       you shall flee! and, "We will ride upon swift steeds"-- therefore your 
       pursuers shall be swift!

       (Isa 30:17 NRSV)  A thousand shall flee at the threat of one, at the 
       threat of five you shall flee, until you are left like a flagstaff on 
       the top of a mountain, like a signal on a hill.

       (Isa 30:18 NRSV)  Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you; 
       therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God 
       of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

       (Isa 30:19 NRSV)  Truly, O people in Zion, inhabitants of Jerusalem, 
       you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound 
       of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you.

       (Isa 30:20 NRSV)  Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity 
       and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself 
       any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher.

       (Isa 30:21 NRSV)  And when you turn to the right or when you turn to 
       the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the 
       way; walk in it."






       (Isa 30:22 NRSV)  Then you will defile your silver-covered idols and 
       your gold-plated images. You will scatter them like filthy rags; you 
       will say to them, "Away with you!"

       (Isa 30:23 NRSV)  He will give rain for the seed with which you sow 
       the ground, and grain, the produce of the ground, which will be rich 
       and plenteous. On that day your cattle will graze in broad pastures;

       (Isa 30:24 NRSV)  and the oxen and donkeys that till the ground will 
       eat silage, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork.

       (Isa 30:25 NRSV)  On every lofty mountain and every high hill there 
       will be brooks running with water--on a day of the great slaughter, 
       when the towers fall.

       (Isa 30:26 NRSV)  Moreover the light of the moon will be like the 
       light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, like the 
       light of seven days, on the day when the LORD binds up the injuries of 
       his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.

       (Isa 30:27 NRSV)  See, the name of the LORD comes from far away, 
       burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke; his lips are full 
       of indignation, and his tongue is like a devouring fire;

       (Isa 30:28 NRSV)  his breath is like an overflowing stream that 
       reaches up to the neck-- to sift the nations with the sieve of 
       destruction, and to place on the jaws of the peoples a bridle that 
       leads them astray.

       (Isa 30:29 NRSV)  You shall have a song as in the night when a holy 
       festival is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one sets out to the 
       sound of the flute to go to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of 
       Israel.

       (Isa 30:30 NRSV)  And the LORD will cause his majestic voice to be 
       heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen, in furious anger 
       and a flame of devouring fire, with a cloudburst and tempest and 
       hailstones.

       (Isa 30:31 NRSV)  The Assyrian will be terror-stricken at the voice of 
       the LORD, when he strikes with his rod.

       (Isa 30:32 NRSV)  And every stroke of the staff of punishment that the 
       LORD lays upon him will be to the sound of timbrels and lyres; 
       battling with brandished arm he will fight with him.

       (Isa 30:33 NRSV)  For his burning place has long been prepared; truly 
       it is made ready for the king, its pyre made deep and wide, with fire 
       and wood in abundance; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of 
       sulfur, kindles it.

       (Isa 31:1 NRSV)  Alas for those who go down to Egypt for help and who 
       rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in 
       horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One 
       of Israel or consult the LORD!






       (Isa 31:2 NRSV)  Yet he too is wise and brings disaster; he does not 
       call back his words, but will rise against the house of the evildoers, 
       and against the helpers of those who work iniquity.

       (Isa 31:3 NRSV)  The Egyptians are human, and not God; their horses 
       are flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out his hand, the 
       helper will stumble, and the one helped will fall, and they will all 
       perish together.

       (Isa 31:4 NRSV)  For thus the LORD said to me, As a lion or a young 
       lion growls over its prey, and--when a band of shepherds is called out 
       against it-- is not terrified by their shouting or daunted at their 
       noise, so the LORD of hosts will come down to fight upon Mount Zion 
       and upon its hill.

       (Isa 31:5 NRSV)  Like birds hovering overhead, so the LORD of hosts 
       will protect Jerusalem; he will protect and deliver it, he will spare 
       and rescue it.

       (Isa 31:6 NRSV)  Turn back to him whom you have deeply betrayed, O 
       people of Israel.

       (Isa 31:7 NRSV)  For on that day all of you shall throw away your 
       idols of silver and idols of gold, which your hands have sinfully made 
       for you.

       (Isa 31:8 NRSV)  "Then the Assyrian shall fall by a sword, not of 
       mortals; and a sword, not of humans, shall devour him; he shall flee 
       from the sword, and his young men shall be put to forced labor.

       (Isa 31:9 NRSV)  His rock shall pass away in terror, and his officers 
       desert the standard in panic," says the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, 
       and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

       (Isa 32:1 NRSV)  See, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes 
       will rule with justice.

       (Isa 32:2 NRSV)  Each will be like a hiding place from the wind, a 
       covert from the tempest, like streams of water in a dry place, like 
       the shade of a great rock in a weary land.

       (Isa 32:3 NRSV)  Then the eyes of those who have sight will not be 
       closed, and the ears of those who have hearing will listen.

       (Isa 32:4 NRSV)  The minds of the rash will have good judgment, and 
       the tongues of stammerers will speak readily and distinctly.

       (Isa 32:5 NRSV)  A fool will no longer be called noble, nor a villain 
       said to be honorable.

       (Isa 32:6 NRSV)  For fools speak folly, and their minds plot iniquity: 
       to practice ungodliness, to utter error concerning the LORD, to leave 
       the craving of the hungry unsatisfied, and to deprive the thirsty of 
       drink.





       (Isa 32:7 NRSV)  The villainies of villains are evil; they devise 
       wicked devices to ruin the poor with lying words, even when the plea 
       of the needy is right.

       (Isa 32:8 NRSV)  But those who are noble plan noble things, and by 
       noble things they stand.

       (Isa 32:9 NRSV)  Rise up, you women who are at ease, hear my voice; 
       you complacent daughters, listen to my speech.

       (Isa 32:10 NRSV)  In little more than a year you will shudder, you 
       complacent ones; for the vintage will fail, the fruit harvest will not 
       come.

       (Isa 32:11 NRSV)  Tremble, you women who are at ease, shudder, you 
       complacent ones; strip, and make yourselves bare, and put sackcloth on 
       your loins.

       (Isa 32:12 NRSV)  Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the 
       fruitful vine,

       (Isa 32:13 NRSV)  for the soil of my people growing up in thorns and 
       briers; yes, for all the joyous houses in the jubilant city.

       (Isa 32:14 NRSV)  For the palace will be forsaken, the populous city 
       deserted; the hill and the watchtower will become dens forever, the 
       joy of wild asses, a pasture for flocks;

       (Isa 32:15 NRSV)  until a spirit from on high is poured out on us, and 
       the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is 
       deemed a forest.

       (Isa 32:16 NRSV)  Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and 
       righteousness abide in the fruitful field.

       (Isa 32:17 NRSV)  The effect of righteousness will be peace, and the 
       result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.

       (Isa 32:18 NRSV)  My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in 
       secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.

       (Isa 32:19 NRSV)  The forest will disappear completely, and the city 
       will be utterly laid low.

       (Isa 32:20 NRSV)  Happy will you be who sow beside every stream, who 
       let the ox and the donkey range freely.

       (Isa 33:1 NRSV)  Ah, you destroyer, who yourself have not been 
       destroyed; you treacherous one, with whom no one has dealt 
       treacherously! When you have ceased to destroy, you will be destroyed; 
       and when you have stopped dealing treacherously, you will be dealt 
       with treacherously.

       (Isa 33:2 NRSV)  O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our 
       arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.





       (Isa 33:3 NRSV)  At the sound of tumult, peoples fled; before your 
       majesty, nations scattered.

       (Isa 33:4 NRSV)  Spoil was gathered as the caterpillar gathers; as 
       locusts leap, they leaped upon it.

       (Isa 33:5 NRSV)  The LORD is exalted, he dwells on high; he filled 
       Zion with justice and righteousness;

       (Isa 33:6 NRSV)  he will be the stability of your times, abundance of 
       salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is Zion's 
       treasure.

       (Isa 33:7 NRSV)  Listen! the valiant cry in the streets; the envoys of 
       peace weep bitterly.

       (Isa 33:8 NRSV)  The highways are deserted, travelers have quit the 
       road. The treaty is broken, its oaths are despised, its obligation is 
       disregarded.

       (Isa 33:9 NRSV)  The land mourns and languishes; Lebanon is confounded 
       and withers away; Sharon is like a desert; and Bashan and Carmel shake 
       off their leaves.

       (Isa 33:10 NRSV)  "Now I will arise," says the LORD, "now I will lift 
       myself up; now I will be exalted.

       (Isa 33:11 NRSV)  You conceive chaff, you bring forth stubble; your 
       breath is a fire that will consume you.

       (Isa 33:12 NRSV)  And the peoples will be as if burned to lime, like 
       thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire."

       (Isa 33:13 NRSV)  Hear, you who are far away, what I have done; and 
       you who are near, acknowledge my might.

       (Isa 33:14 NRSV)  The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized 
       the godless: "Who among us can live with the devouring fire? Who among 
       us can live with everlasting flames?"

       (Isa 33:15 NRSV)  Those who walk righteously and speak uprightly, who 
       despise the gain of oppression, who wave away a bribe instead of 
       accepting it, who stop their ears from hearing of bloodshed and shut 
       their eyes from looking on evil,

       (Isa 33:16 NRSV)  they will live on the heights; their refuge will be 
       the fortresses of rocks; their food will be supplied, their water 
       assured.

       (Isa 33:17 NRSV)  Your eyes will see the king in his beauty; they will 
       behold a land that stretches far away.

       (Isa 33:18 NRSV)  Your mind will muse on the terror: "Where is the one 
       who counted? Where is the one who weighed the tribute? Where is the 
       one who counted the towers?"





       (Isa 33:19 NRSV)  No longer will you see the insolent people, the 
       people of an obscure speech that you cannot comprehend, stammering in 
       a language that you cannot understand.

       (Isa 33:20 NRSV)  Look on Zion, the city of our appointed festivals! 
       Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation, an immovable tent, 
       whose stakes will never be pulled up, and none of whose ropes will be 
       broken.

       (Isa 33:21 NRSV)  But there the LORD in majesty will be for us a place 
       of broad rivers and streams, where no galley with oars can go, nor 
       stately ship can pass.

       (Isa 33:22 NRSV)  For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our ruler, 
       the LORD is our king; he will save us.

       (Isa 33:23 NRSV)  Your rigging hangs loose; it cannot hold the mast 
       firm in its place, or keep the sail spread out. Then prey and spoil in 
       abundance will be divided; even the lame will fall to plundering.

       (Isa 33:24 NRSV)  And no inhabitant will say, "I am sick"; the people 
       who live there will be forgiven their iniquity.

       (Isa 34:1 NRSV)  Draw near, O nations, to hear; O peoples, give heed! 
       Let the earth hear, and all that fills it; the world, and all that 
       comes from it.

       (Isa 34:2 NRSV)  For the LORD is enraged against all the nations, and 
       furious against all their hoards; he has doomed them, has given them 
       over for slaughter.

       (Isa 34:3 NRSV)  Their slain shall be cast out, and the stench of 
       their corpses shall rise; the mountains shall flow with their blood.

       (Isa 34:4 NRSV)  All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies 
       roll up like a scroll. All their host shall wither like a leaf 
       withering on a vine, or fruit withering on a fig tree.

       (Isa 34:5 NRSV)  When my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, lo, 
       it will descend upon Edom, upon the people I have doomed to judgment.

       (Isa 34:6 NRSV)  The LORD has a sword; it is sated with blood, it is 
       gorged with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of 
       the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great 
       slaughter in the land of Edom.

       (Isa 34:7 NRSV)  Wild oxen shall fall with them, and young steers with 
       the mighty bulls. Their land shall be soaked with blood, and their 
       soil made rich with fat.

       (Isa 34:8 NRSV)  For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of 
       vindication by Zion's cause.

       (Isa 34:9 NRSV)  And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, 
       and her soil into sulfur; her land shall become burning pitch.





       (Isa 34:10 NRSV)  Night and day it shall not be quenched; its smoke 
       shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; 
       no one shall pass through it forever and ever.

       (Isa 34:11 NRSV)  But the hawk and the hedgehog shall possess it; the 
       owl and the raven shall live in it. He shall stretch the line of 
       confusion over it, and the plummet of chaos over its nobles.

       (Isa 34:12 NRSV)  They shall name it No Kingdom There, and all its 
       princes shall be nothing.

       (Isa 34:13 NRSV)  Thorns shall grow over its strongholds, nettles and 
       thistles in its fortresses. It shall be the haunt of jackals, an abode 
       for ostriches.

       (Isa 34:14 NRSV)  Wildcats shall meet with hyenas, goat-demons shall 
       call to each other; there too Lilith shall repose, and find a place to 
       rest.

       (Isa 34:15 NRSV)  There shall the owl nest and lay and hatch and brood 
       in its shadow; there too the buzzards shall gather, each one with its 
       mate.

       (Isa 34:16 NRSV)  Seek and read from the book of the LORD: Not one of 
       these shall be missing; none shall be without its mate. For the mouth 
       of the LORD has commanded, and his spirit has gathered them.

       (Isa 34:17 NRSV)  He has cast the lot for them, his hand has portioned 
       it out to them with the line; they shall possess it forever, from 
       generation to generation they shall live in it.

       (Isa 35:1 NRSV)  The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the 
       desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus

       (Isa 35:2 NRSV)  it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and 
       singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of 
       Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty 
       of our God.

       (Isa 35:3 NRSV)  Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble 
       knees.

       (Isa 35:4 NRSV)  Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, 
       do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with 
       terrible recompense. He will come and save you."

       (Isa 35:5 NRSV)  Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the 
       ears of the deaf unstopped;

       (Isa 35:6 NRSV)  then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue 
       of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the 
       wilderness, and streams in the desert;

       (Isa 35:7 NRSV)  the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty 
       ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, 
       the grass shall become reeds and rushes.






       (Isa 35:8 NRSV)  A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the 
       Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for 
       God's people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.

       (Isa 35:9 NRSV)  No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast 
       come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall 
       walk there.

       (Isa 35:10 NRSV)  And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come 
       to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they 
       shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

       (Isa 36:1 NRSV)  In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, King 
       Sennacherib of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of 
       Judah and captured them.

       (Isa 36:2 NRSV)  The king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish 
       to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem, with a great army. He stood by the 
       conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Fuller's Field.

       (Isa 36:3 NRSV)  And there came out to him Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who 
       was in charge of the palace, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of 
       Asaph, the recorder.

       (Isa 36:4 NRSV)  The Rabshakeh said to them, "Say to Hezekiah: Thus 
       says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you base this 
       confidence of yours?

       (Isa 36:5 NRSV)  Do you think that mere words are strategy and power 
       for war? On whom do you now rely, that you have rebelled against me?

       (Isa 36:6 NRSV)  See, you are relying on Egypt, that broken reed of a 
       staff, which will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is 
       Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him.

       (Isa 36:7 NRSV)  But if you say to me, 'We rely on the LORD our God,' 
       is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying 
       to Judah and to Jerusalem, 'You shall worship before this altar'?

       (Isa 36:8 NRSV)  Come now, make a wager with my master the king of 
       Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your 
       part to set riders on them.

       (Isa 36:9 NRSV)  How then can you repulse a single captain among the 
       least of my master's servants, when you rely on Egypt for chariots and 
       for horsemen?

       (Isa 36:10 NRSV)  Moreover, is it without the LORD that I have come up 
       against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against 
       this land, and destroy it."

       (Isa 36:11 NRSV)  Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the 
       Rabshakeh, "Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we 
       understand it; do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the 
       hearing of the people who are on the wall."






       (Isa 36:12 NRSV)  But the Rabshakeh said, "Has my master sent me to 
       speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the people 
       sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and 
       drink their own urine?"

       (Isa 36:13 NRSV)  Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud 
       voice in the language of Judah, "Hear the words of the great king, the 
       king of Assyria!

       (Isa 36:14 NRSV)  Thus says the king: 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive 
       you, for he will not be able to deliver you.

       (Isa 36:15 NRSV)  Do not let Hezekiah make you rely on the LORD by 
       saying, The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given 
       into the hand of the king of Assyria.'

       (Isa 36:16 NRSV)  Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of 
       Assyria: 'Make your peace with me and come out to me; then everyone of 
       you will eat from your own vine and your own fig tree and drink water 
       from your own cistern,

       (Isa 36:17 NRSV)  until I come and take you away to a land like your 
       own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.

       (Isa 36:18 NRSV)  Do not let Hezekiah mislead you by saying, The LORD 
       will save us. Has any of the gods of the nations saved their land out 
       of the hand of the king of Assyria?

       (Isa 36:19 NRSV)  Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are 
       the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?

       (Isa 36:20 NRSV)  Who among all the gods of these countries have saved 
       their countries out of my hand, that the LORD should save Jerusalem 
       out of my hand?'"

       (Isa 36:21 NRSV)  But they were silent and answered him not a word, 
       for the king's command was, "Do not answer him."

       (Isa 36:22 NRSV)  Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of 
       the palace, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the 
       recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the 
       words of the Rabshakeh.

       (Isa 37:1 NRSV)  When King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, 
       covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.

       (Isa 37:2 NRSV)  And he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, 
       and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with 
       sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.

       (Isa 37:3 NRSV)  They said to him, "Thus says Hezekiah, This day is a 
       day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the 
       birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth.

       (Isa 37:4 NRSV)  It may be that the LORD your God heard the words of 





       the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock 
       the living God, and will rebuke the words that the LORD your God has 
       heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left."

       (Isa 37:5 NRSV)  When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah,

       (Isa 37:6 NRSV)  Isaiah said to them, "Say to your master, 'Thus says 
       the LORD: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, 
       with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me.

       (Isa 37:7 NRSV)  I myself will put a spirit in him, so that he shall 
       hear a rumor, and return to his own land; I will cause him to fall by 
       the sword in his own land.'"

       (Isa 37:8 NRSV)  The Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria 
       fighting against Libnah; for he had heard that the king had left 
       Lachish.

       (Isa 37:9 NRSV)  Now the king heard concerning King Tirhakah of 
       Ethiopia, "He has set out to fight against you." When he heard it, he 
       sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,

       (Isa 37:10 NRSV)  "Thus shall you speak to King Hezekiah of Judah: Do 
       not let your God on whom you rely deceive you by promising that 
       Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.

       (Isa 37:11 NRSV)  See, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have 
       done to all lands, destroying them utterly. Shall you be delivered?

       (Isa 37:12 NRSV)  Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the 
       nations that my predecessors destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the 
       people of Eden who were in Telassar?

       (Isa 37:13 NRSV)  Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the 
       king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of 
       Ivvah?"

       (Isa 37:14 NRSV)  Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the 
       messengers and read it; then Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD 
       and spread it before the LORD.

       (Isa 37:15 NRSV)  And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD, saying:

       (Isa 37:16 NRSV)  "O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, who are enthroned 
       above the cherubim, you are God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the 
       earth; you have made heaven and earth.

       (Isa 37:17 NRSV)  Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, 
       O LORD, and see; hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent 
       to mock the living God.

       (Isa 37:18 NRSV)  Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste 
       all the nations and their lands,

       (Isa 37:19 NRSV)  and have hurled their gods into the fire, though 
       they were no gods, but the work of human hands--wood and stone--and so 





       they were destroyed.

       (Isa 37:20 NRSV)  So now, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, so 
       that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the 
       LORD."

       (Isa 37:21 NRSV)  Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying: 
       "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Because you have prayed to me 
       concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria,

       (Isa 37:22 NRSV)  this is the word that the LORD has spoken concerning 
       him: She despises you, she scorns you-- virgin daughter Zion; she 
       tosses her head--behind your back, daughter Jerusalem.

       (Isa 37:23 NRSV)  Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have 
       you raised your voice and haughtily lifted your eyes? Against the Holy 
       One of Israel!

       (Isa 37:24 NRSV)  By your servants you have mocked the Lord, and you 
       have said, 'With my many chariots I have gone up the heights of the 
       mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon; I felled its tallest 
       cedars, its choicest cypresses; I came to its remotest height, its 
       densest forest.

       (Isa 37:25 NRSV)  I dug wells and drank waters, I dried up with the 
       sole of my foot all the streams of Egypt.'

       (Isa 37:26 NRSV)  Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I 
       planned from days of old what now I bring to pass, that you should 
       make fortified cities crash into heaps of ruins,

       (Isa 37:27 NRSV)  while their inhabitants, shorn of strength, are 
       dismayed and confounded; they have become like plants of the field and 
       like tender grass, like grass on the housetops, blighted before it is 
       grown.

       (Isa 37:28 NRSV)  I know your rising up and your sitting down, your 
       going out and coming in, and your raging against me.

       (Isa 37:29 NRSV)  Because you have raged against me and your arrogance 
       has come to my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in 
       your mouth; I will turn you back on the way by which you came.

       (Isa 37:30 NRSV)  "And this shall be the sign for you: This year eat 
       what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs from that; 
       then in the third year sow, reap, plant vineyards, and eat their 
       fruit.

       (Isa 37:31 NRSV)  The surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall 
       again take root downward, and bear fruit upward;

       (Isa 37:32 NRSV)  for from Jerusalem a remnant shall go out, and from 
       Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do 
       this.

       (Isa 37:33 NRSV)  "Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of 





       Assyria: He shall not come into this city, shoot an arrow there, come 
       before it with a shield, or cast up a siege ramp against it.

       (Isa 37:34 NRSV)  By the way that he came, by the same he shall 
       return; he shall not come into this city, says the LORD.

       (Isa 37:35 NRSV)  For I will defend this city to save it, for my own 
       sake and for the sake of my servant David."

       (Isa 37:36 NRSV)  Then the angel of the LORD set out and struck down 
       one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians; when 
       morning dawned, they were all dead bodies.

       (Isa 37:37 NRSV)  Then King Sennacherib of Assyria left, went home, 
       and lived at Nineveh.

       (Isa 37:38 NRSV)  As he was worshiping in the house of his god 
       Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword, 
       and they escaped into the land of Ararat. His son Esar-haddon 
       succeeded him.

       (Isa 38:1 NRSV)  In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the 
       point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him, and said 
       to him, "Thus says the LORD: Set your house in order, for you shall 
       die; you shall not recover."

       (Isa 38:2 NRSV)  Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed 
       to the LORD:

       (Isa 38:3 NRSV)  "Remember now, O LORD, I implore you, how I have 
       walked before you in faithfulness with a whole heart, and have done 
       what is good in your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

       (Isa 38:4 NRSV)  Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah:

       (Isa 38:5 NRSV)  "Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the LORD, the God 
       of your ancestor David: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your 
       tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.

       (Isa 38:6 NRSV)  I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of 
       the king of Assyria, and defend this city.

       (Isa 38:7 NRSV)  "This is the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD 
       will do this thing that he has promised:

       (Isa 38:8 NRSV)  See, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun 
       on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps." So the sun turned back on 
       the dial the ten steps by which it had declined.

       (Isa 38:9 NRSV)  A writing of King Hezekiah of Judah, after he had 
       been sick and had recovered from his sickness:

       (Isa 38:10 NRSV)  I said: In the noontide of my days I must depart; I 
       am consigned to the gates of Sheol for the rest of my years.

       (Isa 38:11 NRSV)  I said, I shall not see the LORD in the land of the 





       living; I shall look upon mortals no more among the inhabitants of the 
       world.

       (Isa 38:12 NRSV)  My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a 
       shepherd's tent; like a weaver I have rolled up my life; he cuts me 
       off from the loom; from day to night you bring me to an end;

       (Isa 38:13 NRSV)  I cry for help until morning; like a lion he breaks 
       all my bones; from day to night you bring me to an end.

       (Isa 38:14 NRSV)  Like a swallow or a crane I clamor, I moan like a 
       dove. My eyes are weary with looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; 
       be my security!

       (Isa 38:15 NRSV)  But what can I say? For he has spoken to me, and he 
       himself has done it. All my sleep has fled because of the bitterness 
       of my soul.

       (Isa 38:16 NRSV)  O Lord, by these things people live, and in all 
       these is the life of my spirit. Oh, restore me to health and make me 
       live!

       (Isa 38:17 NRSV)  Surely it was for my welfare that I had great 
       bitterness; but you have held back my life from the pit of 
       destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.

       (Isa 38:18 NRSV)  For Sheol cannot thank you, death cannot praise you; 
       those who go down to the Pit cannot hope for your faithfulness.

       (Isa 38:19 NRSV)  The living, the living, they thank you, as I do this 
       day; fathers make known to children your faithfulness.

       (Isa 38:20 NRSV)  The LORD will save me, and we will sing to stringed 
       instruments all the days of our lives, at the house of the LORD.

       (Isa 38:21 NRSV)  Now Isaiah had said, "Let them take a lump of figs, 
       and apply it to the boil, so that he may recover."

       (Isa 38:22 NRSV)  Hezekiah also had said, "What is the sign that I 
       shall go up to the house of the LORD?"

       (Isa 39:1 NRSV)  At that time King Merodach-baladan son of Baladan of 
       Babylon sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he 
       heard that he had been sick and had recovered.

       (Isa 39:2 NRSV)  Hezekiah welcomed them; he showed them his treasure 
       house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his whole 
       armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in 
       his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.

       (Isa 39:3 NRSV)  Then the prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah and 
       said to him, "What did these men say? From where did they come to 
       you?" Hezekiah answered, "They have come to me from a far country, 
       from Babylon."

       (Isa 39:4 NRSV)  He said, "What have they seen in your house?" 





       Hezekiah answered, "They have seen all that is in my house; there is 
       nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them."

       (Isa 39:5 NRSV)  Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the 
       LORD of hosts:

       (Isa 39:6 NRSV)  Days are coming when all that is in your house, and 
       that which your ancestors have stored up until this day, shall be 
       carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the LORD.

       (Isa 39:7 NRSV)  Some of your own sons who are born to you shall be 
       taken away; they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of 
       Babylon."

       (Isa 39:8 NRSV)  Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The word of the LORD 
       that you have spoken is good." For he thought, "There will be peace 
       and security in my days."

       (Isa 40:1 NRSV)  Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.

       (Isa 40:2 NRSV)  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she 
       has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received 
       from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.

       (Isa 40:3 NRSV)  A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way 
       of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

       (Isa 40:4 NRSV)  Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain 
       and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the 
       rough places a plain.

       (Isa 40:5 NRSV)  Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all 
       people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

       (Isa 40:6 NRSV)  A voice says, "Cry out!" And I said, "What shall I 
       cry?" All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the 
       field.

       (Isa 40:7 NRSV)  The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath 
       of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass.

       (Isa 40:8 NRSV)  The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of 
       our God will stand forever.

       (Isa 40:9 NRSV)  Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good 
       tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good 
       tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, "Here is 
       your God!"

       (Isa 40:10 NRSV)  See, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm 
       rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.

       (Isa 40:11 NRSV)  He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will 
       gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently 
       lead the mother sheep.





       (Isa 40:12 NRSV)  Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his 
       hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the 
       earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills 
       in a balance?

       (Isa 40:13 NRSV)  Who has directed the spirit of the LORD, or as his 
       counselor has instructed him?

       (Isa 40:14 NRSV)  Whom did he consult for his enlightenment, and who 
       taught him the path of justice? Who taught him knowledge, and showed 
       him the way of understanding?

       (Isa 40:15 NRSV)  Even the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and 
       are accounted as dust on the scales; see, he takes up the isles like 
       fine dust.

       (Isa 40:16 NRSV)  Lebanon would not provide fuel enough, nor are its 
       animals enough for a burnt offering.

       (Isa 40:17 NRSV)  All the nations are as nothing before him; they are 
       accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

       (Isa 40:18 NRSV)  To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness 
       compare with him?

       (Isa 40:19 NRSV)  An idol? --A workman casts it, and a goldsmith 
       overlays it with gold, and casts for it silver chains.

       (Isa 40:20 NRSV)  As a gift one chooses mulberry wood --wood that will 
       not rot-- then seeks out a skilled artisan to set up an image that 
       will not topple.

       (Isa 40:21 NRSV)  Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not 
       been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the 
       foundations of the earth?

       (Isa 40:22 NRSV)  It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and 
       its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens 
       like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in;

       (Isa 40:23 NRSV)  who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers 
       of the earth as nothing.

       (Isa 40:24 NRSV)  Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely 
       has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows upon them, and 
       they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

       (Isa 40:25 NRSV)  To whom then will you compare me, or who is my 
       equal? says the Holy One.

       (Isa 40:26 NRSV)  Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created 
       these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all 
       by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is 
       missing.

       (Isa 40:27 NRSV)  Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My 





       way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God"?

       (Isa 40:28 NRSV)  Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is 
       the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not 
       faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

       (Isa 40:29 NRSV)  He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the 
       powerless.

       (Isa 40:30 NRSV)  Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young 
       will fall exhausted;

       (Isa 40:31 NRSV)  but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their 
       strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run 
       and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

       (Isa 41:1 NRSV)  Listen to me in silence, O coastlands; let the 
       peoples renew their strength; let them approach, then let them speak; 
       let us together draw near for judgment.

       (Isa 41:2 NRSV)  Who has roused a victor from the east, summoned him 
       to his service? He delivers up nations to him, and tramples kings 
       under foot; he makes them like dust with his sword, like driven 
       stubble with his bow.

       (Isa 41:3 NRSV)  He pursues them and passes on safely, scarcely 
       touching the path with his feet.

       (Isa 41:4 NRSV)  Who has performed and done this, calling the 
       generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, am first, and will be 
       with the last.

       (Isa 41:5 NRSV)  The coastlands have seen and are afraid, the ends of 
       the earth tremble; they have drawn near and come.

       (Isa 41:6 NRSV)  Each one helps the other, saying to one another, 
       "Take courage!"

       (Isa 41:7 NRSV)  The artisan encourages the goldsmith, and the one who 
       smooths with the hammer encourages the one who strikes the anvil, 
       saying of the soldering, "It is good"; and they fasten it with nails 
       so that it cannot be moved.

       (Isa 41:8 NRSV)  But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have 
       chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend;

       (Isa 41:9 NRSV)  you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and 
       called from its farthest corners, saying to you, "You are my servant, 
       I have chosen you and not cast you off";

       (Isa 41:10 NRSV)  do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, 
       for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will 
       uphold you with my victorious right hand.

       (Isa 41:11 NRSV)  Yes, all who are incensed against you shall be 
       ashamed and disgraced; those who strive against you shall be as 





       nothing and shall perish.

       (Isa 41:12 NRSV)  You shall seek those who contend with you, but you 
       shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at 
       all.

       (Isa 41:13 NRSV)  For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it 
       is I who say to you, "Do not fear, I will help you."

       (Isa 41:14 NRSV)  Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you insect Israel! I 
       will help you, says the LORD; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

       (Isa 41:15 NRSV)  Now, I will make of you a threshing sledge, sharp, 
       new, and having teeth; you shall thresh the mountains and crush them, 
       and you shall make the hills like chaff.

       (Isa 41:16 NRSV)  You shall winnow them and the wind shall carry them 
       away, and the tempest shall scatter them. Then you shall rejoice in 
       the LORD; in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.

       (Isa 41:17 NRSV)  When the poor and needy seek water, and there is 
       none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the LORD will answer 
       them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

       (Isa 41:18 NRSV)  I will open rivers on the bare heights, and 
       fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a 
       pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.

       (Isa 41:19 NRSV)  I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, 
       the myrtle, and the olive; I will set in the desert the cypress, the 
       plane and the pine together,

       (Isa 41:20 NRSV)  so that all may see and know, all may consider and 
       understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of 
       Israel has created it.

       (Isa 41:21 NRSV)  Set forth your case, says the LORD; bring your 
       proofs, says the King of Jacob.

       (Isa 41:22 NRSV)  Let them bring them, and tell us what is to happen. 
       Tell us the former things, what they are, so that we may consider 
       them, and that we may know their outcome; or declare to us the things 
       to come.

       (Isa 41:23 NRSV)  Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know 
       that you are gods; do good, or do harm, that we may be afraid and 
       terrified.

       (Isa 41:24 NRSV)  You, indeed, are nothing and your work is nothing at 
       all; whoever chooses you is an abomination.

       (Isa 41:25 NRSV)  I stirred up one from the north, and he has come, 
       from the rising of the sun he was summoned by name. He shall trample 
       on rulers as on mortar, as the potter treads clay.

       (Isa 41:26 NRSV)  Who declared it from the beginning, so that we might 





       know, and beforehand, so that we might say, "He is right"? There was 
       no one who declared it, none who proclaimed, none who heard your 
       words.

       (Isa 41:27 NRSV)  I first have declared it to Zion, and I give to 
       Jerusalem a herald of good tidings.

       (Isa 41:28 NRSV)  But when I look there is no one; among these there 
       is no counselor who, when I ask, gives an answer.

       (Isa 41:29 NRSV)  No, they are all a delusion; their works are 
       nothing; their images are empty wind.

       (Isa 42:1 NRSV)  Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom 
       my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth 
       justice to the nations.

       (Isa 42:2 NRSV)  He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it 
       heard in the street;

       (Isa 42:3 NRSV)  a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning 
       wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.

       (Isa 42:4 NRSV)  He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has 
       established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his 
       teaching.

       (Isa 42:5 NRSV)  Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and 
       stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, 
       who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in 
       it:

       (Isa 42:6 NRSV)  I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I 
       have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a 
       covenant to the people, a light to the nations,

       (Isa 42:7 NRSV)  to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the 
       prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.

       (Isa 42:8 NRSV)  I am the LORD, that is my name; my glory I give to no 
       other, nor my praise to idols.

       (Isa 42:9 NRSV)  See, the former things have come to pass, and new 
       things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.

       (Isa 42:10 NRSV)  Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the end 
       of the earth! Let the sea roar and all that fills it, the coastlands 
       and their inhabitants.

       (Isa 42:11 NRSV)  Let the desert and its towns lift up their voice, 
       the villages that Kedar inhabits; let the inhabitants of Sela sing for 
       joy, let them shout from the tops of the mountains.

       (Isa 42:12 NRSV)  Let them give glory to the LORD, and declare his 
       praise in the coastlands.





       (Isa 42:13 NRSV)  The LORD goes forth like a soldier, like a warrior 
       he stirs up his fury; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself 
       mighty against his foes.

       (Isa 42:14 NRSV)  For a long time I have held my peace, I have kept 
       still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in labor, 
       I will gasp and pant.

       (Isa 42:15 NRSV)  I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all 
       their herbage; I will turn the rivers into islands, and dry up the 
       pools.

       (Isa 42:16 NRSV)  I will lead the blind by a road they do not know, by 
       paths they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness 
       before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are 
       the things I will do, and I will not forsake them.

       (Isa 42:17 NRSV)  They shall be turned back and utterly put to shame-- 
       those who trust in carved images, who say to cast images, "You are our 
       gods."

       (Isa 42:18 NRSV)  Listen, you that are deaf; and you that are blind, 
       look up and see!

       (Isa 42:19 NRSV)  Who is blind but my servant, or deaf like my 
       messenger whom I send? Who is blind like my dedicated one, or blind 
       like the servant of the LORD?

       (Isa 42:20 NRSV)  He sees many things, but does not observe them; his 
       ears are open, but he does not hear.

       (Isa 42:21 NRSV)  The LORD was pleased, for the sake of his 
       righteousness, to magnify his teaching and make it glorious.

       (Isa 42:22 NRSV)  But this is a people robbed and plundered, all of 
       them are trapped in holes and hidden in prisons; they have become a 
       prey with no one to rescue, a spoil with no one to say, "Restore!"

       (Isa 42:23 NRSV)  Who among you will give heed to this, who will 
       attend and listen for the time to come?

       (Isa 42:24 NRSV)  Who gave up Jacob to the spoiler, and Israel to the 
       robbers? Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned, in whose 
       ways they would not walk, and whose law they would not obey?

       (Isa 42:25 NRSV)  So he poured upon him the heat of his anger and the 
       fury of war; it set him on fire all around, but he did not understand; 
       it burned him, but he did not take it to heart.

       (Isa 43:1 NRSV)  But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O 
       Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed 
       you; I have called you by name, you are mine.

       (Isa 43:2 NRSV)  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; 
       and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk 
       through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume 





       you.

       (Isa 43:3 NRSV)  For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, 
       your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in 
       exchange for you.

       (Isa 43:4 NRSV)  Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, 
       and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange 
       for your life.

       (Isa 43:5 NRSV)  Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your 
       offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you;

       (Isa 43:6 NRSV)  I will say to the north, "Give them up," and to the 
       south, "Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters 
       from the end of the earth--

       (Isa 43:7 NRSV)  everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for 
       my glory, whom I formed and made."

       (Isa 43:8 NRSV)  Bring forth the people who are blind, yet have eyes, 
       who are deaf, yet have ears!

       (Isa 43:9 NRSV)  Let all the nations gather together, and let the 
       peoples assemble. Who among them declared this, and foretold to us the 
       former things? Let them bring their witnesses to justify them, and let 
       them hear and say, "It is true."

       (Isa 43:10 NRSV)  You are my witnesses, says the LORD, and my servant 
       whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand 
       that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any 
       after me.

       (Isa 43:11 NRSV)  I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior.

       (Isa 43:12 NRSV)  I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was 
       no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses, says the LORD.

       (Isa 43:13 NRSV)  I am God, and also henceforth I am He; there is no 
       one who can deliver from my hand; I work and who can hinder it?

       (Isa 43:14 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of 
       Israel: For your sake I will send to Babylon and break down all the 
       bars, and the shouting of the Chaldeans will be turned to lamentation.

       (Isa 43:15 NRSV)  I am the LORD, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, 
       your King.

       (Isa 43:16 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea, a 
       path in the mighty waters,

       (Isa 43:17 NRSV)  who brings out chariot and horse, army and warrior; 
       they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like 
       a wick:

       (Isa 43:18 NRSV)  Do not remember the former things, or consider the 





       things of old.

       (Isa 43:19 NRSV)  I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, 
       do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers 
       in the desert.

       (Isa 43:20 NRSV)  The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the 
       ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, 
       to give drink to my chosen people,

       (Isa 43:21 NRSV)  the people whom I formed for myself so that they 
       might declare my praise.

       (Isa 43:22 NRSV)  Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob; but you have 
       been weary of me, O Israel!

       (Isa 43:23 NRSV)  You have not brought me your sheep for burnt 
       offerings, or honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you 
       with offerings, or wearied you with frankincense.

       (Isa 43:24 NRSV)  You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or 
       satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me 
       with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities.

       (Isa 43:25 NRSV)  I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my 
       own sake, and I will not remember your sins.

       (Isa 43:26 NRSV)  Accuse me, let us go to trial; set forth your case, 
       so that you may be proved right.

       (Isa 43:27 NRSV)  Your first ancestor sinned, and your interpreters 
       transgressed against me.

       (Isa 43:28 NRSV)  Therefore I profaned the princes of the sanctuary, I 
       delivered Jacob to utter destruction, and Israel to reviling.

       (Isa 44:1 NRSV)  But now hear, O Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have 
       chosen!

       (Isa 44:2 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD who made you, who formed you in 
       the womb and will help you: Do not fear, O Jacob my servant, Jeshurun 
       whom I have chosen.

       (Isa 44:3 NRSV)  For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and 
       streams on the dry ground; I will pour my spirit upon your 
       descendants, and my blessing on your offspring.

       (Isa 44:4 NRSV)  They shall spring up like a green tamarisk, like 
       willows by flowing streams.

       (Isa 44:5 NRSV)  This one will say, "I am the Lord's," another will be 
       called by the name of Jacob, yet another will write on the hand, "The 
       Lord's," and adopt the name of Israel.

       (Isa 44:6 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his 
       Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides 





       me there is no god.

       (Isa 44:7 NRSV)  Who is like me? Let them proclaim it, let them 
       declare and set it forth before me. Who has announced from of old the 
       things to come? Let them tell us what is yet to be.

       (Isa 44:8 NRSV)  Do not fear, or be afraid; have I not told you from 
       of old and declared it? You are my witnesses! Is there any god besides 
       me? There is no other rock; I know not one.

       (Isa 44:9 NRSV)  All who make idols are nothing, and the things they 
       delight in do not profit; their witnesses neither see nor know. And so 
       they will be put to shame.

       (Isa 44:10 NRSV)  Who would fashion a god or cast an image that can do 
       no good?

       (Isa 44:11 NRSV)  Look, all its devotees shall be put to shame; the 
       artisans too are merely human. Let them all assemble, let them stand 
       up; they shall be terrified, they shall all be put to shame.

       (Isa 44:12 NRSV)  The ironsmith fashions it and works it over the 
       coals, shaping it with hammers, and forging it with his strong arm; he 
       becomes hungry and his strength fails, he drinks no water and is 
       faint.

       (Isa 44:13 NRSV)  The carpenter stretches a line, marks it out with a 
       stylus, fashions it with planes, and marks it with a compass; he makes 
       it in human form, with human beauty, to be set up in a shrine.

       (Isa 44:14 NRSV)  He cuts down cedars or chooses a holm tree or an oak 
       and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a 
       cedar and the rain nourishes it.

       (Isa 44:15 NRSV)  Then it can be used as fuel. Part of it he takes and 
       warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Then he makes a god 
       and worships it, makes it a carved image and bows down before it.

       (Isa 44:16 NRSV)  Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he 
       roasts meat, eats it and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, 
       "Ah, I am warm, I can feel the fire!"

       (Isa 44:17 NRSV)  The rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, bows 
       down to it and worships it; he prays to it and says, "Save me, for you 
       are my god!"

       (Isa 44:18 NRSV)  They do not know, nor do they comprehend; for their 
       eyes are shut, so that they cannot see, and their minds as well, so 
       that they cannot understand.

       (Isa 44:19 NRSV)  No one considers, nor is there knowledge or 
       discernment to say, "Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked 
       bread on its coals, I roasted meat and have eaten. Now shall I make 
       the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of 
       wood?"





       (Isa 44:20 NRSV)  He feeds on ashes; a deluded mind has led him 
       astray, and he cannot save himself or say, "Is not this thing in my 
       right hand a fraud?"

       (Isa 44:21 NRSV)  Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel, for you 
       are my servant; I formed you, you are my servant; O Israel, you will 
       not be forgotten by me.

       (Isa 44:22 NRSV)  I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud, 
       and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.

       (Isa 44:23 NRSV)  Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it; shout, O 
       depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, 
       and every tree in it! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and will be 
       glorified in Israel.

       (Isa 44:24 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, who formed you in 
       the womb: I am the LORD, who made all things, who alone stretched out 
       the heavens, who by myself spread out the earth;

       (Isa 44:25 NRSV)  who frustrates the omens of liars, and makes fools 
       of diviners; who turns back the wise, and makes their knowledge 
       foolish;

       (Isa 44:26 NRSV)  who confirms the word of his servant, and fulfills 
       the prediction of his messengers; who says of Jerusalem, "It shall be 
       inhabited," and of the cities of Judah, "They shall be rebuilt, and I 
       will raise up their ruins";

       (Isa 44:27 NRSV)  who says to the deep, "Be dry-- I will dry up your 
       rivers";

       (Isa 44:28 NRSV)  who says of Cyrus, "He is my shepherd, and he shall 
       carry out all my purpose"; and who says of Jerusalem, "It shall be 
       rebuilt," and of the temple, "Your foundation shall be laid."

       (Isa 45:1 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose 
       right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him and strip kings 
       of their robes, to open doors before him-- and the gates shall not be 
       closed:

       (Isa 45:2 NRSV)  I will go before you and level the mountains, I will 
       break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron,

       (Isa 45:3 NRSV)  I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches 
       hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the LORD, 
       the God of Israel, who call you by your name.

       (Isa 45:4 NRSV)  For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my 
       chosen, I call you by your name, I surname you, though you do not know 
       me.

       (Isa 45:5 NRSV)  I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides me 
       there is no god. I arm you, though you do not know me,

       (Isa 45:6 NRSV)  so that they may know, from the rising of the sun and 





       from the west, that there is no one besides me; I am the LORD, and 
       there is no other.

       (Isa 45:7 NRSV)  I form light and create darkness, I make weal and 
       create woe; I the LORD do all these things.

       (Isa 45:8 NRSV)  Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the skies rain 
       down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation may spring up, 
       and let it cause righteousness to sprout up also; I the LORD have 
       created it.

       (Isa 45:9 NRSV)  Woe to you who strive with your Maker, earthen 
       vessels with the potter! Does the clay say to the one who fashions it, 
       "What are you making"? or "Your work has no handles"?

       (Isa 45:10 NRSV)  Woe to anyone who says to a father, "What are you 
       begetting?" or to a woman, "With what are you in labor?"

       (Isa 45:11 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and its 
       Maker: Will you question me about my children, or command me 
       concerning the work of my hands?

       (Isa 45:12 NRSV)  I made the earth, and created humankind upon it; it 
       was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their 
       host.

       (Isa 45:13 NRSV)  I have aroused Cyrus in righteousness, and I will 
       make all his paths straight; he shall build my city and set my exiles 
       free, not for price or reward, says the LORD of hosts.

       (Isa 45:14 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: The wealth of Egypt and the 
       merchandise of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, tall of stature, shall come 
       over to you and be yours, they shall follow you; they shall come over 
       in chains and bow down to you. They will make supplication to you, 
       saying, "God is with you alone, and there is no other; there is no god 
       besides him."

       (Isa 45:15 NRSV)  Truly, you are a God who hides himself, O God of 
       Israel, the Savior.

       (Isa 45:16 NRSV)  All of them are put to shame and confounded, the 
       makers of idols go in confusion together.

       (Isa 45:17 NRSV)  But Israel is saved by the LORD with everlasting 
       salvation; you shall not be put to shame or confounded to all 
       eternity.

       (Isa 45:18 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (he 
       is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did 
       not create it a chaos, he formed it to be inhabited!): I am the LORD, 
       and there is no other.

       (Isa 45:19 NRSV)  I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I 
       did not say to the offspring of Jacob, "Seek me in chaos." I the LORD 
       speak the truth, I declare what is right.





       (Isa 45:20 NRSV)  Assemble yourselves and come together, draw near, 
       you survivors of the nations! They have no knowledge-- those who carry 
       about their wooden idols, and keep on praying to a god that cannot 
       save.

       (Isa 45:21 NRSV)  Declare and present your case; let them take counsel 
       together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not 
       I, the LORD? There is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a 
       Savior; there is no one besides me.

       (Isa 45:22 NRSV)  Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! 
       For I am God, and there is no other.

       (Isa 45:23 NRSV)  By myself I have sworn, from my mouth has gone forth 
       in righteousness a word that shall not return: "To me every knee shall 
       bow, every tongue shall swear."

       (Isa 45:24 NRSV)  Only in the LORD, it shall be said of me, are 
       righteousness and strength; all who were incensed against him shall 
       come to him and be ashamed.

       (Isa 45:25 NRSV)  In the LORD all the offspring of Israel shall 
       triumph and glory.

       (Isa 46:1 NRSV)  Bel bows down, Nebo stoops, their idols are on beasts 
       and cattle; these things you carry are loaded as burdens on weary 
       animals.

       (Isa 46:2 NRSV)  They stoop, they bow down together; they cannot save 
       the burden, but themselves go into captivity.

       (Isa 46:3 NRSV)  Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of 
       the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from your birth, 
       carried from the womb;

       (Isa 46:4 NRSV)  even to your old age I am he, even when you turn gray 
       I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will 
       save.

       (Isa 46:5 NRSV)  To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and 
       compare me, as though we were alike?

       (Isa 46:6 NRSV)  Those who lavish gold from the purse, and weigh out 
       silver in the scales-- they hire a goldsmith, who makes it into a god; 
       then they fall down and worship!

       (Isa 46:7 NRSV)  They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it, they 
       set it in its place, and it stands there; it cannot move from its 
       place. If one cries out to it, it does not answer or save anyone from 
       trouble.

       (Isa 46:8 NRSV)  Remember this and consider, recall it to mind, you 
       transgressors,

       (Isa 46:9 NRSV)  remember the former things of old; for I am God, and 
       there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like me,






       (Isa 46:10 NRSV)  declaring the end from the beginning and from 
       ancient times things not yet done, saying, "My purpose shall stand, 
       and I will fulfill my intention,"

       (Isa 46:11 NRSV)  calling a bird of prey from the east, the man for my 
       purpose from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to 
       pass; I have planned, and I will do it.

       (Isa 46:12 NRSV)  Listen to me, you stubborn of heart, you who are far 
       from deliverance:

       (Isa 46:13 NRSV)  I bring near my deliverance, it is not far off, and 
       my salvation will not tarry; I will put salvation in Zion, for Israel 
       my glory.

       (Isa 47:1 NRSV)  Come down and sit in the dust, virgin daughter 
       Babylon! Sit on the ground without a throne, daughter Chaldea! For you 
       shall no more be called tender and delicate.

       (Isa 47:2 NRSV)  Take the millstones and grind meal, remove your veil, 
       strip off your robe, uncover your legs, pass through the rivers.

       (Isa 47:3 NRSV)  Your nakedness shall be uncovered, and your shame 
       shall be seen. I will take vengeance, and I will spare no one.

       (Isa 47:4 NRSV)  Our Redeemer--the LORD of hosts is his name-- is the 
       Holy One of Israel.

       (Isa 47:5 NRSV)  Sit in silence, and go into darkness, daughter 
       Chaldea! For you shall no more be called the mistress of kingdoms.

       (Isa 47:6 NRSV)  I was angry with my people, I profaned my heritage; I 
       gave them into your hand, you showed them no mercy; on the aged you 
       made your yoke exceedingly heavy.

       (Isa 47:7 NRSV)  You said, "I shall be mistress forever," so that you 
       did not lay these things to heart or remember their end.

       (Isa 47:8 NRSV)  Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures, who 
       sit securely, who say in your heart, "I am, and there is no one 
       besides me; I shall not sit as a widow or know the loss of children"--

       (Isa 47:9 NRSV)  both these things shall come upon you in a moment, in 
       one day: the loss of children and widowhood shall come upon you in 
       full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the great power of 
       your enchantments.

       (Isa 47:10 NRSV)  You felt secure in your wickedness; you said, "No 
       one sees me." Your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you 
       said in your heart, "I am, and there is no one besides me."

       (Isa 47:11 NRSV)  But evil shall come upon you, which you cannot charm 
       away; disaster shall fall upon you, which you will not be able to ward 
       off; and ruin shall come on you suddenly, of which you know nothing.





       (Isa 47:12 NRSV)  Stand fast in your enchantments and your many 
       sorceries, with which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you 
       may be able to succeed, perhaps you may inspire terror.

       (Isa 47:13 NRSV)  You are wearied with your many consultations; let 
       those who study the heavens stand up and save you, those who gaze at 
       the stars, and at each new moon predict what shall befall you.

       (Isa 47:14 NRSV)  See, they are like stubble, the fire consumes them; 
       they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. No coal 
       for warming oneself is this, no fire to sit before!

       (Isa 47:15 NRSV)  Such to you are those with whom you have labored, 
       who have trafficked with you from your youth; they all wander about in 
       their own paths; there is no one to save you.

       (Isa 48:1 NRSV)  Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the 
       name of Israel, and who came forth from the loins of Judah; who swear 
       by the name of the LORD, and invoke the God of Israel, but not in 
       truth or right.

       (Isa 48:2 NRSV)  For they call themselves after the holy city, and 
       lean on the God of Israel; the LORD of hosts is his name.

       (Isa 48:3 NRSV)  The former things I declared long ago, they went out 
       from my mouth and I made them known; then suddenly I did them and they 
       came to pass.

       (Isa 48:4 NRSV)  Because I know that you are obstinate, and your neck 
       is an iron sinew and your forehead brass,

       (Isa 48:5 NRSV)  I declared them to you from long ago, before they 
       came to pass I announced them to you, so that you would not say, "My 
       idol did them, my carved image and my cast image commanded them."

       (Isa 48:6 NRSV)  You have heard; now see all this; and will you not 
       declare it? From this time forward I make you hear new things, hidden 
       things that you have not known.

       (Isa 48:7 NRSV)  They are created now, not long ago; before today you 
       have never heard of them, so that you could not say, "I already knew 
       them."

       (Isa 48:8 NRSV)  You have never heard, you have never known, from of 
       old your ear has not been opened. For I knew that you would deal very 
       treacherously, and that from birth you were called a rebel.

       (Isa 48:9 NRSV)  For my name's sake I defer my anger, for the sake of 
       my praise I restrain it for you, so that I may not cut you off.

       (Isa 48:10 NRSV)  See, I have refined you, but not like silver; I have 
       tested you in the furnace of adversity.

       (Isa 48:11 NRSV)  For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for why 
       should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.





       (Isa 48:12 NRSV)  Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called: I 
       am He; I am the first, and I am the last.

       (Isa 48:13 NRSV)  My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my 
       right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they stand at 
       attention.

       (Isa 48:14 NRSV)  Assemble, all of you, and hear! Who among them has 
       declared these things? The LORD loves him; he shall perform his 
       purpose on Babylon, and his arm shall be against the Chaldeans.

       (Isa 48:15 NRSV)  I, even I, have spoken and called him, I have 
       brought him, and he will prosper in his way.

       (Isa 48:16 NRSV)  Draw near to me, hear this! From the beginning I 
       have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been 
       there. And now the Lord GOD has sent me and his spirit.

       (Isa 48:17 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of 
       Israel: I am the LORD your God, who teaches you for your own good, who 
       leads you in the way you should go.

       (Isa 48:18 NRSV)  O that you had paid attention to my commandments! 
       Then your prosperity would have been like a river, and your success 
       like the waves of the sea;

       (Isa 48:19 NRSV)  your offspring would have been like the sand, and 
       your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or 
       destroyed from before me.

       (Isa 48:20 NRSV)  Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea, declare this 
       with a shout of joy, proclaim it, send it forth to the end of the 
       earth; say, "The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob!"

       (Isa 48:21 NRSV)  They did not thirst when he led them through the 
       deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock; he split open the 
       rock and the water gushed out.

       (Isa 48:22 NRSV)  "There is no peace," says the LORD, "for the 
       wicked."

       (Isa 49:1 NRSV)  Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you 
       peoples from far away! The LORD called me before I was born, while I 
       was in my mother's womb he named me.

       (Isa 49:2 NRSV)  He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of 
       his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid 
       me away.

       (Isa 49:3 NRSV)  And he said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in 
       whom I will be glorified."

       (Isa 49:4 NRSV)  But I said, "I have labored in vain, I have spent my 
       strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the LORD, 
       and my reward with my God."





       (Isa 49:5 NRSV)  And now the LORD says, who formed me in the womb to 
       be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be 
       gathered to him, for I am honored in the sight of the LORD, and my God 
       has become my strength--

       (Isa 49:6 NRSV)  he says, "It is too light a thing that you should be 
       my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the 
       survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that 
       my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."

       (Isa 49:7 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his 
       Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave 
       of rulers, "Kings shall see and stand up, princes, and they shall 
       prostrate themselves, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy 
       One of Israel, who has chosen you."

       (Isa 49:8 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: In a time of favor I have 
       answered you, on a day of salvation I have helped you; I have kept you 
       and given you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to 
       apportion the desolate heritages;

       (Isa 49:9 NRSV)  saying to the prisoners, "Come out," to those who are 
       in darkness, "Show yourselves." They shall feed along the ways, on all 
       the bare heights shall be their pasture;

       (Isa 49:10 NRSV)  they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching 
       wind nor sun shall strike them down, for he who has pity on them will 
       lead them, and by springs of water will guide them.

       (Isa 49:11 NRSV)  And I will turn all my mountains into a road, and my 
       highways shall be raised up.

       (Isa 49:12 NRSV)  Lo, these shall come from far away, and lo, these 
       from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Syene.

       (Isa 49:13 NRSV)  Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break 
       forth, O mountains, into singing! For the LORD has comforted his 
       people, and will have compassion on his suffering ones.

       (Isa 49:14 NRSV)  But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me, my Lord 
       has forgotten me."

       (Isa 49:15 NRSV)  Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no 
       compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I 
       will not forget you.

       (Isa 49:16 NRSV)  See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; 
       your walls are continually before me.

       (Isa 49:17 NRSV)  Your builders outdo your destroyers, and those who 
       laid you waste go away from you.

       (Isa 49:18 NRSV)  Lift up your eyes all around and see; they all 
       gather, they come to you. As I live, says the LORD, you shall put all 
       of them on like an ornament, and like a bride you shall bind them on.





       (Isa 49:19 NRSV)  Surely your waste and your desolate places and your 
       devastated land-- surely now you will be too crowded for your 
       inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away.

       (Isa 49:20 NRSV)  The children born in the time of your bereavement 
       will yet say in your hearing: "The place is too crowded for me; make 
       room for me to settle."

       (Isa 49:21 NRSV)  Then you will say in your heart, "Who has borne me 
       these? I was bereaved and barren, exiled and put away-- so who has 
       reared these? I was left all alone-- where then have these come from?"

       (Isa 49:22 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: I will soon lift up my hand 
       to the nations, and raise my signal to the peoples; and they shall 
       bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters shall be carried on 
       their shoulders.

       (Isa 49:23 NRSV)  Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens 
       your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow 
       down to you, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I 
       am the LORD; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.

       (Isa 49:24 NRSV)  Can the prey be taken from the mighty, or the 
       captives of a tyrant be rescued?

       (Isa 49:25 NRSV)  But thus says the LORD: Even the captives of the 
       mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant be rescued; for I 
       will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your 
       children.

       (Isa 49:26 NRSV)  I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh, and 
       they shall be drunk with their own blood as with wine. Then all flesh 
       shall know that I am the LORD your Savior, and your Redeemer, the 
       Mighty One of Jacob.

       (Isa 50:1 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: Where is your mother's bill of 
       divorce with which I put her away? Or which of my creditors is it to 
       whom I have sold you? No, because of your sins you were sold, and for 
       your transgressions your mother was put away.

       (Isa 50:2 NRSV)  Why was no one there when I came? Why did no one 
       answer when I called? Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem? Or 
       have I no power to deliver? By my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the 
       rivers a desert; their fish stink for lack of water, and die of 
       thirst.

       (Isa 50:3 NRSV)  I clothe the heavens with blackness, and make 
       sackcloth their covering.

       (Isa 50:4 NRSV)  The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of a teacher, 
       that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by 
       morning he wakens-- wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.

       (Isa 50:5 NRSV)  The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not 
       rebellious, I did not turn backward.





       (Isa 50:6 NRSV)  I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks 
       to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult 
       and spitting.

       (Isa 50:7 NRSV)  The Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been 
       disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I 
       shall not be put to shame;

       (Isa 50:8 NRSV)  he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with 
       me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them 
       confront me.

       (Isa 50:9 NRSV)  It is the Lord GOD who helps me; who will declare me 
       guilty? All of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat 
       them up.

       (Isa 50:10 NRSV)  Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of 
       his servant, who walks in darkness and has no light, yet trusts in the 
       name of the LORD and relies upon his God?

       (Isa 50:11 NRSV)  But all of you are kindlers of fire, lighters of 
       firebrands. Walk in the flame of your fire, and among the brands that 
       you have kindled! This is what you shall have from my hand: you shall 
       lie down in torment.

       (Isa 51:1 NRSV)  Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that 
       seek the LORD. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the 
       quarry from which you were dug.

       (Isa 51:2 NRSV)  Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore 
       you; for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed him and made 
       him many.

       (Isa 51:3 NRSV)  For the LORD will comfort Zion; he will comfort all 
       her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert 
       like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her, 
       thanksgiving and the voice of song.

       (Isa 51:4 NRSV)  Listen to me, my people, and give heed to me, my 
       nation; for a teaching will go out from me, and my justice for a light 
       to the peoples.

       (Isa 51:5 NRSV)  I will bring near my deliverance swiftly, my 
       salvation has gone out and my arms will rule the peoples; the 
       coastlands wait for me, and for my arm they hope.

       (Isa 51:6 NRSV)  Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the 
       earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will 
       wear out like a garment, and those who live on it will die like gnats; 
       but my salvation will be forever, and my deliverance will never be 
       ended.

       (Isa 51:7 NRSV)  Listen to me, you who know righteousness, you people 
       who have my teaching in your hearts; do not fear the reproach of 
       others, and do not be dismayed when they revile you.





       (Isa 51:8 NRSV)  For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the 
       worm will eat them like wool; but my deliverance will be forever, and 
       my salvation to all generations.

       (Isa 51:9 NRSV)  Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD! 
       Awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago! Was it not you 
       who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon?

       (Isa 51:10 NRSV)  Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of 
       the great deep; who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed 
       to cross over?

       (Isa 51:11 NRSV)  So the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come 
       to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they 
       shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

       (Isa 51:12 NRSV)  I, I am he who comforts you; why then are you afraid 
       of a mere mortal who must die, a human being who fades like grass?

       (Isa 51:13 NRSV)  You have forgotten the LORD, your Maker, who 
       stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. You 
       fear continually all day long because of the fury of the oppressor, 
       who is bent on destruction. But where is the fury of the oppressor?

       (Isa 51:14 NRSV)  The oppressed shall speedily be released; they shall 
       not die and go down to the Pit, nor shall they lack bread.

       (Isa 51:15 NRSV)  For I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea so 
       that its waves roar-- the LORD of hosts is his name.

       (Isa 51:16 NRSV)  I have put my words in your mouth, and hidden you in 
       the shadow of my hand, stretching out the heavens and laying the 
       foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, "You are my people."

       (Isa 51:17 NRSV)  Rouse yourself, rouse yourself! Stand up, O 
       Jerusalem, you who have drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his 
       wrath, who have drunk to the dregs the bowl of staggering.

       (Isa 51:18 NRSV)  There is no one to guide her among all the children 
       she has borne; there is no one to take her by the hand among all the 
       children she has brought up.

       (Isa 51:19 NRSV)  These two things have befallen you --who will grieve 
       with you?-- devastation and destruction, famine and sword-- who will 
       comfort you?

       (Isa 51:20 NRSV)  Your children have fainted, they lie at the head of 
       every street like an antelope in a net; they are full of the wrath of 
       the LORD, the rebuke of your God.

       (Isa 51:21 NRSV)  Therefore hear this, you who are wounded, who are 
       drunk, but not with wine:

       (Isa 51:22 NRSV)  Thus says your Sovereign, the LORD, your God who 
       pleads the cause of his people: See, I have taken from your hand the 
       cup of staggering; you shall drink no more from the bowl of my wrath.






       (Isa 51:23 NRSV)  And I will put it into the hand of your tormentors, 
       who have said to you, "Bow down, that we may walk on you"; and you 
       have made your back like the ground and like the street for them to 
       walk on.

       (Isa 52:1 NRSV)  Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion! Put on 
       your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for the 
       uncircumcised and the unclean shall enter you no more.

       (Isa 52:2 NRSV)  Shake yourself from the dust, rise up, O captive 
       Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter Zion!

       (Isa 52:3 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD: You were sold for nothing, 
       and you shall be redeemed without money.

       (Isa 52:4 NRSV)  For thus says the Lord GOD: Long ago, my people went 
       down into Egypt to reside there as aliens; the Assyrian, too, has 
       oppressed them without cause.

       (Isa 52:5 NRSV)  Now therefore what am I doing here, says the LORD, 
       seeing that my people are taken away without cause? Their rulers howl, 
       says the LORD, and continually, all day long, my name is despised.

       (Isa 52:6 NRSV)  Therefore my people shall know my name; therefore in 
       that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here am I.

       (Isa 52:7 NRSV)  How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the 
       messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces 
       salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns."

       (Isa 52:8 NRSV)  Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together 
       they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of the LORD 
       to Zion.

       (Isa 52:9 NRSV)  Break forth together into singing, you ruins of 
       Jerusalem; for the LORD has comforted his people, he has redeemed 
       Jerusalem.

       (Isa 52:10 NRSV)  The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of 
       all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation 
       of our God.

       (Isa 52:11 NRSV)  Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean 
       thing; go out from the midst of it, purify yourselves, you who carry 
       the vessels of the LORD.

       (Isa 52:12 NRSV)  For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not 
       go in flight; for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel 
       will be your rear guard.

       (Isa 52:13 NRSV)  See, my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted 
       and lifted up, and shall be very high.

       (Isa 52:14 NRSV)  Just as there were many who were astonished at him 
       --so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance, and his form 





       beyond that of mortals--

       (Isa 52:15 NRSV)  so he shall startle many nations; kings shall shut 
       their mouths because of him; for that which had not been told them 
       they shall see, and that which they had not heard they shall 
       contemplate.

       (Isa 53:1 NRSV)  Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has 
       the arm of the LORD been revealed?

       (Isa 53:2 NRSV)  For he grew up before him like a young plant, and 
       like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we 
       should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire 
       him.

       (Isa 53:3 NRSV)  He was despised and rejected by others; a man of 
       suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others 
       hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account.

       (Isa 53:4 NRSV)  Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our 
       diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and 
       afflicted.

       (Isa 53:5 NRSV)  But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed 
       for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, 
       and by his bruises we are healed.

       (Isa 53:6 NRSV)  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all 
       turned to our own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us 
       all.

       (Isa 53:7 NRSV)  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did 
       not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like 
       a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his 
       mouth.

       (Isa 53:8 NRSV)  By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who 
       could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of 
       the living, stricken for the transgression of my people.

       (Isa 53:9 NRSV)  They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with 
       the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in 
       his mouth.

       (Isa 53:10 NRSV)  Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him with 
       pain. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his 
       offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the 
       LORD shall prosper.

       (Isa 53:11 NRSV)  Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find 
       satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, 
       shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

       (Isa 53:12 NRSV)  Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, 
       and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out 
       himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore 





       the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

       (Isa 54:1 NRSV)  Sing, O barren one who did not bear; burst into song 
       and shout, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the 
       desolate woman will be more than the children of her that is married, 
       says the LORD.

       (Isa 54:2 NRSV)  Enlarge the site of your tent, and let the curtains 
       of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your 
       cords and strengthen your stakes.

       (Isa 54:3 NRSV)  For you will spread out to the right and to the left, 
       and your descendants will possess the nations and will settle the 
       desolate towns.

       (Isa 54:4 NRSV)  Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; do not be 
       discouraged, for you will not suffer disgrace; for you will forget the 
       shame of your youth, and the disgrace of your widowhood you will 
       remember no more.

       (Isa 54:5 NRSV)  For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is 
       his name; the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the 
       whole earth he is called.

       (Isa 54:6 NRSV)  For the LORD has called you like a wife forsaken and 
       grieved in spirit, like the wife of a man's youth when she is cast 
       off, says your God.

       (Isa 54:7 NRSV)  For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great 
       compassion I will gather you.

       (Isa 54:8 NRSV)  In overflowing wrath for a moment I hid my face from 
       you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the 
       LORD, your Redeemer.

       (Isa 54:9 NRSV)  This is like the days of Noah to me: Just as I swore 
       that the waters of Noah would never again go over the earth, so I have 
       sworn that I will not be angry with you and will not rebuke you.

       (Isa 54:10 NRSV)  For the mountains may depart and the hills be 
       removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my 
       covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the LORD, who has 
       compassion on you.

       (Isa 54:11 NRSV)  O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted, I 
       am about to set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with 
       sapphires.

       (Isa 54:12 NRSV)  I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of 
       jewels, and all your wall of precious stones.

       (Isa 54:13 NRSV)  All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and 
       great shall be the prosperity of your children.

       (Isa 54:14 NRSV)  In righteousness you shall be established; you shall 
       be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for 





       it shall not come near you.

       (Isa 54:15 NRSV)  If anyone stirs up strife, it is not from me; 
       whoever stirs up strife with you shall fall because of you.

       (Isa 54:16 NRSV)  See it is I who have created the smith who blows the 
       fire of coals, and produces a weapon fit for its purpose; I have also 
       created the ravager to destroy.

       (Isa 54:17 NRSV)  No weapon that is fashioned against you shall 
       prosper, and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in 
       judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their 
       vindication from me, says the LORD.

       (Isa 55:1 NRSV)  Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you 
       that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without 
       money and without price.

       (Isa 55:2 NRSV)  Why do you spend your money for that which is not 
       bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen 
       carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich 
       food.

       (Isa 55:3 NRSV)  Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you 
       may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, 
       sure love for David.

       (Isa 55:4 NRSV)  See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader 
       and commander for the peoples.

       (Isa 55:5 NRSV)  See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and 
       nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD 
       your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.

       (Isa 55:6 NRSV)  Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him 
       while he is near;

       (Isa 55:7 NRSV)  let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous 
       their thoughts; let them return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on 
       them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

       (Isa 55:8 NRSV)  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your 
       ways my ways, says the LORD.

       (Isa 55:9 NRSV)  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are 
       my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

       (Isa 55:10 NRSV)  For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, 
       and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it 
       bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the 
       eater,

       (Isa 55:11 NRSV)  so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it 
       shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I 
       purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.





       (Isa 55:12 NRSV)  For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in 
       peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, 
       and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

       (Isa 55:13 NRSV)  Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; 
       instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the 
       LORD for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut 
       off.

       (Isa 56:1 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: Maintain justice, and do what is 
       right, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be 
       revealed.

       (Isa 56:2 NRSV)  Happy is the mortal who does this, the one who holds 
       it fast, who keeps the sabbath, not profaning it, and refrains from 
       doing any evil.

       (Isa 56:3 NRSV)  Do not let the foreigner joined to the LORD say, "The 
       LORD will surely separate me from his people"; and do not let the 
       eunuch say, "I am just a dry tree."

       (Isa 56:4 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD: To the eunuchs who keep my 
       sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my 
       covenant,

       (Isa 56:5 NRSV)  I will give, in my house and within my walls, a 
       monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them 
       an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.

       (Isa 56:6 NRSV)  And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, 
       to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his 
       servants, all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it, and hold 
       fast my covenant--

       (Isa 56:7 NRSV)  these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them 
       joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their 
       sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called 
       a house of prayer for all peoples.

       (Isa 56:8 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of 
       Israel, I will gather others to them besides those already gathered.

       (Isa 56:9 NRSV)  All you wild animals, all you wild animals in the 
       forest, come to devour!

       (Isa 56:10 NRSV)  Israel's sentinels are blind, they are all without 
       knowledge; they are all silent dogs that cannot bark; dreaming, lying 
       down, loving to slumber.

       (Isa 56:11 NRSV)  The dogs have a mighty appetite; they never have 
       enough. The shepherds also have no understanding; they have all turned 
       to their own way, to their own gain, one and all.

       (Isa 56:12 NRSV)  "Come," they say, "let us get wine; let us fill 
       ourselves with strong drink. And tomorrow will be like today, great 
       beyond measure."






       (Isa 57:1 NRSV)  The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; 
       the devout are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous 
       are taken away from calamity,

       (Isa 57:2 NRSV)  and they enter into peace; those who walk uprightly 
       will rest on their couches.

       (Isa 57:3 NRSV)  But as for you, come here, you children of a 
       sorceress, you offspring of an adulterer and a whore.

       (Isa 57:4 NRSV)  Whom are you mocking? Against whom do you open your 
       mouth wide and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of 
       transgression, the offspring of deceit--

       (Isa 57:5 NRSV)  you that burn with lust among the oaks, under every 
       green tree; you that slaughter your children in the valleys, under the 
       clefts of the rocks?

       (Isa 57:6 NRSV)  Among the smooth stones of the valley is your 
       portion; they, they, are your lot; to them you have poured out a drink 
       offering, you have brought a grain offering. Shall I be appeased for 
       these things?

       (Isa 57:7 NRSV)  Upon a high and lofty mountain you have set your bed, 
       and there you went up to offer sacrifice.

       (Isa 57:8 NRSV)  Behind the door and the doorpost you have set up your 
       symbol; for, in deserting me, you have uncovered your bed, you have 
       gone up to it, you have made it wide; and you have made a bargain for 
       yourself with them, you have loved their bed, you have gazed on their 
       nakedness.

       (Isa 57:9 NRSV)  You journeyed to Molech with oil, and multiplied your 
       perfumes; you sent your envoys far away, and sent down even to Sheol.

       (Isa 57:10 NRSV)  You grew weary from your many wanderings, but you 
       did not say, "It is useless." You found your desire rekindled, and so 
       you did not weaken.

       (Isa 57:11 NRSV)  Whom did you dread and fear so that you lied, and 
       did not remember me or give me a thought? Have I not kept silent and 
       closed my eyes, and so you do not fear me?

       (Isa 57:12 NRSV)  I will concede your righteousness and your works, 
       but they will not help you.

       (Isa 57:13 NRSV)  When you cry out, let your collection of idols 
       deliver you! The wind will carry them off, a breath will take them 
       away. But whoever takes refuge in me shall possess the land and 
       inherit my holy mountain.

       (Isa 57:14 NRSV)  It shall be said, "Build up, build up, prepare the 
       way, remove every obstruction from my people's way."

       (Isa 57:15 NRSV)  For thus says the high and lofty one who inhabits 





       eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, and 
       also with those who are contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the 
       spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

       (Isa 57:16 NRSV)  For I will not continually accuse, nor will I always 
       be angry; for then the spirits would grow faint before me, even the 
       souls that I have made.

       (Isa 57:17 NRSV)  Because of their wicked covetousness I was angry; I 
       struck them, I hid and was angry; but they kept turning back to their 
       own ways.

       (Isa 57:18 NRSV)  I have seen their ways, but I will heal them; I will 
       lead them and repay them with comfort, creating for their mourners the 
       fruit of the lips.

       (Isa 57:19 NRSV)  Peace, peace, to the far and the near, says the 
       LORD; and I will heal them.

       (Isa 57:20 NRSV)  But the wicked are like the tossing sea that cannot 
       keep still; its waters toss up mire and mud.

       (Isa 57:21 NRSV)  There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked.

       (Isa 58:1 NRSV)  Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like 
       a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of 
       Jacob their sins.

       (Isa 58:2 NRSV)  Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my 
       ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did 
       not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous 
       judgments, they delight to draw near to God.

       (Isa 58:3 NRSV)  "Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble 
       ourselves, but you do not notice?" Look, you serve your own interest 
       on your fast day, and oppress all your workers.

       (Isa 58:4 NRSV)  Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to 
       strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make 
       your voice heard on high.

       (Isa 58:5 NRSV)  Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble 
       oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in 
       sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to 
       the LORD?

       (Isa 58:6 NRSV)  Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the 
       bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the 
       oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

       (Isa 58:7 NRSV)  Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and 
       bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to 
       cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?

       (Isa 58:8 NRSV)  Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and 
       your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before 





       you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

       (Isa 58:9 NRSV)  Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you 
       shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke 
       from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,

       (Isa 58:10 NRSV)  if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the 
       needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and 
       your gloom be like the noonday.

       (Isa 58:11 NRSV)  The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy 
       your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you 
       shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters 
       never fail.

       (Isa 58:12 NRSV)  Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise 
       up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the 
       repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.

       (Isa 58:13 NRSV)  If you refrain from trampling the sabbath, from 
       pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call the sabbath a 
       delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not 
       going your own ways, serving your own interests, or pursuing your own 
       affairs;

       (Isa 58:14 NRSV)  then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will 
       make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the 
       heritage of your ancestor Jacob, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

       (Isa 59:1 NRSV)  See, the Lord's hand is not too short to save, nor 
       his ear too dull to hear.

       (Isa 59:2 NRSV)  Rather, your iniquities have been barriers between 
       you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that 
       he does not hear.

       (Isa 59:3 NRSV)  For your hands are defiled with blood, and your 
       fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue mutters 
       wickedness.

       (Isa 59:4 NRSV)  No one brings suit justly, no one goes to law 
       honestly; they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies, conceiving 
       mischief and begetting iniquity.

       (Isa 59:5 NRSV)  They hatch adders' eggs, and weave the spider's web; 
       whoever eats their eggs dies, and the crushed egg hatches out a viper.

       (Isa 59:6 NRSV)  Their webs cannot serve as clothing; they cannot 
       cover themselves with what they make. Their works are works of 
       iniquity, and deeds of violence are in their hands.

       (Isa 59:7 NRSV)  Their feet run to evil, and they rush to shed 
       innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, desolation 
       and destruction are in their highways.

       (Isa 59:8 NRSV)  The way of peace they do not know, and there is no 





       justice in their paths. Their roads they have made crooked; no one who 
       walks in them knows peace.

       (Isa 59:9 NRSV)  Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness 
       does not reach us; we wait for light, and lo! there is darkness; and 
       for brightness, but we walk in gloom.

       (Isa 59:10 NRSV)  We grope like the blind along a wall, groping like 
       those who have no eyes; we stumble at noon as in the twilight, among 
       the vigorous as though we were dead.

       (Isa 59:11 NRSV)  We all growl like bears; like doves we moan 
       mournfully. We wait for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but 
       it is far from us.

       (Isa 59:12 NRSV)  For our transgressions before you are many, and our 
       sins testify against us. Our transgressions indeed are with us, and we 
       know our iniquities:

       (Isa 59:13 NRSV)  transgressing, and denying the LORD, and turning 
       away from following our God, talking oppression and revolt, conceiving 
       lying words and uttering them from the heart.

       (Isa 59:14 NRSV)  Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands at 
       a distance; for truth stumbles in the public square, and uprightness 
       cannot enter.

       (Isa 59:15 NRSV)  Truth is lacking, and whoever turns from evil is 
       despoiled. The LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no 
       justice.

       (Isa 59:16 NRSV)  He saw that there was no one, and was appalled that 
       there was no one to intervene; so his own arm brought him victory, and 
       his righteousness upheld him.

       (Isa 59:17 NRSV)  He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a 
       helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for 
       clothing, and wrapped himself in fury as in a mantle.

       (Isa 59:18 NRSV)  According to their deeds, so will he repay; wrath to 
       his adversaries, requital to his enemies; to the coastlands he will 
       render requital.

       (Isa 59:19 NRSV)  So those in the west shall fear the name of the 
       LORD, and those in the east, his glory; for he will come like a 
       pent-up stream that the wind of the LORD drives on.

       (Isa 59:20 NRSV)  And he will come to Zion as Redeemer, to those in 
       Jacob who turn from transgression, says the LORD.

       (Isa 59:21 NRSV)  And as for me, this is my covenant with them, says 
       the LORD: my spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in 
       your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouths 
       of your children, or out of the mouths of your children's children, 
       says the LORD, from now on and forever.





       (Isa 60:1 NRSV)  Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory 
       of the LORD has risen upon you.

       (Isa 60:2 NRSV)  For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick 
       darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory 
       will appear over you.

       (Isa 60:3 NRSV)  Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the 
       brightness of your dawn.

       (Isa 60:4 NRSV)  Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather 
       together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and 
       your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms.

       (Isa 60:5 NRSV)  Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall 
       thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought 
       to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

       (Isa 60:6 NRSV)  A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young 
       camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They 
       shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of 
       the LORD.

       (Isa 60:7 NRSV)  All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the 
       rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall be acceptable on my 
       altar, and I will glorify my glorious house.

       (Isa 60:8 NRSV)  Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves 
       to their windows?

       (Isa 60:9 NRSV)  For the coastlands shall wait for me, the ships of 
       Tarshish first, to bring your children from far away, their silver and 
       gold with them, for the name of the LORD your God, and for the Holy 
       One of Israel, because he has glorified you.

       (Isa 60:10 NRSV)  Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their 
       kings shall minister to you; for in my wrath I struck you down, but in 
       my favor I have had mercy on you.

       (Isa 60:11 NRSV)  Your gates shall always be open; day and night they 
       shall not be shut, so that nations shall bring you their wealth, with 
       their kings led in procession.

       (Isa 60:12 NRSV)  For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you 
       shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste.

       (Isa 60:13 NRSV)  The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, 
       the plane, and the pine, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I 
       will glorify where my feet rest.

       (Isa 60:14 NRSV)  The descendants of those who oppressed you shall 
       come bending low to you, and all who despised you shall bow down at 
       your feet; they shall call you the City of the LORD, the Zion of the 
       Holy One of Israel.

       (Isa 60:15 NRSV)  Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no 





       one passing through, I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age 
       to age.

       (Isa 60:16 NRSV)  You shall suck the milk of nations, you shall suck 
       the breasts of kings; and you shall know that I, the LORD, am your 
       Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

       (Isa 60:17 NRSV)  Instead of bronze I will bring gold, instead of iron 
       I will bring silver; instead of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron. 
       I will appoint Peace as your overseer and Righteousness as your 
       taskmaster.

       (Isa 60:18 NRSV)  Violence shall no more be heard in your land, 
       devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your 
       walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.

       (Isa 60:19 NRSV)  The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor 
       for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night; but the LORD 
       will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

       (Isa 60:20 NRSV)  Your sun shall no more go down, or your moon 
       withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your 
       days of mourning shall be ended.

       (Isa 60:21 NRSV)  Your people shall all be righteous; they shall 
       possess the land forever. They are the shoot that I planted, the work 
       of my hands, so that I might be glorified.

       (Isa 60:22 NRSV)  The least of them shall become a clan, and the 
       smallest one a mighty nation; I am the LORD; in its time I will 
       accomplish it quickly.

       (Isa 61:1 NRSV)  The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the 
       LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the 
       oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the 
       captives, and release to the prisoners;

       (Isa 61:2 NRSV)  to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day 
       of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;

       (Isa 61:3 NRSV)  to provide for those who mourn in Zion-- to give them 
       a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, 
       the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called 
       oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, to display his glory.

       (Isa 61:4 NRSV)  They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall 
       raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, 
       the devastations of many generations.

       (Isa 61:5 NRSV)  Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, 
       foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines;

       (Isa 61:6 NRSV)  but you shall be called priests of the LORD, you 
       shall be named ministers of our God; you shall enjoy the wealth of the 
       nations, and in their riches you shall glory.





       (Isa 61:7 NRSV)  Because their shame was double, and dishonor was 
       proclaimed as their lot, therefore they shall possess a double 
       portion; everlasting joy shall be theirs.

       (Isa 61:8 NRSV)  For I the LORD love justice, I hate robbery and 
       wrongdoing; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will 
       make an everlasting covenant with them.

       (Isa 61:9 NRSV)  Their descendants shall be known among the nations, 
       and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall 
       acknowledge that they are a people whom the LORD has blessed.

       (Isa 61:10 NRSV)  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my whole being 
       shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of 
       salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a 
       bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself 
       with her jewels.

       (Isa 61:11 NRSV)  For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a 
       garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will 
       cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.

       (Isa 62:1 NRSV)  For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for 
       Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out 
       like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch.

       (Isa 62:2 NRSV)  The nations shall see your vindication, and all the 
       kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth 
       of the LORD will give.

       (Isa 62:3 NRSV)  You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the 
       LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

       (Isa 62:4 NRSV)  You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land 
       shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My Delight 
       Is in Her, and your land Married; for the LORD delights in you, and 
       your land shall be married.

       (Isa 62:5 NRSV)  For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall 
       your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, 
       so shall your God rejoice over you.

       (Isa 62:6 NRSV)  Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted 
       sentinels; all day and all night they shall never be silent. You who 
       remind the LORD, take no rest,

       (Isa 62:7 NRSV)  and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem 
       and makes it renowned throughout the earth.

       (Isa 62:8 NRSV)  The LORD has sworn by his right hand and by his 
       mighty arm: I will not again give your grain to be food for your 
       enemies, and foreigners shall not drink the wine for which you have 
       labored;

       (Isa 62:9 NRSV)  but those who garner it shall eat it and praise the 
       LORD, and those who gather it shall drink it in my holy courts.






       (Isa 62:10 NRSV)  Go through, go through the gates, prepare the way 
       for the people; build up, build up the highway, clear it of stones, 
       lift up an ensign over the peoples.

       (Isa 62:11 NRSV)  The LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say 
       to daughter Zion, "See, your salvation comes; his reward is with him, 
       and his recompense before him."

       (Isa 62:12 NRSV)  They shall be called, "The Holy People, The Redeemed 
       of the LORD"; and you shall be called, "Sought Out, A City Not 
       Forsaken."

       (Isa 63:1 NRSV)  "Who is this that comes from Edom, from Bozrah in 
       garments stained crimson? Who is this so splendidly robed, marching in 
       his great might?" "It is I, announcing vindication, mighty to save."

       (Isa 63:2 NRSV)  "Why are your robes red, and your garments like 
       theirs who tread the wine press?"

       (Isa 63:3 NRSV)  "I have trodden the wine press alone, and from the 
       peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them 
       in my wrath; their juice spattered on my garments, and stained all my 
       robes.

       (Isa 63:4 NRSV)  For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the 
       year for my redeeming work had come.

       (Isa 63:5 NRSV)  I looked, but there was no helper; I stared, but 
       there was no one to sustain me; so my own arm brought me victory, and 
       my wrath sustained me.

       (Isa 63:6 NRSV)  I trampled down peoples in my anger, I crushed them 
       in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth."

       (Isa 63:7 NRSV)  I will recount the gracious deeds of the LORD, the 
       praiseworthy acts of the LORD, because of all that the LORD has done 
       for us, and the great favor to the house of Israel that he has shown 
       them according to his mercy, according to the abundance of his 
       steadfast love.

       (Isa 63:8 NRSV)  For he said, "Surely they are my people, children who 
       will not deal falsely"; and he became their savior

       (Isa 63:9 NRSV)  in all their distress. It was no messenger or angel 
       but his presence that saved them; in his love and in his pity he 
       redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

       (Isa 63:10 NRSV)  But they rebelled and grieved his holy spirit; 
       therefore he became their enemy; he himself fought against them.

       (Isa 63:11 NRSV)  Then they remembered the days of old, of Moses his 
       servant. Where is the one who brought them up out of the sea with the 
       shepherds of his flock? Where is the one who put within them his holy 
       spirit,





       (Isa 63:12 NRSV)  who caused his glorious arm to march at the right 
       hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for himself 
       an everlasting name,

       (Isa 63:13 NRSV)  who led them through the depths? Like a horse in the 
       desert, they did not stumble.

       (Isa 63:14 NRSV)  Like cattle that go down into the valley, the spirit 
       of the LORD gave them rest. Thus you led your people, to make for 
       yourself a glorious name.

       (Isa 63:15 NRSV)  Look down from heaven and see, from your holy and 
       glorious habitation. Where are your zeal and your might? The yearning 
       of your heart and your compassion? They are withheld from me.

       (Isa 63:16 NRSV)  For you are our father, though Abraham does not know 
       us and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O LORD, are our father; 
       our Redeemer from of old is your name.

       (Isa 63:17 NRSV)  Why, O LORD, do you make us stray from your ways and 
       harden our heart, so that we do not fear you? Turn back for the sake 
       of your servants, for the sake of the tribes that are your heritage.

       (Isa 63:18 NRSV)  Your holy people took possession for a little while; 
       but now our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary.

       (Isa 63:19 NRSV)  We have long been like those whom you do not rule, 
       like those not called by your name.

       (Isa 64:1 NRSV)  O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, 
       so that the mountains would quake at your presence--

       (Isa 64:2 NRSV)  as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes 
       water to boil-- to make your name known to your adversaries, so that 
       the nations might tremble at your presence!

       (Isa 64:3 NRSV)  When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, 
       you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.

       (Isa 64:4 NRSV)  From ages past no one has heard, no ear has 
       perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those 
       who wait for him.

       (Isa 64:5 NRSV)  You meet those who gladly do right, those who 
       remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because 
       you hid yourself we transgressed.

       (Isa 64:6 NRSV)  We have all become like one who is unclean, and all 
       our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, 
       and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

       (Isa 64:7 NRSV)  There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts 
       to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have 
       delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.

       (Isa 64:8 NRSV)  Yet, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and 





       you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.

       (Isa 64:9 NRSV)  Do not be exceedingly angry, O LORD, and do not 
       remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people.

       (Isa 64:10 NRSV)  Your holy cities have become a wilderness, Zion has 
       become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.

       (Isa 64:11 NRSV)  Our holy and beautiful house, where our ancestors 
       praised you, has been burned by fire, and all our pleasant places have 
       become ruins.

       (Isa 64:12 NRSV)  After all this, will you restrain yourself, O LORD? 
       Will you keep silent, and punish us so severely?

       (Isa 65:1 NRSV)  I was ready to be sought out by those who did not 
       ask, to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, "Here I am, 
       here I am," to a nation that did not call on my name.

       (Isa 65:2 NRSV)  I held out my hands all day long to a rebellious 
       people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own 
       devices;

       (Isa 65:3 NRSV)  a people who provoke me to my face continually, 
       sacrificing in gardens and offering incense on bricks;

       (Isa 65:4 NRSV)  who sit inside tombs, and spend the night in secret 
       places; who eat swine's flesh, with broth of abominable things in 
       their vessels;

       (Isa 65:5 NRSV)  who say, "Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for 
       I am too holy for you." These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire that 
       burns all day long.

       (Isa 65:6 NRSV)  See, it is written before me: I will not keep silent, 
       but I will repay; I will indeed repay into their laps

       (Isa 65:7 NRSV)  their iniquities and their ancestors' iniquities 
       together, says the LORD; because they offered incense on the mountains 
       and reviled me on the hills, I will measure into their laps full 
       payment for their actions.

       (Isa 65:8 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: As the wine is found in the 
       cluster, and they say, "Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in 
       it," so I will do for my servants' sake, and not destroy them all.

       (Isa 65:9 NRSV)  I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from 
       Judah inheritors of my mountains; my chosen shall inherit it, and my 
       servants shall settle there.

       (Isa 65:10 NRSV)  Sharon shall become a pasture for flocks, and the 
       Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down, for my people who have 
       sought me.

       (Isa 65:11 NRSV)  But you who forsake the LORD, who forget my holy 
       mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill cups of mixed wine for 





       Destiny;

       (Isa 65:12 NRSV)  I will destine you to the sword, and all of you 
       shall bow down to the slaughter; because, when I called, you did not 
       answer, when I spoke, you did not listen, but you did what was evil in 
       my sight, and chose what I did not delight in.

       (Isa 65:13 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: My servants shall 
       eat, but you shall be hungry; my servants shall drink, but you shall 
       be thirsty; my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame;

       (Isa 65:14 NRSV)  my servants shall sing for gladness of heart, but 
       you shall cry out for pain of heart, and shall wail for anguish of 
       spirit.

       (Isa 65:15 NRSV)  You shall leave your name to my chosen to use as a 
       curse, and the Lord GOD will put you to death; but to his servants he 
       will give a different name.

       (Isa 65:16 NRSV)  Then whoever invokes a blessing in the land shall 
       bless by the God of faithfulness, and whoever takes an oath in the 
       land shall swear by the God of faithfulness; because the former 
       troubles are forgotten and are hidden from my sight.

       (Isa 65:17 NRSV)  For I am about to create new heavens and a new 
       earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.

       (Isa 65:18 NRSV)  But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am 
       creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people 
       as a delight.

       (Isa 65:19 NRSV)  I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my 
       people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry 
       of distress.

       (Isa 65:20 NRSV)  No more shall there be in it an infant that lives 
       but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for 
       one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one 
       who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.

       (Isa 65:21 NRSV)  They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall 
       plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

       (Isa 65:22 NRSV)  They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall 
       not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days 
       of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their 
       hands.

       (Isa 65:23 NRSV)  They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for 
       calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the LORD-- and their 
       descendants as well.

       (Isa 65:24 NRSV)  Before they call I will answer, while they are yet 
       speaking I will hear.

       (Isa 65:25 NRSV)  The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion 





       shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent--its food shall be dust! 
       They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD.

       (Isa 66:1 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: Heaven is my throne and the earth 
       is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and 
       what is my resting place?

       (Isa 66:2 NRSV)  All these things my hand has made, and so all these 
       things are mine, says the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will 
       look, to the humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at my word.

       (Isa 66:3 NRSV)  Whoever slaughters an ox is like one who kills a 
       human being; whoever sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog's 
       neck; whoever presents a grain offering, like one who offers swine's 
       blood; whoever makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who 
       blesses an idol. These have chosen their own ways, and in their 
       abominations they take delight;

       (Isa 66:4 NRSV)  I also will choose to mock them, and bring upon them 
       what they fear; because, when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, 
       they did not listen; but they did what was evil in my sight, and chose 
       what did not please me.

       (Isa 66:5 NRSV)  Hear the word of the LORD, you who tremble at his 
       word: Your own people who hate you and reject you for my name's sake 
       have said, "Let the LORD be glorified, so that we may see your joy"; 
       but it is they who shall be put to shame.

       (Isa 66:6 NRSV)  Listen, an uproar from the city! A voice from the 
       temple! The voice of the LORD, dealing retribution to his enemies!

       (Isa 66:7 NRSV)  Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her 
       pain came upon her she delivered a son.

       (Isa 66:8 NRSV)  Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such 
       things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be delivered 
       in one moment? Yet as soon as Zion was in labor she delivered her 
       children.

       (Isa 66:9 NRSV)  Shall I open the womb and not deliver? says the LORD; 
       shall I, the one who delivers, shut the womb? says your God.

       (Isa 66:10 NRSV)  Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you 
       who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her--

       (Isa 66:11 NRSV)  that you may nurse and be satisfied from her 
       consoling breast; that you may drink deeply with delight from her 
       glorious bosom.

       (Isa 66:12 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD: I will extend prosperity to 
       her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing 
       stream; and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm, and dandled on 
       her knees.

       (Isa 66:13 NRSV)  As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort 
       you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.






       (Isa 66:14 NRSV)  You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your 
       bodies shall flourish like the grass; and it shall be known that the 
       hand of the LORD is with his servants, and his indignation is against 
       his enemies.

       (Isa 66:15 NRSV)  For the LORD will come in fire, and his chariots 
       like the whirlwind, to pay back his anger in fury, and his rebuke in 
       flames of fire.

       (Isa 66:16 NRSV)  For by fire will the LORD execute judgment, and by 
       his sword, on all flesh; and those slain by the LORD shall be many.

       (Isa 66:17 NRSV)  Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into 
       the gardens, following the one in the center, eating the flesh of 
       pigs, vermin, and rodents, shall come to an end together, says the 
       LORD.

       (Isa 66:18 NRSV)  For I know their works and their thoughts, and I am 
       coming to gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and 
       shall see my glory,

       (Isa 66:19 NRSV)  and I will set a sign among them. From them I will 
       send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Put, and Lud--which draw 
       the bow--to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away that have not 
       heard of my fame or seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory 
       among the nations.

       (Isa 66:20 NRSV)  They shall bring all your kindred from all the 
       nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses, and in chariots, and in 
       litters, and on mules, and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain 
       Jerusalem, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring a grain 
       offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD.

       (Isa 66:21 NRSV)  And I will also take some of them as priests and as 
       Levites, says the LORD.

       (Isa 66:22 NRSV)  For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I 
       will make, shall remain before me, says the LORD; so shall your 
       descendants and your name remain.

       (Isa 66:23 NRSV)  From new moon to new moon, and from sabbath to 
       sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, says the LORD.

       (Isa 66:24 NRSV)  And they shall go out and look at the dead bodies of 
       the people who have rebelled against me; for their worm shall not die, 
       their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to 
       all flesh.

       (Jer 1:1 NRSV)  The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, of the priests 
       who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin,

       (Jer 1:2 NRSV)  to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of King 
       Josiah son of Amon of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

       (Jer 1:3 NRSV)  It came also in the days of King Jehoiakim son of 





       Josiah of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of King 
       Zedekiah son of Josiah of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in 
       the fifth month.

       (Jer 1:4 NRSV)  Now the word of the LORD came to me saying,

       (Jer 1:5 NRSV)  "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and 
       before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to 
       the nations."

       (Jer 1:6 NRSV)  Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Truly I do not know how to 
       speak, for I am only a boy."

       (Jer 1:7 NRSV)  But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a 
       boy'; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak 
       whatever I command you,

       (Jer 1:8 NRSV)  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver 
       you, says the LORD."

       (Jer 1:9 NRSV)  Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth; 
       and the LORD said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth.

       (Jer 1:10 NRSV)  See, today I appoint you over nations and over 
       kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, 
       to build and to plant."

       (Jer 1:11 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Jeremiah, 
       what do you see?" And I said, "I see a branch of an almond tree."

       (Jer 1:12 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to me, "You have seen well, for I 
       am watching over my word to perform it."

       (Jer 1:13 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me a second time, 
       saying, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see a boiling pot, tilted 
       away from the north."

       (Jer 1:14 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to me: Out of the north disaster 
       shall break out on all the inhabitants of the land.

       (Jer 1:15 NRSV)  For now I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms 
       of the north, says the LORD; and they shall come and all of them shall 
       set their thrones at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against 
       all its surrounding walls and against all the cities of Judah.

       (Jer 1:16 NRSV)  And I will utter my judgments against them, for all 
       their wickedness in forsaking me; they have made offerings to other 
       gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands.

       (Jer 1:17 NRSV)  But you, gird up your loins; stand up and tell them 
       everything that I command you. Do not break down before them, or I 
       will break you before them.

       (Jer 1:18 NRSV)  And I for my part have made you today a fortified 
       city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall, against the whole 
       land--against the kings of Judah, its princes, its priests, and the 





       people of the land.

       (Jer 1:19 NRSV)  They will fight against you; but they shall not 
       prevail against you, for I am with you, says the LORD, to deliver you.

       (Jer 2:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me, saying:

       (Jer 2:2 NRSV)  Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says 
       the LORD: I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, 
       how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.

       (Jer 2:3 NRSV)  Israel was holy to the LORD, the first fruits of his 
       harvest. All who ate of it were held guilty; disaster came upon them, 
       says the LORD.

       (Jer 2:4 NRSV)  Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all 
       the families of the house of Israel.

       (Jer 2:5 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: What wrong did your ancestors find 
       in me that they went far from me, and went after worthless things, and 
       became worthless themselves?

       (Jer 2:6 NRSV)  They did not say, "Where is the LORD who brought us up 
       from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of 
       deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land 
       that no one passes through, where no one lives?"

       (Jer 2:7 NRSV)  I brought you into a plentiful land to eat its fruits 
       and its good things. But when you entered you defiled my land, and 
       made my heritage an abomination.

       (Jer 2:8 NRSV)  The priests did not say, "Where is the LORD?" Those 
       who handle the law did not know me; the rulers transgressed against 
       me; the prophets prophesied by Baal, and went after things that do not 
       profit.

       (Jer 2:9 NRSV)  Therefore once more I accuse you, says the LORD, and I 
       accuse your children's children.

       (Jer 2:10 NRSV)  Cross to the coasts of Cyprus and look, send to Kedar 
       and examine with care; see if there has ever been such a thing.

       (Jer 2:11 NRSV)  Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are 
       no gods? But my people have changed their glory for something that 
       does not profit.

       (Jer 2:12 NRSV)  Be appalled, O heavens, at this, be shocked, be 
       utterly desolate, says the LORD,

       (Jer 2:13 NRSV)  for my people have committed two evils: they have 
       forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for 
       themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water.

       (Jer 2:14 NRSV)  Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant? Why then 
       has he become plunder?





       (Jer 2:15 NRSV)  The lions have roared against him, they have roared 
       loudly. They have made his land a waste; his cities are in ruins, 
       without inhabitant.

       (Jer 2:16 NRSV)  Moreover, the people of Memphis and Tahpanhes have 
       broken the crown of your head.

       (Jer 2:17 NRSV)  Have you not brought this upon yourself by forsaking 
       the LORD your God, while he led you in the way?

       (Jer 2:18 NRSV)  What then do you gain by going to Egypt, to drink the 
       waters of the Nile? Or what do you gain by going to Assyria, to drink 
       the waters of the Euphrates?

       (Jer 2:19 NRSV)  Your wickedness will punish you, and your apostasies 
       will convict you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to 
       forsake the LORD your God; the fear of me is not in you, says the Lord 
       GOD of hosts.

       (Jer 2:20 NRSV)  For long ago you broke your yoke and burst your 
       bonds, and you said, "I will not serve!" On every high hill and under 
       every green tree you sprawled and played the whore.

       (Jer 2:21 NRSV)  Yet I planted you as a choice vine, from the purest 
       stock. How then did you turn degenerate and become a wild vine?

       (Jer 2:22 NRSV)  Though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, 
       the stain of your guilt is still before me, says the Lord GOD.

       (Jer 2:23 NRSV)  How can you say, "I am not defiled, I have not gone 
       after the Baals"? Look at your way in the valley; know what you have 
       done-- a restive young camel interlacing her tracks,

       (Jer 2:24 NRSV)  a wild ass at home in the wilderness, in her heat 
       sniffing the wind! Who can restrain her lust? None who seek her need 
       weary themselves; in her month they will find her.

       (Jer 2:25 NRSV)  Keep your feet from going unshod and your throat from 
       thirst. But you said, "It is hopeless, for I have loved strangers, and 
       after them I will go."

       (Jer 2:26 NRSV)  As a thief is shamed when caught, so the house of 
       Israel shall be shamed-- they, their kings, their officials, their 
       priests, and their prophets,

       (Jer 2:27 NRSV)  who say to a tree, "You are my father," and to a 
       stone, "You gave me birth." For they have turned their backs to me, 
       and not their faces. But in the time of their trouble they say, "Come 
       and save us!"

       (Jer 2:28 NRSV)  But where are your gods that you made for yourself? 
       Let them come, if they can save you, in your time of trouble; for you 
       have as many gods as you have towns, O Judah.

       (Jer 2:29 NRSV)  Why do you complain against me? You have all rebelled 
       against me, says the LORD.






       (Jer 2:30 NRSV)  In vain I have struck down your children; they 
       accepted no correction. Your own sword devoured your prophets like a 
       ravening lion.

       (Jer 2:31 NRSV)  And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD! 
       Have I been a wilderness to Israel, or a land of thick darkness? Why 
       then do my people say, "We are free, we will come to you no more"?

       (Jer 2:32 NRSV)  Can a girl forget her ornaments, or a bride her 
       attire? Yet my people have forgotten me, days without number.

       (Jer 2:33 NRSV)  How well you direct your course to seek lovers! So 
       that even to wicked women you have taught your ways.

       (Jer 2:34 NRSV)  Also on your skirts is found the lifeblood of the 
       innocent poor, though you did not catch them breaking in. Yet in spite 
       of all these things

       (Jer 2:35 NRSV)  you say, "I am innocent; surely his anger has turned 
       from me." Now I am bringing you to judgment for saying, "I have not 
       sinned."

       (Jer 2:36 NRSV)  How lightly you gad about, changing your ways! You 
       shall be put to shame by Egypt as you were put to shame by Assyria.

       (Jer 2:37 NRSV)  From there also you will come away with your hands on 
       your head; for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust, and you 
       will not prosper through them.

       (Jer 3:1 NRSV)  If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and 
       becomes another man's wife, will he return to her? Would not such a 
       land be greatly polluted? You have played the whore with many lovers; 
       and would you return to me? says the LORD.

       (Jer 3:2 NRSV)  Look up to the bare heights, and see! Where have you 
       not been lain with? By the waysides you have sat waiting for lovers, 
       like a nomad in the wilderness. You have polluted the land with your 
       whoring and wickedness.

       (Jer 3:3 NRSV)  Therefore the showers have been withheld, and the 
       spring rain has not come; yet you have the forehead of a whore, you 
       refuse to be ashamed.

       (Jer 3:4 NRSV)  Have you not just now called to me, "My Father, you 
       are the friend of my youth--

       (Jer 3:5 NRSV)  will he be angry forever, will he be indignant to the 
       end?" This is how you have spoken, but you have done all the evil that 
       you could.

       (Jer 3:6 NRSV)  The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: Have 
       you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on 
       every high hill and under every green tree, and played the whore 
       there?





       (Jer 3:7 NRSV)  And I thought, "After she has done all this she will 
       return to me"; but she did not return, and her false sister Judah saw 
       it.

       (Jer 3:8 NRSV)  She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless 
       one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce; yet her 
       false sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the 
       whore.

       (Jer 3:9 NRSV)  Because she took her whoredom so lightly, she polluted 
       the land, committing adultery with stone and tree.

       (Jer 3:10 NRSV)  Yet for all this her false sister Judah did not 
       return to me with her whole heart, but only in pretense, says the 
       LORD.

       (Jer 3:11 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to me: Faithless Israel has shown 
       herself less guilty than false Judah.

       (Jer 3:12 NRSV)  Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and 
       say: Return, faithless Israel, says the LORD. I will not look on you 
       in anger, for I am merciful, says the LORD; I will not be angry 
       forever.

       (Jer 3:13 NRSV)  Only acknowledge your guilt, that you have rebelled 
       against the LORD your God, and scattered your favors among strangers 
       under every green tree, and have not obeyed my voice, says the LORD.

       (Jer 3:14 NRSV)  Return, O faithless children, says the LORD, for I am 
       your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, 
       and I will bring you to Zion.

       (Jer 3:15 NRSV)  I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who 
       will feed you with knowledge and understanding.

       (Jer 3:16 NRSV)  And when you have multiplied and increased in the 
       land, in those days, says the LORD, they shall no longer say, "The ark 
       of the covenant of the LORD." It shall not come to mind, or be 
       remembered, or missed; nor shall another one be made.

       (Jer 3:17 NRSV)  At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of 
       the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the 
       LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no longer stubbornly follow their 
       own evil will.

       (Jer 3:18 NRSV)  In those days the house of Judah shall join the house 
       of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to 
       the land that I gave your ancestors for a heritage.

       (Jer 3:19 NRSV)  I thought how I would set you among my children, and 
       give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful heritage of all the 
       nations. And I thought you would call me, My Father, and would not 
       turn from following me.

       (Jer 3:20 NRSV)  Instead, as a faithless wife leaves her husband, so 
       you have been faithless to me, O house of Israel, says the LORD.






       (Jer 3:21 NRSV)  A voice on the bare heights is heard, the plaintive 
       weeping of Israel's children, because they have perverted their way, 
       they have forgotten the LORD their God:

       (Jer 3:22 NRSV)  Return, O faithless children, I will heal your 
       faithlessness. "Here we come to you; for you are the LORD our God.

       (Jer 3:23 NRSV)  Truly the hills are a delusion, the orgies on the 
       mountains. Truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.

       (Jer 3:24 NRSV)  "But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured 
       all for which our ancestors had labored, their flocks and their herds, 
       their sons and their daughters.

       (Jer 3:25 NRSV)  Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor 
       cover us; for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our 
       ancestors, from our youth even to this day; and we have not obeyed the 
       voice of the LORD our God."

       (Jer 4:1 NRSV)  If you return, O Israel, says the LORD, if you return 
       to me, if you remove your abominations from my presence, and do not 
       waver,

       (Jer 4:2 NRSV)  and if you swear, "As the LORD lives!" in truth, in 
       justice, and in uprightness, then nations shall be blessed by him, and 
       by him they shall boast.

       (Jer 4:3 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD to the people of Judah and to 
       the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Break up your fallow ground, and do not 
       sow among thorns.

       (Jer 4:4 NRSV)  Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, remove the foreskin 
       of your hearts, O people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, or 
       else my wrath will go forth like fire, and burn with no one to quench 
       it, because of the evil of your doings.

       (Jer 4:5 NRSV)  Declare in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say: 
       Blow the trumpet through the land; shout aloud and say, "Gather 
       together, and let us go into the fortified cities!"

       (Jer 4:6 NRSV)  Raise a standard toward Zion, flee for safety, do not 
       delay, for I am bringing evil from the north, and a great destruction.

       (Jer 4:7 NRSV)  A lion has gone up from its thicket, a destroyer of 
       nations has set out; he has gone out from his place to make your land 
       a waste; your cities will be ruins without inhabitant.

       (Jer 4:8 NRSV)  Because of this put on sackcloth, lament and wail: 
       "The fierce anger of the LORD has not turned away from us."

       (Jer 4:9 NRSV)  On that day, says the LORD, courage shall fail the 
       king and the officials; the priests shall be appalled and the prophets 
       astounded.

       (Jer 4:10 NRSV)  Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD, how utterly you have 





       deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, 'It shall be well with 
       you,' even while the sword is at the throat!"

       (Jer 4:11 NRSV)  At that time it will be said to this people and to 
       Jerusalem: A hot wind comes from me out of the bare heights in the 
       desert toward my poor people, not to winnow or cleanse--

       (Jer 4:12 NRSV)  a wind too strong for that. Now it is I who speak in 
       judgment against them.

       (Jer 4:13 NRSV)  Look! He comes up like clouds, his chariots like the 
       whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles-- woe to us, for we are 
       ruined!

       (Jer 4:14 NRSV)  O Jerusalem, wash your heart clean of wickedness so 
       that you may be saved. How long shall your evil schemes lodge within 
       you?

       (Jer 4:15 NRSV)  For a voice declares from Dan and proclaims disaster 
       from Mount Ephraim.

       (Jer 4:16 NRSV)  Tell the nations, "Here they are!" Proclaim against 
       Jerusalem, "Besiegers come from a distant land; they shout against the 
       cities of Judah.

       (Jer 4:17 NRSV)  They have closed in around her like watchers of a 
       field, because she has rebelled against me, says the LORD.

       (Jer 4:18 NRSV)  Your ways and your doings have brought this upon you. 
       This is your doom; how bitter it is! It has reached your very heart."

       (Jer 4:19 NRSV)  My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, the 
       walls of my heart! My heart is beating wildly; I cannot keep silent; 
       for I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.

       (Jer 4:20 NRSV)  Disaster overtakes disaster, the whole land is laid 
       waste. Suddenly my tents are destroyed, my curtains in a moment.

       (Jer 4:21 NRSV)  How long must I see the standard, and hear the sound 
       of the trumpet?

       (Jer 4:22 NRSV)  "For my people are foolish, they do not know me; they 
       are stupid children, they have no understanding. They are skilled in 
       doing evil, but do not know how to do good."

       (Jer 4:23 NRSV)  I looked on the earth, and lo, it was waste and void; 
       and to the heavens, and they had no light.

       (Jer 4:24 NRSV)  I looked on the mountains, and lo, they were quaking, 
       and all the hills moved to and fro.

       (Jer 4:25 NRSV)  I looked, and lo, there was no one at all, and all 
       the birds of the air had fled.

       (Jer 4:26 NRSV)  I looked, and lo, the fruitful land was a desert, and 
       all its cities were laid in ruins before the LORD, before his fierce 





       anger.

       (Jer 4:27 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD: The whole land shall be a 
       desolation; yet I will not make a full end.

       (Jer 4:28 NRSV)  Because of this the earth shall mourn, and the 
       heavens above grow black; for I have spoken, I have purposed; I have 
       not relented nor will I turn back.

       (Jer 4:29 NRSV)  At the noise of horseman and archer every town takes 
       to flight; they enter thickets; they climb among rocks; all the towns 
       are forsaken, and no one lives in them.

       (Jer 4:30 NRSV)  And you, O desolate one, what do you mean that you 
       dress in crimson, that you deck yourself with ornaments of gold, that 
       you enlarge your eyes with paint? In vain you beautify yourself. Your 
       lovers despise you; they seek your life.

       (Jer 4:31 NRSV)  For I heard a cry as of a woman in labor, anguish as 
       of one bringing forth her first child, the cry of daughter Zion 
       gasping for breath, stretching out her hands, "Woe is me! I am 
       fainting before killers!"

       (Jer 5:1 NRSV)  Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look 
       around and take note! Search its squares and see if you can find one 
       person who acts justly and seeks truth-- so that I may pardon 
       Jerusalem.

       (Jer 5:2 NRSV)  Although they say, "As the LORD lives," yet they swear 
       falsely.

       (Jer 5:3 NRSV)  O LORD, do your eyes not look for truth? You have 
       struck them, but they felt no anguish; you have consumed them, but 
       they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder 
       than rock; they have refused to turn back.

       (Jer 5:4 NRSV)  Then I said, "These are only the poor, they have no 
       sense; for they do not know the way of the LORD, the law of their God.

       (Jer 5:5 NRSV)  Let me go to the rich and speak to them; surely they 
       know the way of the LORD, the law of their God." But they all alike 
       had broken the yoke, they had burst the bonds.

       (Jer 5:6 NRSV)  Therefore a lion from the forest shall kill them, a 
       wolf from the desert shall destroy them. A leopard is watching against 
       their cities; everyone who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces-- 
       because their transgressions are many, their apostasies are great.

       (Jer 5:7 NRSV)  How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me, 
       and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, 
       they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of prostitutes.

       (Jer 5:8 NRSV)  They were well-fed lusty stallions, each neighing for 
       his neighbor's wife.

       (Jer 5:9 NRSV)  Shall I not punish them for these things? says the 





       LORD; and shall I not bring retribution on a nation such as this?

       (Jer 5:10 NRSV)  Go up through her vine-rows and destroy, but do not 
       make a full end; strip away her branches, for they are not the Lord's.

       (Jer 5:11 NRSV)  For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have 
       been utterly faithless to me, says the LORD.

       (Jer 5:12 NRSV)  They have spoken falsely of the LORD, and have said, 
       "He will do nothing. No evil will come upon us, and we shall not see 
       sword or famine."

       (Jer 5:13 NRSV)  The prophets are nothing but wind, for the word is 
       not in them. Thus shall it be done to them!

       (Jer 5:14 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts: 
       Because they have spoken this word, I am now making my words in your 
       mouth a fire, and this people wood, and the fire shall devour them.

       (Jer 5:15 NRSV)  I am going to bring upon you a nation from far away, 
       O house of Israel, says the LORD. It is an enduring nation, it is an 
       ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you 
       understand what they say.

       (Jer 5:16 NRSV)  Their quiver is like an open tomb; all of them are 
       mighty warriors.

       (Jer 5:17 NRSV)  They shall eat up your harvest and your food; they 
       shall eat up your sons and your daughters; they shall eat up your 
       flocks and your herds; they shall eat up your vines and your fig 
       trees; they shall destroy with the sword your fortified cities in 
       which you trust.

       (Jer 5:18 NRSV)  But even in those days, says the LORD, I will not 
       make a full end of you.

       (Jer 5:19 NRSV)  And when your people say, "Why has the LORD our God 
       done all these things to us?" you shall say to them, "As you have 
       forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve 
       strangers in a land that is not yours."

       (Jer 5:20 NRSV)  Declare this in the house of Jacob, proclaim it in 
       Judah:

       (Jer 5:21 NRSV)  Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have 
       eyes, but do not see, who have ears, but do not hear.

       (Jer 5:22 NRSV)  Do you not fear me? says the LORD; Do you not tremble 
       before me? I placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, a perpetual 
       barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot 
       prevail, though they roar, they cannot pass over it.

       (Jer 5:23 NRSV)  But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; 
       they have turned aside and gone away.

       (Jer 5:24 NRSV)  They do not say in their hearts, "Let us fear the 





       LORD our God, who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and 
       the spring rain, and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the 
       harvest."

       (Jer 5:25 NRSV)  Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins 
       have deprived you of good.

       (Jer 5:26 NRSV)  For scoundrels are found among my people; they take 
       over the goods of others. Like fowlers they set a trap; they catch 
       human beings.

       (Jer 5:27 NRSV)  Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of 
       treachery; therefore they have become great and rich,

       (Jer 5:28 NRSV)  they have grown fat and sleek. They know no limits in 
       deeds of wickedness; they do not judge with justice the cause of the 
       orphan, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the 
       needy.

       (Jer 5:29 NRSV)  Shall I not punish them for these things? says the 
       LORD, and shall I not bring retribution on a nation such as this?

       (Jer 5:30 NRSV)  An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the 
       land:

       (Jer 5:31 NRSV)  the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule 
       as the prophets direct; my people love to have it so, but what will 
       you do when the end comes?

       (Jer 6:1 NRSV)  Flee for safety, O children of Benjamin, from the 
       midst of Jerusalem! Blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and raise a signal on 
       Beth-haccherem; for evil looms out of the north, and great 
       destruction.

       (Jer 6:2 NRSV)  I have likened daughter Zion to the loveliest pasture.

       (Jer 6:3 NRSV)  Shepherds with their flocks shall come against her. 
       They shall pitch their tents around her; they shall pasture, all in 
       their places.

       (Jer 6:4 NRSV)  "Prepare war against her; up, and let us attack at 
       noon!" "Woe to us, for the day declines, the shadows of evening 
       lengthen!"

       (Jer 6:5 NRSV)  "Up, and let us attack by night, and destroy her 
       palaces!"

       (Jer 6:6 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD of hosts: Cut down her trees; 
       cast up a siege ramp against Jerusalem. This is the city that must be 
       punished; there is nothing but oppression within her.

       (Jer 6:7 NRSV)  As a well keeps its water fresh, so she keeps fresh 
       her wickedness; violence and destruction are heard within her; 
       sickness and wounds are ever before me.

       (Jer 6:8 NRSV)  Take warning, O Jerusalem, or I shall turn from you in 





       disgust, and make you a desolation, an uninhabited land.

       (Jer 6:9 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts: Glean thoroughly as a 
       vine the remnant of Israel; like a grape-gatherer, pass your hand 
       again over its branches.

       (Jer 6:10 NRSV)  To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may 
       hear? See, their ears are closed, they cannot listen. The word of the 
       LORD is to them an object of scorn; they take no pleasure in it.

       (Jer 6:11 NRSV)  But I am full of the wrath of the LORD; I am weary of 
       holding it in. Pour it out on the children in the street, and on the 
       gatherings of young men as well; both husband and wife shall be taken, 
       the old folk and the very aged.

       (Jer 6:12 NRSV)  Their houses shall be turned over to others, their 
       fields and wives together; for I will stretch out my hand against the 
       inhabitants of the land, says the LORD.

       (Jer 6:13 NRSV)  For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone 
       is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to priest, everyone deals 
       falsely.

       (Jer 6:14 NRSV)  They have treated the wound of my people carelessly, 
       saying, "Peace, peace," when there is no peace.

       (Jer 6:15 NRSV)  They acted shamefully, they committed abomination; 
       yet they were not ashamed, they did not know how to blush. Therefore 
       they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, 
       they shall be overthrown, says the LORD.

       (Jer 6:16 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: Stand at the crossroads, and 
       look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk 
       in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, "We will not walk 
       in it."

       (Jer 6:17 NRSV)  Also I raised up sentinels for you: "Give heed to the 
       sound of the trumpet!" But they said, "We will not give heed."

       (Jer 6:18 NRSV)  Therefore hear, O nations, and know, O congregation, 
       what will happen to them.

       (Jer 6:19 NRSV)  Hear, O earth; I am going to bring disaster on this 
       people, the fruit of their schemes, because they have not given heed 
       to my words; and as for my teaching, they have rejected it.

       (Jer 6:20 NRSV)  Of what use to me is frankincense that comes from 
       Sheba, or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not 
       acceptable, nor are your sacrifices pleasing to me.

       (Jer 6:21 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the LORD: See, I am laying before 
       this people stumbling blocks against which they shall stumble; parents 
       and children together, neighbor and friend shall perish.

       (Jer 6:22 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: See, a people is coming from the 
       land of the north, a great nation is stirring from the farthest parts 





       of the earth.

       (Jer 6:23 NRSV)  They grasp the bow and the javelin, they are cruel 
       and have no mercy, their sound is like the roaring sea; they ride on 
       horses, equipped like a warrior for battle, against you, O daughter 
       Zion!

       (Jer 6:24 NRSV)  "We have heard news of them, our hands fall helpless; 
       anguish has taken hold of us, pain as of a woman in labor.

       (Jer 6:25 NRSV)  Do not go out into the field, or walk on the road; 
       for the enemy has a sword, terror is on every side."

       (Jer 6:26 NRSV)  O my poor people, put on sackcloth, and roll in 
       ashes; make mourning as for an only child, most bitter lamentation: 
       for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.

       (Jer 6:27 NRSV)  I have made you a tester and a refiner among my 
       people so that you may know and test their ways.

       (Jer 6:28 NRSV)  They are all stubbornly rebellious, going about with 
       slanders; they are bronze and iron, all of them act corruptly.

       (Jer 6:29 NRSV)  The bellows blow fiercely, the lead is consumed by 
       the fire; in vain the refining goes on, for the wicked are not 
       removed.

       (Jer 6:30 NRSV)  They are called "rejected silver," for the LORD has 
       rejected them.

       (Jer 7:1 NRSV)  The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

       (Jer 7:2 NRSV)  Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim 
       there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of 
       Judah, you that enter these gates to worship the LORD.

       (Jer 7:3 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend 
       your ways and your doings, and let me dwell with you in this place.

       (Jer 7:4 NRSV)  Do not trust in these deceptive words: "This is the 
       temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD."

       (Jer 7:5 NRSV)  For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if 
       you truly act justly one with another,

       (Jer 7:6 NRSV)  if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the 
       widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go 
       after other gods to your own hurt,

       (Jer 7:7 NRSV)  then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land 
       that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever.

       (Jer 7:8 NRSV)  Here you are, trusting in deceptive words to no avail.

       (Jer 7:9 NRSV)  Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear 
       falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have 





       not known,

       (Jer 7:10 NRSV)  and then come and stand before me in this house, 
       which is called by my name, and say, "We are safe!"--only to go on 
       doing all these abominations?

       (Jer 7:11 NRSV)  Has this house, which is called by my name, become a 
       den of robbers in your sight? You know, I too am watching, says the 
       LORD.

       (Jer 7:12 NRSV)  Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I made 
       my name dwell at first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of 
       my people Israel.

       (Jer 7:13 NRSV)  And now, because you have done all these things, says 
       the LORD, and when I spoke to you persistently, you did not listen, 
       and when I called you, you did not answer,

       (Jer 7:14 NRSV)  therefore I will do to the house that is called by my 
       name, in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to 
       your ancestors, just what I did to Shiloh.

       (Jer 7:15 NRSV)  And I will cast you out of my sight, just as I cast 
       out all your kinsfolk, all the offspring of Ephraim.

       (Jer 7:16 NRSV)  As for you, do not pray for this people, do not raise 
       a cry or prayer on their behalf, and do not intercede with me, for I 
       will not hear you.

       (Jer 7:17 NRSV)  Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of 
       Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

       (Jer 7:18 NRSV)  The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, 
       and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and 
       they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger.

       (Jer 7:19 NRSV)  Is it I whom they provoke? says the LORD. Is it not 
       themselves, to their own hurt?

       (Jer 7:20 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: My anger and my 
       wrath shall be poured out on this place, on human beings and animals, 
       on the trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; it will burn 
       and not be quenched.

       (Jer 7:21 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Add 
       your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh.

       (Jer 7:22 NRSV)  For in the day that I brought your ancestors out of 
       the land of Egypt, I did not speak to them or command them concerning 
       burnt offerings and sacrifices.

       (Jer 7:23 NRSV)  But this command I gave them, "Obey my voice, and I 
       will be your God, and you shall be my people; and walk only in the way 
       that I command you, so that it may be well with you."

       (Jer 7:24 NRSV)  Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but, in 





       the stubbornness of their evil will, they walked in their own 
       counsels, and looked backward rather than forward.

       (Jer 7:25 NRSV)  From the day that your ancestors came out of the land 
       of Egypt until this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the 
       prophets to them, day after day;

       (Jer 7:26 NRSV)  yet they did not listen to me, or pay attention, but 
       they stiffened their necks. They did worse than their ancestors did.

       (Jer 7:27 NRSV)  So you shall speak all these words to them, but they 
       will not listen to you. You shall call to them, but they will not 
       answer you.

       (Jer 7:28 NRSV)  You shall say to them: This is the nation that did 
       not obey the voice of the LORD their God, and did not accept 
       discipline; truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips.

       (Jer 7:29 NRSV)  Cut off your hair and throw it away; raise a 
       lamentation on the bare heights, for the LORD has rejected and 
       forsaken the generation that provoked his wrath.

       (Jer 7:30 NRSV)  For the people of Judah have done evil in my sight, 
       says the LORD; they have set their abominations in the house that is 
       called by my name, defiling it.

       (Jer 7:31 NRSV)  And they go on building the high place of Topheth, 
       which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and 
       their daughters in the fire--which I did not command, nor did it come 
       into my mind.

       (Jer 7:32 NRSV)  Therefore, the days are surely coming, says the LORD, 
       when it will no more be called Topheth, or the valley of the son of 
       Hinnom, but the valley of Slaughter: for they will bury in Topheth 
       until there is no more room.

       (Jer 7:33 NRSV)  The corpses of this people will be food for the birds 
       of the air, and for the animals of the earth; and no one will frighten 
       them away.

       (Jer 7:34 NRSV)  And I will bring to an end the sound of mirth and 
       gladness, the voice of the bride and bridegroom in the cities of Judah 
       and in the streets of Jerusalem; for the land shall become a waste.

       (Jer 8:1 NRSV)  At that time, says the LORD, the bones of the kings of 
       Judah, the bones of its officials, the bones of the priests, the bones 
       of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall 
       be brought out of their tombs;

       (Jer 8:2 NRSV)  and they shall be spread before the sun and the moon 
       and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and served, which 
       they have followed, and which they have inquired of and worshiped; and 
       they shall not be gathered or buried; they shall be like dung on the 
       surface of the ground.

       (Jer 8:3 NRSV)  Death shall be preferred to life by all the remnant 





       that remains of this evil family in all the places where I have driven 
       them, says the LORD of hosts.

       (Jer 8:4 NRSV)  You shall say to them, Thus says the LORD: When people 
       fall, do they not get up again? If they go astray, do they not turn 
       back?

       (Jer 8:5 NRSV)  Why then has this people turned away in perpetual 
       backsliding? They have held fast to deceit, they have refused to 
       return.

       (Jer 8:6 NRSV)  I have given heed and listened, but they do not speak 
       honestly; no one repents of wickedness, saying, "What have I done!" 
       All of them turn to their own course, like a horse plunging headlong 
       into battle.

       (Jer 8:7 NRSV)  Even the stork in the heavens knows its times; and the 
       turtledove, swallow, and crane observe the time of their coming; but 
       my people do not know the ordinance of the LORD.

       (Jer 8:8 NRSV)  How can you say, "We are wise, and the law of the LORD 
       is with us," when, in fact, the false pen of the scribes has made it 
       into a lie?

       (Jer 8:9 NRSV)  The wise shall be put to shame, they shall be dismayed 
       and taken; since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what wisdom 
       is in them?

       (Jer 8:10 NRSV)  Therefore I will give their wives to others and their 
       fields to conquerors, because from the least to the greatest everyone 
       is greedy for unjust gain; from prophet to priest everyone deals 
       falsely.

       (Jer 8:11 NRSV)  They have treated the wound of my people carelessly, 
       saying, "Peace, peace," when there is no peace.

       (Jer 8:12 NRSV)  They acted shamefully, they committed abomination; 
       yet they were not at all ashamed, they did not know how to blush. 
       Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time when I 
       punish them, they shall be overthrown, says the LORD.

       (Jer 8:13 NRSV)  When I wanted to gather them, says the LORD, there 
       are no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree; even the leaves 
       are withered, and what I gave them has passed away from them.

       (Jer 8:14 NRSV)  Why do we sit still? Gather together, let us go into 
       the fortified cities and perish there; for the LORD our God has doomed 
       us to perish, and has given us poisoned water to drink, because we 
       have sinned against the LORD.

       (Jer 8:15 NRSV)  We look for peace, but find no good, for a time of 
       healing, but there is terror instead.

       (Jer 8:16 NRSV)  The snorting of their horses is heard from Dan; at 
       the sound of the neighing of their stallions the whole land quakes. 
       They come and devour the land and all that fills it, the city and 





       those who live in it.

       (Jer 8:17 NRSV)  See, I am letting snakes loose among you, adders that 
       cannot be charmed, and they shall bite you, says the LORD.

       (Jer 8:18 NRSV)  My joy is gone, grief is upon me, my heart is sick.

       (Jer 8:19 NRSV)  Hark, the cry of my poor people from far and wide in 
       the land: "Is the LORD not in Zion? Is her King not in her?" ("Why 
       have they provoked me to anger with their images, with their foreign 
       idols?")

       (Jer 8:20 NRSV)  "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are 
       not saved."

       (Jer 8:21 NRSV)  For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt, I mourn, 
       and dismay has taken hold of me.

       (Jer 8:22 NRSV)  Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician 
       there? Why then has the health of my poor people not been restored?

       (Jer 9:1 NRSV)  O that my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a 
       fountain of tears, so that I might weep day and night for the slain of 
       my poor people!

       (Jer 9:2 NRSV)  O that I had in the desert a traveler's lodging place, 
       that I might leave my people and go away from them! For they are all 
       adulterers, a band of traitors.

       (Jer 9:3 NRSV)  They bend their tongues like bows; they have grown 
       strong in the land for falsehood, and not for truth; for they proceed 
       from evil to evil, and they do not know me, says the LORD.

       (Jer 9:4 NRSV)  Beware of your neighbors, and put no trust in any of 
       your kin; for all your kin are supplanters, and every neighbor goes 
       around like a slanderer.

       (Jer 9:5 NRSV)  They all deceive their neighbors, and no one speaks 
       the truth; they have taught their tongues to speak lies; they commit 
       iniquity and are too weary to repent.

       (Jer 9:6 NRSV)  Oppression upon oppression, deceit upon deceit! They 
       refuse to know me, says the LORD.

       (Jer 9:7 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: I will now 
       refine and test them, for what else can I do with my sinful people?

       (Jer 9:8 NRSV)  Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceit 
       through the mouth. They all speak friendly words to their neighbors, 
       but inwardly are planning to lay an ambush.

       (Jer 9:9 NRSV)  Shall I not punish them for these things? says the 
       LORD; and shall I not bring retribution on a nation such as this?

       (Jer 9:10 NRSV)  Take up weeping and wailing for the mountains, and a 
       lamentation for the pastures of the wilderness, because they are laid 





       waste so that no one passes through, and the lowing of cattle is not 
       heard; both the birds of the air and the animals have fled and are 
       gone.

       (Jer 9:11 NRSV)  I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a lair of 
       jackals; and I will make the towns of Judah a desolation, without 
       inhabitant.

       (Jer 9:12 NRSV)  Who is wise enough to understand this? To whom has 
       the mouth of the LORD spoken, so that they may declare it? Why is the 
       land ruined and laid waste like a wilderness, so that no one passes 
       through?

       (Jer 9:13 NRSV)  And the LORD says: Because they have forsaken my law 
       that I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, or walked in 
       accordance with it,

       (Jer 9:14 NRSV)  but have stubbornly followed their own hearts and 
       have gone after the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.

       (Jer 9:15 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of 
       Israel: I am feeding this people with wormwood, and giving them 
       poisonous water to drink.

       (Jer 9:16 NRSV)  I will scatter them among nations that neither they 
       nor their ancestors have known; and I will send the sword after them, 
       until I have consumed them.

       (Jer 9:17 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider, and call for 
       the mourning women to come; send for the skilled women to come;

       (Jer 9:18 NRSV)  let them quickly raise a dirge over us, so that our 
       eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids flow with water.

       (Jer 9:19 NRSV)  For a sound of wailing is heard from Zion: "How we 
       are ruined! We are utterly shamed, because we have left the land, 
       because they have cast down our dwellings."

       (Jer 9:20 NRSV)  Hear, O women, the word of the LORD, and let your 
       ears receive the word of his mouth; teach to your daughters a dirge, 
       and each to her neighbor a lament.

       (Jer 9:21 NRSV)  "Death has come up into our windows, it has entered 
       our palaces, to cut off the children from the streets and the young 
       men from the squares."

       (Jer 9:22 NRSV)  Speak! Thus says the LORD: "Human corpses shall fall 
       like dung upon the open field, like sheaves behind the reaper, and no 
       one shall gather them."

       (Jer 9:23 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: Do not let the wise boast in 
       their wisdom, do not let the mighty boast in their might, do not let 
       the wealthy boast in their wealth;

       (Jer 9:24 NRSV)  but let those who boast boast in this, that they 
       understand and know me, that I am the LORD; I act with steadfast love, 





       justice, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I 
       delight, says the LORD.

       (Jer 9:25 NRSV)  The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I 
       will attend to all those who are circumcised only in the foreskin:

       (Jer 9:26 NRSV)  Egypt, Judah, Edom, the Ammonites, Moab, and all 
       those with shaven temples who live in the desert. For all these 
       nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel is 
       uncircumcised in heart.

       (Jer 10:1 NRSV)  Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, O house of 
       Israel.

       (Jer 10:2 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: Do not learn the way of the 
       nations, or be dismayed at the signs of the heavens; for the nations 
       are dismayed at them.

       (Jer 10:3 NRSV)  For the customs of the peoples are false: a tree from 
       the forest is cut down, and worked with an ax by the hands of an 
       artisan;

       (Jer 10:4 NRSV)  people deck it with silver and gold; they fasten it 
       with hammer and nails so that it cannot move.

       (Jer 10:5 NRSV)  Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, 
       and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. 
       Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, nor is it in them 
       to do good.

       (Jer 10:6 NRSV)  There is none like you, O LORD; you are great, and 
       your name is great in might.

       (Jer 10:7 NRSV)  Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? For 
       that is your due; among all the wise ones of the nations and in all 
       their kingdoms there is no one like you.

       (Jer 10:8 NRSV)  They are both stupid and foolish; the instruction 
       given by idols is no better than wood!

       (Jer 10:9 NRSV)  Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from 
       Uphaz. They are the work of the artisan and of the hands of the 
       goldsmith; their clothing is blue and purple; they are all the product 
       of skilled workers.

       (Jer 10:10 NRSV)  But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God 
       and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the 
       nations cannot endure his indignation.

       (Jer 10:11 NRSV)  Thus shall you say to them: The gods who did not 
       make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from 
       under the heavens.

       (Jer 10:12 NRSV)  It is he who made the earth by his power, who 
       established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding 
       stretched out the heavens.






       (Jer 10:13 NRSV)  When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of 
       waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the 
       earth. He makes lightnings for the rain, and he brings out the wind 
       from his storehouses.

       (Jer 10:14 NRSV)  Everyone is stupid and without knowledge; goldsmiths 
       are all put to shame by their idols; for their images are false, and 
       there is no breath in them.

       (Jer 10:15 NRSV)  They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time 
       of their punishment they shall perish.

       (Jer 10:16 NRSV)  Not like these is the LORD, the portion of Jacob, 
       for he is the one who formed all things, and Israel is the tribe of 
       his inheritance; the LORD of hosts is his name.

       (Jer 10:17 NRSV)  Gather up your bundle from the ground, O you who 
       live under siege!

       (Jer 10:18 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD: I am going to sling out the 
       inhabitants of the land at this time, and I will bring distress on 
       them, so that they shall feel it.

       (Jer 10:19 NRSV)  Woe is me because of my hurt! My wound is severe. 
       But I said, "Truly this is my punishment, and I must bear it."

       (Jer 10:20 NRSV)  My tent is destroyed, and all my cords are broken; 
       my children have gone from me, and they are no more; there is no one 
       to spread my tent again, and to set up my curtains.

       (Jer 10:21 NRSV)  For the shepherds are stupid, and do not inquire of 
       the LORD; therefore they have not prospered, and all their flock is 
       scattered.

       (Jer 10:22 NRSV)  Hear, a noise! Listen, it is coming-- a great 
       commotion from the land of the north to make the cities of Judah a 
       desolation, a lair of jackals.

       (Jer 10:23 NRSV)  I know, O LORD, that the way of human beings is not 
       in their control, that mortals as they walk cannot direct their steps.

       (Jer 10:24 NRSV)  Correct me, O LORD, but in just measure; not in your 
       anger, or you will bring me to nothing.

       (Jer 10:25 NRSV)  Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not know 
       you, and on the peoples that do not call on your name; for they have 
       devoured Jacob; they have devoured him and consumed him, and have laid 
       waste his habitation.

       (Jer 11:1 NRSV)  The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

       (Jer 11:2 NRSV)  Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the 
       people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

       (Jer 11:3 NRSV)  You shall say to them, Thus says the LORD, the God of 





       Israel: Cursed be anyone who does not heed the words of this covenant,

       (Jer 11:4 NRSV)  which I commanded your ancestors when I brought them 
       out of the land of Egypt, from the iron-smelter, saying, Listen to my 
       voice, and do all that I command you. So shall you be my people, and I 
       will be your God,

       (Jer 11:5 NRSV)  that I may perform the oath that I swore to your 
       ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this 
       day. Then I answered, "So be it, LORD."

       (Jer 11:6 NRSV)  And the LORD said to me: Proclaim all these words in 
       the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: Hear the words 
       of this covenant and do them.

       (Jer 11:7 NRSV)  For I solemnly warned your ancestors when I brought 
       them up out of the land of Egypt, warning them persistently, even to 
       this day, saying, Obey my voice.

       (Jer 11:8 NRSV)  Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but 
       everyone walked in the stubbornness of an evil will. So I brought upon 
       them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but 
       they did not.

       (Jer 11:9 NRSV)  And the LORD said to me: Conspiracy exists among the 
       people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

       (Jer 11:10 NRSV)  They have turned back to the iniquities of their 
       ancestors of old, who refused to heed my words; they have gone after 
       other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah 
       have broken the covenant that I made with their ancestors.

       (Jer 11:11 NRSV)  Therefore, thus says the LORD, assuredly I am going 
       to bring disaster upon them that they cannot escape; though they cry 
       out to me, I will not listen to them.

       (Jer 11:12 NRSV)  Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of 
       Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they make offerings, 
       but they will never save them in the time of their trouble.

       (Jer 11:13 NRSV)  For your gods have become as many as your towns, O 
       Judah; and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have 
       set up to shame, altars to make offerings to Baal.

       (Jer 11:14 NRSV)  As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up 
       a cry or prayer on their behalf, for I will not listen when they call 
       to me in the time of their trouble.

       (Jer 11:15 NRSV)  What right has my beloved in my house, when she has 
       done vile deeds? Can vows and sacrificial flesh avert your doom? Can 
       you then exult?

       (Jer 11:16 NRSV)  The LORD once called you, "A green olive tree, fair 
       with goodly fruit"; but with the roar of a great tempest he will set 
       fire to it, and its branches will be consumed.





       (Jer 11:17 NRSV)  The LORD of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced 
       evil against you, because of the evil that the house of Israel and the 
       house of Judah have done, provoking me to anger by making offerings to 
       Baal.

       (Jer 11:18 NRSV)  It was the LORD who made it known to me, and I knew; 
       then you showed me their evil deeds.

       (Jer 11:19 NRSV)  But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. 
       And I did not know it was against me that they devised schemes, 
       saying, "Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off 
       from the land of the living, so that his name will no longer be 
       remembered!"

       (Jer 11:20 NRSV)  But you, O LORD of hosts, who judge righteously, who 
       try the heart and the mind, let me see your retribution upon them, for 
       to you I have committed my cause.

       (Jer 11:21 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the people 
       of Anathoth, who seek your life, and say, "You shall not prophesy in 
       the name of the LORD, or you will die by our hand"--

       (Jer 11:22 NRSV)  therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: I am going to 
       punish them; the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and 
       their daughters shall die by famine;

       (Jer 11:23 NRSV)  and not even a remnant shall be left of them. For I 
       will bring disaster upon the people of Anathoth, the year of their 
       punishment.

       (Jer 12:1 NRSV)  You will be in the right, O LORD, when I lay charges 
       against you; but let me put my case to you. Why does the way of the 
       guilty prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?

       (Jer 12:2 NRSV)  You plant them, and they take root; they grow and 
       bring forth fruit; you are near in their mouths yet far from their 
       hearts.

       (Jer 12:3 NRSV)  But you, O LORD, know me; You see me and test me--my 
       heart is with you. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and set 
       them apart for the day of slaughter.

       (Jer 12:4 NRSV)  How long will the land mourn, and the grass of every 
       field wither? For the wickedness of those who live in it the animals 
       and the birds are swept away, and because people said, "He is blind to 
       our ways."

       (Jer 12:5 NRSV)  If you have raced with foot-runners and they have 
       wearied you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land 
       you fall down, how will you fare in the thickets of the Jordan?

       (Jer 12:6 NRSV)  For even your kinsfolk and your own family, even they 
       have dealt treacherously with you; they are in full cry after you; do 
       not believe them, though they speak friendly words to you.

       (Jer 12:7 NRSV)  I have forsaken my house, I have abandoned my 





       heritage; I have given the beloved of my heart into the hands of her 
       enemies.

       (Jer 12:8 NRSV)  My heritage has become to me like a lion in the 
       forest; she has lifted up her voice against me-- therefore I hate her.

       (Jer 12:9 NRSV)  Is the hyena greedy for my heritage at my command? 
       Are the birds of prey all around her? Go, assemble all the wild 
       animals; bring them to devour her.

       (Jer 12:10 NRSV)  Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard, they have 
       trampled down my portion, they have made my pleasant portion a 
       desolate wilderness.

       (Jer 12:11 NRSV)  They have made it a desolation; desolate, it mourns 
       to me. The whole land is made desolate, but no one lays it to heart.

       (Jer 12:12 NRSV)  Upon all the bare heights in the desert spoilers 
       have come; for the sword of the LORD devours from one end of the land 
       to the other; no one shall be safe.

       (Jer 12:13 NRSV)  They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns, they 
       have tired themselves out but profit nothing. They shall be ashamed of 
       their harvests because of the fierce anger of the LORD.

       (Jer 12:14 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD concerning all my evil neighbors 
       who touch the heritage that I have given my people Israel to inherit: 
       I am about to pluck them up from their land, and I will pluck up the 
       house of Judah from among them.

       (Jer 12:15 NRSV)  And after I have plucked them up, I will again have 
       compassion on them, and I will bring them again to their heritage and 
       to their land, everyone of them.

       (Jer 12:16 NRSV)  And then, if they will diligently learn the ways of 
       my people, to swear by my name, "As the LORD lives," as they taught my 
       people to swear by Baal, then they shall be built up in the midst of 
       my people.

       (Jer 12:17 NRSV)  But if any nation will not listen, then I will 
       completely uproot it and destroy it, says the LORD.

       (Jer 13:1 NRSV)  Thus said the LORD to me, "Go and buy yourself a 
       linen loincloth, and put it on your loins, but do not dip it in 
       water."

       (Jer 13:2 NRSV)  So I bought a loincloth according to the word of the 
       LORD, and put it on my loins.

       (Jer 13:3 NRSV)  And the word of the LORD came to me a second time, 
       saying,

       (Jer 13:4 NRSV)  "Take the loincloth that you bought and are wearing, 
       and go now to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a cleft of the 
       rock."





       (Jer 13:5 NRSV)  So I went, and hid it by the Euphrates, as the LORD 
       commanded me.

       (Jer 13:6 NRSV)  And after many days the LORD said to me, "Go now to 
       the Euphrates, and take from there the loincloth that I commanded you 
       to hide there."

       (Jer 13:7 NRSV)  Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and I took the 
       loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. But now the loincloth 
       was ruined; it was good for nothing.

       (Jer 13:8 NRSV)  Then the word of the LORD came to me:

       (Jer 13:9 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: Just so I will ruin the pride of 
       Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.

       (Jer 13:10 NRSV)  This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who 
       stubbornly follow their own will and have gone after other gods to 
       serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is 
       good for nothing.

       (Jer 13:11 NRSV)  For as the loincloth clings to one's loins, so I 
       made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to 
       me, says the LORD, in order that they might be for me a people, a 
       name, a praise, and a glory. But they would not listen.

       (Jer 13:12 NRSV)  You shall speak to them this word: Thus says the 
       LORD, the God of Israel: Every wine-jar should be filled with wine. 
       And they will say to you, "Do you think we do not know that every 
       wine-jar should be filled with wine?"

       (Jer 13:13 NRSV)  Then you shall say to them: Thus says the LORD: I am 
       about to fill all the inhabitants of this land--the kings who sit on 
       David's throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of 
       Jerusalem--with drunkenness.

       (Jer 13:14 NRSV)  And I will dash them one against another, parents 
       and children together, says the LORD. I will not pity or spare or have 
       compassion when I destroy them.

       (Jer 13:15 NRSV)  Hear and give ear; do not be haughty, for the LORD 
       has spoken.

       (Jer 13:16 NRSV)  Give glory to the LORD your God before he brings 
       darkness, and before your feet stumble on the mountains at twilight; 
       while you look for light, he turns it into gloom and makes it deep 
       darkness.

       (Jer 13:17 NRSV)  But if you will not listen, my soul will weep in 
       secret for your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with 
       tears, because the Lord's flock has been taken captive.

       (Jer 13:18 NRSV)  Say to the king and the queen mother; "Take a lowly 
       seat, for your beautiful crown has come down from your head."

       (Jer 13:19 NRSV)  The towns of the Negeb are shut up with no one to 





       open them; all Judah is taken into exile, wholly taken into exile.

       (Jer 13:20 NRSV)  Lift up your eyes and see those who come from the 
       north. Where is the flock that was given you, your beautiful flock?

       (Jer 13:21 NRSV)  What will you say when they set as head over you 
       those whom you have trained to be your allies? Will not pangs take 
       hold of you, like those of a woman in labor?

       (Jer 13:22 NRSV)  And if you say in your heart, "Why have these things 
       come upon me?" it is for the greatness of your iniquity that your 
       skirts are lifted up, and you are violated.

       (Jer 13:23 NRSV)  Can Ethiopians change their skin or leopards their 
       spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil.

       (Jer 13:24 NRSV)  I will scatter you like chaff driven by the wind 
       from the desert.

       (Jer 13:25 NRSV)  This is your lot, the portion I have measured out to 
       you, says the LORD, because you have forgotten me and trusted in lies.

       (Jer 13:26 NRSV)  I myself will lift up your skirts over your face, 
       and your shame will be seen.

       (Jer 13:27 NRSV)  I have seen your abominations, your adulteries and 
       neighings, your shameless prostitutions on the hills of the 
       countryside. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! How long will it be before you 
       are made clean?

       (Jer 14:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning 
       the drought:

       (Jer 14:2 NRSV)  Judah mourns and her gates languish; they lie in 
       gloom on the ground, and the cry of Jerusalem goes up.

       (Jer 14:3 NRSV)  Her nobles send their servants for water; they come 
       to the cisterns, they find no water, they return with their vessels 
       empty. They are ashamed and dismayed and cover their heads,

       (Jer 14:4 NRSV)  because the ground is cracked. Because there has been 
       no rain on the land the farmers are dismayed; they cover their heads.

       (Jer 14:5 NRSV)  Even the doe in the field forsakes her newborn fawn 
       because there is no grass.

       (Jer 14:6 NRSV)  The wild asses stand on the bare heights, they pant 
       for air like jackals; their eyes fail because there is no herbage.

       (Jer 14:7 NRSV)  Although our iniquities testify against us, act, O 
       LORD, for your name's sake; our apostasies indeed are many, and we 
       have sinned against you.

       (Jer 14:8 NRSV)  O hope of Israel, its savior in time of trouble, why 
       should you be like a stranger in the land, like a traveler turning 
       aside for the night?






       (Jer 14:9 NRSV)  Why should you be like someone confused, like a 
       mighty warrior who cannot give help? Yet you, O LORD, are in the midst 
       of us, and we are called by your name; do not forsake us!

       (Jer 14:10 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD concerning this people: Truly 
       they have loved to wander, they have not restrained their feet; 
       therefore the LORD does not accept them, now he will remember their 
       iniquity and punish their sins.

       (Jer 14:11 NRSV)  The LORD said to me: Do not pray for the welfare of 
       this people.

       (Jer 14:12 NRSV)  Although they fast, I do not hear their cry, and 
       although they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I do not accept 
       them; but by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence I consume them.

       (Jer 14:13 NRSV)  Then I said: "Ah, Lord GOD! Here are the prophets 
       saying to them, 'You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have 
       famine, but I will give you true peace in this place.'"

       (Jer 14:14 NRSV)  And the LORD said to me: The prophets are 
       prophesying lies in my name; I did not send them, nor did I command 
       them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, 
       worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.

       (Jer 14:15 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the prophets 
       who prophesy in my name though I did not send them, and who say, 
       "Sword and famine shall not come on this land": By sword and famine 
       those prophets shall be consumed.

       (Jer 14:16 NRSV)  And the people to whom they prophesy shall be thrown 
       out into the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and sword. There 
       shall be no one to bury them--themselves, their wives, their sons, and 
       their daughters. For I will pour out their wickedness upon them.

       (Jer 14:17 NRSV)  You shall say to them this word: Let my eyes run 
       down with tears night and day, and let them not cease, for the virgin 
       daughter--my people--is struck down with a crushing blow, with a very 
       grievous wound.

       (Jer 14:18 NRSV)  If I go out into the field, look--those killed by 
       the sword! And if I enter the city, look--those sick with famine! For 
       both prophet and priest ply their trade throughout the land, and have 
       no knowledge.

       (Jer 14:19 NRSV)  Have you completely rejected Judah? Does your heart 
       loathe Zion? Why have you struck us down so that there is no healing 
       for us? We look for peace, but find no good; for a time of healing, 
       but there is terror instead.

       (Jer 14:20 NRSV)  We acknowledge our wickedness, O LORD, the iniquity 
       of our ancestors, for we have sinned against you.

       (Jer 14:21 NRSV)  Do not spurn us, for your name's sake; do not 
       dishonor your glorious throne; remember and do not break your covenant 





       with us.

       (Jer 14:22 NRSV)  Can any idols of the nations bring rain? Or can the 
       heavens give showers? Is it not you, O LORD our God? We set our hope 
       on you, for it is you who do all this.

       (Jer 15:1 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to me: Though Moses and Samuel 
       stood before me, yet my heart would not turn toward this people. Send 
       them out of my sight, and let them go!

       (Jer 15:2 NRSV)  And when they say to you, "Where shall we go?" you 
       shall say to them: Thus says the LORD: Those destined for pestilence, 
       to pestilence, and those destined for the sword, to the sword; those 
       destined for famine, to famine, and those destined for captivity, to 
       captivity.

       (Jer 15:3 NRSV)  And I will appoint over them four kinds of 
       destroyers, says the LORD: the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, 
       and the birds of the air and the wild animals of the earth to devour 
       and destroy.

       (Jer 15:4 NRSV)  I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the 
       earth because of what King Manasseh son of Hezekiah of Judah did in 
       Jerusalem.

       (Jer 15:5 NRSV)  Who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem, or who will 
       bemoan you? Who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?

       (Jer 15:6 NRSV)  You have rejected me, says the LORD, you are going 
       backward; so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed 
       you-- I am weary of relenting.

       (Jer 15:7 NRSV)  I have winnowed them with a winnowing fork in the 
       gates of the land; I have bereaved them, I have destroyed my people; 
       they did not turn from their ways.

       (Jer 15:8 NRSV)  Their widows became more numerous than the sand of 
       the seas; I have brought against the mothers of youths a destroyer at 
       noonday; I have made anguish and terror fall upon her suddenly.

       (Jer 15:9 NRSV)  She who bore seven has languished; she has swooned 
       away; her sun went down while it was yet day; she has been shamed and 
       disgraced. And the rest of them I will give to the sword before their 
       enemies, says the LORD.

       (Jer 15:10 NRSV)  Woe is me, my mother, that you ever bore me, a man 
       of strife and contention to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have 
       I borrowed, yet all of them curse me.

       (Jer 15:11 NRSV)  The LORD said: Surely I have intervened in your life 
       for good, surely I have imposed enemies on you in a time of trouble 
       and in a time of distress.

       (Jer 15:12 NRSV)  Can iron and bronze break iron from the north?

       (Jer 15:13 NRSV)  Your wealth and your treasures I will give as 





       plunder, without price, for all your sins, throughout all your 
       territory.

       (Jer 15:14 NRSV)  I will make you serve your enemies in a land that 
       you do not know, for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn 
       forever.

       (Jer 15:15 NRSV)  O LORD, you know; remember me and visit me, and 
       bring down retribution for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance 
       do not take me away; know that on your account I suffer insult.

       (Jer 15:16 NRSV)  Your words were found, and I ate them, and your 
       words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called 
       by your name, O LORD, God of hosts.

       (Jer 15:17 NRSV)  I did not sit in the company of merrymakers, nor did 
       I rejoice; under the weight of your hand I sat alone, for you had 
       filled me with indignation.

       (Jer 15:18 NRSV)  Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, 
       refusing to be healed? Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook, 
       like waters that fail.

       (Jer 15:19 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the LORD: If you turn back, I 
       will take you back, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what 
       is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall serve as my mouth. 
       It is they who will turn to you, not you who will turn to them.

       (Jer 15:20 NRSV)  And I will make you to this people a fortified wall 
       of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail 
       over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, says the 
       LORD.

       (Jer 15:21 NRSV)  I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, 
       and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.

       (Jer 16:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Jer 16:2 NRSV)  You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons or 
       daughters in this place.

       (Jer 16:3 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD concerning the sons and 
       daughters who are born in this place, and concerning the mothers who 
       bear them and the fathers who beget them in this land:

       (Jer 16:4 NRSV)  They shall die of deadly diseases. They shall not be 
       lamented, nor shall they be buried; they shall become like dung on the 
       surface of the ground. They shall perish by the sword and by famine, 
       and their dead bodies shall become food for the birds of the air and 
       for the wild animals of the earth.

       (Jer 16:5 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD: Do not enter the house of 
       mourning, or go to lament, or bemoan them; for I have taken away my 
       peace from this people, says the LORD, my steadfast love and mercy.

       (Jer 16:6 NRSV)  Both great and small shall die in this land; they 





       shall not be buried, and no one shall lament for them; there shall be 
       no gashing, no shaving of the head for them.

       (Jer 16:7 NRSV)  No one shall break bread for the mourner, to offer 
       comfort for the dead; nor shall anyone give them the cup of 
       consolation to drink for their fathers or their mothers.

       (Jer 16:8 NRSV)  You shall not go into the house of feasting to sit 
       with them, to eat and drink.

       (Jer 16:9 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: I 
       am going to banish from this place, in your days and before your eyes, 
       the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the 
       bridegroom and the voice of the bride.

       (Jer 16:10 NRSV)  And when you tell this people all these words, and 
       they say to you, "Why has the LORD pronounced all this great evil 
       against us? What is our iniquity? What is the sin that we have 
       committed against the LORD our God?"

       (Jer 16:11 NRSV)  then you shall say to them: It is because your 
       ancestors have forsaken me, says the LORD, and have gone after other 
       gods and have served and worshiped them, and have forsaken me and have 
       not kept my law;

       (Jer 16:12 NRSV)  and because you have behaved worse than your 
       ancestors, for here you are, every one of you, following your stubborn 
       evil will, refusing to listen to me.

       (Jer 16:13 NRSV)  Therefore I will hurl you out of this land into a 
       land that neither you nor your ancestors have known, and there you 
       shall serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.

       (Jer 16:14 NRSV)  Therefore, the days are surely coming, says the 
       LORD, when it shall no longer be said, "As the LORD lives who brought 
       the people of Israel up out of the land of Egypt,"

       (Jer 16:15 NRSV)  but "As the LORD lives who brought the people of 
       Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the lands where 
       he had driven them." For I will bring them back to their own land that 
       I gave to their ancestors.

       (Jer 16:16 NRSV)  I am now sending for many fishermen, says the LORD, 
       and they shall catch them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, 
       and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out 
       of the clefts of the rocks.

       (Jer 16:17 NRSV)  For my eyes are on all their ways; they are not 
       hidden from my presence, nor is their iniquity concealed from my 
       sight.

       (Jer 16:18 NRSV)  And I will doubly repay their iniquity and their 
       sin, because they have polluted my land with the carcasses of their 
       detestable idols, and have filled my inheritance with their 
       abominations.





       (Jer 16:19 NRSV)  O LORD, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in 
       the day of trouble, to you shall the nations come from the ends of the 
       earth and say: Our ancestors have inherited nothing but lies, 
       worthless things in which there is no profit.

       (Jer 16:20 NRSV)  Can mortals make for themselves gods? Such are no 
       gods!

       (Jer 16:21 NRSV)  "Therefore I am surely going to teach them, this 
       time I am going to teach them my power and my might, and they shall 
       know that my name is the LORD."

       (Jer 17:1 NRSV)  The sin of Judah is written with an iron pen; with a 
       diamond point it is engraved on the tablet of their hearts, and on the 
       horns of their altars,

       (Jer 17:2 NRSV)  while their children remember their altars and their 
       sacred poles, beside every green tree, and on the high hills,

       (Jer 17:3 NRSV)  on the mountains in the open country. Your wealth and 
       all your treasures I will give for spoil as the price of your sin 
       throughout all your territory.

       (Jer 17:4 NRSV)  By your own act you shall lose the heritage that I 
       gave you, and I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do 
       not know, for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever.

       (Jer 17:5 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: Cursed are those who trust in 
       mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn 
       away from the LORD.

       (Jer 17:6 NRSV)  They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall 
       not see when relief comes. They shall live in the parched places of 
       the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.

       (Jer 17:7 NRSV)  Blessed are those who trust in the LORD, whose trust 
       is the LORD.

       (Jer 17:8 NRSV)  They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending 
       out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and 
       its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, 
       and it does not cease to bear fruit.

       (Jer 17:9 NRSV)  The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse-- 
       who can understand it?

       (Jer 17:10 NRSV)  I the LORD test the mind and search the heart, to 
       give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their 
       doings.

       (Jer 17:11 NRSV)  Like the partridge hatching what it did not lay, so 
       are all who amass wealth unjustly; in mid-life it will leave them, and 
       at their end they will prove to be fools.

       (Jer 17:12 NRSV)  O glorious throne, exalted from the beginning, 
       shrine of our sanctuary!






       (Jer 17:13 NRSV)  O hope of Israel! O LORD! All who forsake you shall 
       be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be recorded in the 
       underworld, for they have forsaken the fountain of living water, the 
       LORD.

       (Jer 17:14 NRSV)  Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and 
       I shall be saved; for you are my praise.

       (Jer 17:15 NRSV)  See how they say to me, "Where is the word of the 
       LORD? Let it come!"

       (Jer 17:16 NRSV)  But I have not run away from being a shepherd in 
       your service, nor have I desired the fatal day. You know what came 
       from my lips; it was before your face.

       (Jer 17:17 NRSV)  Do not become a terror to me; you are my refuge in 
       the day of disaster;

       (Jer 17:18 NRSV)  Let my persecutors be shamed, but do not let me be 
       shamed; let them be dismayed, but do not let me be dismayed; bring on 
       them the day of disaster; destroy them with double destruction!

       (Jer 17:19 NRSV)  Thus said the LORD to me: Go and stand in the 
       People's Gate, by which the kings of Judah enter and by which they go 
       out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem,

       (Jer 17:20 NRSV)  and say to them: Hear the word of the LORD, you 
       kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, 
       who enter by these gates.

       (Jer 17:21 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: For the sake of your lives, take 
       care that you do not bear a burden on the sabbath day or bring it in 
       by the gates of Jerusalem.

       (Jer 17:22 NRSV)  And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the 
       sabbath or do any work, but keep the sabbath day holy, as I commanded 
       your ancestors.

       (Jer 17:23 NRSV)  Yet they did not listen or incline their ear; they 
       stiffened their necks and would not hear or receive instruction.

       (Jer 17:24 NRSV)  But if you listen to me, says the LORD, and bring in 
       no burden by the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but keep the 
       sabbath day holy and do no work on it,

       (Jer 17:25 NRSV)  then there shall enter by the gates of this city 
       kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on 
       horses, they and their officials, the people of Judah and the 
       inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall be inhabited forever.

       (Jer 17:26 NRSV)  And people shall come from the towns of Judah and 
       the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the 
       Shephelah, from the hill country, and from the Negeb, bringing burnt 
       offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and frankincense, and 
       bringing thank offerings to the house of the LORD.






       (Jer 17:27 NRSV)  But if you do not listen to me, to keep the sabbath 
       day holy, and to carry in no burden through the gates of Jerusalem on 
       the sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates; it shall 
       devour the palaces of Jerusalem and shall not be quenched.

       (Jer 18:1 NRSV)  The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

       (Jer 18:2 NRSV)  "Come, go down to the potter's house, and there I 
       will let you hear my words."

       (Jer 18:3 NRSV)  So I went down to the potter's house, and there he 
       was working at his wheel.

       (Jer 18:4 NRSV)  The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the 
       potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good 
       to him.

       (Jer 18:5 NRSV)  Then the word of the LORD came to me:

       (Jer 18:6 NRSV)  Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as 
       this potter has done? says the LORD. Just like the clay in the 
       potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.

       (Jer 18:7 NRSV)  At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a 
       kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it,

       (Jer 18:8 NRSV)  but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, 
       turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I 
       intended to bring on it.

       (Jer 18:9 NRSV)  And at another moment I may declare concerning a 
       nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it,

       (Jer 18:10 NRSV)  but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my 
       voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended 
       to do to it.

       (Jer 18:11 NRSV)  Now, therefore, say to the people of Judah and the 
       inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the LORD: Look, I am a potter 
       shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, 
       all of you from your evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.

       (Jer 18:12 NRSV)  But they say, "It is no use! We will follow our own 
       plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of our 
       evil will."

       (Jer 18:13 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the LORD: Ask among the nations: 
       Who has heard the like of this? The virgin Israel has done a most 
       horrible thing.

       (Jer 18:14 NRSV)  Does the snow of Lebanon leave the crags of Sirion? 
       Do the mountain waters run dry, the cold flowing streams?

       (Jer 18:15 NRSV)  But my people have forgotten me, they burn offerings 
       to a delusion; they have stumbled in their ways, in the ancient roads, 





       and have gone into bypaths, not the highway,

       (Jer 18:16 NRSV)  making their land a horror, a thing to be hissed at 
       forever. All who pass by it are horrified and shake their heads.

       (Jer 18:17 NRSV)  Like the wind from the east, I will scatter them 
       before the enemy. I will show them my back, not my face, in the day of 
       their calamity.

       (Jer 18:18 NRSV)  Then they said, "Come, let us make plots against 
       Jeremiah--for instruction shall not perish from the priest, nor 
       counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, let us 
       bring charges against him, and let us not heed any of his words."

       (Jer 18:19 NRSV)  Give heed to me, O LORD, and listen to what my 
       adversaries say!

       (Jer 18:20 NRSV)  Is evil a recompense for good? Yet they have dug a 
       pit for my life. Remember how I stood before you to speak good for 
       them, to turn away your wrath from them.

       (Jer 18:21 NRSV)  Therefore give their children over to famine; hurl 
       them out to the power of the sword, let their wives become childless 
       and widowed. May their men meet death by pestilence, their youths be 
       slain by the sword in battle.

       (Jer 18:22 NRSV)  May a cry be heard from their houses, when you bring 
       the marauder suddenly upon them! For they have dug a pit to catch me, 
       and laid snares for my feet.

       (Jer 18:23 NRSV)  Yet you, O LORD, know all their plotting to kill me. 
       Do not forgive their iniquity, do not blot out their sin from your 
       sight. Let them be tripped up before you; deal with them while you are 
       angry.

       (Jer 19:1 NRSV)  Thus said the LORD: Go and buy a potter's earthenware 
       jug. Take with you some of the elders of the people and some of the 
       senior priests,

       (Jer 19:2 NRSV)  and go out to the valley of the son of Hinnom at the 
       entry of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell 
       you.

       (Jer 19:3 NRSV)  You shall say: Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of 
       Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the 
       God of Israel: I am going to bring such disaster upon this place that 
       the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.

       (Jer 19:4 NRSV)  Because the people have forsaken me, and have 
       profaned this place by making offerings in it to other gods whom 
       neither they nor their ancestors nor the kings of Judah have known; 
       and because they have filled this place with the blood of the 
       innocent,

       (Jer 19:5 NRSV)  and gone on building the high places of Baal to burn 
       their children in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not 





       command or decree, nor did it enter my mind.

       (Jer 19:6 NRSV)  Therefore the days are surely coming, says the LORD, 
       when this place shall no more be called Topheth, or the valley of the 
       son of Hinnom, but the valley of Slaughter.

       (Jer 19:7 NRSV)  And in this place I will make void the plans of Judah 
       and Jerusalem, and will make them fall by the sword before their 
       enemies, and by the hand of those who seek their life. I will give 
       their dead bodies for food to the birds of the air and to the wild 
       animals of the earth.

       (Jer 19:8 NRSV)  And I will make this city a horror, a thing to be 
       hissed at; everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss 
       because of all its disasters.

       (Jer 19:9 NRSV)  And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and 
       the flesh of their daughters, and all shall eat the flesh of their 
       neighbors in the siege, and in the distress with which their enemies 
       and those who seek their life afflict them.

       (Jer 19:10 NRSV)  Then you shall break the jug in the sight of those 
       who go with you,

       (Jer 19:11 NRSV)  and shall say to them: Thus says the LORD of hosts: 
       So will I break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter's 
       vessel, so that it can never be mended. In Topheth they shall bury 
       until there is no more room to bury.

       (Jer 19:12 NRSV)  Thus will I do to this place, says the LORD, and to 
       its inhabitants, making this city like Topheth.

       (Jer 19:13 NRSV)  And the houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the 
       kings of Judah shall be defiled like the place of Topheth--all the 
       houses upon whose roofs offerings have been made to the whole host of 
       heaven, and libations have been poured out to other gods.

       (Jer 19:14 NRSV)  When Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the LORD had 
       sent him to prophesy, he stood in the court of the Lord's house and 
       said to all the people:

       (Jer 19:15 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: I am 
       now bringing upon this city and upon all its towns all the disaster 
       that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their 
       necks, refusing to hear my words.

       (Jer 20:1 NRSV)  Now the priest Pashhur son of Immer, who was chief 
       officer in the house of the LORD, heard Jeremiah prophesying these 
       things.

       (Jer 20:2 NRSV)  Then Pashhur struck the prophet Jeremiah, and put him 
       in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the 
       LORD.

       (Jer 20:3 NRSV)  The next morning when Pashhur released Jeremiah from 
       the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, The LORD has named you not Pashhur 





       but "Terror-all-around."

       (Jer 20:4 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD: I am making you a terror to 
       yourself and to all your friends; and they shall fall by the sword of 
       their enemies while you look on. And I will give all Judah into the 
       hand of the king of Babylon; he shall carry them captive to Babylon, 
       and shall kill them with the sword.

       (Jer 20:5 NRSV)  I will give all the wealth of this city, all its 
       gains, all its prized belongings, and all the treasures of the kings 
       of Judah into the hand of their enemies, who shall plunder them, and 
       seize them, and carry them to Babylon.

       (Jer 20:6 NRSV)  And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house, 
       shall go into captivity, and to Babylon you shall go; there you shall 
       die, and there you shall be buried, you and all your friends, to whom 
       you have prophesied falsely.

       (Jer 20:7 NRSV)  O LORD, you have enticed me, and I was enticed; you 
       have overpowered me, and you have prevailed. I have become a 
       laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me.

       (Jer 20:8 NRSV)  For whenever I speak, I must cry out, I must shout, 
       "Violence and destruction!" For the word of the LORD has become for me 
       a reproach and derision all day long.

       (Jer 20:9 NRSV)  If I say, "I will not mention him, or speak any more 
       in his name," then within me there is something like a burning fire 
       shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.

       (Jer 20:10 NRSV)  For I hear many whispering: "Terror is all around! 
       Denounce him! Let us denounce him!" All my close friends are watching 
       for me to stumble. "Perhaps he can be enticed, and we can prevail 
       against him, and take our revenge on him."

       (Jer 20:11 NRSV)  But the LORD is with me like a dread warrior; 
       therefore my persecutors will stumble, and they will not prevail. They 
       will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal 
       dishonor will never be forgotten.

       (Jer 20:12 NRSV)  O LORD of hosts, you test the righteous, you see the 
       heart and the mind; let me see your retribution upon them, for to you 
       I have committed my cause.

       (Jer 20:13 NRSV)  Sing to the LORD; praise the LORD! For he has 
       delivered the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers.

       (Jer 20:14 NRSV)  Cursed be the day on which I was born! The day when 
       my mother bore me, let it not be blessed!

       (Jer 20:15 NRSV)  Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father, 
       saying, "A child is born to you, a son," making him very glad.

       (Jer 20:16 NRSV)  Let that man be like the cities that the LORD 
       overthrew without pity; let him hear a cry in the morning and an alarm 
       at noon,






       (Jer 20:17 NRSV)  because he did not kill me in the womb; so my mother 
       would have been my grave, and her womb forever great.

       (Jer 20:18 NRSV)  Why did I come forth from the womb to see toil and 
       sorrow, and spend my days in shame?

       (Jer 21:1 NRSV)  This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, 
       when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Malchiah and the priest 
       Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, saying,

       (Jer 21:2 NRSV)  "Please inquire of the LORD on our behalf, for King 
       Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon is making war against us; perhaps the LORD 
       will perform a wonderful deed for us, as he has often done, and will 
       make him withdraw from us."

       (Jer 21:3 NRSV)  Then Jeremiah said to them:

       (Jer 21:4 NRSV)  Thus you shall say to Zedekiah: Thus says the LORD, 
       the God of Israel: I am going to turn back the weapons of war that are 
       in your hands and with which you are fighting against the king of 
       Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the 
       walls; and I will bring them together into the center of this city.

       (Jer 21:5 NRSV)  I myself will fight against you with outstretched 
       hand and mighty arm, in anger, in fury, and in great wrath.

       (Jer 21:6 NRSV)  And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, 
       both human beings and animals; they shall die of a great pestilence.

       (Jer 21:7 NRSV)  Afterward, says the LORD, I will give King Zedekiah 
       of Judah, and his servants, and the people in this city--those who 
       survive the pestilence, sword, and famine--into the hands of King 
       Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, into the hands of their enemies, into the 
       hands of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them down with 
       the edge of the sword; he shall not pity them, or spare them, or have 
       compassion.

       (Jer 21:8 NRSV)  And to this people you shall say: Thus says the LORD: 
       See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death.

       (Jer 21:9 NRSV)  Those who stay in this city shall die by the sword, 
       by famine, and by pestilence; but those who go out and surrender to 
       the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live and shall have their 
       lives as a prize of war.

       (Jer 21:10 NRSV)  For I have set my face against this city for evil 
       and not for good, says the LORD: it shall be given into the hands of 
       the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.

       (Jer 21:11 NRSV)  To the house of the king of Judah say: Hear the word 
       of the LORD,

       (Jer 21:12 NRSV)  O house of David! Thus says the LORD: Execute 
       justice in the morning, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor 
       anyone who has been robbed, or else my wrath will go forth like fire, 





       and burn, with no one to quench it, because of your evil doings.

       (Jer 21:13 NRSV)  See, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, O 
       rock of the plain, says the LORD; you who say, "Who can come down 
       against us, or who can enter our places of refuge?"

       (Jer 21:14 NRSV)  I will punish you according to the fruit of your 
       doings, says the LORD; I will kindle a fire in its forest, and it 
       shall devour all that is around it.

       (Jer 22:1 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: Go down to the house of the king 
       of Judah, and speak there this word,

       (Jer 22:2 NRSV)  and say: Hear the word of the LORD, O King of Judah 
       sitting on the throne of David--you, and your servants, and your 
       people who enter these gates.

       (Jer 22:3 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: Act with justice and 
       righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who 
       has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, 
       and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place.

       (Jer 22:4 NRSV)  For if you will indeed obey this word, then through 
       the gates of this house shall enter kings who sit on the throne of 
       David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their servants, and 
       their people.

       (Jer 22:5 NRSV)  But if you will not heed these words, I swear by 
       myself, says the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation.

       (Jer 22:6 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD concerning the house of the 
       king of Judah: You are like Gilead to me, like the summit of Lebanon; 
       but I swear that I will make you a desert, an uninhabited city.

       (Jer 22:7 NRSV)  I will prepare destroyers against you, all with their 
       weapons; they shall cut down your choicest cedars and cast them into 
       the fire.

       (Jer 22:8 NRSV)  And many nations will pass by this city, and all of 
       them will say one to another, "Why has the LORD dealt in this way with 
       that great city?"

       (Jer 22:9 NRSV)  And they will answer, "Because they abandoned the 
       covenant of the LORD their God, and worshiped other gods and served 
       them."

       (Jer 22:10 NRSV)  Do not weep for him who is dead, nor bemoan him; 
       weep rather for him who goes away, for he shall return no more to see 
       his native land.

       (Jer 22:11 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD concerning Shallum son of 
       King Josiah of Judah, who succeeded his father Josiah, and who went 
       away from this place: He shall return here no more,

       (Jer 22:12 NRSV)  but in the place where they have carried him captive 
       he shall die, and he shall never see this land again.






       (Jer 22:13 NRSV)  Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, 
       and his upper rooms by injustice; who makes his neighbors work for 
       nothing, and does not give them their wages;

       (Jer 22:14 NRSV)  who says, "I will build myself a spacious house with 
       large upper rooms," and who cuts out windows for it, paneling it with 
       cedar, and painting it with vermilion.

       (Jer 22:15 NRSV)  Are you a king because you compete in cedar? Did not 
       your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness? Then it 
       was well with him.

       (Jer 22:16 NRSV)  He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it 
       was well. Is not this to know me? says the LORD.

       (Jer 22:17 NRSV)  But your eyes and heart are only on your dishonest 
       gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and 
       violence.

       (Jer 22:18 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the LORD concerning King 
       Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah: They shall not lament for him, 
       saying, "Alas, my brother!" or "Alas, sister!" They shall not lament 
       for him, saying, "Alas, lord!" or "Alas, his majesty!"

       (Jer 22:19 NRSV)  With the burial of a donkey he shall be buried-- 
       dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

       (Jer 22:20 NRSV)  Go up to Lebanon, and cry out, and lift up your 
       voice in Bashan; cry out from Abarim, for all your lovers are crushed.

       (Jer 22:21 NRSV)  I spoke to you in your prosperity, but you said, "I 
       will not listen." This has been your way from your youth, for you have 
       not obeyed my voice.

       (Jer 22:22 NRSV)  The wind shall shepherd all your shepherds, and your 
       lovers shall go into captivity; then you will be ashamed and dismayed 
       because of all your wickedness.

       (Jer 22:23 NRSV)  O inhabitant of Lebanon, nested among the cedars, 
       how you will groan when pangs come upon you, pain as of a woman in 
       labor!

       (Jer 22:24 NRSV)  As I live, says the LORD, even if King Coniah son of 
       Jehoiakim of Judah were the signet ring on my right hand, even from 
       there I would tear you off

       (Jer 22:25 NRSV)  and give you into the hands of those who seek your 
       life, into the hands of those of whom you are afraid, even into the 
       hands of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon and into the hands of the 
       Chaldeans.

       (Jer 22:26 NRSV)  I will hurl you and the mother who bore you into 
       another country, where you were not born, and there you shall die.

       (Jer 22:27 NRSV)  But they shall not return to the land to which they 





       long to return.

       (Jer 22:28 NRSV)  Is this man Coniah a despised broken pot, a vessel 
       no one wants? Why are he and his offspring hurled out and cast away in 
       a land that they do not know?

       (Jer 22:29 NRSV)  O land, land, land, hear the word of the LORD!

       (Jer 22:30 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: Record this man as childless, a 
       man who shall not succeed in his days; for none of his offspring shall 
       succeed in sitting on the throne of David, and ruling again in Judah.

       (Jer 23:1 NRSV)  Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the 
       sheep of my pasture! says the LORD.

       (Jer 23:2 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 
       concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have 
       scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not 
       attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says 
       the LORD.

       (Jer 23:3 NRSV)  Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out 
       of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back 
       to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply.

       (Jer 23:4 NRSV)  I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd 
       them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall 
       any be missing, says the LORD.

       (Jer 23:5 NRSV)  The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I 
       will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king 
       and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the 
       land.

       (Jer 23:6 NRSV)  In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live 
       in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: "The LORD 
       is our righteousness."

       (Jer 23:7 NRSV)  Therefore, the days are surely coming, says the LORD, 
       when it shall no longer be said, "As the LORD lives who brought the 
       people of Israel up out of the land of Egypt,"

       (Jer 23:8 NRSV)  but "As the LORD lives who brought out and led the 
       offspring of the house of Israel out of the land of the north and out 
       of all the lands where he had driven them." Then they shall live in 
       their own land.

       (Jer 23:9 NRSV)  Concerning the prophets: My heart is crushed within 
       me, all my bones shake; I have become like a drunkard, like one 
       overcome by wine, because of the LORD and because of his holy words.

       (Jer 23:10 NRSV)  For the land is full of adulterers; because of the 
       curse the land mourns, and the pastures of the wilderness are dried 
       up. Their course has been evil, and their might is not right.

       (Jer 23:11 NRSV)  Both prophet and priest are ungodly; even in my 





       house I have found their wickedness, says the LORD.

       (Jer 23:12 NRSV)  Therefore their way shall be to them like slippery 
       paths in the darkness, into which they shall be driven and fall; for I 
       will bring disaster upon them in the year of their punishment, says 
       the LORD.

       (Jer 23:13 NRSV)  In the prophets of Samaria I saw a disgusting thing: 
       they prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray.

       (Jer 23:14 NRSV)  But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a more 
       shocking thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies; they strengthen 
       the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from wickedness; all of 
       them have become like Sodom to me, and its inhabitants like Gomorrah.

       (Jer 23:15 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the 
       prophets: "I am going to make them eat wormwood, and give them 
       poisoned water to drink; for from the prophets of Jerusalem 
       ungodliness has spread throughout the land."

       (Jer 23:16 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts: Do not listen to the 
       words of the prophets who prophesy to you; they are deluding you. They 
       speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.

       (Jer 23:17 NRSV)  They keep saying to those who despise the word of 
       the LORD, "It shall be well with you"; and to all who stubbornly 
       follow their own stubborn hearts, they say, "No calamity shall come 
       upon you."

       (Jer 23:18 NRSV)  For who has stood in the council of the LORD so as 
       to see and to hear his word? Who has given heed to his word so as to 
       proclaim it?

       (Jer 23:19 NRSV)  Look, the storm of the LORD! Wrath has gone forth, a 
       whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked.

       (Jer 23:20 NRSV)  The anger of the LORD will not turn back until he 
       has executed and accomplished the intents of his mind. In the latter 
       days you will understand it clearly.

       (Jer 23:21 NRSV)  I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not 
       speak to them, yet they prophesied.

       (Jer 23:22 NRSV)  But if they had stood in my council, then they would 
       have proclaimed my words to my people, and they would have turned them 
       from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.

       (Jer 23:23 NRSV)  Am I a God near by, says the LORD, and not a God far 
       off?

       (Jer 23:24 NRSV)  Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see 
       them? says the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the LORD.

       (Jer 23:25 NRSV)  I have heard what the prophets have said who 
       prophesy lies in my name, saying, "I have dreamed, I have dreamed!"





       (Jer 23:26 NRSV)  How long? Will the hearts of the prophets ever turn 
       back--those who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their 
       own heart?

       (Jer 23:27 NRSV)  They plan to make my people forget my name by their 
       dreams that they tell one another, just as their ancestors forgot my 
       name for Baal.

       (Jer 23:28 NRSV)  Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but 
       let the one who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw 
       in common with wheat? says the LORD.

       (Jer 23:29 NRSV)  Is not my word like fire, says the LORD, and like a 
       hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?

       (Jer 23:30 NRSV)  See, therefore, I am against the prophets, says the 
       LORD, who steal my words from one another.

       (Jer 23:31 NRSV)  See, I am against the prophets, says the LORD, who 
       use their own tongues and say, "Says the LORD."

       (Jer 23:32 NRSV)  See, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, 
       says the LORD, and who tell them, and who lead my people astray by 
       their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or appoint 
       them; so they do not profit this people at all, says the LORD.

       (Jer 23:33 NRSV)  When this people, or a prophet, or a priest asks 
       you, "What is the burden of the LORD?" you shall say to them, "You are 
       the burden, and I will cast you off, says the LORD."

       (Jer 23:34 NRSV)  And as for the prophet, priest, or the people who 
       say, "The burden of the LORD," I will punish them and their 
       households.

       (Jer 23:35 NRSV)  Thus shall you say to one another, among yourselves, 
       "What has the LORD answered?" or "What has the LORD spoken?"

       (Jer 23:36 NRSV)  But "the burden of the LORD" you shall mention no 
       more, for the burden is everyone's own word, and so you pervert the 
       words of the living God, the LORD of hosts, our God.

       (Jer 23:37 NRSV)  Thus you shall ask the prophet, "What has the LORD 
       answered you?" or "What has the LORD spoken?"

       (Jer 23:38 NRSV)  But if you say, "the burden of the LORD," thus says 
       the LORD: Because you have said these words, "the burden of the LORD," 
       when I sent to you, saying, You shall not say, "the burden of the 
       LORD,"

       (Jer 23:39 NRSV)  therefore, I will surely lift you up and cast you 
       away from my presence, you and the city that I gave to you and your 
       ancestors.

       (Jer 23:40 NRSV)  And I will bring upon you everlasting disgrace and 
       perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.





       (Jer 24:1 NRSV)  The LORD showed me two baskets of figs placed before 
       the temple of the LORD. This was after King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon 
       had taken into exile from Jerusalem King Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim of 
       Judah, together with the officials of Judah, the artisans, and the 
       smiths, and had brought them to Babylon.

       (Jer 24:2 NRSV)  One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs, 
       but the other basket had very bad figs, so bad that they could not be 
       eaten.

       (Jer 24:3 NRSV)  And the LORD said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" 
       I said, "Figs, the good figs very good, and the bad figs very bad, so 
       bad that they cannot be eaten."

       (Jer 24:4 NRSV)  Then the word of the LORD came to me:

       (Jer 24:5 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Like these 
       good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have 
       sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans.

       (Jer 24:6 NRSV)  I will set my eyes upon them for good, and I will 
       bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them 
       down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up.

       (Jer 24:7 NRSV)  I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD; 
       and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall 
       return to me with their whole heart.

       (Jer 24:8 NRSV)  But thus says the LORD: Like the bad figs that are so 
       bad they cannot be eaten, so will I treat King Zedekiah of Judah, his 
       officials, the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those 
       who live in the land of Egypt.

       (Jer 24:9 NRSV)  I will make them a horror, an evil thing, to all the 
       kingdoms of the earth--a disgrace, a byword, a taunt, and a curse in 
       all the places where I shall drive them.

       (Jer 24:10 NRSV)  And I will send sword, famine, and pestilence upon 
       them, until they are utterly destroyed from the land that I gave to 
       them and their ancestors.

       (Jer 25:1 NRSV)  The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the 
       people of Judah, in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of 
       Judah (that was the first year of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon),

       (Jer 25:2 NRSV)  which the prophet Jeremiah spoke to all the people of 
       Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem:

       (Jer 25:3 NRSV)  For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of 
       King Josiah son of Amon of Judah, to this day, the word of the LORD 
       has come to me, and I have spoken persistently to you, but you have 
       not listened.

       (Jer 25:4 NRSV)  And though the LORD persistently sent you all his 
       servants the prophets, you have neither listened nor inclined your 
       ears to hear






       (Jer 25:5 NRSV)  when they said, "Turn now, everyone of you, from your 
       evil way and wicked doings, and you will remain upon the land that the 
       LORD has given to you and your ancestors from of old and forever;

       (Jer 25:6 NRSV)  do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, 
       and do not provoke me to anger with the work of your hands. Then I 
       will do you no harm."

       (Jer 25:7 NRSV)  Yet you did not listen to me, says the LORD, and so 
       you have provoked me to anger with the work of your hands to your own 
       harm.

       (Jer 25:8 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: Because you 
       have not obeyed my words,

       (Jer 25:9 NRSV)  I am going to send for all the tribes of the north, 
       says the LORD, even for King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, my servant, 
       and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and 
       against all these nations around; I will utterly destroy them, and 
       make them an object of horror and of hissing, and an everlasting 
       disgrace.

       (Jer 25:10 NRSV)  And I will banish from them the sound of mirth and 
       the sound of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of 
       the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp.

       (Jer 25:11 NRSV)  This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and 
       these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

       (Jer 25:12 NRSV)  Then after seventy years are completed, I will 
       punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, 
       for their iniquity, says the LORD, making the land an everlasting 
       waste.

       (Jer 25:13 NRSV)  I will bring upon that land all the words that I 
       have uttered against it, everything written in this book, which 
       Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations.

       (Jer 25:14 NRSV)  For many nations and great kings shall make slaves 
       of them also; and I will repay them according to their deeds and the 
       work of their hands.

       (Jer 25:15 NRSV)  For thus the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: 
       Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the 
       nations to whom I send you drink it.

       (Jer 25:16 NRSV)  They shall drink and stagger and go out of their 
       minds because of the sword that I am sending among them.

       (Jer 25:17 NRSV)  So I took the cup from the Lord's hand, and made all 
       the nations to whom the LORD sent me drink it:

       (Jer 25:18 NRSV)  Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, its kings and 
       officials, to make them a desolation and a waste, an object of hissing 
       and of cursing, as they are today;






       (Jer 25:19 NRSV)  Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his officials, 
       and all his people;

       (Jer 25:20 NRSV)  all the mixed people; all the kings of the land of 
       Uz; all the kings of the land of the Philistines--Ashkelon, Gaza, 
       Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod;

       (Jer 25:21 NRSV)  Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites;

       (Jer 25:22 NRSV)  all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and 
       the kings of the coastland across the sea;

       (Jer 25:23 NRSV)  Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who have shaven temples;

       (Jer 25:24 NRSV)  all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the 
       mixed peoples that live in the desert;

       (Jer 25:25 NRSV)  all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, and 
       all the kings of Media;

       (Jer 25:26 NRSV)  all the kings of the north, far and near, one after 
       another, and all the kingdoms of the world that are on the face of the 
       earth. And after them the king of Sheshach shall drink.

       (Jer 25:27 NRSV)  Then you shall say to them, Thus says the LORD of 
       hosts, the God of Israel: Drink, get drunk and vomit, fall and rise no 
       more, because of the sword that I am sending among you.

       (Jer 25:28 NRSV)  And if they refuse to accept the cup from your hand 
       to drink, then you shall say to them: Thus says the LORD of hosts: You 
       must drink!

       (Jer 25:29 NRSV)  See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city 
       that is called by my name, and how can you possibly avoid punishment? 
       You shall not go unpunished, for I am summoning a sword against all 
       the inhabitants of the earth, says the LORD of hosts.

       (Jer 25:30 NRSV)  You, therefore, shall prophesy against them all 
       these words, and say to them: The LORD will roar from on high, and 
       from his holy habitation utter his voice; he will roar mightily 
       against his fold, and shout, like those who tread grapes, against all 
       the inhabitants of the earth.

       (Jer 25:31 NRSV)  The clamor will resound to the ends of the earth, 
       for the LORD has an indictment against the nations; he is entering 
       into judgment with all flesh, and the guilty he will put to the sword, 
       says the LORD.

       (Jer 25:32 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts: See, disaster is 
       spreading from nation to nation, and a great tempest is stirring from 
       the farthest parts of the earth!

       (Jer 25:33 NRSV)  Those slain by the LORD on that day shall extend 
       from one end of the earth to the other. They shall not be lamented, or 
       gathered, or buried; they shall become dung on the surface of the 





       ground.

       (Jer 25:34 NRSV)  Wail, you shepherds, and cry out; roll in ashes, you 
       lords of the flock, for the days of your slaughter have come--and your 
       dispersions, and you shall fall like a choice vessel.

       (Jer 25:35 NRSV)  Flight shall fail the shepherds, and there shall be 
       no escape for the lords of the flock.

       (Jer 25:36 NRSV)  Hark! the cry of the shepherds, and the wail of the 
       lords of the flock! For the LORD is despoiling their pasture,

       (Jer 25:37 NRSV)  and the peaceful folds are devastated, because of 
       the fierce anger of the LORD.

       (Jer 25:38 NRSV)  Like a lion he has left his covert; for their land 
       has become a waste because of the cruel sword, and because of his 
       fierce anger.

       (Jer 26:1 NRSV)  At the beginning of the reign of King Jehoiakim son 
       of Josiah of Judah, this word came from the LORD:

       (Jer 26:2 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: Stand in the court of the Lord's 
       house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in 
       the house of the LORD; speak to them all the words that I command you; 
       do not hold back a word.

       (Jer 26:3 NRSV)  It may be that they will listen, all of them, and 
       will turn from their evil way, that I may change my mind about the 
       disaster that I intend to bring on them because of their evil doings.

       (Jer 26:4 NRSV)  You shall say to them: Thus says the LORD: If you 
       will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set before you,

       (Jer 26:5 NRSV)  and to heed the words of my servants the prophets 
       whom I send to you urgently--though you have not heeded--

       (Jer 26:6 NRSV)  then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will 
       make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth.

       (Jer 26:7 NRSV)  The priests and the prophets and all the people heard 
       Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD.

       (Jer 26:8 NRSV)  And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the 
       LORD had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests 
       and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, "You 
       shall die!

       (Jer 26:9 NRSV)  Why have you prophesied in the name of the LORD, 
       saying, 'This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be 
       desolate, without inhabitant'?" And all the people gathered around 
       Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.

       (Jer 26:10 NRSV)  When the officials of Judah heard these things, they 
       came up from the king's house to the house of the LORD and took their 
       seat in the entry of the New Gate of the house of the LORD.






       (Jer 26:11 NRSV)  Then the priests and the prophets said to the 
       officials and to all the people, "This man deserves the sentence of 
       death because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard 
       with your own ears."

       (Jer 26:12 NRSV)  Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and all the 
       people, saying, "It is the LORD who sent me to prophesy against this 
       house and this city all the words you have heard.

       (Jer 26:13 NRSV)  Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and 
       obey the voice of the LORD your God, and the LORD will change his mind 
       about the disaster that he has pronounced against you.

       (Jer 26:14 NRSV)  But as for me, here I am in your hands. Do with me 
       as seems good and right to you.

       (Jer 26:15 NRSV)  Only know for certain that if you put me to death, 
       you will be bringing innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city 
       and its inhabitants, for in truth the LORD sent me to you to speak all 
       these words in your ears."

       (Jer 26:16 NRSV)  Then the officials and all the people said to the 
       priests and the prophets, "This man does not deserve the sentence of 
       death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God."

       (Jer 26:17 NRSV)  And some of the elders of the land arose and said to 
       all the assembled people,

       (Jer 26:18 NRSV)  "Micah of Moresheth, who prophesied during the days 
       of King Hezekiah of Judah, said to all the people of Judah: 'Thus says 
       the LORD of hosts, Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall 
       become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded 
       height.'

       (Jer 26:19 NRSV)  Did King Hezekiah of Judah and all Judah actually 
       put him to death? Did he not fear the LORD and entreat the favor of 
       the LORD, and did not the LORD change his mind about the disaster that 
       he had pronounced against them? But we are about to bring great 
       disaster on ourselves!"

       (Jer 26:20 NRSV)  There was another man prophesying in the name of the 
       LORD, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim. He prophesied against 
       this city and against this land in words exactly like those of 
       Jeremiah.

       (Jer 26:21 NRSV)  And when King Jehoiakim, with all his warriors and 
       all the officials, heard his words, the king sought to put him to 
       death; but when Uriah heard of it, he was afraid and fled and escaped 
       to Egypt.

       (Jer 26:22 NRSV)  Then King Jehoiakim sent Elnathan son of Achbor and 
       men with him to Egypt,

       (Jer 26:23 NRSV)  and they took Uriah from Egypt and brought him to 
       King Jehoiakim, who struck him down with the sword and threw his dead 





       body into the burial place of the common people.

       (Jer 26:24 NRSV)  But the hand of Ahikam son of Shaphan was with 
       Jeremiah so that he was not given over into the hands of the people to 
       be put to death.

       (Jer 27:1 NRSV)  In the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah son of 
       Josiah of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD.

       (Jer 27:2 NRSV)  Thus the LORD said to me: Make yourself a yoke of 
       straps and bars, and put them on your neck.

       (Jer 27:3 NRSV)  Send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the 
       king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon by the 
       hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to King Zedekiah of 
       Judah.

       (Jer 27:4 NRSV)  Give them this charge for their masters: Thus says 
       the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to 
       your masters:

       (Jer 27:5 NRSV)  It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm 
       have made the earth, with the people and animals that are on the 
       earth, and I give it to whomever I please.

       (Jer 27:6 NRSV)  Now I have given all these lands into the hand of 
       King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him even 
       the wild animals of the field to serve him.

       (Jer 27:7 NRSV)  All the nations shall serve him and his son and his 
       grandson, until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and 
       great kings shall make him their slave.

       (Jer 27:8 NRSV)  But if any nation or kingdom will not serve this 
       king, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and put its neck under the yoke of 
       the king of Babylon, then I will punish that nation with the sword, 
       with famine, and with pestilence, says the LORD, until I have 
       completed its destruction by his hand.

       (Jer 27:9 NRSV)  You, therefore, must not listen to your prophets, 
       your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who 
       are saying to you, 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon.'

       (Jer 27:10 NRSV)  For they are prophesying a lie to you, with the 
       result that you will be removed far from your land; I will drive you 
       out, and you will perish.

       (Jer 27:11 NRSV)  But any nation that will bring its neck under the 
       yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave on its own 
       land, says the LORD, to till it and live there.

       (Jer 27:12 NRSV)  I spoke to King Zedekiah of Judah in the same way: 
       Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him 
       and his people, and live.

       (Jer 27:13 NRSV)  Why should you and your people die by the sword, by 





       famine, and by pestilence, as the LORD has spoken concerning any 
       nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?

       (Jer 27:14 NRSV)  Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are 
       telling you not to serve the king of Babylon, for they are prophesying 
       a lie to you.

       (Jer 27:15 NRSV)  I have not sent them, says the LORD, but they are 
       prophesying falsely in my name, with the result that I will drive you 
       out and you will perish, you and the prophets who are prophesying to 
       you.

       (Jer 27:16 NRSV)  Then I spoke to the priests and to all this people, 
       saying, Thus says the LORD: Do not listen to the words of your 
       prophets who are prophesying to you, saying, "The vessels of the 
       Lord's house will soon be brought back from Babylon," for they are 
       prophesying a lie to you.

       (Jer 27:17 NRSV)  Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon and 
       live. Why should this city become a desolation?

       (Jer 27:18 NRSV)  If indeed they are prophets, and if the word of the 
       LORD is with them, then let them intercede with the LORD of hosts, 
       that the vessels left in the house of the LORD, in the house of the 
       king of Judah, and in Jerusalem may not go to Babylon.

       (Jer 27:19 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the 
       pillars, the sea, the stands, and the rest of the vessels that are 
       left in this city,

       (Jer 27:20 NRSV)  which King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon did not take 
       away when he took into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon King Jeconiah 
       son of Jehoiakim of Judah, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem--

       (Jer 27:21 NRSV)  thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 
       concerning the vessels left in the house of the LORD, in the house of 
       the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem:

       (Jer 27:22 NRSV)  They shall be carried to Babylon, and there they 
       shall stay, until the day when I give attention to them, says the 
       LORD. Then I will bring them up and restore them to this place.

       (Jer 28:1 NRSV)  In that same year, at the beginning of the reign of 
       King Zedekiah of Judah, in the fifth month of the fourth year, the 
       prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house 
       of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and all the people, 
       saying,

       (Jer 28:2 NRSV)  "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: I 
       have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.

       (Jer 28:3 NRSV)  Within two years I will bring back to this place all 
       the vessels of the Lord's house, which King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon 
       took away from this place and carried to Babylon.

       (Jer 28:4 NRSV)  I will also bring back to this place King Jeconiah 





       son of Jehoiakim of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to 
       Babylon, says the LORD, for I will break the yoke of the king of 
       Babylon."

       (Jer 28:5 NRSV)  Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet 
       Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were 
       standing in the house of the LORD;

       (Jer 28:6 NRSV)  and the prophet Jeremiah said, "Amen! May the LORD do 
       so; may the LORD fulfill the words that you have prophesied, and bring 
       back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the LORD, 
       and all the exiles.

       (Jer 28:7 NRSV)  But listen now to this word that I speak in your 
       hearing and in the hearing of all the people.

       (Jer 28:8 NRSV)  The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient 
       times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries 
       and great kingdoms.

       (Jer 28:9 NRSV)  As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the 
       word of that prophet comes true, then it will be known that the LORD 
       has truly sent the prophet."

       (Jer 28:10 NRSV)  Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke from the 
       neck of the prophet Jeremiah, and broke it.

       (Jer 28:11 NRSV)  And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the 
       people, saying, "Thus says the LORD: This is how I will break the yoke 
       of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon from the neck of all the nations 
       within two years." At this, the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

       (Jer 28:12 NRSV)  Sometime after the prophet Hananiah had broken the 
       yoke from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the LORD came 
       to Jeremiah:

       (Jer 28:13 NRSV)  Go, tell Hananiah, Thus says the LORD: You have 
       broken wooden bars only to forge iron bars in place of them!

       (Jer 28:14 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 
       I have put an iron yoke on the neck of all these nations so that they 
       may serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and they shall indeed serve 
       him; I have even given him the wild animals.

       (Jer 28:15 NRSV)  And the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet 
       Hananiah, "Listen, Hananiah, the LORD has not sent you, and you made 
       this people trust in a lie.

       (Jer 28:16 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the LORD: I am going to send you 
       off the face of the earth. Within this year you will be dead, because 
       you have spoken rebellion against the LORD."

       (Jer 28:17 NRSV)  In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet 
       Hananiah died.

       (Jer 29:1 NRSV)  These are the words of the letter that the prophet 





       Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, 
       and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom 
       Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

       (Jer 29:2 NRSV)  This was after King Jeconiah, and the queen mother, 
       the court officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the artisans, 
       and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.

       (Jer 29:3 NRSV)  The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah son of 
       Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah sent 
       to Babylon to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. It said:

       (Jer 29:4 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to 
       all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:

       (Jer 29:5 NRSV)  Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat 
       what they produce.

       (Jer 29:6 NRSV)  Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives 
       for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear 
       sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.

       (Jer 29:7 NRSV)  But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent 
       you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare 
       you will find your welfare.

       (Jer 29:8 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 
       Do not let the prophets and the diviners who are among you deceive 
       you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream,

       (Jer 29:9 NRSV)  for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in 
       my name; I did not send them, says the LORD.

       (Jer 29:10 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD: Only when Babylon's seventy 
       years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill to you my 
       promise and bring you back to this place.

       (Jer 29:11 NRSV)  For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the 
       LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future 
       with hope.

       (Jer 29:12 NRSV)  Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, 
       I will hear you.

       (Jer 29:13 NRSV)  When you search for me, you will find me; if you 
       seek me with all your heart,

       (Jer 29:14 NRSV)  I will let you find me, says the LORD, and I will 
       restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the 
       places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you 
       back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

       (Jer 29:15 NRSV)  Because you have said, "The LORD has raised up 
       prophets for us in Babylon,"--

       (Jer 29:16 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD concerning the king who sits on 





       the throne of David, and concerning all the people who live in this 
       city, your kinsfolk who did not go out with you into exile:

       (Jer 29:17 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts, I am going to let loose 
       on them sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like 
       rotten figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten.

       (Jer 29:18 NRSV)  I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and 
       with pestilence, and will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of 
       the earth, to be an object of cursing, and horror, and hissing, and a 
       derision among all the nations where I have driven them,

       (Jer 29:19 NRSV)  because they did not heed my words, says the LORD, 
       when I persistently sent to you my servants the prophets, but they 
       would not listen, says the LORD.

       (Jer 29:20 NRSV)  But now, all you exiles whom I sent away from 
       Jerusalem to Babylon, hear the word of the LORD:

       (Jer 29:21 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 
       concerning Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are 
       prophesying a lie to you in my name: I am going to deliver them into 
       the hand of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, and he shall kill them 
       before your eyes.

       (Jer 29:22 NRSV)  And on account of them this curse shall be used by 
       all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: "The LORD make you like Zedekiah 
       and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,"

       (Jer 29:23 NRSV)  because they have perpetrated outrage in Israel and 
       have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives, and have spoken 
       in my name lying words that I did not command them; I am the one who 
       knows and bears witness, says the LORD.

       (Jer 29:24 NRSV)  To Shemaiah of Nehelam you shall say:

       (Jer 29:25 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: In 
       your own name you sent a letter to all the people who are in 
       Jerusalem, and to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and to all the 
       priests, saying,

       (Jer 29:26 NRSV)  The LORD himself has made you priest instead of the 
       priest Jehoiada, so that there may be officers in the house of the 
       LORD to control any madman who plays the prophet, to put him in the 
       stocks and the collar.

       (Jer 29:27 NRSV)  So now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth 
       who plays the prophet for you?

       (Jer 29:28 NRSV)  For he has actually sent to us in Babylon, saying, 
       "It will be a long time; build houses and live in them, and plant 
       gardens and eat what they produce."

       (Jer 29:29 NRSV)  The priest Zephaniah read this letter in the hearing 
       of the prophet Jeremiah.





       (Jer 29:30 NRSV)  Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

       (Jer 29:31 NRSV)  Send to all the exiles, saying, Thus says the LORD 
       concerning Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to 
       you, though I did not send him, and has led you to trust in a lie,

       (Jer 29:32 NRSV)  therefore thus says the LORD: I am going to punish 
       Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants; he shall not have anyone 
       living among this people to see the good that I am going to do to my 
       people, says the LORD, for he has spoken rebellion against the LORD.

       (Jer 30:1 NRSV)  The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

       (Jer 30:2 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Write in a 
       book all the words that I have spoken to you.

       (Jer 30:3 NRSV)  For the days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I 
       will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the 
       LORD, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their 
       ancestors and they shall take possession of it.

       (Jer 30:4 NRSV)  These are the words that the LORD spoke concerning 
       Israel and Judah:

       (Jer 30:5 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: We have heard a cry of panic, of 
       terror, and no peace.

       (Jer 30:6 NRSV)  Ask now, and see, can a man bear a child? Why then do 
       I see every man with his hands on his loins like a woman in labor? Why 
       has every face turned pale?

       (Jer 30:7 NRSV)  Alas! that day is so great there is none like it; it 
       is a time of distress for Jacob; yet he shall be rescued from it.

       (Jer 30:8 NRSV)  On that day, says the LORD of hosts, I will break the 
       yoke from off his neck, and I will burst his bonds, and strangers 
       shall no more make a servant of him.

       (Jer 30:9 NRSV)  But they shall serve the LORD their God and David 
       their king, whom I will raise up for them.

       (Jer 30:10 NRSV)  But as for you, have no fear, my servant Jacob, says 
       the LORD, and do not be dismayed, O Israel; for I am going to save you 
       from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. 
       Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and no one shall make him 
       afraid.

       (Jer 30:11 NRSV)  For I am with you, says the LORD, to save you; I 
       will make an end of all the nations among which I scattered you, but 
       of you I will not make an end. I will chastise you in just measure, 
       and I will by no means leave you unpunished.

       (Jer 30:12 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD: Your hurt is incurable, your 
       wound is grievous.

       (Jer 30:13 NRSV)  There is no one to uphold your cause, no medicine 





       for your wound, no healing for you.

       (Jer 30:14 NRSV)  All your lovers have forgotten you; they care 
       nothing for you; for I have dealt you the blow of an enemy, the 
       punishment of a merciless foe, because your guilt is great, because 
       your sins are so numerous.

       (Jer 30:15 NRSV)  Why do you cry out over your hurt? Your pain is 
       incurable. Because your guilt is great, because your sins are so 
       numerous, I have done these things to you.

       (Jer 30:16 NRSV)  Therefore all who devour you shall be devoured, and 
       all your foes, everyone of them, shall go into captivity; those who 
       plunder you shall be plundered, and all who prey on you I will make a 
       prey.

       (Jer 30:17 NRSV)  For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I 
       will heal, says the LORD, because they have called you an outcast: "It 
       is Zion; no one cares for her!"

       (Jer 30:18 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: I am going to restore the 
       fortunes of the tents of Jacob, and have compassion on his dwellings; 
       the city shall be rebuilt upon its mound, and the citadel set on its 
       rightful site.

       (Jer 30:19 NRSV)  Out of them shall come thanksgiving, and the sound 
       of merrymakers. I will make them many, and they shall not be few; I 
       will make them honored, and they shall not be disdained.

       (Jer 30:20 NRSV)  Their children shall be as of old, their 
       congregation shall be established before me; and I will punish all who 
       oppress them.

       (Jer 30:21 NRSV)  Their prince shall be one of their own, their ruler 
       shall come from their midst; I will bring him near, and he shall 
       approach me, for who would otherwise dare to approach me? says the 
       LORD.

       (Jer 30:22 NRSV)  And you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

       (Jer 30:23 NRSV)  Look, the storm of the LORD! Wrath has gone forth, a 
       whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked.

       (Jer 30:24 NRSV)  The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back 
       until he has executed and accomplished the intents of his mind. In the 
       latter days you will understand this.

       (Jer 31:1 NRSV)  At that time, says the LORD, I will be the God of all 
       the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.

       (Jer 31:2 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: The people who survived the sword 
       found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest,

       (Jer 31:3 NRSV)  the LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved 
       you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my 
       faithfulness to you.






       (Jer 31:4 NRSV)  Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O 
       virgin Israel! Again you shall take your tambourines, and go forth in 
       the dance of the merrymakers.

       (Jer 31:5 NRSV)  Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of 
       Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall enjoy the fruit.

       (Jer 31:6 NRSV)  For there shall be a day when sentinels will call in 
       the hill country of Ephraim: "Come, let us go up to Zion, to the LORD 
       our God."

       (Jer 31:7 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD: Sing aloud with gladness for 
       Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give 
       praise, and say, "Save, O LORD, your people, the remnant of Israel."

       (Jer 31:8 NRSV)  See, I am going to bring them from the land of the 
       north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among 
       them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, 
       together; a great company, they shall return here.

       (Jer 31:9 NRSV)  With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I 
       will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a 
       straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a 
       father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

       (Jer 31:10 NRSV)  Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it 
       in the coastlands far away; say, "He who scattered Israel will gather 
       him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock."

       (Jer 31:11 NRSV)  For the LORD has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed 
       him from hands too strong for him.

       (Jer 31:12 NRSV)  They shall come and sing aloud on the height of 
       Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD, over 
       the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and 
       the herd; their life shall become like a watered garden, and they 
       shall never languish again.

       (Jer 31:13 NRSV)  Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and 
       the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning 
       into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.

       (Jer 31:14 NRSV)  I will give the priests their fill of fatness, and 
       my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, says the LORD.

       (Jer 31:15 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: A voice is heard in Ramah, 
       lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; 
       she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no 
       more.

       (Jer 31:16 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: Keep your voice from weeping, 
       and your eyes from tears; for there is a reward for your work, says 
       the LORD: they shall come back from the land of the enemy;

       (Jer 31:17 NRSV)  there is hope for your future, says the LORD: your 





       children shall come back to their own country.

       (Jer 31:18 NRSV)  Indeed I heard Ephraim pleading: "You disciplined 
       me, and I took the discipline; I was like a calf untrained. Bring me 
       back, let me come back, for you are the LORD my God.

       (Jer 31:19 NRSV)  For after I had turned away I repented; and after I 
       was discovered, I struck my thigh; I was ashamed, and I was dismayed 
       because I bore the disgrace of my youth."

       (Jer 31:20 NRSV)  Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he the child I delight 
       in? As often as I speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore I 
       am deeply moved for him; I will surely have mercy on him, says the 
       LORD.

       (Jer 31:21 NRSV)  Set up road markers for yourself, make yourself 
       guideposts; consider well the highway, the road by which you went. 
       Return, O virgin Israel, return to these your cities.

       (Jer 31:22 NRSV)  How long will you waver, O faithless daughter? For 
       the LORD has created a new thing on the earth: a woman encompasses a 
       man.

       (Jer 31:23 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Once 
       more they shall use these words in the land of Judah and in its towns 
       when I restore their fortunes: "The LORD bless you, O abode of 
       righteousness, O holy hill!"

       (Jer 31:24 NRSV)  And Judah and all its towns shall live there 
       together, and the farmers and those who wander with their flocks.

       (Jer 31:25 NRSV)  I will satisfy the weary, and all who are faint I 
       will replenish.

       (Jer 31:26 NRSV)  Thereupon I awoke and looked, and my sleep was 
       pleasant to me.

       (Jer 31:27 NRSV)  The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I 
       will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of 
       humans and the seed of animals.

       (Jer 31:28 NRSV)  And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and 
       break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch 
       over them to build and to plant, says the LORD.

       (Jer 31:29 NRSV)  In those days they shall no longer say: "The parents 
       have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge."

       (Jer 31:30 NRSV)  But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of 
       everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge.

       (Jer 31:31 NRSV)  The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I 
       will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of 
       Judah.

       (Jer 31:32 NRSV)  It will not be like the covenant that I made with 





       their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the 
       land of Egypt--a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, 
       says the LORD.

       (Jer 31:33 NRSV)  But this is the covenant that I will make with the 
       house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law 
       within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their 
       God, and they shall be my people.

       (Jer 31:34 NRSV)  No longer shall they teach one another, or say to 
       each other, "Know the LORD," for they shall all know me, from the 
       least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their 
       iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

       (Jer 31:35 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by 
       day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, 
       who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar-- the LORD of hosts is his 
       name:

       (Jer 31:36 NRSV)  If this fixed order were ever to cease from my 
       presence, says the LORD, then also the offspring of Israel would cease 
       to be a nation before me forever.

       (Jer 31:37 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: If the heavens above can be 
       measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then 
       I will reject all the offspring of Israel because of all they have 
       done, says the LORD.

       (Jer 31:38 NRSV)  The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when the 
       city shall be rebuilt for the LORD from the tower of Hananel to the 
       Corner Gate.

       (Jer 31:39 NRSV)  And the measuring line shall go out farther, 
       straight to the hill Gareb, and shall then turn to Goah.

       (Jer 31:40 NRSV)  The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, 
       and all the fields as far as the Wadi Kidron, to the corner of the 
       Horse Gate toward the east, shall be sacred to the LORD. It shall 
       never again be uprooted or overthrown.

       (Jer 32:1 NRSV)  The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the 
       tenth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of 
       Nebuchadrezzar.

       (Jer 32:2 NRSV)  At that time the army of the king of Babylon was 
       besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined in the 
       court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah,

       (Jer 32:3 NRSV)  where King Zedekiah of Judah had confined him. 
       Zedekiah had said, "Why do you prophesy and say: Thus says the LORD: I 
       am going to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and 
       he shall take it;

       (Jer 32:4 NRSV)  King Zedekiah of Judah shall not escape out of the 
       hands of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be given into the hands of 
       the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face and see him 





       eye to eye;

       (Jer 32:5 NRSV)  and he shall take Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he 
       shall remain until I attend to him, says the LORD; though you fight 
       against the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed?"

       (Jer 32:6 NRSV)  Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Jer 32:7 NRSV)  Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to 
       you and say, "Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of 
       redemption by purchase is yours."

       (Jer 32:8 NRSV)  Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the 
       guard, in accordance with the word of the LORD, and said to me, "Buy 
       my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of 
       possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself." Then I knew 
       that this was the word of the LORD.

       (Jer 32:9 NRSV)  And I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin 
       Hanamel, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of 
       silver.

       (Jer 32:10 NRSV)  I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and 
       weighed the money on scales.

       (Jer 32:11 NRSV)  Then I took the sealed deed of purchase, containing 
       the terms and conditions, and the open copy;

       (Jer 32:12 NRSV)  and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of 
       Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, in the 
       presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the 
       presence of all the Judeans who were sitting in the court of the 
       guard.

       (Jer 32:13 NRSV)  In their presence I charged Baruch, saying,

       (Jer 32:14 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Take 
       these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and 
       put them in an earthenware jar, in order that they may last for a long 
       time.

       (Jer 32:15 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 
       Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.

       (Jer 32:16 NRSV)  After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son 
       of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD, saying:

       (Jer 32:17 NRSV)  Ah Lord GOD! It is you who made the heavens and the 
       earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too 
       hard for you.

       (Jer 32:18 NRSV)  You show steadfast love to the thousandth 
       generation, but repay the guilt of parents into the laps of their 
       children after them, O great and mighty God whose name is the LORD of 
       hosts,





       (Jer 32:19 NRSV)  great in counsel and mighty in deed; whose eyes are 
       open to all the ways of mortals, rewarding all according to their ways 
       and according to the fruit of their doings.

       (Jer 32:20 NRSV)  You showed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 
       and to this day in Israel and among all humankind, and have made 
       yourself a name that continues to this very day.

       (Jer 32:21 NRSV)  You brought your people Israel out of the land of 
       Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and outstretched arm, 
       and with great terror;

       (Jer 32:22 NRSV)  and you gave them this land, which you swore to 
       their ancestors to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey;

       (Jer 32:23 NRSV)  and they entered and took possession of it. But they 
       did not obey your voice or follow your law; of all you commanded them 
       to do, they did nothing. Therefore you have made all these disasters 
       come upon them.

       (Jer 32:24 NRSV)  See, the siege ramps have been cast up against the 
       city to take it, and the city, faced with sword, famine, and 
       pestilence, has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are 
       fighting against it. What you spoke has happened, as you yourself can 
       see.

       (Jer 32:25 NRSV)  Yet you, O Lord GOD, have said to me, "Buy the field 
       for money and get witnesses"--though the city has been given into the 
       hands of the Chaldeans.

       (Jer 32:26 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

       (Jer 32:27 NRSV)  See, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is 
       anything too hard for me?

       (Jer 32:28 NRSV)  Therefore, thus says the LORD: I am going to give 
       this city into the hands of the Chaldeans and into the hand of King 
       Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, and he shall take it.

       (Jer 32:29 NRSV)  The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city 
       shall come, set it on fire, and burn it, with the houses on whose 
       roofs offerings have been made to Baal and libations have been poured 
       out to other gods, to provoke me to anger.

       (Jer 32:30 NRSV)  For the people of Israel and the people of Judah 
       have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth; the people of 
       Israel have done nothing but provoke me to anger by the work of their 
       hands, says the LORD.

       (Jer 32:31 NRSV)  This city has aroused my anger and wrath, from the 
       day it was built until this day, so that I will remove it from my 
       sight

       (Jer 32:32 NRSV)  because of all the evil of the people of Israel and 
       the people of Judah that they did to provoke me to anger--they, their 
       kings and their officials, their priests and their prophets, the 





       citizens of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

       (Jer 32:33 NRSV)  They have turned their backs to me, not their faces; 
       though I have taught them persistently, they would not listen and 
       accept correction.

       (Jer 32:34 NRSV)  They set up their abominations in the house that 
       bears my name, and defiled it.

       (Jer 32:35 NRSV)  They built the high places of Baal in the valley of 
       the son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech, 
       though I did not command them, nor did it enter my mind that they 
       should do this abomination, causing Judah to sin.

       (Jer 32:36 NRSV)  Now therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 
       concerning this city of which you say, "It is being given into the 
       hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by famine, and by 
       pestilence":

       (Jer 32:37 NRSV)  See, I am going to gather them from all the lands to 
       which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation; 
       I will bring them back to this place, and I will settle them in 
       safety.

       (Jer 32:38 NRSV)  They shall be my people, and I will be their God.

       (Jer 32:39 NRSV)  I will give them one heart and one way, that they 
       may fear me for all time, for their own good and the good of their 
       children after them.

       (Jer 32:40 NRSV)  I will make an everlasting covenant with them, never 
       to draw back from doing good to them; and I will put the fear of me in 
       their hearts, so that they may not turn from me.

       (Jer 32:41 NRSV)  I will rejoice in doing good to them, and I will 
       plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my 
       soul.

       (Jer 32:42 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD: Just as I have brought all 
       this great disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all 
       the good fortune that I now promise them.

       (Jer 32:43 NRSV)  Fields shall be bought in this land of which you are 
       saying, It is a desolation, without human beings or animals; it has 
       been given into the hands of the Chaldeans.

       (Jer 32:44 NRSV)  Fields shall be bought for money, and deeds shall be 
       signed and sealed and witnessed, in the land of Benjamin, in the 
       places around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, of the hill 
       country, of the Shephelah, and of the Negeb; for I will restore their 
       fortunes, says the LORD.

       (Jer 33:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah a second time, 
       while he was still confined in the court of the guard:

       (Jer 33:2 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who 





       formed it to establish it--the LORD is his name:

       (Jer 33:3 NRSV)  Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you 
       great and hidden things that you have not known.

       (Jer 33:4 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning 
       the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah that were 
       torn down to make a defense against the siege ramps and before the 
       sword:

       (Jer 33:5 NRSV)  The Chaldeans are coming in to fight and to fill them 
       with the dead bodies of those whom I shall strike down in my anger and 
       my wrath, for I have hidden my face from this city because of all 
       their wickedness.

       (Jer 33:6 NRSV)  I am going to bring it recovery and healing; I will 
       heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security.

       (Jer 33:7 NRSV)  I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes 
       of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first.

       (Jer 33:8 NRSV)  I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin 
       against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and 
       rebellion against me.

       (Jer 33:9 NRSV)  And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise 
       and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all 
       the good that I do for them; they shall fear and tremble because of 
       all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.

       (Jer 33:10 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: In this place of which you say, 
       "It is a waste without human beings or animals," in the towns of Judah 
       and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without inhabitants, 
       human or animal, there shall once more be heard

       (Jer 33:11 NRSV)  the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the 
       voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of 
       those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the 
       LORD: "Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, for his 
       steadfast love endures forever!" For I will restore the fortunes of 
       the land as at first, says the LORD.

       (Jer 33:12 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts: In this place that is 
       waste, without human beings or animals, and in all its towns there 
       shall again be pasture for shepherds resting their flocks.

       (Jer 33:13 NRSV)  In the towns of the hill country, of the Shephelah, 
       and of the Negeb, in the land of Benjamin, the places around 
       Jerusalem, and in the towns of Judah, flocks shall again pass under 
       the hands of the one who counts them, says the LORD.

       (Jer 33:14 NRSV)  The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I 
       will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house 
       of Judah.

       (Jer 33:15 NRSV)  In those days and at that time I will cause a 





       righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice 
       and righteousness in the land.

       (Jer 33:16 NRSV)  In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will 
       live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: "The 
       LORD is our righteousness."

       (Jer 33:17 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD: David shall never lack a man 
       to sit on the throne of the house of Israel,

       (Jer 33:18 NRSV)  and the levitical priests shall never lack a man in 
       my presence to offer burnt offerings, to make grain offerings, and to 
       make sacrifices for all time.

       (Jer 33:19 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

       (Jer 33:20 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: If any of you could break my 
       covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and 
       night would not come at their appointed time,

       (Jer 33:21 NRSV)  only then could my covenant with my servant David be 
       broken, so that he would not have a son to reign on his throne, and my 
       covenant with my ministers the Levites.

       (Jer 33:22 NRSV)  Just as the host of heaven cannot be numbered and 
       the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will increase the 
       offspring of my servant David, and the Levites who minister to me.

       (Jer 33:23 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

       (Jer 33:24 NRSV)  Have you not observed how these people say, "The two 
       families that the LORD chose have been rejected by him," and how they 
       hold my people in such contempt that they no longer regard them as a 
       nation?

       (Jer 33:25 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: Only if I had not established my 
       covenant with day and night and the ordinances of heaven and earth,

       (Jer 33:26 NRSV)  would I reject the offspring of Jacob and of my 
       servant David and not choose any of his descendants as rulers over the 
       offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their 
       fortunes, and will have mercy upon them.

       (Jer 34:1 NRSV)  The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, when 
       King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms 
       of the earth and all the peoples under his dominion were fighting 
       against Jerusalem and all its cities:

       (Jer 34:2 NRSV)  "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Go and speak 
       to King Zedekiah of Judah and say to him: Thus says the LORD: I am 
       going to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he 
       shall burn it with fire.

       (Jer 34:3 NRSV)  And you yourself shall not escape from his hand, but 
       shall surely be captured and handed over to him; you shall see the 
       king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face; and you 





       shall go to Babylon.

       (Jer 34:4 NRSV)  Yet hear the word of the LORD, O King Zedekiah of 
       Judah! Thus says the LORD concerning you: You shall not die by the 
       sword;

       (Jer 34:5 NRSV)  you shall die in peace. And as spices were burned for 
       your ancestors, the earlier kings who preceded you, so they shall burn 
       spices for you and lament for you, saying, "Alas, lord!" For I have 
       spoken the word, says the LORD.

       (Jer 34:6 NRSV)  Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke all these words to 
       Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem,

       (Jer 34:7 NRSV)  when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting 
       against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left, 
       Lachish and Azekah; for these were the only fortified cities of Judah 
       that remained.

       (Jer 34:8 NRSV)  The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after 
       King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to 
       make a proclamation of liberty to them,

       (Jer 34:9 NRSV)  that all should set free their Hebrew slaves, male 
       and female, so that no one should hold another Judean in slavery.

       (Jer 34:10 NRSV)  And they obeyed, all the officials and all the 
       people who had entered into the covenant that all would set free their 
       slaves, male or female, so that they would not be enslaved again; they 
       obeyed and set them free.

       (Jer 34:11 NRSV)  But afterward they turned around and took back the 
       male and female slaves they had set free, and brought them again into 
       subjection as slaves.

       (Jer 34:12 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

       (Jer 34:13 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I myself made 
       a covenant with your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of 
       Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying,

       (Jer 34:14 NRSV)  "Every seventh year each of you must set free any 
       Hebrews who have been sold to you and have served you six years; you 
       must set them free from your service." But your ancestors did not 
       listen to me or incline their ears to me.

       (Jer 34:15 NRSV)  You yourselves recently repented and did what was 
       right in my sight by proclaiming liberty to one another, and you made 
       a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name;

       (Jer 34:16 NRSV)  but then you turned around and profaned my name when 
       each of you took back your male and female slaves, whom you had set 
       free according to their desire, and you brought them again into 
       subjection to be your slaves.

       (Jer 34:17 NRSV)  Therefore, thus says the LORD: You have not obeyed 





       me by granting a release to your neighbors and friends; I am going to 
       grant a release to you, says the LORD--a release to the sword, to 
       pestilence, and to famine. I will make you a horror to all the 
       kingdoms of the earth.

       (Jer 34:18 NRSV)  And those who transgressed my covenant and did not 
       keep the terms of the covenant that they made before me, I will make 
       like the calf when they cut it in two and passed between its parts:

       (Jer 34:19 NRSV)  the officials of Judah, the officials of Jerusalem, 
       the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed 
       between the parts of the calf

       (Jer 34:20 NRSV)  shall be handed over to their enemies and to those 
       who seek their lives. Their corpses shall become food for the birds of 
       the air and the wild animals of the earth.

       (Jer 34:21 NRSV)  And as for King Zedekiah of Judah and his officials, 
       I will hand them over to their enemies and to those who seek their 
       lives, to the army of the king of Babylon, which has withdrawn from 
       you.

       (Jer 34:22 NRSV)  I am going to command, says the LORD, and will bring 
       them back to this city; and they will fight against it, and take it, 
       and burn it with fire. The towns of Judah I will make a desolation 
       without inhabitant.

       (Jer 35:1 NRSV)  The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the 
       days of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah:

       (Jer 35:2 NRSV)  Go to the house of the Rechabites, and speak with 
       them, and bring them to the house of the LORD, into one of the 
       chambers; then offer them wine to drink.

       (Jer 35:3 NRSV)  So I took Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah son of 
       Habazziniah, and his brothers, and all his sons, and the whole house 
       of the Rechabites.

       (Jer 35:4 NRSV)  I brought them to the house of the LORD into the 
       chamber of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which 
       was near the chamber of the officials, above the chamber of Maaseiah 
       son of Shallum, keeper of the threshold.

       (Jer 35:5 NRSV)  Then I set before the Rechabites pitchers full of 
       wine, and cups; and I said to them, "Have some wine."

       (Jer 35:6 NRSV)  But they answered, "We will drink no wine, for our 
       ancestor Jonadab son of Rechab commanded us, 'You shall never drink 
       wine, neither you nor your children;

       (Jer 35:7 NRSV)  nor shall you ever build a house, or sow seed; nor 
       shall you plant a vineyard, or even own one; but you shall live in 
       tents all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you 
       reside.'

       (Jer 35:8 NRSV)  We have obeyed the charge of our ancestor Jonadab son 





       of Rechab in all that he commanded us, to drink no wine all our days, 
       ourselves, our wives, our sons, or our daughters,

       (Jer 35:9 NRSV)  and not to build houses to live in. We have no 
       vineyard or field or seed;

       (Jer 35:10 NRSV)  but we have lived in tents, and have obeyed and done 
       all that our ancestor Jonadab commanded us.

       (Jer 35:11 NRSV)  But when King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon came up 
       against the land, we said, 'Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear 
       of the army of the Chaldeans and the army of the Arameans.' That is 
       why we are living in Jerusalem."

       (Jer 35:12 NRSV)  Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

       (Jer 35:13 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Go 
       and say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Can 
       you not learn a lesson and obey my words? says the LORD.

       (Jer 35:14 NRSV)  The command has been carried out that Jonadab son of 
       Rechab gave to his descendants to drink no wine; and they drink none 
       to this day, for they have obeyed their ancestor's command. But I 
       myself have spoken to you persistently, and you have not obeyed me.

       (Jer 35:15 NRSV)  I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, 
       sending them persistently, saying, 'Turn now everyone of you from your 
       evil way, and amend your doings, and do not go after other gods to 
       serve them, and then you shall live in the land that I gave to you and 
       your ancestors.' But you did not incline your ear or obey me.

       (Jer 35:16 NRSV)  The descendants of Jonadab son of Rechab have 
       carried out the command that their ancestor gave them, but this people 
       has not obeyed me.

       (Jer 35:17 NRSV)  Therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the 
       God of Israel: I am going to bring on Judah and on all the inhabitants 
       of Jerusalem every disaster that I have pronounced against them; 
       because I have spoken to them and they have not listened, I have 
       called to them and they have not answered.

       (Jer 35:18 NRSV)  But to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said: 
       Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have 
       obeyed the command of your ancestor Jonadab, and kept all his 
       precepts, and done all that he commanded you,

       (Jer 35:19 NRSV)  therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of 
       Israel: Jonadab son of Rechab shall not lack a descendant to stand 
       before me for all time.

       (Jer 36:1 NRSV)  In the fourth year of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of 
       Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

       (Jer 36:2 NRSV)  Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I 
       have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from 
       the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today.






       (Jer 36:3 NRSV)  It may be that when the house of Judah hears of all 
       the disasters that I intend to do to them, all of them may turn from 
       their evil ways, so that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.

       (Jer 36:4 NRSV)  Then Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and Baruch 
       wrote on a scroll at Jeremiah's dictation all the words of the LORD 
       that he had spoken to him.

       (Jer 36:5 NRSV)  And Jeremiah ordered Baruch, saying, "I am prevented 
       from entering the house of the LORD;

       (Jer 36:6 NRSV)  so you go yourself, and on a fast day in the hearing 
       of the people in the Lord's house you shall read the words of the LORD 
       from the scroll that you have written at my dictation. You shall read 
       them also in the hearing of all the people of Judah who come up from 
       their towns.

       (Jer 36:7 NRSV)  It may be that their plea will come before the LORD, 
       and that all of them will turn from their evil ways, for great is the 
       anger and wrath that the LORD has pronounced against this people."

       (Jer 36:8 NRSV)  And Baruch son of Neriah did all that the prophet 
       Jeremiah ordered him about reading from the scroll the words of the 
       LORD in the Lord's house.

       (Jer 36:9 NRSV)  In the fifth year of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of 
       Judah, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the 
       people who came from the towns of Judah to Jerusalem proclaimed a fast 
       before the LORD.

       (Jer 36:10 NRSV)  Then, in the hearing of all the people, Baruch read 
       the words of Jeremiah from the scroll, in the house of the LORD, in 
       the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the secretary, which was in the 
       upper court, at the entry of the New Gate of the Lord's house.

       (Jer 36:11 NRSV)  When Micaiah son of Gemariah son of Shaphan heard 
       all the words of the LORD from the scroll,

       (Jer 36:12 NRSV)  he went down to the king's house, into the 
       secretary's chamber; and all the officials were sitting there: 
       Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of 
       Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the 
       officials.

       (Jer 36:13 NRSV)  And Micaiah told them all the words that he had 
       heard, when Baruch read the scroll in the hearing of the people.

       (Jer 36:14 NRSV)  Then all the officials sent Jehudi son of Nethaniah 
       son of Shelemiah son of Cushi to say to Baruch, "Bring the scroll that 
       you read in the hearing of the people, and come." So Baruch son of 
       Neriah took the scroll in his hand and came to them.

       (Jer 36:15 NRSV)  And they said to him, "Sit down and read it to us." 
       So Baruch read it to them.





       (Jer 36:16 NRSV)  When they heard all the words, they turned to one 
       another in alarm, and said to Baruch, "We certainly must report all 
       these words to the king."

       (Jer 36:17 NRSV)  Then they questioned Baruch, "Tell us now, how did 
       you write all these words? Was it at his dictation?"

       (Jer 36:18 NRSV)  Baruch answered them, "He dictated all these words 
       to me, and I wrote them with ink on the scroll."

       (Jer 36:19 NRSV)  Then the officials said to Baruch, "Go and hide, you 
       and Jeremiah, and let no one know where you are."

       (Jer 36:20 NRSV)  Leaving the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the 
       secretary, they went to the court of the king; and they reported all 
       the words to the king.

       (Jer 36:21 NRSV)  Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he 
       took it from the chamber of Elishama the secretary; and Jehudi read it 
       to the king and all the officials who stood beside the king.

       (Jer 36:22 NRSV)  Now the king was sitting in his winter apartment (it 
       was the ninth month), and there was a fire burning in the brazier 
       before him.

       (Jer 36:23 NRSV)  As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would 
       cut them off with a penknife and throw them into the fire in the 
       brazier, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in 
       the brazier.

       (Jer 36:24 NRSV)  Yet neither the king, nor any of his servants who 
       heard all these words, was alarmed, nor did they tear their garments.

       (Jer 36:25 NRSV)  Even when Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah urged 
       the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.

       (Jer 36:26 NRSV)  And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king's son and 
       Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest the 
       secretary Baruch and the prophet Jeremiah. But the LORD hid them.

       (Jer 36:27 NRSV)  Now, after the king had burned the scroll with the 
       words that Baruch wrote at Jeremiah's dictation, the word of the LORD 
       came to Jeremiah:

       (Jer 36:28 NRSV)  Take another scroll and write on it all the former 
       words that were in the first scroll, which King Jehoiakim of Judah has 
       burned.

       (Jer 36:29 NRSV)  And concerning King Jehoiakim of Judah you shall 
       say: Thus says the LORD, You have dared to burn this scroll, saying, 
       Why have you written in it that the king of Babylon will certainly 
       come and destroy this land, and will cut off from it human beings and 
       animals?

       (Jer 36:30 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the LORD concerning King 
       Jehoiakim of Judah: He shall have no one to sit upon the throne of 





       David, and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat by day and the 
       frost by night.

       (Jer 36:31 NRSV)  And I will punish him and his offspring and his 
       servants for their iniquity; I will bring on them, and on the 
       inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on the people of Judah, all the 
       disasters with which I have threatened them--but they would not 
       listen.

       (Jer 36:32 NRSV)  Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the 
       secretary Baruch son of Neriah, who wrote on it at Jeremiah's 
       dictation all the words of the scroll that King Jehoiakim of Judah had 
       burned in the fire; and many similar words were added to them.

       (Jer 37:1 NRSV)  Zedekiah son of Josiah, whom King Nebuchadrezzar of 
       Babylon made king in the land of Judah, succeeded Coniah son of 
       Jehoiakim.

       (Jer 37:2 NRSV)  But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the 
       land listened to the words of the LORD that he spoke through the 
       prophet Jeremiah.

       (Jer 37:3 NRSV)  King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and the 
       priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to the prophet Jeremiah saying, 
       "Please pray for us to the LORD our God."

       (Jer 37:4 NRSV)  Now Jeremiah was still going in and out among the 
       people, for he had not yet been put in prison.

       (Jer 37:5 NRSV)  Meanwhile, the army of Pharaoh had come out of Egypt; 
       and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news of 
       them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.

       (Jer 37:6 NRSV)  Then the word of the LORD came to the prophet 
       Jeremiah:

       (Jer 37:7 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD, God of Israel: This is what the 
       two of you shall say to the king of Judah, who sent you to me to 
       inquire of me, Pharaoh's army, which set out to help you, is going to 
       return to its own land, to Egypt.

       (Jer 37:8 NRSV)  And the Chaldeans shall return and fight against this 
       city; they shall take it and burn it with fire.

       (Jer 37:9 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: Do not deceive yourselves, 
       saying, "The Chaldeans will surely go away from us," for they will not 
       go away.

       (Jer 37:10 NRSV)  Even if you defeated the whole army of Chaldeans who 
       are fighting against you, and there remained of them only wounded men 
       in their tents, they would rise up and burn this city with fire.

       (Jer 37:11 NRSV)  Now when the Chaldean army had withdrawn from 
       Jerusalem at the approach of Pharaoh's army,

       (Jer 37:12 NRSV)  Jeremiah set out from Jerusalem to go to the land of 





       Benjamin to receive his share of property among the people there.

       (Jer 37:13 NRSV)  When he reached the Benjamin Gate, a sentinel there 
       named Irijah son of Shelemiah son of Hananiah arrested the prophet 
       Jeremiah saying, "You are deserting to the Chaldeans."

       (Jer 37:14 NRSV)  And Jeremiah said, "That is a lie; I am not 
       deserting to the Chaldeans." But Irijah would not listen to him, and 
       arrested Jeremiah and brought him to the officials.

       (Jer 37:15 NRSV)  The officials were enraged at Jeremiah, and they 
       beat him and imprisoned him in the house of the secretary Jonathan, 
       for it had been made a prison.

       (Jer 37:16 NRSV)  Thus Jeremiah was put in the cistern house, in the 
       cells, and remained there many days.

       (Jer 37:17 NRSV)  Then King Zedekiah sent for him, and received him. 
       The king questioned him secretly in his house, and said, "Is there any 
       word from the LORD?" Jeremiah said, "There is!" Then he said, "You 
       shall be handed over to the king of Babylon."

       (Jer 37:18 NRSV)  Jeremiah also said to King Zedekiah, "What wrong 
       have I done to you or your servants or this people, that you have put 
       me in prison?

       (Jer 37:19 NRSV)  Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, 
       saying, 'The king of Babylon will not come against you and against 
       this land'?

       (Jer 37:20 NRSV)  Now please hear me, my lord king: be good enough to 
       listen to my plea, and do not send me back to the house of the 
       secretary Jonathan to die there."

       (Jer 37:21 NRSV)  So King Zedekiah gave orders, and they committed 
       Jeremiah to the court of the guard; and a loaf of bread was given him 
       daily from the bakers' street, until all the bread of the city was 
       gone. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

       (Jer 38:1 NRSV)  Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of 
       Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah heard the 
       words that Jeremiah was saying to all the people,

       (Jer 38:2 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD, Those who stay in this city shall 
       die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but those who go out 
       to the Chaldeans shall live; they shall have their lives as a prize of 
       war, and live.

       (Jer 38:3 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD, This city shall surely be handed 
       over to the army of the king of Babylon and be taken.

       (Jer 38:4 NRSV)  Then the officials said to the king, "This man ought 
       to be put to death, because he is discouraging the soldiers who are 
       left in this city, and all the people, by speaking such words to them. 
       For this man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their 
       harm."






       (Jer 38:5 NRSV)  King Zedekiah said, "Here he is; he is in your hands; 
       for the king is powerless against you."

       (Jer 38:6 NRSV)  So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern 
       of Malchiah, the king's son, which was in the court of the guard, 
       letting Jeremiah down by ropes. Now there was no water in the cistern, 
       but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.

       (Jer 38:7 NRSV)  Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch in the king's 
       house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. The king 
       happened to be sitting at the Benjamin Gate,

       (Jer 38:8 NRSV)  So Ebed-melech left the king's house and spoke to the 
       king,

       (Jer 38:9 NRSV)  "My lord king, these men have acted wickedly in all 
       they did to the prophet Jeremiah by throwing him into the cistern to 
       die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city."

       (Jer 38:10 NRSV)  Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, 
       "Take three men with you from here, and pull the prophet Jeremiah up 
       from the cistern before he dies."

       (Jer 38:11 NRSV)  So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the 
       house of the king, to a wardrobe of the storehouse, and took from 
       there old rags and worn-out clothes, which he let down to Jeremiah in 
       the cistern by ropes.

       (Jer 38:12 NRSV)  Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, 
       "Just put the rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes." 
       Jeremiah did so.

       (Jer 38:13 NRSV)  Then they drew Jeremiah up by the ropes and pulled 
       him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the 
       guard.

       (Jer 38:14 NRSV)  King Zedekiah sent for the prophet Jeremiah and 
       received him at the third entrance of the temple of the LORD. The king 
       said to Jeremiah, "I have something to ask you; do not hide anything 
       from me."

       (Jer 38:15 NRSV)  Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "If I tell you, you will 
       put me to death, will you not? And if I give you advice, you will not 
       listen to me."

       (Jer 38:16 NRSV)  So King Zedekiah swore an oath in secret to 
       Jeremiah, "As the LORD lives, who gave us our lives, I will not put 
       you to death or hand you over to these men who seek your life."

       (Jer 38:17 NRSV)  Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "Thus says the LORD, 
       the God of hosts, the God of Israel, If you will only surrender to the 
       officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and 
       this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall 
       live.





       (Jer 38:18 NRSV)  But if you do not surrender to the officials of the 
       king of Babylon, then this city shall be handed over to the Chaldeans, 
       and they shall burn it with fire, and you yourself shall not escape 
       from their hand."

       (Jer 38:19 NRSV)  King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "I am afraid of the 
       Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, for I might be handed over 
       to them and they would abuse me."

       (Jer 38:20 NRSV)  Jeremiah said, "That will not happen. Just obey the 
       voice of the LORD in what I say to you, and it shall go well with you, 
       and your life shall be spared.

       (Jer 38:21 NRSV)  But if you are determined not to surrender, this is 
       what the LORD has shown me--

       (Jer 38:22 NRSV)  a vision of all the women remaining in the house of 
       the king of Judah being led out to the officials of the king of 
       Babylon and saying, 'Your trusted friends have seduced you and have 
       overcome you; Now that your feet are stuck in the mud, they desert 
       you.'

       (Jer 38:23 NRSV)  All your wives and your children shall be led out to 
       the Chaldeans, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand, but 
       shall be seized by the king of Babylon; and this city shall be burned 
       with fire."

       (Jer 38:24 NRSV)  Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Do not let anyone 
       else know of this conversation, or you will die.

       (Jer 38:25 NRSV)  If the officials should hear that I have spoken with 
       you, and they should come and say to you, 'Just tell us what you said 
       to the king; do not conceal it from us, or we will put you to death. 
       What did the king say to you?'

       (Jer 38:26 NRSV)  then you shall say to them, 'I was presenting my 
       plea to the king not to send me back to the house of Jonathan to die 
       there.'"

       (Jer 38:27 NRSV)  All the officials did come to Jeremiah and 
       questioned him; and he answered them in the very words the king had 
       commanded. So they stopped questioning him, for the conversation had 
       not been overheard.

       (Jer 38:28 NRSV)  And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard 
       until the day that Jerusalem was taken.

       (Jer 39:1 NRSV)  In the ninth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, in the 
       tenth month, King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon and all his army came 
       against Jerusalem and besieged it;

       (Jer 39:2 NRSV)  in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth 
       month, on the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city.

       (Jer 39:3 NRSV)  When Jerusalem was taken, all the officials of the 
       king of Babylon came and sat in the middle gate: Nergal-sharezer, 





       Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim the Rabsaris, Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag, with 
       all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon.

       (Jer 39:4 NRSV)  When King Zedekiah of Judah and all the soldiers saw 
       them, they fled, going out of the city at night by way of the king's 
       garden through the gate between the two walls; and they went toward 
       the Arabah.

       (Jer 39:5 NRSV)  But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them, and 
       overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and when they had taken 
       him, they brought him up to King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, at Riblah, 
       in the land of Hamath; and he passed sentence on him.

       (Jer 39:6 NRSV)  The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah 
       at Riblah before his eyes; also the king of Babylon slaughtered all 
       the nobles of Judah.

       (Jer 39:7 NRSV)  He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in 
       fetters to take him to Babylon.

       (Jer 39:8 NRSV)  The Chaldeans burned the king's house and the houses 
       of the people, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.

       (Jer 39:9 NRSV)  Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard exiled to 
       Babylon the rest of the people who were left in the city, those who 
       had deserted to him, and the people who remained.

       (Jer 39:10 NRSV)  Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left in the 
       land of Judah some of the poor people who owned nothing, and gave them 
       vineyards and fields at the same time.

       (Jer 39:11 NRSV)  King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon gave command 
       concerning Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, 
       saying,

       (Jer 39:12 NRSV)  "Take him, look after him well and do him no harm, 
       but deal with him as he may ask you."

       (Jer 39:13 NRSV)  So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, Nebushazban 
       the Rabsaris, Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag, and all the chief officers 
       of the king of Babylon sent

       (Jer 39:14 NRSV)  and took Jeremiah from the court of the guard. They 
       entrusted him to Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan to be brought 
       home. So he stayed with his own people.

       (Jer 39:15 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah while he was 
       confined in the court of the guard:

       (Jer 39:16 NRSV)  Go and say to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian: Thus says 
       the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: I am going to fulfill my words 
       against this city for evil and not for good, and they shall be 
       accomplished in your presence on that day.

       (Jer 39:17 NRSV)  But I will save you on that day, says the LORD, and 
       you shall not be handed over to those whom you dread.






       (Jer 39:18 NRSV)  For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall 
       by the sword; but you shall have your life as a prize of war, because 
       you have trusted in me, says the LORD.

       (Jer 40:1 NRSV)  The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD after 
       Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when 
       he took him bound in fetters along with all the captives of Jerusalem 
       and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon.

       (Jer 40:2 NRSV)  The captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to 
       him, "The LORD your God threatened this place with this disaster;

       (Jer 40:3 NRSV)  and now the LORD has brought it about, and has done 
       as he said, because all of you sinned against the LORD and did not 
       obey his voice. Therefore this thing has come upon you.

       (Jer 40:4 NRSV)  Now look, I have just released you today from the 
       fetters on your hands. If you wish to come with me to Babylon, come, 
       and I will take good care of you; but if you do not wish to come with 
       me to Babylon, you need not come. See, the whole land is before you; 
       go wherever you think it good and right to go.

       (Jer 40:5 NRSV)  If you remain, then return to Gedaliah son of Ahikam 
       son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon appointed governor of the 
       towns of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or go wherever you 
       think it right to go." So the captain of the guard gave him an 
       allowance of food and a present, and let him go.

       (Jer 40:6 NRSV)  Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at 
       Mizpah, and stayed with him among the people who were left in the 
       land.

       (Jer 40:7 NRSV)  When all the leaders of the forces in the open 
       country and their troops heard that the king of Babylon had appointed 
       Gedaliah son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed to him 
       men, women, and children, those of the poorest of the land who had not 
       been taken into exile to Babylon,

       (Jer 40:8 NRSV)  they went to Gedaliah at Mizpah--Ishmael son of 
       Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons 
       of Ephai the Netophathite, Jezaniah son of the Maacathite, they and 
       their troops.

       (Jer 40:9 NRSV)  Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan swore to them 
       and their troops, saying, "Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. 
       Stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall go well 
       with you.

       (Jer 40:10 NRSV)  As for me, I am staying at Mizpah to represent you 
       before the Chaldeans who come to us; but as for you, gather wine and 
       summer fruits and oil, and store them in your vessels, and live in the 
       towns that you have taken over."

       (Jer 40:11 NRSV)  Likewise, when all the Judeans who were in Moab and 
       among the Ammonites and in Edom and in other lands heard that the king 





       of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son 
       of Ahikam son of Shaphan as governor over them,

       (Jer 40:12 NRSV)  then all the Judeans returned from all the places to 
       which they had been scattered and came to the land of Judah, to 
       Gedaliah at Mizpah; and they gathered wine and summer fruits in great 
       abundance.

       (Jer 40:13 NRSV)  Now Johanan son of Kareah and all the leaders of the 
       forces in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah

       (Jer 40:14 NRSV)  and said to him, "Are you at all aware that Baalis 
       king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to take your 
       life?" But Gedaliah son of Ahikam would not believe them.

       (Jer 40:15 NRSV)  Then Johanan son of Kareah spoke secretly to 
       Gedaliah at Mizpah, "Please let me go and kill Ishmael son of 
       Nethaniah, and no one else will know. Why should he take your life, so 
       that all the Judeans who are gathered around you would be scattered, 
       and the remnant of Judah would perish?"

       (Jer 40:16 NRSV)  But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of 
       Kareah, "Do not do such a thing, for you are telling a lie about 
       Ishmael."

       (Jer 41:1 NRSV)  In the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah son of 
       Elishama, of the royal family, one of the chief officers of the king, 
       came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, at Mizpah. As they ate 
       bread together there at Mizpah,

       (Jer 41:2 NRSV)  Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men with him got 
       up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan with the 
       sword and killed him, because the king of Babylon had appointed him 
       governor in the land.

       (Jer 41:3 NRSV)  Ishmael also killed all the Judeans who were with 
       Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldean soldiers who happened to be 
       there.

       (Jer 41:4 NRSV)  On the day after the murder of Gedaliah, before 
       anyone knew of it,

       (Jer 41:5 NRSV)  eighty men arrived from Shechem and Shiloh and 
       Samaria, with their beards shaved and their clothes torn, and their 
       bodies gashed, bringing grain offerings and incense to present at the 
       temple of the LORD.

       (Jer 41:6 NRSV)  And Ishmael son of Nethaniah came out from Mizpah to 
       meet them, weeping as he came. As he met them, he said to them, "Come 
       to Gedaliah son of Ahikam."

       (Jer 41:7 NRSV)  When they reached the middle of the city, Ishmael son 
       of Nethaniah and the men with him slaughtered them, and threw them 
       into a cistern.

       (Jer 41:8 NRSV)  But there were ten men among them who said to 





       Ishmael, "Do not kill us, for we have stores of wheat, barley, oil, 
       and honey hidden in the fields." So he refrained, and did not kill 
       them along with their companions.

       (Jer 41:9 NRSV)  Now the cistern into which Ishmael had thrown all the 
       bodies of the men whom he had struck down was the large cistern that 
       King Asa had made for defense against King Baasha of Israel; Ishmael 
       son of Nethaniah filled that cistern with those whom he had killed.

       (Jer 41:10 NRSV)  Then Ishmael took captive all the rest of the people 
       who were in Mizpah, the king's daughters and all the people who were 
       left at Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had 
       committed to Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took 
       them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.

       (Jer 41:11 NRSV)  But when Johanan son of Kareah and all the leaders 
       of the forces with him heard of all the crimes that Ishmael son of 
       Nethaniah had done,

       (Jer 41:12 NRSV)  they took all their men and went to fight against 
       Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They came upon him at the great pool that is 
       in Gibeon.

       (Jer 41:13 NRSV)  And when all the people who were with Ishmael saw 
       Johanan son of Kareah and all the leaders of the forces with him, they 
       were glad.

       (Jer 41:14 NRSV)  So all the people whom Ishmael had carried away 
       captive from Mizpah turned around and came back, and went to Johanan 
       son of Kareah.

       (Jer 41:15 NRSV)  But Ishmael son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan 
       with eight men, and went to the Ammonites.

       (Jer 41:16 NRSV)  Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the leaders of 
       the forces with him took all the rest of the people whom Ishmael son 
       of Nethaniah had carried away captive from Mizpah after he had slain 
       Gedaliah son of Ahikam--soldiers, women, children, and eunuchs, whom 
       Johanan brought back from Gibeon.

       (Jer 41:17 NRSV)  And they set out, and stopped at Geruth Chimham near 
       Bethlehem, intending to go to Egypt

       (Jer 41:18 NRSV)  because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of 
       them, because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of 
       Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land.

       (Jer 42:1 NRSV)  Then all the commanders of the forces, and Johanan 
       son of Kareah and Azariah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the 
       least to the greatest, approached

       (Jer 42:2 NRSV)  the prophet Jeremiah and said, "Be good enough to 
       listen to our plea, and pray to the LORD your God for us--for all this 
       remnant. For there are only a few of us left out of many, as your eyes 
       can see.





       (Jer 42:3 NRSV)  Let the LORD your God show us where we should go and 
       what we should do."

       (Jer 42:4 NRSV)  The prophet Jeremiah said to them, "Very well: I am 
       going to pray to the LORD your God as you request, and whatever the 
       LORD answers you I will tell you; I will keep nothing back from you."

       (Jer 42:5 NRSV)  They in their turn said to Jeremiah, "May the LORD be 
       a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to 
       everything that the LORD your God sends us through you.

       (Jer 42:6 NRSV)  Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of 
       the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, in order that it may go 
       well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God."

       (Jer 42:7 NRSV)  At the end of ten days the word of the LORD came to 
       Jeremiah.

       (Jer 42:8 NRSV)  Then he summoned Johanan son of Kareah and all the 
       commanders of the forces who were with him, and all the people from 
       the least to the greatest,

       (Jer 42:9 NRSV)  and said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of 
       Israel, to whom you sent me to present your plea before him:

       (Jer 42:10 NRSV)  If you will only remain in this land, then I will 
       build you up and not pull you down; I will plant you, and not pluck 
       you up; for I am sorry for the disaster that I have brought upon you.

       (Jer 42:11 NRSV)  Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, as you have 
       been; do not be afraid of him, says the LORD, for I am with you, to 
       save you and to rescue you from his hand.

       (Jer 42:12 NRSV)  I will grant you mercy, and he will have mercy on 
       you and restore you to your native soil.

       (Jer 42:13 NRSV)  But if you continue to say, 'We will not stay in 
       this land,' thus disobeying the voice of the LORD your God

       (Jer 42:14 NRSV)  and saying, 'No, we will go to the land of Egypt, 
       where we shall not see war, or hear the sound of the trumpet, or be 
       hungry for bread, and there we will stay,'

       (Jer 42:15 NRSV)  then hear the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah. 
       Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: If you are determined 
       to enter Egypt and go to settle there,

       (Jer 42:16 NRSV)  then the sword that you fear shall overtake you 
       there, in the land of Egypt; and the famine that you dread shall 
       follow close after you into Egypt; and there you shall die.

       (Jer 42:17 NRSV)  All the people who have determined to go to Egypt to 
       settle there shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; 
       they shall have no remnant or survivor from the disaster that I am 
       bringing upon them.





       (Jer 42:18 NRSV)  "For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 
       Just as my anger and my wrath were poured out on the inhabitants of 
       Jerusalem, so my wrath will be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. 
       You shall become an object of execration and horror, of cursing and 
       ridicule. You shall see this place no more.

       (Jer 42:19 NRSV)  The LORD has said to you, O remnant of Judah, Do not 
       go to Egypt. Be well aware that I have warned you today

       (Jer 42:20 NRSV)  that you have made a fatal mistake. For you 
       yourselves sent me to the LORD your God, saying, 'Pray for us to the 
       LORD our God, and whatever the LORD our God says, tell us and we will 
       do it.'

       (Jer 42:21 NRSV)  So I have told you today, but you have not obeyed 
       the voice of the LORD your God in anything that he sent me to tell 
       you.

       (Jer 42:22 NRSV)  Be well aware, then, that you shall die by the 
       sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to 
       go and settle."

       (Jer 43:1 NRSV)  When Jeremiah finished speaking to all the people all 
       these words of the LORD their God, with which the LORD their God had 
       sent him to them,

       (Jer 43:2 NRSV)  Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and 
       all the other insolent men said to Jeremiah, "You are telling a lie. 
       The LORD our God did not send you to say, 'Do not go to Egypt to 
       settle there';

       (Jer 43:3 NRSV)  but Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us, 
       to hand us over to the Chaldeans, in order that they may kill us or 
       take us into exile in Babylon."

       (Jer 43:4 NRSV)  So Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of 
       the forces and all the people did not obey the voice of the LORD, to 
       stay in the land of Judah.

       (Jer 43:5 NRSV)  But Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of 
       the forces took all the remnant of Judah who had returned to settle in 
       the land of Judah from all the nations to which they had been driven--

       (Jer 43:6 NRSV)  the men, the women, the children, the princesses, and 
       everyone whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with 
       Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan; also the prophet Jeremiah and 
       Baruch son of Neriah.

       (Jer 43:7 NRSV)  And they came into the land of Egypt, for they did 
       not obey the voice of the LORD. And they arrived at Tahpanhes.

       (Jer 43:8 NRSV)  Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah in 
       Tahpanhes:

       (Jer 43:9 NRSV)  Take some large stones in your hands, and bury them 
       in the clay pavement that is at the entrance to Pharaoh's palace in 





       Tahpanhes. Let the Judeans see you do it,

       (Jer 43:10 NRSV)  and say to them, Thus says the LORD of hosts, the 
       God of Israel: I am going to send and take my servant King 
       Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, and he will set his throne above these 
       stones that I have buried, and he will spread his royal canopy over 
       them.

       (Jer 43:11 NRSV)  He shall come and ravage the land of Egypt, giving 
       those who are destined for pestilence, to pestilence, and those who 
       are destined for captivity, to captivity, and those who are destined 
       for the sword, to the sword.

       (Jer 43:12 NRSV)  He shall kindle a fire in the temples of the gods of 
       Egypt; and he shall burn them and carry them away captive; and he 
       shall pick clean the land of Egypt, as a shepherd picks his cloak 
       clean of vermin; and he shall depart from there safely.

       (Jer 43:13 NRSV)  He shall break the obelisks of Heliopolis, which is 
       in the land of Egypt; and the temples of the gods of Egypt he shall 
       burn with fire.

       (Jer 44:1 NRSV)  The word that came to Jeremiah for all the Judeans 
       living in the land of Egypt, at Migdol, at Tahpanhes, at Memphis, and 
       in the land of Pathros,

       (Jer 44:2 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: You 
       yourselves have seen all the disaster that I have brought on Jerusalem 
       and on all the towns of Judah. Look at them; today they are a 
       desolation, without an inhabitant in them,

       (Jer 44:3 NRSV)  because of the wickedness that they committed, 
       provoking me to anger, in that they went to make offerings and serve 
       other gods that they had not known, neither they, nor you, nor your 
       ancestors.

       (Jer 44:4 NRSV)  Yet I persistently sent to you all my servants the 
       prophets, saying, "I beg you not to do this abominable thing that I 
       hate!"

       (Jer 44:5 NRSV)  But they did not listen or incline their ear, to turn 
       from their wickedness and make no offerings to other gods.

       (Jer 44:6 NRSV)  So my wrath and my anger were poured out and kindled 
       in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they became 
       a waste and a desolation, as they still are today.

       (Jer 44:7 NRSV)  And now thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of 
       Israel: Why are you doing such great harm to yourselves, to cut off 
       man and woman, child and infant, from the midst of Judah, leaving 
       yourselves without a remnant?

       (Jer 44:8 NRSV)  Why do you provoke me to anger with the works of your 
       hands, making offerings to other gods in the land of Egypt where you 
       have come to settle? Will you be cut off and become an object of 
       cursing and ridicule among all the nations of the earth?






       (Jer 44:9 NRSV)  Have you forgotten the crimes of your ancestors, of 
       the kings of Judah, of their wives, your own crimes and those of your 
       wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of 
       Jerusalem?

       (Jer 44:10 NRSV)  They have shown no contrition or fear to this day, 
       nor have they walked in my law and my statutes that I set before you 
       and before your ancestors.

       (Jer 44:11 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of 
       Israel: I am determined to bring disaster on you, to bring all Judah 
       to an end.

       (Jer 44:12 NRSV)  I will take the remnant of Judah who are determined 
       to come to the land of Egypt to settle, and they shall perish, 
       everyone; in the land of Egypt they shall fall; by the sword and by 
       famine they shall perish; from the least to the greatest, they shall 
       die by the sword and by famine; and they shall become an object of 
       execration and horror, of cursing and ridicule.

       (Jer 44:13 NRSV)  I will punish those who live in the land of Egypt, 
       as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine, and with 
       pestilence,

       (Jer 44:14 NRSV)  so that none of the remnant of Judah who have come 
       to settle in the land of Egypt shall escape or survive or return to 
       the land of Judah. Although they long to go back to live there, they 
       shall not go back, except some fugitives.

       (Jer 44:15 NRSV)  Then all the men who were aware that their wives had 
       been making offerings to other gods, and all the women who stood by, a 
       great assembly, all the people who lived in Pathros in the land of 
       Egypt, answered Jeremiah:

       (Jer 44:16 NRSV)  "As for the word that you have spoken to us in the 
       name of the LORD, we are not going to listen to you.

       (Jer 44:17 NRSV)  Instead, we will do everything that we have vowed, 
       make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out libations to her, 
       just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials, used to do 
       in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. We used to have 
       plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no misfortune.

       (Jer 44:18 NRSV)  But from the time we stopped making offerings to the 
       queen of heaven and pouring out libations to her, we have lacked 
       everything and have perished by the sword and by famine."

       (Jer 44:19 NRSV)  And the women said, "Indeed we will go on making 
       offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out libations to her; do 
       you think that we made cakes for her, marked with her image, and 
       poured out libations to her without our husbands' being involved?"

       (Jer 44:20 NRSV)  Then Jeremiah said to all the people, men and women, 
       all the people who were giving him this answer:





       (Jer 44:21 NRSV)  "As for the offerings that you made in the towns of 
       Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your ancestors, your 
       kings and your officials, and the people of the land, did not the LORD 
       remember them? Did it not come into his mind?

       (Jer 44:22 NRSV)  The LORD could no longer bear the sight of your evil 
       doings, the abominations that you committed; therefore your land 
       became a desolation and a waste and a curse, without inhabitant, as it 
       is to this day.

       (Jer 44:23 NRSV)  It is because you burned offerings, and because you 
       sinned against the LORD and did not obey the voice of the LORD or walk 
       in his law and in his statutes and in his decrees, that this disaster 
       has befallen you, as is still evident today."

       (Jer 44:24 NRSV)  Jeremiah said to all the people and all the women, 
       "Hear the word of the LORD, all you Judeans who are in the land of 
       Egypt,

       (Jer 44:25 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: You 
       and your wives have accomplished in deeds what you declared in words, 
       saying, 'We are determined to perform the vows that we have made, to 
       make offerings to the queen of heaven and to pour out libations to 
       her.' By all means, keep your vows and make your libations!

       (Jer 44:26 NRSV)  Therefore hear the word of the LORD, all you Judeans 
       who live in the land of Egypt: Lo, I swear by my great name, says the 
       LORD, that my name shall no longer be pronounced on the lips of any of 
       the people of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, 'As the Lord GOD 
       lives.'

       (Jer 44:27 NRSV)  I am going to watch over them for harm and not for 
       good; all the people of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall 
       perish by the sword and by famine, until not one is left.

       (Jer 44:28 NRSV)  And those who escape the sword shall return from the 
       land of Egypt to the land of Judah, few in number; and all the remnant 
       of Judah, who have come to the land of Egypt to settle, shall know 
       whose words will stand, mine or theirs!

       (Jer 44:29 NRSV)  This shall be the sign to you, says the LORD, that I 
       am going to punish you in this place, in order that you may know that 
       my words against you will surely be carried out:

       (Jer 44:30 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD, I am going to give Pharaoh 
       Hophra, king of Egypt, into the hands of his enemies, those who seek 
       his life, just as I gave King Zedekiah of Judah into the hand of King 
       Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, his enemy who sought his life."

       (Jer 45:1 NRSV)  The word that the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Baruch 
       son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a scroll at the dictation 
       of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of 
       Judah:

       (Jer 45:2 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to you, O 
       Baruch:






       (Jer 45:3 NRSV)  You said, "Woe is me! The LORD has added sorrow to my 
       pain; I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest."

       (Jer 45:4 NRSV)  Thus you shall say to him, "Thus says the LORD: I am 
       going to break down what I have built, and pluck up what I have 
       planted--that is, the whole land.

       (Jer 45:5 NRSV)  And you, do you seek great things for yourself? Do 
       not seek them; for I am going to bring disaster upon all flesh, says 
       the LORD; but I will give you your life as a prize of war in every 
       place to which you may go."

       (Jer 46:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD that came to the prophet 
       Jeremiah concerning the nations.

       (Jer 46:2 NRSV)  Concerning Egypt, about the army of Pharaoh Neco, 
       king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates at Carchemish and 
       which King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of 
       King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah:

       (Jer 46:3 NRSV)  Prepare buckler and shield, and advance for battle!

       (Jer 46:4 NRSV)  Harness the horses; mount the steeds! Take your 
       stations with your helmets, whet your lances, put on your coats of 
       mail!

       (Jer 46:5 NRSV)  Why do I see them terrified? They have fallen back; 
       their warriors are beaten down, and have fled in haste. They do not 
       look back-- terror is all around! says the LORD.

       (Jer 46:6 NRSV)  The swift cannot flee away, nor can the warrior 
       escape; in the north by the river Euphrates they have stumbled and 
       fallen.

       (Jer 46:7 NRSV)  Who is this, rising like the Nile, like rivers whose 
       waters surge?

       (Jer 46:8 NRSV)  Egypt rises like the Nile, like rivers whose waters 
       surge. It said, Let me rise, let me cover the earth, let me destroy 
       cities and their inhabitants.

       (Jer 46:9 NRSV)  Advance, O horses, and dash madly, O chariots! Let 
       the warriors go forth: Ethiopia and Put who carry the shield, the 
       Ludim, who draw the bow.

       (Jer 46:10 NRSV)  That day is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day 
       of retribution, to gain vindication from his foes. The sword shall 
       devour and be sated, and drink its fill of their blood. For the Lord 
       GOD of hosts holds a sacrifice in the land of the north by the river 
       Euphrates.

       (Jer 46:11 NRSV)  Go up to Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter 
       Egypt! In vain you have used many medicines; there is no healing for 
       you.





       (Jer 46:12 NRSV)  The nations have heard of your shame, and the earth 
       is full of your cry; for warrior has stumbled against warrior; both 
       have fallen together.

       (Jer 46:13 NRSV)  The word that the LORD spoke to the prophet Jeremiah 
       about the coming of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon to attack the land 
       of Egypt:

       (Jer 46:14 NRSV)  Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in Migdol; proclaim 
       in Memphis and Tahpanhes; Say, "Take your stations and be ready, for 
       the sword shall devour those around you."

       (Jer 46:15 NRSV)  Why has Apis fled? Why did your bull not stand? 
       --because the LORD thrust him down.

       (Jer 46:16 NRSV)  Your multitude stumbled and fell, and one said to 
       another, "Come, let us go back to our own people and to the land of 
       our birth, because of the destroying sword."

       (Jer 46:17 NRSV)  Give Pharaoh, king of Egypt, the name "Braggart who 
       missed his chance."

       (Jer 46:18 NRSV)  As I live, says the King, whose name is the LORD of 
       hosts, one is coming like Tabor among the mountains, and like Carmel 
       by the sea.

       (Jer 46:19 NRSV)  Pack your bags for exile, sheltered daughter Egypt! 
       For Memphis shall become a waste, a ruin, without inhabitant.

       (Jer 46:20 NRSV)  A beautiful heifer is Egypt-- a gadfly from the 
       north lights upon her.

       (Jer 46:21 NRSV)  Even her mercenaries in her midst are like fatted 
       calves; they too have turned and fled together, they did not stand; 
       for the day of their calamity has come upon them, the time of their 
       punishment.

       (Jer 46:22 NRSV)  She makes a sound like a snake gliding away; for her 
       enemies march in force, and come against her with axes, like those who 
       fell trees.

       (Jer 46:23 NRSV)  They shall cut down her forest, says the LORD, 
       though it is impenetrable, because they are more numerous than 
       locusts; they are without number.

       (Jer 46:24 NRSV)  Daughter Egypt shall be put to shame; she shall be 
       handed over to a people from the north.

       (Jer 46:25 NRSV)  The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, said: See, I 
       am bringing punishment upon Amon of Thebes, and Pharaoh, and Egypt and 
       her gods and her kings, upon Pharaoh and those who trust in him.

       (Jer 46:26 NRSV)  I will hand them over to those who seek their life, 
       to King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon and his officers. Afterward Egypt 
       shall be inhabited as in the days of old, says the LORD.





       (Jer 46:27 NRSV)  But as for you, have no fear, my servant Jacob, and 
       do not be dismayed, O Israel; for I am going to save you from far 
       away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall 
       return and have quiet and ease, and no one shall make him afraid.

       (Jer 46:28 NRSV)  As for you, have no fear, my servant Jacob, says the 
       LORD, for I am with you. I will make an end of all the nations among 
       which I have banished you, but I will not make an end of you! I will 
       chastise you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you 
       unpunished.

       (Jer 47:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD that came to the prophet 
       Jeremiah concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:

       (Jer 47:2 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: See, waters are rising out of the 
       north and shall become an overflowing torrent; they shall overflow the 
       land and all that fills it, the city and those who live in it. People 
       shall cry out, and all the inhabitants of the land shall wail.

       (Jer 47:3 NRSV)  At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his 
       stallions, at the clatter of his chariots, at the rumbling of their 
       wheels, parents do not turn back for children, so feeble are their 
       hands,

       (Jer 47:4 NRSV)  because of the day that is coming to destroy all the 
       Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper that remains. 
       For the LORD is destroying the Philistines, the remnant of the 
       coastland of Caphtor.

       (Jer 47:5 NRSV)  Baldness has come upon Gaza, Ashkelon is silenced. O 
       remnant of their power! How long will you gash yourselves?

       (Jer 47:6 NRSV)  Ah, sword of the LORD! How long until you are quiet? 
       Put yourself into your scabbard, rest and be still!

       (Jer 47:7 NRSV)  How can it be quiet, when the LORD has given it an 
       order? Against Ashkelon and against the seashore-- there he has 
       appointed it.

       (Jer 48:1 NRSV)  Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God 
       of Israel: Alas for Nebo, it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to 
       shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;

       (Jer 48:2 NRSV)  the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they 
       planned evil against her: "Come, let us cut her off from being a 
       nation!" You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword 
       shall pursue you.

       (Jer 48:3 NRSV)  Hark! a cry from Horonaim, "Desolation and great 
       destruction!"

       (Jer 48:4 NRSV)  "Moab is destroyed!" her little ones cry out.

       (Jer 48:5 NRSV)  For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping 
       bitterly; for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the 
       distressing cry of anguish.






       (Jer 48:6 NRSV)  Flee! Save yourselves! Be like a wild ass in the 
       desert!

       (Jer 48:7 NRSV)  Surely, because you trusted in your strongholds and 
       your treasures, you also shall be taken; Chemosh shall go out into 
       exile, with his priests and his attendants.

       (Jer 48:8 NRSV)  The destroyer shall come upon every town, and no town 
       shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be 
       destroyed, as the LORD has spoken.

       (Jer 48:9 NRSV)  Set aside salt for Moab, for she will surely fall; 
       her towns shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them.

       (Jer 48:10 NRSV)  Accursed is the one who is slack in doing the work 
       of the LORD; and accursed is the one who keeps back the sword from 
       bloodshed.

       (Jer 48:11 NRSV)  Moab has been at ease from his youth, settled like 
       wine on its dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor 
       has he gone into exile; therefore his flavor has remained and his 
       aroma is unspoiled.

       (Jer 48:12 NRSV)  Therefore, the time is surely coming, says the LORD, 
       when I shall send to him decanters to decant him, and empty his 
       vessels, and break his jars in pieces.

       (Jer 48:13 NRSV)  Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house 
       of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.

       (Jer 48:14 NRSV)  How can you say, "We are heroes and mighty 
       warriors"?

       (Jer 48:15 NRSV)  The destroyer of Moab and his towns has come up, and 
       the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, says the 
       King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.

       (Jer 48:16 NRSV)  The calamity of Moab is near at hand and his doom 
       approaches swiftly.

       (Jer 48:17 NRSV)  Mourn over him, all you his neighbors, and all who 
       know his name; say, "How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious 
       staff!"

       (Jer 48:18 NRSV)  Come down from glory, and sit on the parched ground, 
       enthroned daughter Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up 
       against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.

       (Jer 48:19 NRSV)  Stand by the road and watch, you inhabitant of 
       Aroer! Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping; say, "What has 
       happened?"

       (Jer 48:20 NRSV)  Moab is put to shame, for it is broken down; wail 
       and cry! Tell it by the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste.





       (Jer 48:21 NRSV)  Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, 
       and Jahzah, and Mephaath,

       (Jer 48:22 NRSV)  and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim,

       (Jer 48:23 NRSV)  and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon,

       (Jer 48:24 NRSV)  and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the towns of the 
       land of Moab, far and near.

       (Jer 48:25 NRSV)  The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, 
       says the LORD.

       (Jer 48:26 NRSV)  Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against 
       the LORD; let Moab wallow in his vomit; he too shall become a 
       laughingstock.

       (Jer 48:27 NRSV)  Israel was a laughingstock for you, though he was 
       not caught among thieves; but whenever you spoke of him you shook your 
       head!

       (Jer 48:28 NRSV)  Leave the towns, and live on the rock, O inhabitants 
       of Moab! Be like the dove that nests on the sides of the mouth of a 
       gorge.

       (Jer 48:29 NRSV)  We have heard of the pride of Moab-- he is very 
       proud-- of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the 
       haughtiness of his heart.

       (Jer 48:30 NRSV)  I myself know his insolence, says the LORD; his 
       boasts are false, his deeds are false.

       (Jer 48:31 NRSV)  Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; 
       for the people of Kir-heres I mourn.

       (Jer 48:32 NRSV)  More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of 
       Sibmah! Your branches crossed over the sea, reached as far as Jazer; 
       upon your summer fruits and your vintage the destroyer has fallen.

       (Jer 48:33 NRSV)  Gladness and joy have been taken away from the 
       fruitful land of Moab; I have stopped the wine from the wine presses; 
       no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout 
       of joy.

       (Jer 48:34 NRSV)  Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; as far as Jahaz they 
       utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For 
       even the waters of Nimrim have become desolate.

       (Jer 48:35 NRSV)  And I will bring to an end in Moab, says the LORD, 
       those who offer sacrifice at a high place and make offerings to their 
       gods.

       (Jer 48:36 NRSV)  Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and 
       my heart moans like a flute for the people of Kir-heres; for the 
       riches they gained have perished.





       (Jer 48:37 NRSV)  For every head is shaved and every beard cut off; on 
       all the hands there are gashes, and on the loins sackcloth.

       (Jer 48:38 NRSV)  On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares 
       there is nothing but lamentation; for I have broken Moab like a vessel 
       that no one wants, says the LORD.

       (Jer 48:39 NRSV)  How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned 
       his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all 
       his neighbors.

       (Jer 48:40 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD: Look, he shall swoop down 
       like an eagle, and spread his wings against Moab;

       (Jer 48:41 NRSV)  the towns shall be taken and the strongholds seized. 
       The hearts of the warriors of Moab, on that day, shall be like the 
       heart of a woman in labor.

       (Jer 48:42 NRSV)  Moab shall be destroyed as a people, because he 
       magnified himself against the LORD.

       (Jer 48:43 NRSV)  Terror, pit, and trap are before you, O inhabitants 
       of Moab! says the LORD.

       (Jer 48:44 NRSV)  Everyone who flees from the terror shall fall into 
       the pit, and everyone who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the 
       trap. For I will bring these things upon Moab in the year of their 
       punishment, says the LORD.

       (Jer 48:45 NRSV)  In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop exhausted; 
       for a fire has gone out from Heshbon, a flame from the house of Sihon; 
       it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the scalp of the people of 
       tumult.

       (Jer 48:46 NRSV)  Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh have 
       perished, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters 
       into captivity.

       (Jer 48:47 NRSV)  Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the 
       latter days, says the LORD. Thus far is the judgment on Moab.

       (Jer 49:1 NRSV)  Concerning the Ammonites. Thus says the LORD: Has 
       Israel no sons? Has he no heir? Why then has Milcom dispossessed Gad, 
       and his people settled in its towns?

       (Jer 49:2 NRSV)  Therefore, the time is surely coming, says the LORD, 
       when I will sound the battle alarm against Rabbah of the Ammonites; it 
       shall become a desolate mound, and its villages shall be burned with 
       fire; then Israel shall dispossess those who dispossessed him, says 
       the LORD.

       (Jer 49:3 NRSV)  Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is laid waste! Cry out, O 
       daughters of Rabbah! Put on sackcloth, lament, and slash yourselves 
       with whips! For Milcom shall go into exile, with his priests and his 
       attendants.





       (Jer 49:4 NRSV)  Why do you boast in your strength? Your strength is 
       ebbing, O faithless daughter. You trusted in your treasures, saying, 
       "Who will attack me?"

       (Jer 49:5 NRSV)  I am going to bring terror upon you, says the Lord 
       GOD of hosts, from all your neighbors, and you will be scattered, each 
       headlong, with no one to gather the fugitives.

       (Jer 49:6 NRSV)  But afterward I will restore the fortunes of the 
       Ammonites, says the LORD.

       (Jer 49:7 NRSV)  Concerning Edom. Thus says the LORD of hosts: Is 
       there no longer wisdom in Teman? Has counsel perished from the 
       prudent? Has their wisdom vanished?

       (Jer 49:8 NRSV)  Flee, turn back, get down low, inhabitants of Dedan! 
       For I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time when I punish 
       him.

       (Jer 49:9 NRSV)  If grape-gatherers came to you, would they not leave 
       gleanings? If thieves came by night, even they would pillage only what 
       they wanted.

       (Jer 49:10 NRSV)  But as for me, I have stripped Esau bare, I have 
       uncovered his hiding places, and he is not able to conceal himself. 
       His offspring are destroyed, his kinsfolk and his neighbors; and he is 
       no more.

       (Jer 49:11 NRSV)  Leave your orphans, I will keep them alive; and let 
       your widows trust in me.

       (Jer 49:12 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD: If those who do not deserve 
       to drink the cup still have to drink it, shall you be the one to go 
       unpunished? You shall not go unpunished; you must drink it.

       (Jer 49:13 NRSV)  For by myself I have sworn, says the LORD, that 
       Bozrah shall become an object of horror and ridicule, a waste, and an 
       object of cursing; and all her towns shall be perpetual wastes.

       (Jer 49:14 NRSV)  I have heard tidings from the LORD, and a messenger 
       has been sent among the nations: "Gather yourselves together and come 
       against her, and rise up for battle!"

       (Jer 49:15 NRSV)  For I will make you least among the nations, 
       despised by humankind.

       (Jer 49:16 NRSV)  The terror you inspire and the pride of your heart 
       have deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, who hold 
       the height of the hill. Although you make your nest as high as the 
       eagle's, from there I will bring you down, says the LORD.

       (Jer 49:17 NRSV)  Edom shall become an object of horror; everyone who 
       passes by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its 
       disasters.

       (Jer 49:18 NRSV)  As when Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbors were 





       overthrown, says the LORD, no one shall live there, nor shall anyone 
       settle in it.

       (Jer 49:19 NRSV)  Like a lion coming up from the thickets of the 
       Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly chase Edom away 
       from it; and I will appoint over it whomever I choose. For who is like 
       me? Who can summon me? Who is the shepherd who can stand before me?

       (Jer 49:20 NRSV)  Therefore hear the plan that the LORD has made 
       against Edom and the purposes that he has formed against the 
       inhabitants of Teman: Surely the little ones of the flock shall be 
       dragged away; surely their fold shall be appalled at their fate.

       (Jer 49:21 NRSV)  At the sound of their fall the earth shall tremble; 
       the sound of their cry shall be heard at the Red Sea.

       (Jer 49:22 NRSV)  Look, he shall mount up and swoop down like an 
       eagle, and spread his wings against Bozrah, and the heart of the 
       warriors of Edom in that day shall be like the heart of a woman in 
       labor.

       (Jer 49:23 NRSV)  Concerning Damascus. Hamath and Arpad are 
       confounded, for they have heard bad news; they melt in fear, they are 
       troubled like the sea that cannot be quiet.

       (Jer 49:24 NRSV)  Damascus has become feeble, she turned to flee, and 
       panic seized her; anguish and sorrows have taken hold of her, as of a 
       woman in labor.

       (Jer 49:25 NRSV)  How the famous city is forsaken, the joyful town!

       (Jer 49:26 NRSV)  Therefore her young men shall fall in her squares, 
       and all her soldiers shall be destroyed in that day, says the LORD of 
       hosts.

       (Jer 49:27 NRSV)  And I will kindle a fire at the wall of Damascus, 
       and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.

       (Jer 49:28 NRSV)  Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor that King 
       Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon defeated. Thus says the LORD: Rise up, 
       advance against Kedar! Destroy the people of the east!

       (Jer 49:29 NRSV)  Take their tents and their flocks, their curtains 
       and all their goods; carry off their camels for yourselves, and a cry 
       shall go up: "Terror is all around!"

       (Jer 49:30 NRSV)  Flee, wander far away, hide in deep places, O 
       inhabitants of Hazor! says the LORD. For King Nebuchadrezzar of 
       Babylon has made a plan against you and formed a purpose against you.

       (Jer 49:31 NRSV)  Rise up, advance against a nation at ease, that 
       lives secure, says the LORD, that has no gates or bars, that lives 
       alone.

       (Jer 49:32 NRSV)  Their camels shall become booty, their herds of 
       cattle a spoil. I will scatter to every wind those who have shaven 





       temples, and I will bring calamity against them from every side, says 
       the LORD.

       (Jer 49:33 NRSV)  Hazor shall become a lair of jackals, an everlasting 
       waste; no one shall live there, nor shall anyone settle in it.

       (Jer 49:34 NRSV)  The word of the LORD that came to the prophet 
       Jeremiah concerning Elam, at the beginning of the reign of King 
       Zedekiah of Judah.

       (Jer 49:35 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am going to break the 
       bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might;

       (Jer 49:36 NRSV)  and I will bring upon Elam the four winds from the 
       four quarters of heaven; and I will scatter them to all these winds, 
       and there shall be no nation to which the exiles from Elam shall not 
       come.

       (Jer 49:37 NRSV)  I will terrify Elam before their enemies, and before 
       those who seek their life; I will bring disaster upon them, my fierce 
       anger, says the LORD. I will send the sword after them, until I have 
       consumed them;

       (Jer 49:38 NRSV)  and I will set my throne in Elam, and destroy their 
       king and officials, says the LORD.

       (Jer 49:39 NRSV)  But in the latter days I will restore the fortunes 
       of Elam, says the LORD.

       (Jer 50:1 NRSV)  The word that the LORD spoke concerning Babylon, 
       concerning the land of the Chaldeans, by the prophet Jeremiah:

       (Jer 50:2 NRSV)  Declare among the nations and proclaim, set up a 
       banner and proclaim, do not conceal it, say: Babylon is taken, Bel is 
       put to shame, Merodach is dismayed. Her images are put to shame, her 
       idols are dismayed.

       (Jer 50:3 NRSV)  For out of the north a nation has come up against 
       her; it shall make her land a desolation, and no one shall live in it; 
       both human beings and animals shall flee away.

       (Jer 50:4 NRSV)  In those days and in that time, says the LORD, the 
       people of Israel shall come, they and the people of Judah together; 
       they shall come weeping as they seek the LORD their God.

       (Jer 50:5 NRSV)  They shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned 
       toward it, and they shall come and join themselves to the LORD by an 
       everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.

       (Jer 50:6 NRSV)  My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have 
       led them astray, turning them away on the mountains; from mountain to 
       hill they have gone, they have forgotten their fold.

       (Jer 50:7 NRSV)  All who found them have devoured them, and their 
       enemies have said, "We are not guilty, because they have sinned 
       against the LORD, the true pasture, the LORD, the hope of their 





       ancestors."

       (Jer 50:8 NRSV)  Flee from Babylon, and go out of the land of the 
       Chaldeans, and be like male goats leading the flock.

       (Jer 50:9 NRSV)  For I am going to stir up and bring against Babylon a 
       company of great nations from the land of the north; and they shall 
       array themselves against her; from there she shall be taken. Their 
       arrows are like the arrows of a skilled warrior who does not return 
       empty-handed.

       (Jer 50:10 NRSV)  Chaldea shall be plundered; all who plunder her 
       shall be sated, says the LORD.

       (Jer 50:11 NRSV)  Though you rejoice, though you exult, O plunderers 
       of my heritage, though you frisk about like a heifer on the grass, and 
       neigh like stallions,

       (Jer 50:12 NRSV)  your mother shall be utterly shamed, and she who 
       bore you shall be disgraced. Lo, she shall be the last of the nations, 
       a wilderness, dry land, and a desert.

       (Jer 50:13 NRSV)  Because of the wrath of the LORD she shall not be 
       inhabited, but shall be an utter desolation; everyone who passes by 
       Babylon shall be appalled and hiss because of all her wounds.

       (Jer 50:14 NRSV)  Take up your positions around Babylon, all you that 
       bend the bow; shoot at her, spare no arrows, for she has sinned 
       against the LORD.

       (Jer 50:15 NRSV)  Raise a shout against her from all sides, "She has 
       surrendered; her bulwarks have fallen, her walls are thrown down." For 
       this is the vengeance of the LORD: take vengeance on her, do to her as 
       she has done.

       (Jer 50:16 NRSV)  Cut off from Babylon the sower, and the wielder of 
       the sickle in time of harvest; because of the destroying sword all of 
       them shall return to their own people, and all of them shall flee to 
       their own land.

       (Jer 50:17 NRSV)  Israel is a hunted sheep driven away by lions. First 
       the king of Assyria devoured it, and now at the end King 
       Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon has gnawed its bones.

       (Jer 50:18 NRSV)  Therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of 
       Israel: I am going to punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I 
       punished the king of Assyria.

       (Jer 50:19 NRSV)  I will restore Israel to its pasture, and it shall 
       feed on Carmel and in Bashan, and on the hills of Ephraim and in 
       Gilead its hunger shall be satisfied.

       (Jer 50:20 NRSV)  In those days and at that time, says the LORD, the 
       iniquity of Israel shall be sought, and there shall be none; and the 
       sins of Judah, and none shall be found; for I will pardon the remnant 
       that I have spared.






       (Jer 50:21 NRSV)  Go up to the land of Merathaim; go up against her, 
       and attack the inhabitants of Pekod and utterly destroy the last of 
       them, says the LORD; do all that I have commanded you.

       (Jer 50:22 NRSV)  The noise of battle is in the land, and great 
       destruction!

       (Jer 50:23 NRSV)  How the hammer of the whole earth is cut down and 
       broken! How Babylon has become a horror among the nations!

       (Jer 50:24 NRSV)  You set a snare for yourself and you were caught, O 
       Babylon, but you did not know it; you were discovered and seized, 
       because you challenged the LORD.

       (Jer 50:25 NRSV)  The LORD has opened his armory, and brought out the 
       weapons of his wrath, for the Lord GOD of hosts has a task to do in 
       the land of the Chaldeans.

       (Jer 50:26 NRSV)  Come against her from every quarter; open her 
       granaries; pile her up like heaps of grain, and destroy her utterly; 
       let nothing be left of her.

       (Jer 50:27 NRSV)  Kill all her bulls, let them go down to the 
       slaughter. Alas for them, their day has come, the time of their 
       punishment!

       (Jer 50:28 NRSV)  Listen! Fugitives and refugees from the land of 
       Babylon are coming to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our 
       God, vengeance for his temple.

       (Jer 50:29 NRSV)  Summon archers against Babylon, all who bend the 
       bow. Encamp all around her; let no one escape. Repay her according to 
       her deeds; just as she has done, do to her--for she has arrogantly 
       defied the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.

       (Jer 50:30 NRSV)  Therefore her young men shall fall in her squares, 
       and all her soldiers shall be destroyed on that day, says the LORD.

       (Jer 50:31 NRSV)  I am against you, O arrogant one, says the Lord GOD 
       of hosts; for your day has come, the time when I will punish you.

       (Jer 50:32 NRSV)  The arrogant one shall stumble and fall, with no one 
       to raise him up, and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it will 
       devour everything around him.

       (Jer 50:33 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts: The people of Israel 
       are oppressed, and so too are the people of Judah; all their captors 
       have held them fast and refuse to let them go.

       (Jer 50:34 NRSV)  Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his 
       name. He will surely plead their cause, that he may give rest to the 
       earth, but unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon.

       (Jer 50:35 NRSV)  A sword against the Chaldeans, says the LORD, and 
       against the inhabitants of Babylon, and against her officials and her 





       sages!

       (Jer 50:36 NRSV)  A sword against the diviners, so that they may 
       become fools! A sword against her warriors, so that they may be 
       destroyed!

       (Jer 50:37 NRSV)  A sword against her horses and against her chariots, 
       and against all the foreign troops in her midst, so that they may 
       become women! A sword against all her treasures, that they may be 
       plundered!

       (Jer 50:38 NRSV)  A drought against her waters, that they may be dried 
       up! For it is a land of images, and they go mad over idols.

       (Jer 50:39 NRSV)  Therefore wild animals shall live with hyenas in 
       Babylon, and ostriches shall inhabit her; she shall never again be 
       peopled, or inhabited for all generations.

       (Jer 50:40 NRSV)  As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and their 
       neighbors, says the LORD, so no one shall live there, nor shall anyone 
       settle in her.

       (Jer 50:41 NRSV)  Look, a people is coming from the north; a mighty 
       nation and many kings are stirring from the farthest parts of the 
       earth.

       (Jer 50:42 NRSV)  They wield bow and spear, they are cruel and have no 
       mercy. The sound of them is like the roaring sea; they ride upon 
       horses, set in array as a warrior for battle, against you, O daughter 
       Babylon!

       (Jer 50:43 NRSV)  The king of Babylon heard news of them, and his 
       hands fell helpless; anguish seized him, pain like that of a woman in 
       labor.

       (Jer 50:44 NRSV)  Like a lion coming up from the thickets of the 
       Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly chase them away 
       from her; and I will appoint over her whomever I choose. For who is 
       like me? Who can summon me? Who is the shepherd who can stand before 
       me?

       (Jer 50:45 NRSV)  Therefore hear the plan that the LORD has made 
       against Babylon, and the purposes that he has formed against the land 
       of the Chaldeans: Surely the little ones of the flock shall be dragged 
       away; surely their fold shall be appalled at their fate.

       (Jer 50:46 NRSV)  At the sound of the capture of Babylon the earth 
       shall tremble, and her cry shall be heard among the nations.

       (Jer 51:1 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: I am going to stir up a 
       destructive wind against Babylon and against the inhabitants of 
       Leb-qamai;

       (Jer 51:2 NRSV)  and I will send winnowers to Babylon, and they shall 
       winnow her. They shall empty her land when they come against her from 
       every side on the day of trouble.






       (Jer 51:3 NRSV)  Let not the archer bend his bow, and let him not 
       array himself in his coat of mail. Do not spare her young men; utterly 
       destroy her entire army.

       (Jer 51:4 NRSV)  They shall fall down slain in the land of the 
       Chaldeans, and wounded in her streets.

       (Jer 51:5 NRSV)  Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God, 
       the LORD of hosts, though their land is full of guilt before the Holy 
       One of Israel.

       (Jer 51:6 NRSV)  Flee from the midst of Babylon, save your lives, each 
       of you! Do not perish because of her guilt, for this is the time of 
       the Lord's vengeance; he is repaying her what is due.

       (Jer 51:7 NRSV)  Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord's hand, making 
       all the earth drunken; the nations drank of her wine, and so the 
       nations went mad.

       (Jer 51:8 NRSV)  Suddenly Babylon has fallen and is shattered; wail 
       for her! Bring balm for her wound; perhaps she may be healed.

       (Jer 51:9 NRSV)  We tried to heal Babylon, but she could not be 
       healed. Forsake her, and let each of us go to our own country; for her 
       judgment has reached up to heaven and has been lifted up even to the 
       skies.

       (Jer 51:10 NRSV)  The LORD has brought forth our vindication; come, 
       let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God.

       (Jer 51:11 NRSV)  Sharpen the arrows! Fill the quivers! The LORD has 
       stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because his purpose 
       concerning Babylon is to destroy it, for that is the vengeance of the 
       LORD, vengeance for his temple.

       (Jer 51:12 NRSV)  Raise a standard against the walls of Babylon; make 
       the watch strong; post sentinels; prepare the ambushes; for the LORD 
       has both planned and done what he spoke concerning the inhabitants of 
       Babylon.

       (Jer 51:13 NRSV)  You who live by mighty waters, rich in treasures, 
       your end has come, the thread of your life is cut.

       (Jer 51:14 NRSV)  The LORD of hosts has sworn by himself: Surely I 
       will fill you with troops like a swarm of locusts, and they shall 
       raise a shout of victory over you.

       (Jer 51:15 NRSV)  It is he who made the earth by his power, who 
       established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding 
       stretched out the heavens.

       (Jer 51:16 NRSV)  When he utters his voice there is a tumult of waters 
       in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. 
       He makes lightnings for the rain, and he brings out the wind from his 
       storehouses.






       (Jer 51:17 NRSV)  Everyone is stupid and without knowledge; goldsmiths 
       are all put to shame by their idols; for their images are false, and 
       there is no breath in them.

       (Jer 51:18 NRSV)  They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time 
       of their punishment they shall perish.

       (Jer 51:19 NRSV)  Not like these is the LORD, the portion of Jacob, 
       for he is the one who formed all things, and Israel is the tribe of 
       his inheritance; the LORD of hosts is his name.

       (Jer 51:20 NRSV)  You are my war club, my weapon of battle: with you I 
       smash nations; with you I destroy kingdoms;

       (Jer 51:21 NRSV)  with you I smash the horse and its rider; with you I 
       smash the chariot and the charioteer;

       (Jer 51:22 NRSV)  with you I smash man and woman; with you I smash the 
       old man and the boy; with you I smash the young man and the girl;

       (Jer 51:23 NRSV)  with you I smash shepherds and their flocks; with 
       you I smash farmers and their teams; with you I smash governors and 
       deputies.

       (Jer 51:24 NRSV)  I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of 
       Chaldea before your very eyes for all the wrong that they have done in 
       Zion, says the LORD.

       (Jer 51:25 NRSV)  I am against you, O destroying mountain, says the 
       LORD, that destroys the whole earth; I will stretch out my hand 
       against you, and roll you down from the crags, and make you a 
       burned-out mountain.

       (Jer 51:26 NRSV)  No stone shall be taken from you for a corner and no 
       stone for a foundation, but you shall be a perpetual waste, says the 
       LORD.

       (Jer 51:27 NRSV)  Raise a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among 
       the nations; prepare the nations for war against her, summon against 
       her the kingdoms, Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz; appoint a marshal 
       against her, bring up horses like bristling locusts.

       (Jer 51:28 NRSV)  Prepare the nations for war against her, the kings 
       of the Medes, with their governors and deputies, and every land under 
       their dominion.

       (Jer 51:29 NRSV)  The land trembles and writhes, for the Lord's 
       purposes against Babylon stand, to make the land of Babylon a 
       desolation, without inhabitant.

       (Jer 51:30 NRSV)  The warriors of Babylon have given up fighting, they 
       remain in their strongholds; their strength has failed, they have 
       become women; her buildings are set on fire, her bars are broken.

       (Jer 51:31 NRSV)  One runner runs to meet another, and one messenger 





       to meet another, to tell the king of Babylon that his city is taken 
       from end to end:

       (Jer 51:32 NRSV)  the fords have been seized, the marshes have been 
       burned with fire, and the soldiers are in panic.

       (Jer 51:33 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 
       Daughter Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time when it is 
       trodden; yet a little while and the time of her harvest will come.

       (Jer 51:34 NRSV)  "King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon has devoured me, he 
       has crushed me; he has made me an empty vessel, he has swallowed me 
       like a monster; he has filled his belly with my delicacies, he has 
       spewed me out.

       (Jer 51:35 NRSV)  May my torn flesh be avenged on Babylon," the 
       inhabitants of Zion shall say. "May my blood be avenged on the 
       inhabitants of Chaldea," Jerusalem shall say.

       (Jer 51:36 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the LORD: I am going to defend 
       your cause and take vengeance for you. I will dry up her sea and make 
       her fountain dry;

       (Jer 51:37 NRSV)  and Babylon shall become a heap of ruins, a den of 
       jackals, an object of horror and of hissing, without inhabitant.

       (Jer 51:38 NRSV)  Like lions they shall roar together; they shall 
       growl like lions' whelps.

       (Jer 51:39 NRSV)  When they are inflamed, I will set out their drink 
       and make them drunk, until they become merry and then sleep a 
       perpetual sleep and never wake, says the LORD.

       (Jer 51:40 NRSV)  I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, 
       like rams and goats.

       (Jer 51:41 NRSV)  How Sheshach is taken, the pride of the whole earth 
       seized! How Babylon has become an object of horror among the nations!

       (Jer 51:42 NRSV)  The sea has risen over Babylon; she has been covered 
       by its tumultuous waves.

       (Jer 51:43 NRSV)  Her cities have become an object of horror, a land 
       of drought and a desert, a land in which no one lives, and through 
       which no mortal passes.

       (Jer 51:44 NRSV)  I will punish Bel in Babylon, and make him disgorge 
       what he has swallowed. The nations shall no longer stream to him; the 
       wall of Babylon has fallen.

       (Jer 51:45 NRSV)  Come out of her, my people! Save your lives, each of 
       you, from the fierce anger of the LORD!

       (Jer 51:46 NRSV)  Do not be fainthearted or fearful at the rumors 
       heard in the land-- one year one rumor comes, the next year another, 
       rumors of violence in the land and of ruler against ruler.






       (Jer 51:47 NRSV)  Assuredly, the days are coming when I will punish 
       the images of Babylon; her whole land shall be put to shame, and all 
       her slain shall fall in her midst.

       (Jer 51:48 NRSV)  Then the heavens and the earth, and all that is in 
       them, shall shout for joy over Babylon; for the destroyers shall come 
       against them out of the north, says the LORD.

       (Jer 51:49 NRSV)  Babylon must fall for the slain of Israel, as the 
       slain of all the earth have fallen because of Babylon.

       (Jer 51:50 NRSV)  You survivors of the sword, go, do not linger! 
       Remember the LORD in a distant land, and let Jerusalem come into your 
       mind:

       (Jer 51:51 NRSV)  We are put to shame, for we have heard insults; 
       dishonor has covered our face, for aliens have come into the holy 
       places of the Lord's house.

       (Jer 51:52 NRSV)  Therefore the time is surely coming, says the LORD, 
       when I will punish her idols, and through all her land the wounded 
       shall groan.

       (Jer 51:53 NRSV)  Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though 
       she should fortify her strong height, from me destroyers would come 
       upon her, says the LORD.

       (Jer 51:54 NRSV)  Listen!--a cry from Babylon! A great crashing from 
       the land of the Chaldeans!

       (Jer 51:55 NRSV)  For the LORD is laying Babylon waste, and stilling 
       her loud clamor. Their waves roar like mighty waters, the sound of 
       their clamor resounds;

       (Jer 51:56 NRSV)  for a destroyer has come against her, against 
       Babylon; her warriors are taken, their bows are broken; for the LORD 
       is a God of recompense, he will repay in full.

       (Jer 51:57 NRSV)  I will make her officials and her sages drunk, also 
       her governors, her deputies, and her warriors; they shall sleep a 
       perpetual sleep and never wake, says the King, whose name is the LORD 
       of hosts.

       (Jer 51:58 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts: The broad wall of 
       Babylon shall be leveled to the ground, and her high gates shall be 
       burned with fire. The peoples exhaust themselves for nothing, and the 
       nations weary themselves only for fire.

       (Jer 51:59 NRSV)  The word that the prophet Jeremiah commanded Seraiah 
       son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, when he went with King Zedekiah of 
       Judah to Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign. Seraiah was the 
       quartermaster.

       (Jer 51:60 NRSV)  Jeremiah wrote in a scroll all the disasters that 
       would come on Babylon, all these words that are written concerning 





       Babylon.

       (Jer 51:61 NRSV)  And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: "When you come to 
       Babylon, see that you read all these words,

       (Jer 51:62 NRSV)  and say, 'O LORD, you yourself threatened to destroy 
       this place so that neither human beings nor animals shall live in it, 
       and it shall be desolate forever.'

       (Jer 51:63 NRSV)  When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to 
       it, and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates,

       (Jer 51:64 NRSV)  and say, 'Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, 
       because of the disasters that I am bringing on her.'" Thus far are the 
       words of Jeremiah.

       (Jer 52:1 NRSV)  Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to 
       reign; he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was 
       Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

       (Jer 52:2 NRSV)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, just 
       as Jehoiakim had done.

       (Jer 52:3 NRSV)  Indeed, Jerusalem and Judah so angered the LORD that 
       he expelled them from his presence. Zedekiah rebelled against the king 
       of Babylon.

       (Jer 52:4 NRSV)  And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth 
       month, on the tenth day of the month, King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon 
       came with all his army against Jerusalem, and they laid siege to it; 
       they built siegeworks against it all around.

       (Jer 52:5 NRSV)  So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of 
       King Zedekiah.

       (Jer 52:6 NRSV)  On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine 
       became so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of 
       the land.

       (Jer 52:7 NRSV)  Then a breach was made in the city wall; and all the 
       soldiers fled and went out from the city by night by the way of the 
       gate between the two walls, by the king's garden, though the Chaldeans 
       were all around the city. They went in the direction of the Arabah.

       (Jer 52:8 NRSV)  But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and 
       overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was 
       scattered, deserting him.

       (Jer 52:9 NRSV)  Then they captured the king, and brought him up to 
       the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed 
       sentence on him.

       (Jer 52:10 NRSV)  The king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah 
       before his eyes, and also killed all the officers of Judah at Riblah.

       (Jer 52:11 NRSV)  He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in 





       fetters, and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in 
       prison until the day of his death.

       (Jer 52:12 NRSV)  In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the 
       month--which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadrezzar, king of 
       Babylon--Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard who served the king 
       of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.

       (Jer 52:13 NRSV)  He burned the house of the LORD, the king's house, 
       and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down.

       (Jer 52:14 NRSV)  All the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the 
       captain of the guard, broke down all the walls around Jerusalem.

       (Jer 52:15 NRSV)  Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into 
       exile some of the poorest of the people and the rest of the people who 
       were left in the city and the deserters who had defected to the king 
       of Babylon, together with the rest of the artisans.

       (Jer 52:16 NRSV)  But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some 
       of the poorest people of the land to be vinedressers and tillers of 
       the soil.

       (Jer 52:17 NRSV)  The pillars of bronze that were in the house of the 
       LORD, and the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house of the 
       LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried all the bronze to 
       Babylon.

       (Jer 52:18 NRSV)  They took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, 
       the basins, the ladles, and all the vessels of bronze used in the 
       temple service.

       (Jer 52:19 NRSV)  The captain of the guard took away the small bowls 
       also, the firepans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the ladles, 
       and the bowls for libation, both those of gold and those of silver.

       (Jer 52:20 NRSV)  As for the two pillars, the one sea, the twelve 
       bronze bulls that were under the sea, and the stands, which King 
       Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the bronze of all these 
       vessels was beyond weighing.

       (Jer 52:21 NRSV)  As for the pillars, the height of the one pillar was 
       eighteen cubits, its circumference was twelve cubits; it was hollow 
       and its thickness was four fingers.

       (Jer 52:22 NRSV)  Upon it was a capital of bronze; the height of the 
       one capital was five cubits; latticework and pomegranates, all of 
       bronze, encircled the top of the capital. And the second pillar had 
       the same, with pomegranates.

       (Jer 52:23 NRSV)  There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all 
       the pomegranates encircling the latticework numbered one hundred.

       (Jer 52:24 NRSV)  The captain of the guard took the chief priest 
       Seraiah, the second priest Zephaniah, and the three guardians of the 
       threshold;






       (Jer 52:25 NRSV)  and from the city he took an officer who had been in 
       command of the soldiers, and seven men of the king's council who were 
       found in the city; the secretary of the commander of the army who 
       mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the 
       land who were found inside the city.

       (Jer 52:26 NRSV)  Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, 
       and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

       (Jer 52:27 NRSV)  And the king of Babylon struck them down, and put 
       them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah went into 
       exile out of its land.

       (Jer 52:28 NRSV)  This is the number of the people whom Nebuchadrezzar 
       took into exile: in the seventh year, three thousand twenty-three 
       Judeans;

       (Jer 52:29 NRSV)  in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar he took 
       into exile from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty-two persons;

       (Jer 52:30 NRSV)  in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadrezzar, 
       Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took into exile of the Judeans 
       seven hundred forty-five persons; all the persons were four thousand 
       six hundred.

       (Jer 52:31 NRSV)  In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King 
       Jehoiachin of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of 
       the month, King Evil-merodach of Babylon, in the year he began to 
       reign, showed favor to King Jehoiachin of Judah and brought him out of 
       prison;

       (Jer 52:32 NRSV)  he spoke kindly to him, and gave him a seat above 
       the seats of the other kings who were with him in Babylon.

       (Jer 52:33 NRSV)  So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes, and 
       every day of his life he dined regularly at the king's table.

       (Jer 52:34 NRSV)  For his allowance, a regular daily allowance was 
       given him by the king of Babylon, as long as he lived, up to the day 
       of his death.

       (Lam 1:1 NRSV)  How lonely sits the city that once was full of people! 
       How like a widow she has become, she that was great among the nations! 
       She that was a princess among the provinces has become a vassal.

       (Lam 1:2 NRSV)  She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her 
       cheeks; among all her lovers she has no one to comfort her; all her 
       friends have dealt treacherously with her, they have become her 
       enemies.

       (Lam 1:3 NRSV)  Judah has gone into exile with suffering and hard 
       servitude; she lives now among the nations, and finds no resting 
       place; her pursuers have all overtaken her in the midst of her 
       distress.





       (Lam 1:4 NRSV)  The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to the 
       festivals; all her gates are desolate, her priests groan; her young 
       girls grieve, and her lot is bitter.

       (Lam 1:5 NRSV)  Her foes have become the masters, her enemies prosper, 
       because the LORD has made her suffer for the multitude of her 
       transgressions; her children have gone away, captives before the foe.

       (Lam 1:6 NRSV)  From daughter Zion has departed all her majesty. Her 
       princes have become like stags that find no pasture; they fled without 
       strength before the pursuer.

       (Lam 1:7 NRSV)  Jerusalem remembers, in the days of her affliction and 
       wandering, all the precious things that were hers in days of old. When 
       her people fell into the hand of the foe, and there was no one to help 
       her, the foe looked on mocking over her downfall.

       (Lam 1:8 NRSV)  Jerusalem sinned grievously, so she has become a 
       mockery; all who honored her despise her, for they have seen her 
       nakedness; she herself groans, and turns her face away.

       (Lam 1:9 NRSV)  Her uncleanness was in her skirts; she took no thought 
       of her future; her downfall was appalling, with none to comfort her. 
       "O LORD, look at my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed!"

       (Lam 1:10 NRSV)  Enemies have stretched out their hands over all her 
       precious things; she has even seen the nations invade her sanctuary, 
       those whom you forbade to enter your congregation.

       (Lam 1:11 NRSV)  All her people groan as they search for bread; they 
       trade their treasures for food to revive their strength. Look, O LORD, 
       and see how worthless I have become.

       (Lam 1:12 NRSV)  Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and 
       see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which was brought upon me, 
       which the LORD inflicted on the day of his fierce anger.

       (Lam 1:13 NRSV)  From on high he sent fire; it went deep into my 
       bones; he spread a net for my feet; he turned me back; he has left me 
       stunned, faint all day long.

       (Lam 1:14 NRSV)  My transgressions were bound into a yoke; by his hand 
       they were fastened together; they weigh on my neck, sapping my 
       strength; the Lord handed me over to those whom I cannot withstand.

       (Lam 1:15 NRSV)  The LORD has rejected all my warriors in the midst of 
       me; he proclaimed a time against me to crush my young men; the Lord 
       has trodden as in a wine press the virgin daughter Judah.

       (Lam 1:16 NRSV)  For these things I weep; my eyes flow with tears; for 
       a comforter is far from me, one to revive my courage; my children are 
       desolate, for the enemy has prevailed.

       (Lam 1:17 NRSV)  Zion stretches out her hands, but there is no one to 
       comfort her; the LORD has commanded against Jacob that his neighbors 
       should become his foes; Jerusalem has become a filthy thing among 





       them.

       (Lam 1:18 NRSV)  The LORD is in the right, for I have rebelled against 
       his word; but hear, all you peoples, and behold my suffering; my young 
       women and young men have gone into captivity.

       (Lam 1:19 NRSV)  I called to my lovers but they deceived me; my 
       priests and elders perished in the city while seeking food to revive 
       their strength.

       (Lam 1:20 NRSV)  See, O LORD, how distressed I am; my stomach churns, 
       my heart is wrung within me, because I have been very rebellious. In 
       the street the sword bereaves; in the house it is like death.

       (Lam 1:21 NRSV)  They heard how I was groaning, with no one to comfort 
       me. All my enemies heard of my trouble; they are glad that you have 
       done it. Bring on the day you have announced, and let them be as I am.

       (Lam 1:22 NRSV)  Let all their evil doing come before you; and deal 
       with them as you have dealt with me because of all my transgressions; 
       for my groans are many and my heart is faint.

       (Lam 2:1 NRSV)  How the Lord in his anger has humiliated daughter 
       Zion! He has thrown down from heaven to earth the splendor of Israel; 
       he has not remembered his footstool in the day of his anger.

       (Lam 2:2 NRSV)  The Lord has destroyed without mercy all the dwellings 
       of Jacob; in his wrath he has broken down the strongholds of daughter 
       Judah; he has brought down to the ground in dishonor the kingdom and 
       its rulers.

       (Lam 2:3 NRSV)  He has cut down in fierce anger all the might of 
       Israel; he has withdrawn his right hand from them in the face of the 
       enemy; he has burned like a flaming fire in Jacob, consuming all 
       around.

       (Lam 2:4 NRSV)  He has bent his bow like an enemy, with his right hand 
       set like a foe; he has killed all in whom we took pride in the tent of 
       daughter Zion; he has poured out his fury like fire.

       (Lam 2:5 NRSV)  The Lord has become like an enemy; he has destroyed 
       Israel; He has destroyed all its palaces, laid in ruins its 
       strongholds, and multiplied in daughter Judah mourning and 
       lamentation.

       (Lam 2:6 NRSV)  He has broken down his booth like a garden, he has 
       destroyed his tabernacle; the LORD has abolished in Zion festival and 
       sabbath, and in his fierce indignation has spurned king and priest.

       (Lam 2:7 NRSV)  The Lord has scorned his altar, disowned his 
       sanctuary; he has delivered into the hand of the enemy the walls of 
       her palaces; a clamor was raised in the house of the LORD as on a day 
       of festival.

       (Lam 2:8 NRSV)  The LORD determined to lay in ruins the wall of 
       daughter Zion; he stretched the line; he did not withhold his hand 





       from destroying; he caused rampart and wall to lament; they languish 
       together.

       (Lam 2:9 NRSV)  Her gates have sunk into the ground; he has ruined and 
       broken her bars; her king and princes are among the nations; guidance 
       is no more, and her prophets obtain no vision from the LORD.

       (Lam 2:10 NRSV)  The elders of daughter Zion sit on the ground in 
       silence; they have thrown dust on their heads and put on sackcloth; 
       the young girls of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground.

       (Lam 2:11 NRSV)  My eyes are spent with weeping; my stomach churns; my 
       bile is poured out on the ground because of the destruction of my 
       people, because infants and babes faint in the streets of the city.

       (Lam 2:12 NRSV)  They cry to their mothers, "Where is bread and wine?" 
       as they faint like the wounded in the streets of the city, as their 
       life is poured out on their mothers' bosom.

       (Lam 2:13 NRSV)  What can I say for you, to what compare you, O 
       daughter Jerusalem? To what can I liken you, that I may comfort you, O 
       virgin daughter Zion? For vast as the sea is your ruin; who can heal 
       you?

       (Lam 2:14 NRSV)  Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive 
       visions; they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, 
       but have seen oracles for you that are false and misleading.

       (Lam 2:15 NRSV)  All who pass along the way clap their hands at you; 
       they hiss and wag their heads at daughter Jerusalem; "Is this the city 
       that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth?"

       (Lam 2:16 NRSV)  All your enemies open their mouths against you; they 
       hiss, they gnash their teeth, they cry: "We have devoured her! Ah, 
       this is the day we longed for; at last we have seen it!"

       (Lam 2:17 NRSV)  The LORD has done what he purposed, he has carried 
       out his threat; as he ordained long ago, he has demolished without 
       pity; he has made the enemy rejoice over you, and exalted the might of 
       your foes.

       (Lam 2:18 NRSV)  Cry aloud to the Lord! O wall of daughter Zion! Let 
       tears stream down like a torrent day and night! Give yourself no rest, 
       your eyes no respite!

       (Lam 2:19 NRSV)  Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the 
       watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the 
       Lord! Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint 
       for hunger at the head of every street.

       (Lam 2:20 NRSV)  Look, O LORD, and consider! To whom have you done 
       this? Should women eat their offspring, the children they have borne? 
       Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?

       (Lam 2:21 NRSV)  The young and the old are lying on the ground in the 
       streets; my young women and my young men have fallen by the sword; in 





       the day of your anger you have killed them, slaughtering without 
       mercy.

       (Lam 2:22 NRSV)  You invited my enemies from all around as if for a 
       day of festival; and on the day of the anger of the LORD no one 
       escaped or survived; those whom I bore and reared my enemy has 
       destroyed.

       (Lam 3:1 NRSV)  I am one who has seen affliction under the rod of 
       God's wrath;

       (Lam 3:2 NRSV)  he has driven and brought me into darkness without any 
       light;

       (Lam 3:3 NRSV)  against me alone he turns his hand, again and again, 
       all day long.

       (Lam 3:4 NRSV)  He has made my flesh and my skin waste away, and 
       broken my bones;

       (Lam 3:5 NRSV)  he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and 
       tribulation;

       (Lam 3:6 NRSV)  he has made me sit in darkness like the dead of long 
       ago.

       (Lam 3:7 NRSV)  He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has 
       put heavy chains on me;

       (Lam 3:8 NRSV)  though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my 
       prayer;

       (Lam 3:9 NRSV)  he has blocked my ways with hewn stones, he has made 
       my paths crooked.

       (Lam 3:10 NRSV)  He is a bear lying in wait for me, a lion in hiding;

       (Lam 3:11 NRSV)  he led me off my way and tore me to pieces; he has 
       made me desolate;

       (Lam 3:12 NRSV)  he bent his bow and set me as a mark for his arrow.

       (Lam 3:13 NRSV)  He shot into my vitals the arrows of his quiver;

       (Lam 3:14 NRSV)  I have become the laughingstock of all my people, the 
       object of their taunt-songs all day long.

       (Lam 3:15 NRSV)  He has filled me with bitterness, he has sated me 
       with wormwood.

       (Lam 3:16 NRSV)  He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me 
       cower in ashes;

       (Lam 3:17 NRSV)  my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what 
       happiness is;





       (Lam 3:18 NRSV)  so I say, "Gone is my glory, and all that I had hoped 
       for from the LORD."

       (Lam 3:19 NRSV)  The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is 
       wormwood and gall!

       (Lam 3:20 NRSV)  My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down 
       within me.

       (Lam 3:21 NRSV)  But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:

       (Lam 3:22 NRSV)  The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his 
       mercies never come to an end;

       (Lam 3:23 NRSV)  they are new every morning; great is your 
       faithfulness.

       (Lam 3:24 NRSV)  "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I 
       will hope in him."

       (Lam 3:25 NRSV)  The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the 
       soul that seeks him.

       (Lam 3:26 NRSV)  It is good that one should wait quietly for the 
       salvation of the LORD.

       (Lam 3:27 NRSV)  It is good for one to bear the yoke in youth,

       (Lam 3:28 NRSV)  to sit alone in silence when the Lord has imposed it,

       (Lam 3:29 NRSV)  to put one's mouth to the dust (there may yet be 
       hope),

       (Lam 3:30 NRSV)  to give one's cheek to the smiter, and be filled with 
       insults.

       (Lam 3:31 NRSV)  For the Lord will not reject forever.

       (Lam 3:32 NRSV)  Although he causes grief, he will have compassion 
       according to the abundance of his steadfast love;

       (Lam 3:33 NRSV)  for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone.

       (Lam 3:34 NRSV)  When all the prisoners of the land are crushed under 
       foot,

       (Lam 3:35 NRSV)  when human rights are perverted in the presence of 
       the Most High,

       (Lam 3:36 NRSV)  when one's case is subverted --does the Lord not see 
       it?

       (Lam 3:37 NRSV)  Who can command and have it done, if the Lord has not 
       ordained it?

       (Lam 3:38 NRSV)  Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good 





       and bad come?

       (Lam 3:39 NRSV)  Why should any who draw breath complain about the 
       punishment of their sins?

       (Lam 3:40 NRSV)  Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the 
       LORD.

       (Lam 3:41 NRSV)  Let us lift up our hearts as well as our hands to God 
       in heaven.

       (Lam 3:42 NRSV)  We have transgressed and rebelled, and you have not 
       forgiven.

       (Lam 3:43 NRSV)  You have wrapped yourself with anger and pursued us, 
       killing without pity;

       (Lam 3:44 NRSV)  you have wrapped yourself with a cloud so that no 
       prayer can pass through.

       (Lam 3:45 NRSV)  You have made us filth and rubbish among the peoples.

       (Lam 3:46 NRSV)  All our enemies have opened their mouths against us;

       (Lam 3:47 NRSV)  panic and pitfall have come upon us, devastation and 
       destruction.

       (Lam 3:48 NRSV)  My eyes flow with rivers of tears because of the 
       destruction of my people.

       (Lam 3:49 NRSV)  My eyes will flow without ceasing, without respite,

       (Lam 3:50 NRSV)  until the LORD from heaven looks down and sees.

       (Lam 3:51 NRSV)  My eyes cause me grief at the fate of all the young 
       women in my city.

       (Lam 3:52 NRSV)  Those who were my enemies without cause have hunted 
       me like a bird;

       (Lam 3:53 NRSV)  they flung me alive into a pit and hurled stones on 
       me;

       (Lam 3:54 NRSV)  water closed over my head; I said, "I am lost."

       (Lam 3:55 NRSV)  I called on your name, O LORD, from the depths of the 
       pit;

       (Lam 3:56 NRSV)  you heard my plea, "Do not close your ear to my cry 
       for help, but give me relief!"

       (Lam 3:57 NRSV)  You came near when I called on you; you said, "Do not 
       fear!"

       (Lam 3:58 NRSV)  You have taken up my cause, O Lord, you have redeemed 
       my life.






       (Lam 3:59 NRSV)  You have seen the wrong done to me, O LORD; judge my 
       cause.

       (Lam 3:60 NRSV)  You have seen all their malice, all their plots 
       against me.

       (Lam 3:61 NRSV)  You have heard their taunts, O LORD, all their plots 
       against me.

       (Lam 3:62 NRSV)  The whispers and murmurs of my assailants are against 
       me all day long.

       (Lam 3:63 NRSV)  Whether they sit or rise--see, I am the object of 
       their taunt-songs.

       (Lam 3:64 NRSV)  Pay them back for their deeds, O LORD, according to 
       the work of their hands!

       (Lam 3:65 NRSV)  Give them anguish of heart; your curse be on them!

       (Lam 3:66 NRSV)  Pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the 
       Lord's heavens.

       (Lam 4:1 NRSV)  How the gold has grown dim, how the pure gold is 
       changed! The sacred stones lie scattered at the head of every street.

       (Lam 4:2 NRSV)  The precious children of Zion, worth their weight in 
       fine gold-- how they are reckoned as earthen pots, the work of a 
       potter's hands!

       (Lam 4:3 NRSV)  Even the jackals offer the breast and nurse their 
       young, but my people has become cruel, like the ostriches in the 
       wilderness.

       (Lam 4:4 NRSV)  The tongue of the infant sticks to the roof of its 
       mouth for thirst; the children beg for food, but no one gives them 
       anything.

       (Lam 4:5 NRSV)  Those who feasted on delicacies perish in the streets; 
       those who were brought up in purple cling to ash heaps.

       (Lam 4:6 NRSV)  For the chastisement of my people has been greater 
       than the punishment of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, though 
       no hand was laid on it.

       (Lam 4:7 NRSV)  Her princes were purer than snow, whiter than milk; 
       their bodies were more ruddy than coral, their hair like sapphire.

       (Lam 4:8 NRSV)  Now their visage is blacker than soot; they are not 
       recognized in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones; it 
       has become as dry as wood.

       (Lam 4:9 NRSV)  Happier were those pierced by the sword than those 
       pierced by hunger, whose life drains away, deprived of the produce of 
       the field.






       (Lam 4:10 NRSV)  The hands of compassionate women have boiled their 
       own children; they became their food in the destruction of my people.

       (Lam 4:11 NRSV)  The LORD gave full vent to his wrath; he poured out 
       his hot anger, and kindled a fire in Zion that consumed its 
       foundations.

       (Lam 4:12 NRSV)  The kings of the earth did not believe, nor did any 
       of the inhabitants of the world, that foe or enemy could enter the 
       gates of Jerusalem.

       (Lam 4:13 NRSV)  It was for the sins of her prophets and the 
       iniquities of her priests, who shed the blood of the righteous in the 
       midst of her.

       (Lam 4:14 NRSV)  Blindly they wandered through the streets, so defiled 
       with blood that no one was able to touch their garments.

       (Lam 4:15 NRSV)  "Away! Unclean!" people shouted at them; "Away! Away! 
       Do not touch!" So they became fugitives and wanderers; it was said 
       among the nations, "They shall stay here no longer."

       (Lam 4:16 NRSV)  The LORD himself has scattered them, he will regard 
       them no more; no honor was shown to the priests, no favor to the 
       elders.

       (Lam 4:17 NRSV)  Our eyes failed, ever watching vainly for help; we 
       were watching eagerly for a nation that could not save.

       (Lam 4:18 NRSV)  They dogged our steps so that we could not walk in 
       our streets; our end drew near; our days were numbered; for our end 
       had come.

       (Lam 4:19 NRSV)  Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles in the 
       heavens; they chased us on the mountains, they lay in wait for us in 
       the wilderness.

       (Lam 4:20 NRSV)  The Lord's anointed, the breath of our life, was 
       taken in their pits-- the one of whom we said, "Under his shadow we 
       shall live among the nations."

       (Lam 4:21 NRSV)  Rejoice and be glad, O daughter Edom, you that live 
       in the land of Uz; but to you also the cup shall pass; you shall 
       become drunk and strip yourself bare.

       (Lam 4:22 NRSV)  The punishment of your iniquity, O daughter Zion, is 
       accomplished, he will keep you in exile no longer; but your iniquity, 
       O daughter Edom, he will punish, he will uncover your sins.

       (Lam 5:1 NRSV)  Remember, O LORD, what has befallen us; look, and see 
       our disgrace!

       (Lam 5:2 NRSV)  Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our 
       homes to aliens.





       (Lam 5:3 NRSV)  We have become orphans, fatherless; our mothers are 
       like widows.

       (Lam 5:4 NRSV)  We must pay for the water we drink; the wood we get 
       must be bought.

       (Lam 5:5 NRSV)  With a yoke on our necks we are hard driven; we are 
       weary, we are given no rest.

       (Lam 5:6 NRSV)  We have made a pact with Egypt and Assyria, to get 
       enough bread.

       (Lam 5:7 NRSV)  Our ancestors sinned; they are no more, and we bear 
       their iniquities.

       (Lam 5:8 NRSV)  Slaves rule over us; there is no one to deliver us 
       from their hand.

       (Lam 5:9 NRSV)  We get our bread at the peril of our lives, because of 
       the sword in the wilderness.

       (Lam 5:10 NRSV)  Our skin is black as an oven from the scorching heat 
       of famine.

       (Lam 5:11 NRSV)  Women are raped in Zion, virgins in the towns of 
       Judah.

       (Lam 5:12 NRSV)  Princes are hung up by their hands; no respect is 
       shown to the elders.

       (Lam 5:13 NRSV)  Young men are compelled to grind, and boys stagger 
       under loads of wood.

       (Lam 5:14 NRSV)  The old men have left the city gate, the young men 
       their music.

       (Lam 5:15 NRSV)  The joy of our hearts has ceased; our dancing has 
       been turned to mourning.

       (Lam 5:16 NRSV)  The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we 
       have sinned!

       (Lam 5:17 NRSV)  Because of this our hearts are sick, because of these 
       things our eyes have grown dim:

       (Lam 5:18 NRSV)  because of Mount Zion, which lies desolate; jackals 
       prowl over it.

       (Lam 5:19 NRSV)  But you, O LORD, reign forever; your throne endures 
       to all generations.

       (Lam 5:20 NRSV)  Why have you forgotten us completely? Why have you 
       forsaken us these many days?

       (Lam 5:21 NRSV)  Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may be 
       restored; renew our days as of old--






       (Lam 5:22 NRSV)  unless you have utterly rejected us, and are angry 
       with us beyond measure.

       (Ezek 1:1 NRSV)  In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the 
       fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the river Chebar, 
       the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

       (Ezek 1:2 NRSV)  On the fifth day of the month (it was the fifth year 
       of the exile of King Jehoiachin),

       (Ezek 1:3 NRSV)  the word of the LORD came to the priest Ezekiel son 
       of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the 
       hand of the LORD was on him there.

       (Ezek 1:4 NRSV)  As I looked, a stormy wind came out of the north: a 
       great cloud with brightness around it and fire flashing forth 
       continually, and in the middle of the fire, something like gleaming 
       amber.

       (Ezek 1:5 NRSV)  In the middle of it was something like four living 
       creatures. This was their appearance: they were of human form.

       (Ezek 1:6 NRSV)  Each had four faces, and each of them had four wings.

       (Ezek 1:7 NRSV)  Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet 
       were like the sole of a calf's foot; and they sparkled like burnished 
       bronze.

       (Ezek 1:8 NRSV)  Under their wings on their four sides they had human 
       hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus:

       (Ezek 1:9 NRSV)  their wings touched one another; each of them moved 
       straight ahead, without turning as they moved.

       (Ezek 1:10 NRSV)  As for the appearance of their faces: the four had 
       the face of a human being, the face of a lion on the right side, the 
       face of an ox on the left side, and the face of an eagle;

       (Ezek 1:11 NRSV)  such were their faces. Their wings were spread out 
       above; each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of 
       another, while two covered their bodies.

       (Ezek 1:12 NRSV)  Each moved straight ahead; wherever the spirit would 
       go, they went, without turning as they went.

       (Ezek 1:13 NRSV)  In the middle of the living creatures there was 
       something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches moving 
       to and fro among the living creatures; the fire was bright, and 
       lightning issued from the fire.

       (Ezek 1:14 NRSV)  The living creatures darted to and fro, like a flash 
       of lightning.

       (Ezek 1:15 NRSV)  As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel 
       on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of 





       them.

       (Ezek 1:16 NRSV)  As for the appearance of the wheels and their 
       construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl; and the 
       four had the same form, their construction being something like a 
       wheel within a wheel.

       (Ezek 1:17 NRSV)  When they moved, they moved in any of the four 
       directions without veering as they moved.

       (Ezek 1:18 NRSV)  Their rims were tall and awesome, for the rims of 
       all four were full of eyes all around.

       (Ezek 1:19 NRSV)  When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved 
       beside them; and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the 
       wheels rose.

       (Ezek 1:20 NRSV)  Wherever the spirit would go, they went, and the 
       wheels rose along with them; for the spirit of the living creatures 
       was in the wheels.

       (Ezek 1:21 NRSV)  When they moved, the others moved; when they 
       stopped, the others stopped; and when they rose from the earth, the 
       wheels rose along with them; for the spirit of the living creatures 
       was in the wheels.

       (Ezek 1:22 NRSV)  Over the heads of the living creatures there was 
       something like a dome, shining like crystal, spread out above their 
       heads.

       (Ezek 1:23 NRSV)  Under the dome their wings were stretched out 
       straight, one toward another; and each of the creatures had two wings 
       covering its body.

       (Ezek 1:24 NRSV)  When they moved, I heard the sound of their wings 
       like the sound of mighty waters, like the thunder of the Almighty, a 
       sound of tumult like the sound of an army; when they stopped, they let 
       down their wings.

       (Ezek 1:25 NRSV)  And there came a voice from above the dome over 
       their heads; when they stopped, they let down their wings.

       (Ezek 1:26 NRSV)  And above the dome over their heads there was 
       something like a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above 
       the likeness of a throne was something that seemed like a human form.

       (Ezek 1:27 NRSV)  Upward from what appeared like the loins I saw 
       something like gleaming amber, something that looked like fire 
       enclosed all around; and downward from what looked like the loins I 
       saw something that looked like fire, and there was a splendor all 
       around.

       (Ezek 1:28 NRSV)  Like the bow in a cloud on a rainy day, such was the 
       appearance of the splendor all around. This was the appearance of the 
       likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell on my face, 
       and I heard the voice of someone speaking.






       (Ezek 2:1 NRSV)  He said to me: O mortal, stand up on your feet, and I 
       will speak with you.

       (Ezek 2:2 NRSV)  And when he spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and 
       set me on my feet; and I heard him speaking to me.

       (Ezek 2:3 NRSV)  He said to me, Mortal, I am sending you to the people 
       of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me; they 
       and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this very day.

       (Ezek 2:4 NRSV)  The descendants are impudent and stubborn. I am 
       sending you to them, and you shall say to them, "Thus says the Lord 
       GOD."

       (Ezek 2:5 NRSV)  Whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a 
       rebellious house), they shall know that there has been a prophet among 
       them.

       (Ezek 2:6 NRSV)  And you, O mortal, do not be afraid of them, and do 
       not be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns surround you 
       and you live among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words, and do 
       not be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.

       (Ezek 2:7 NRSV)  You shall speak my words to them, whether they hear 
       or refuse to hear; for they are a rebellious house.

       (Ezek 2:8 NRSV)  But you, mortal, hear what I say to you; do not be 
       rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I 
       give you.

       (Ezek 2:9 NRSV)  I looked, and a hand was stretched out to me, and a 
       written scroll was in it.

       (Ezek 2:10 NRSV)  He spread it before me; it had writing on the front 
       and on the back, and written on it were words of lamentation and 
       mourning and woe.

       (Ezek 3:1 NRSV)  He said to me, O mortal, eat what is offered to you; 
       eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.

       (Ezek 3:2 NRSV)  So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to 
       eat.

       (Ezek 3:3 NRSV)  He said to me, Mortal, eat this scroll that I give 
       you and fill your stomach with it. Then I ate it; and in my mouth it 
       was as sweet as honey.

       (Ezek 3:4 NRSV)  He said to me: Mortal, go to the house of Israel and 
       speak my very words to them.

       (Ezek 3:5 NRSV)  For you are not sent to a people of obscure speech 
       and difficult language, but to the house of Israel--

       (Ezek 3:6 NRSV)  not to many peoples of obscure speech and difficult 
       language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to 





       them, they would listen to you.

       (Ezek 3:7 NRSV)  But the house of Israel will not listen to you, for 
       they are not willing to listen to me; because all the house of Israel 
       have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart.

       (Ezek 3:8 NRSV)  See, I have made your face hard against their faces, 
       and your forehead hard against their foreheads.

       (Ezek 3:9 NRSV)  Like the hardest stone, harder than flint, I have 
       made your forehead; do not fear them or be dismayed at their looks, 
       for they are a rebellious house.

       (Ezek 3:10 NRSV)  He said to me: Mortal, all my words that I shall 
       speak to you receive in your heart and hear with your ears;

       (Ezek 3:11 NRSV)  then go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to 
       them. Say to them, "Thus says the Lord GOD"; whether they hear or 
       refuse to hear.

       (Ezek 3:12 NRSV)  Then the spirit lifted me up, and as the glory of 
       the LORD rose from its place, I heard behind me the sound of loud 
       rumbling;

       (Ezek 3:13 NRSV)  it was the sound of the wings of the living 
       creatures brushing against one another, and the sound of the wheels 
       beside them, that sounded like a loud rumbling.

       (Ezek 3:14 NRSV)  The spirit lifted me up and bore me away; I went in 
       bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the hand of the LORD being strong 
       upon me.

       (Ezek 3:15 NRSV)  I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who lived by the 
       river Chebar. And I sat there among them, stunned, for seven days.

       (Ezek 3:16 NRSV)  At the end of seven days, the word of the LORD came 
       to me:

       (Ezek 3:17 NRSV)  Mortal, I have made you a sentinel for the house of 
       Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them 
       warning from me.

       (Ezek 3:18 NRSV)  If I say to the wicked, "You shall surely die," and 
       you give them no warning, or speak to warn the wicked from their 
       wicked way, in order to save their life, those wicked persons shall 
       die for their iniquity; but their blood I will require at your hand.

       (Ezek 3:19 NRSV)  But if you warn the wicked, and they do not turn 
       from their wickedness, or from their wicked way, they shall die for 
       their iniquity; but you will have saved your life.

       (Ezek 3:20 NRSV)  Again, if the righteous turn from their 
       righteousness and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before 
       them, they shall die; because you have not warned them, they shall die 
       for their sin, and their righteous deeds that they have done shall not 
       be remembered; but their blood I will require at your hand.






       (Ezek 3:21 NRSV)  If, however, you warn the righteous not to sin, and 
       they do not sin, they shall surely live, because they took warning; 
       and you will have saved your life.

       (Ezek 3:22 NRSV)  Then the hand of the LORD was upon me there; and he 
       said to me, Rise up, go out into the valley, and there I will speak 
       with you.

       (Ezek 3:23 NRSV)  So I rose up and went out into the valley; and the 
       glory of the LORD stood there, like the glory that I had seen by the 
       river Chebar; and I fell on my face.

       (Ezek 3:24 NRSV)  The spirit entered into me, and set me on my feet; 
       and he spoke with me and said to me: Go, shut yourself inside your 
       house.

       (Ezek 3:25 NRSV)  As for you, mortal, cords shall be placed on you, 
       and you shall be bound with them, so that you cannot go out among the 
       people;

       (Ezek 3:26 NRSV)  and I will make your tongue cling to the roof of 
       your mouth, so that you shall be speechless and unable to reprove 
       them; for they are a rebellious house.

       (Ezek 3:27 NRSV)  But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, 
       and you shall say to them, "Thus says the Lord GOD"; let those who 
       will hear, hear; and let those who refuse to hear, refuse; for they 
       are a rebellious house.

       (Ezek 4:1 NRSV)  And you, O mortal, take a brick and set it before 
       you. On it portray a city, Jerusalem;

       (Ezek 4:2 NRSV)  and put siegeworks against it, and build a siege wall 
       against it, and cast up a ramp against it; set camps also against it, 
       and plant battering rams against it all around.

       (Ezek 4:3 NRSV)  Then take an iron plate and place it as an iron wall 
       between you and the city; set your face toward it, and let it be in a 
       state of siege, and press the siege against it. This is a sign for the 
       house of Israel.

       (Ezek 4:4 NRSV)  Then lie on your left side, and place the punishment 
       of the house of Israel upon it; you shall bear their punishment for 
       the number of the days that you lie there.

       (Ezek 4:5 NRSV)  For I assign to you a number of days, three hundred 
       ninety days, equal to the number of the years of their punishment; and 
       so you shall bear the punishment of the house of Israel.

       (Ezek 4:6 NRSV)  When you have completed these, you shall lie down a 
       second time, but on your right side, and bear the punishment of the 
       house of Judah; forty days I assign you, one day for each year.

       (Ezek 4:7 NRSV)  You shall set your face toward the siege of 
       Jerusalem, and with your arm bared you shall prophesy against it.






       (Ezek 4:8 NRSV)  See, I am putting cords on you so that you cannot 
       turn from one side to the other until you have completed the days of 
       your siege.

       (Ezek 4:9 NRSV)  And you, take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, 
       millet and spelt; put them into one vessel, and make bread for 
       yourself. During the number of days that you lie on your side, three 
       hundred ninety days, you shall eat it.

       (Ezek 4:10 NRSV)  The food that you eat shall be twenty shekels a day 
       by weight; at fixed times you shall eat it.

       (Ezek 4:11 NRSV)  And you shall drink water by measure, one-sixth of a 
       hin; at fixed times you shall drink.

       (Ezek 4:12 NRSV)  You shall eat it as a barley-cake, baking it in 
       their sight on human dung.

       (Ezek 4:13 NRSV)  The LORD said, "Thus shall the people of Israel eat 
       their bread, unclean, among the nations to which I will drive them."

       (Ezek 4:14 NRSV)  Then I said, "Ah Lord GOD! I have never defiled 
       myself; from my youth up until now I have never eaten what died of 
       itself or was torn by animals, nor has carrion flesh come into my 
       mouth."

       (Ezek 4:15 NRSV)  Then he said to me, "See, I will let you have cow's 
       dung instead of human dung, on which you may prepare your bread."

       (Ezek 4:16 NRSV)  Then he said to me, Mortal, I am going to break the 
       staff of bread in Jerusalem; they shall eat bread by weight and with 
       fearfulness; and they shall drink water by measure and in dismay.

       (Ezek 4:17 NRSV)  Lacking bread and water, they will look at one 
       another in dismay, and waste away under their punishment.

       (Ezek 5:1 NRSV)  And you, O mortal, take a sharp sword; use it as a 
       barber's razor and run it over your head and your beard; then take 
       balances for weighing, and divide the hair.

       (Ezek 5:2 NRSV)  One third of the hair you shall burn in the fire 
       inside the city, when the days of the siege are completed; one third 
       you shall take and strike with the sword all around the city; and one 
       third you shall scatter to the wind, and I will unsheathe the sword 
       after them.

       (Ezek 5:3 NRSV)  Then you shall take from these a small number, and 
       bind them in the skirts of your robe.

       (Ezek 5:4 NRSV)  From these, again, you shall take some, throw them 
       into the fire and burn them up; from there a fire will come out 
       against all the house of Israel.

       (Ezek 5:5 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: This is Jerusalem; I have set 
       her in the center of the nations, with countries all around her.






       (Ezek 5:6 NRSV)  But she has rebelled against my ordinances and my 
       statutes, becoming more wicked than the nations and the countries all 
       around her, rejecting my ordinances and not following my statutes.

       (Ezek 5:7 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you are 
       more turbulent than the nations that are all around you, and have not 
       followed my statutes or kept my ordinances, but have acted according 
       to the ordinances of the nations that are all around you;

       (Ezek 5:8 NRSV)  therefore thus says the Lord GOD: I, I myself, am 
       coming against you; I will execute judgments among you in the sight of 
       the nations.

       (Ezek 5:9 NRSV)  And because of all your abominations, I will do to 
       you what I have never yet done, and the like of which I will never do 
       again.

       (Ezek 5:10 NRSV)  Surely, parents shall eat their children in your 
       midst, and children shall eat their parents; I will execute judgments 
       on you, and any of you who survive I will scatter to every wind.

       (Ezek 5:11 NRSV)  Therefore, as I live, says the Lord GOD, surely, 
       because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things 
       and with all your abominations--therefore I will cut you down; my eye 
       will not spare, and I will have no pity.

       (Ezek 5:12 NRSV)  One third of you shall die of pestilence or be 
       consumed by famine among you; one third shall fall by the sword around 
       you; and one third I will scatter to every wind and will unsheathe the 
       sword after them.

       (Ezek 5:13 NRSV)  My anger shall spend itself, and I will vent my fury 
       on them and satisfy myself; and they shall know that I, the LORD, have 
       spoken in my jealousy, when I spend my fury on them.

       (Ezek 5:14 NRSV)  Moreover I will make you a desolation and an object 
       of mocking among the nations around you, in the sight of all that pass 
       by.

       (Ezek 5:15 NRSV)  You shall be a mockery and a taunt, a warning and a 
       horror, to the nations around you, when I execute judgments on you in 
       anger and fury, and with furious punishments--I, the LORD, have 
       spoken--

       (Ezek 5:16 NRSV)  when I loose against you my deadly arrows of famine, 
       arrows for destruction, which I will let loose to destroy you, and 
       when I bring more and more famine upon you, and break your staff of 
       bread.

       (Ezek 5:17 NRSV)  I will send famine and wild animals against you, and 
       they will rob you of your children; pestilence and bloodshed shall 
       pass through you; and I will bring the sword upon you. I, the LORD, 
       have spoken.

       (Ezek 6:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:






       (Ezek 6:2 NRSV)  O mortal, set your face toward the mountains of 
       Israel, and prophesy against them,

       (Ezek 6:3 NRSV)  and say, You mountains of Israel, hear the word of 
       the Lord GOD! Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains and the hills, 
       to the ravines and the valleys: I, I myself will bring a sword upon 
       you, and I will destroy your high places.

       (Ezek 6:4 NRSV)  Your altars shall become desolate, and your incense 
       stands shall be broken; and I will throw down your slain in front of 
       your idols.

       (Ezek 6:5 NRSV)  I will lay the corpses of the people of Israel in 
       front of their idols; and I will scatter your bones around your 
       altars.

       (Ezek 6:6 NRSV)  Wherever you live, your towns shall be waste and your 
       high places ruined, so that your altars will be waste and ruined, your 
       idols broken and destroyed, your incense stands cut down, and your 
       works wiped out.

       (Ezek 6:7 NRSV)  The slain shall fall in your midst; then you shall 
       know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 6:8 NRSV)  But I will spare some. Some of you shall escape the 
       sword among the nations and be scattered through the countries.

       (Ezek 6:9 NRSV)  Those of you who escape shall remember me among the 
       nations where they are carried captive, how I was crushed by their 
       wanton heart that turned away from me, and their wanton eyes that 
       turned after their idols. Then they will be loathsome in their own 
       sight for the evils that they have committed, for all their 
       abominations.

       (Ezek 6:10 NRSV)  And they shall know that I am the LORD; I did not 
       threaten in vain to bring this disaster upon them.

       (Ezek 6:11 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: Clap your hands and stamp 
       your foot, and say, Alas for all the vile abominations of the house of 
       Israel! For they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by 
       pestilence.

       (Ezek 6:12 NRSV)  Those far off shall die of pestilence; those nearby 
       shall fall by the sword; and any who are left and are spared shall die 
       of famine. Thus I will spend my fury upon them.

       (Ezek 6:13 NRSV)  And you shall know that I am the LORD, when their 
       slain lie among their idols around their altars, on every high hill, 
       on all the mountain tops, under every green tree, and under every 
       leafy oak, wherever they offered pleasing odor to all their idols.

       (Ezek 6:14 NRSV)  I will stretch out my hand against them, and make 
       the land desolate and waste, throughout all their settlements, from 
       the wilderness to Riblah. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.





       (Ezek 7:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 7:2 NRSV)  You, O mortal, thus says the Lord GOD to the land of 
       Israel: An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land.

       (Ezek 7:3 NRSV)  Now the end is upon you, I will let loose my anger 
       upon you; I will judge you according to your ways, I will punish you 
       for all your abominations.

       (Ezek 7:4 NRSV)  My eye will not spare you, I will have no pity. I 
       will punish you for your ways, while your abominations are among you. 
       Then you shall know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 7:5 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: Disaster after disaster! See, 
       it comes.

       (Ezek 7:6 NRSV)  An end has come, the end has come. It has awakened 
       against you; see, it comes!

       (Ezek 7:7 NRSV)  Your doom has come to you, O inhabitant of the land. 
       The time has come, the day is near-- of tumult, not of reveling on the 
       mountains.

       (Ezek 7:8 NRSV)  Soon now I will pour out my wrath upon you; I will 
       spend my anger against you. I will judge you according to your ways, 
       and punish you for all your abominations.

       (Ezek 7:9 NRSV)  My eye will not spare; I will have no pity. I will 
       punish you according to your ways, while your abominations are among 
       you. Then you shall know that it is I the LORD who strike.

       (Ezek 7:10 NRSV)  See, the day! See, it comes! Your doom has gone out. 
       The rod has blossomed, pride has budded.

       (Ezek 7:11 NRSV)  Violence has grown into a rod of wickedness. None of 
       them shall remain, not their abundance, not their wealth; no 
       pre-eminence among them.

       (Ezek 7:12 NRSV)  The time has come, the day draws near; let not the 
       buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn, for wrath is upon all their 
       multitude.

       (Ezek 7:13 NRSV)  For the sellers shall not return to what has been 
       sold as long as they remain alive. For the vision concerns all their 
       multitude; it shall not be revoked. Because of their iniquity, they 
       cannot maintain their lives.

       (Ezek 7:14 NRSV)  They have blown the horn and made everything ready; 
       but no one goes to battle, for my wrath is upon all their multitude.

       (Ezek 7:15 NRSV)  The sword is outside, pestilence and famine are 
       inside; those in the field die by the sword; those in the city--famine 
       and pestilence devour them.

       (Ezek 7:16 NRSV)  If any survivors escape, they shall be found on the 
       mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning over their 





       iniquity.

       (Ezek 7:17 NRSV)  All hands shall grow feeble, all knees turn to 
       water.

       (Ezek 7:18 NRSV)  They shall put on sackcloth, horror shall cover 
       them. Shame shall be on all faces, baldness on all their heads.

       (Ezek 7:19 NRSV)  They shall fling their silver into the streets, 
       their gold shall be treated as unclean. Their silver and gold cannot 
       save them on the day of the wrath of the LORD. They shall not satisfy 
       their hunger or fill their stomachs with it. For it was the stumbling 
       block of their iniquity.

       (Ezek 7:20 NRSV)  From their beautiful ornament, in which they took 
       pride, they made their abominable images, their detestable things; 
       therefore I will make of it an unclean thing to them.

       (Ezek 7:21 NRSV)  I will hand it over to strangers as booty, to the 
       wicked of the earth as plunder; they shall profane it.

       (Ezek 7:22 NRSV)  I will avert my face from them, so that they may 
       profane my treasured place; the violent shall enter it, they shall 
       profane it.

       (Ezek 7:23 NRSV)  Make a chain! For the land is full of bloody crimes; 
       the city is full of violence.

       (Ezek 7:24 NRSV)  I will bring the worst of the nations to take 
       possession of their houses. I will put an end to the arrogance of the 
       strong, and their holy places shall be profaned.

       (Ezek 7:25 NRSV)  When anguish comes, they will seek peace, but there 
       shall be none.

       (Ezek 7:26 NRSV)  Disaster comes upon disaster, rumor follows rumor; 
       they shall keep seeking a vision from the prophet; instruction shall 
       perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders.

       (Ezek 7:27 NRSV)  The king shall mourn, the prince shall be wrapped in 
       despair, and the hands of the people of the land shall tremble. 
       According to their way I will deal with them; according to their own 
       judgments I will judge them. And they shall know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 8:1 NRSV)  In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth 
       day of the month, as I sat in my house, with the elders of Judah 
       sitting before me, the hand of the Lord GOD fell upon me there.

       (Ezek 8:2 NRSV)  I looked, and there was a figure that looked like a 
       human being; below what appeared to be its loins it was fire, and 
       above the loins it was like the appearance of brightness, like 
       gleaming amber.

       (Ezek 8:3 NRSV)  It stretched out the form of a hand, and took me by a 
       lock of my head; and the spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, 
       and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the 





       gateway of the inner court that faces north, to the seat of the image 
       of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy.

       (Ezek 8:4 NRSV)  And the glory of the God of Israel was there, like 
       the vision that I had seen in the valley.

       (Ezek 8:5 NRSV)  Then God said to me, "O mortal, lift up your eyes now 
       in the direction of the north." So I lifted up my eyes toward the 
       north, and there, north of the altar gate, in the entrance, was this 
       image of jealousy.

       (Ezek 8:6 NRSV)  He said to me, "Mortal, do you see what they are 
       doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel are committing 
       here, to drive me far from my sanctuary? Yet you will see still 
       greater abominations."

       (Ezek 8:7 NRSV)  And he brought me to the entrance of the court; I 
       looked, and there was a hole in the wall.

       (Ezek 8:8 NRSV)  Then he said to me, "Mortal, dig through the wall"; 
       and when I dug through the wall, there was an entrance.

       (Ezek 8:9 NRSV)  He said to me, "Go in, and see the vile abominations 
       that they are committing here."

       (Ezek 8:10 NRSV)  So I went in and looked; there, portrayed on the 
       wall all around, were all kinds of creeping things, and loathsome 
       animals, and all the idols of the house of Israel.

       (Ezek 8:11 NRSV)  Before them stood seventy of the elders of the house 
       of Israel, with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had 
       his censer in his hand, and the fragrant cloud of incense was 
       ascending.

       (Ezek 8:12 NRSV)  Then he said to me, "Mortal, have you seen what the 
       elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room 
       of images? For they say, 'The LORD does not see us, the LORD has 
       forsaken the land.'"

       (Ezek 8:13 NRSV)  He said also to me, "You will see still greater 
       abominations that they are committing."

       (Ezek 8:14 NRSV)  Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate 
       of the house of the LORD; women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.

       (Ezek 8:15 NRSV)  Then he said to me, "Have you seen this, O mortal? 
       You will see still greater abominations than these."

       (Ezek 8:16 NRSV)  And he brought me into the inner court of the house 
       of the LORD; there, at the entrance of the temple of the LORD, between 
       the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs 
       to the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east, 
       prostrating themselves to the sun toward the east.

       (Ezek 8:17 NRSV)  Then he said to me, "Have you seen this, O mortal? 
       Is it not bad enough that the house of Judah commits the abominations 





       done here? Must they fill the land with violence, and provoke my anger 
       still further? See, they are putting the branch to their nose!

       (Ezek 8:18 NRSV)  Therefore I will act in wrath; my eye will not 
       spare, nor will I have pity; and though they cry in my hearing with a 
       loud voice, I will not listen to them."

       (Ezek 9:1 NRSV)  Then he cried in my hearing with a loud voice, 
       saying, "Draw near, you executioners of the city, each with his 
       destroying weapon in his hand."

       (Ezek 9:2 NRSV)  And six men came from the direction of the upper 
       gate, which faces north, each with his weapon for slaughter in his 
       hand; among them was a man clothed in linen, with a writing case at 
       his side. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar.

       (Ezek 9:3 NRSV)  Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from 
       the cherub on which it rested to the threshold of the house. The LORD 
       called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writing case at his 
       side;

       (Ezek 9:4 NRSV)  and said to him, "Go through the city, through 
       Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of those who sigh and groan 
       over all the abominations that are committed in it."

       (Ezek 9:5 NRSV)  To the others he said in my hearing, "Pass through 
       the city after him, and kill; your eye shall not spare, and you shall 
       show no pity.

       (Ezek 9:6 NRSV)  Cut down old men, young men and young women, little 
       children and women, but touch no one who has the mark. And begin at my 
       sanctuary." So they began with the elders who were in front of the 
       house.

       (Ezek 9:7 NRSV)  Then he said to them, "Defile the house, and fill the 
       courts with the slain. Go!" So they went out and killed in the city.

       (Ezek 9:8 NRSV)  While they were killing, and I was left alone, I fell 
       prostrate on my face and cried out, "Ah Lord GOD! will you destroy all 
       who remain of Israel as you pour out your wrath upon Jerusalem?"

       (Ezek 9:9 NRSV)  He said to me, "The guilt of the house of Israel and 
       Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city 
       full of perversity; for they say, 'The LORD has forsaken the land, and 
       the LORD does not see.'

       (Ezek 9:10 NRSV)  As for me, my eye will not spare, nor will I have 
       pity, but I will bring down their deeds upon their heads."

       (Ezek 9:11 NRSV)  Then the man clothed in linen, with the writing case 
       at his side, brought back word, saying, "I have done as you commanded 
       me."

       (Ezek 10:1 NRSV)  Then I looked, and above the dome that was over the 
       heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something like a 
       sapphire, in form resembling a throne.






       (Ezek 10:2 NRSV)  He said to the man clothed in linen, "Go within the 
       wheelwork underneath the cherubim; fill your hands with burning coals 
       from among the cherubim, and scatter them over the city." He went in 
       as I looked on.

       (Ezek 10:3 NRSV)  Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of 
       the house when the man went in; and a cloud filled the inner court.

       (Ezek 10:4 NRSV)  Then the glory of the LORD rose up from the cherub 
       to the threshold of the house; the house was filled with the cloud, 
       and the court was full of the brightness of the glory of the LORD.

       (Ezek 10:5 NRSV)  The sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as 
       far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.

       (Ezek 10:6 NRSV)  When he commanded the man clothed in linen, "Take 
       fire from within the wheelwork, from among the cherubim," he went in 
       and stood beside a wheel.

       (Ezek 10:7 NRSV)  And a cherub stretched out his hand from among the 
       cherubim to the fire that was among the cherubim, took some of it and 
       put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and 
       went out.

       (Ezek 10:8 NRSV)  The cherubim appeared to have the form of a human 
       hand under their wings.

       (Ezek 10:9 NRSV)  I looked, and there were four wheels beside the 
       cherubim, one beside each cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was 
       like gleaming beryl.

       (Ezek 10:10 NRSV)  And as for their appearance, the four looked alike, 
       something like a wheel within a wheel.

       (Ezek 10:11 NRSV)  When they moved, they moved in any of the four 
       directions without veering as they moved; but in whatever direction 
       the front wheel faced, the others followed without veering as they 
       moved.

       (Ezek 10:12 NRSV)  Their entire body, their rims, their spokes, their 
       wings, and the wheels--the wheels of the four of them--were full of 
       eyes all around.

       (Ezek 10:13 NRSV)  As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing 
       "the wheelwork."

       (Ezek 10:14 NRSV)  Each one had four faces: the first face was that of 
       the cherub, the second face was that of a human being, the third that 
       of a lion, and the fourth that of an eagle.

       (Ezek 10:15 NRSV)  The cherubim rose up. These were the living 
       creatures that I saw by the river Chebar.

       (Ezek 10:16 NRSV)  When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside 
       them; and when the cherubim lifted up their wings to rise up from the 





       earth, the wheels at their side did not veer.

       (Ezek 10:17 NRSV)  When they stopped, the others stopped, and when 
       they rose up, the others rose up with them; for the spirit of the 
       living creatures was in them.

       (Ezek 10:18 NRSV)  Then the glory of the LORD went out from the 
       threshold of the house and stopped above the cherubim.

       (Ezek 10:19 NRSV)  The cherubim lifted up their wings and rose up from 
       the earth in my sight as they went out with the wheels beside them. 
       They stopped at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the 
       LORD; and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

       (Ezek 10:20 NRSV)  These were the living creatures that I saw 
       underneath the God of Israel by the river Chebar; and I knew that they 
       were cherubim.

       (Ezek 10:21 NRSV)  Each had four faces, each four wings, and 
       underneath their wings something like human hands.

       (Ezek 10:22 NRSV)  As for what their faces were like, they were the 
       same faces whose appearance I had seen by the river Chebar. Each one 
       moved straight ahead.

       (Ezek 11:1 NRSV)  The spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east 
       gate of the house of the LORD, which faces east. There, at the 
       entrance of the gateway, were twenty-five men; among them I saw 
       Jaazaniah son of Azzur, and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, officials of the 
       people.

       (Ezek 11:2 NRSV)  He said to me, "Mortal, these are the men who devise 
       iniquity and who give wicked counsel in this city;

       (Ezek 11:3 NRSV)  they say, 'The time is not near to build houses; 
       this city is the pot, and we are the meat.'

       (Ezek 11:4 NRSV)  Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, O 
       mortal."

       (Ezek 11:5 NRSV)  Then the spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and he 
       said to me, "Say, Thus says the LORD: This is what you think, O house 
       of Israel; I know the things that come into your mind.

       (Ezek 11:6 NRSV)  You have killed many in this city, and have filled 
       its streets with the slain.

       (Ezek 11:7 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: The slain whom you 
       have placed within it are the meat, and this city is the pot; but you 
       shall be taken out of it.

       (Ezek 11:8 NRSV)  You have feared the sword; and I will bring the 
       sword upon you, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 11:9 NRSV)  I will take you out of it and give you over to the 
       hands of foreigners, and execute judgments upon you.






       (Ezek 11:10 NRSV)  You shall fall by the sword; I will judge you at 
       the border of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 11:11 NRSV)  This city shall not be your pot, and you shall not 
       be the meat inside it; I will judge you at the border of Israel.

       (Ezek 11:12 NRSV)  Then you shall know that I am the LORD, whose 
       statutes you have not followed, and whose ordinances you have not 
       kept, but you have acted according to the ordinances of the nations 
       that are around you."

       (Ezek 11:13 NRSV)  Now, while I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of 
       Benaiah died. Then I fell down on my face, cried with a loud voice, 
       and said, "Ah Lord GOD! will you make a full end of the remnant of 
       Israel?"

       (Ezek 11:14 NRSV)  Then the word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 11:15 NRSV)  Mortal, your kinsfolk, your own kin, your fellow 
       exiles, the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those of whom the 
       inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, "They have gone far from the LORD; 
       to us this land is given for a possession."

       (Ezek 11:16 NRSV)  Therefore say: Thus says the Lord GOD: Though I 
       removed them far away among the nations, and though I scattered them 
       among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a little 
       while in the countries where they have gone.

       (Ezek 11:17 NRSV)  Therefore say: Thus says the Lord GOD: I will 
       gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries 
       where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.

       (Ezek 11:18 NRSV)  When they come there, they will remove from it all 
       its detestable things and all its abominations.

       (Ezek 11:19 NRSV)  I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit 
       within them; I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and 
       give them a heart of flesh,

       (Ezek 11:20 NRSV)  so that they may follow my statutes and keep my 
       ordinances and obey them. Then they shall be my people, and I will be 
       their God.

       (Ezek 11:21 NRSV)  But as for those whose heart goes after their 
       detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds 
       upon their own heads, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 11:22 NRSV)  Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the 
       wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

       (Ezek 11:23 NRSV)  And the glory of the LORD ascended from the middle 
       of the city, and stopped on the mountain east of the city.

       (Ezek 11:24 NRSV)  The spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision 
       by the spirit of God into Chaldea, to the exiles. Then the vision that 





       I had seen left me.

       (Ezek 11:25 NRSV)  And I told the exiles all the things that the LORD 
       had shown me.

       (Ezek 12:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 12:2 NRSV)  Mortal, you are living in the midst of a rebellious 
       house, who have eyes to see but do not see, who have ears to hear but 
       do not hear;

       (Ezek 12:3 NRSV)  for they are a rebellious house. Therefore, mortal, 
       prepare for yourself an exile's baggage, and go into exile by day in 
       their sight; you shall go like an exile from your place to another 
       place in their sight. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a 
       rebellious house.

       (Ezek 12:4 NRSV)  You shall bring out your baggage by day in their 
       sight, as baggage for exile; and you shall go out yourself at evening 
       in their sight, as those do who go into exile.

       (Ezek 12:5 NRSV)  Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry the 
       baggage through it.

       (Ezek 12:6 NRSV)  In their sight you shall lift the baggage on your 
       shoulder, and carry it out in the dark; you shall cover your face, so 
       that you may not see the land; for I have made you a sign for the 
       house of Israel.

       (Ezek 12:7 NRSV)  I did just as I was commanded. I brought out my 
       baggage by day, as baggage for exile, and in the evening I dug through 
       the wall with my own hands; I brought it out in the dark, carrying it 
       on my shoulder in their sight.

       (Ezek 12:8 NRSV)  In the morning the word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 12:9 NRSV)  Mortal, has not the house of Israel, the rebellious 
       house, said to you, "What are you doing?"

       (Ezek 12:10 NRSV)  Say to them, "Thus says the Lord GOD: This oracle 
       concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel in it."

       (Ezek 12:11 NRSV)  Say, "I am a sign for you: as I have done, so shall 
       it be done to them; they shall go into exile, into captivity."

       (Ezek 12:12 NRSV)  And the prince who is among them shall lift his 
       baggage on his shoulder in the dark, and shall go out; he shall dig 
       through the wall and carry it through; he shall cover his face, so 
       that he may not see the land with his eyes.

       (Ezek 12:13 NRSV)  I will spread my net over him, and he shall be 
       caught in my snare; and I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the 
       Chaldeans, yet he shall not see it; and he shall die there.

       (Ezek 12:14 NRSV)  I will scatter to every wind all who are around 
       him, his helpers and all his troops; and I will unsheathe the sword 





       behind them.

       (Ezek 12:15 NRSV)  And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I 
       disperse them among the nations and scatter them through the 
       countries.

       (Ezek 12:16 NRSV)  But I will let a few of them escape from the sword, 
       from famine and pestilence, so that they may tell of all their 
       abominations among the nations where they go; then they shall know 
       that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 12:17 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 12:18 NRSV)  Mortal, eat your bread with quaking, and drink your 
       water with trembling and with fearfulness;

       (Ezek 12:19 NRSV)  and say to the people of the land, Thus says the 
       Lord GOD concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of 
       Israel: They shall eat their bread with fearfulness, and drink their 
       water in dismay, because their land shall be stripped of all it 
       contains, on account of the violence of all those who live in it.

       (Ezek 12:20 NRSV)  The inhabited cities shall be laid waste, and the 
       land shall become a desolation; and you shall know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 12:21 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 12:22 NRSV)  Mortal, what is this proverb of yours about the 
       land of Israel, which says, "The days are prolonged, and every vision 
       comes to nothing"?

       (Ezek 12:23 NRSV)  Tell them therefore, "Thus says the Lord GOD: I 
       will put an end to this proverb, and they shall use it no more as a 
       proverb in Israel." But say to them, The days are near, and the 
       fulfillment of every vision.

       (Ezek 12:24 NRSV)  For there shall no longer be any false vision or 
       flattering divination within the house of Israel.

       (Ezek 12:25 NRSV)  But I the LORD will speak the word that I speak, 
       and it will be fulfilled. It will no longer be delayed; but in your 
       days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and fulfill it, says 
       the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 12:26 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 12:27 NRSV)  Mortal, the house of Israel is saying, "The vision 
       that he sees is for many years ahead; he prophesies for distant 
       times."

       (Ezek 12:28 NRSV)  Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: None 
       of my words will be delayed any longer, but the word that I speak will 
       be fulfilled, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 13:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:





       (Ezek 13:2 NRSV)  Mortal, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who 
       are prophesying; say to those who prophesy out of their own 
       imagination: "Hear the word of the LORD!"

       (Ezek 13:3 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD, Alas for the senseless 
       prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!

       (Ezek 13:4 NRSV)  Your prophets have been like jackals among ruins, O 
       Israel.

       (Ezek 13:5 NRSV)  You have not gone up into the breaches, or repaired 
       a wall for the house of Israel, so that it might stand in battle on 
       the day of the LORD.

       (Ezek 13:6 NRSV)  They have envisioned falsehood and lying divination; 
       they say, "Says the LORD," when the LORD has not sent them, and yet 
       they wait for the fulfillment of their word!

       (Ezek 13:7 NRSV)  Have you not seen a false vision or uttered a lying 
       divination, when you have said, "Says the LORD," even though I did not 
       speak?

       (Ezek 13:8 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have 
       uttered falsehood and envisioned lies, I am against you, says the Lord 
       GOD.

       (Ezek 13:9 NRSV)  My hand will be against the prophets who see false 
       visions and utter lying divinations; they shall not be in the council 
       of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, 
       nor shall they enter the land of Israel; and you shall know that I am 
       the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 13:10 NRSV)  Because, in truth, because they have misled my 
       people, saying, "Peace," when there is no peace; and because, when the 
       people build a wall, these prophets smear whitewash on it.

       (Ezek 13:11 NRSV)  Say to those who smear whitewash on it that it 
       shall fall. There will be a deluge of rain, great hailstones will 
       fall, and a stormy wind will break out.

       (Ezek 13:12 NRSV)  When the wall falls, will it not be said to you, 
       "Where is the whitewash you smeared on it?"

       (Ezek 13:13 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: In my wrath I 
       will make a stormy wind break out, and in my anger there shall be a 
       deluge of rain, and hailstones in wrath to destroy it.

       (Ezek 13:14 NRSV)  I will break down the wall that you have smeared 
       with whitewash, and bring it to the ground, so that its foundation 
       will be laid bare; when it falls, you shall perish within it; and you 
       shall know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 13:15 NRSV)  Thus I will spend my wrath upon the wall, and upon 
       those who have smeared it with whitewash; and I will say to you, The 
       wall is no more, nor those who smeared it--





       (Ezek 13:16 NRSV)  the prophets of Israel who prophesied concerning 
       Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for it, when there was no peace, 
       says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 13:17 NRSV)  As for you, mortal, set your face against the 
       daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own imagination; 
       prophesy against them

       (Ezek 13:18 NRSV)  and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the women 
       who sew bands on all wrists, and make veils for the heads of persons 
       of every height, in the hunt for human lives! Will you hunt down lives 
       among my people, and maintain your own lives?

       (Ezek 13:19 NRSV)  You have profaned me among my people for handfuls 
       of barley and for pieces of bread, putting to death persons who should 
       not die and keeping alive persons who should not live, by your lies to 
       my people, who listen to lies.

       (Ezek 13:20 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: I am against your 
       bands with which you hunt lives; I will tear them from your arms, and 
       let the lives go free, the lives that you hunt down like birds.

       (Ezek 13:21 NRSV)  I will tear off your veils, and save my people from 
       your hands; they shall no longer be prey in your hands; and you shall 
       know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 13:22 NRSV)  Because you have disheartened the righteous 
       falsely, although I have not disheartened them, and you have 
       encouraged the wicked not to turn from their wicked way and save their 
       lives;

       (Ezek 13:23 NRSV)  therefore you shall no longer see false visions or 
       practice divination; I will save my people from your hand. Then you 
       will know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 14:1 NRSV)  Certain elders of Israel came to me and sat down 
       before me.

       (Ezek 14:2 NRSV)  And the word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 14:3 NRSV)  Mortal, these men have taken their idols into their 
       hearts, and placed their iniquity as a stumbling block before them; 
       shall I let myself be consulted by them?

       (Ezek 14:4 NRSV)  Therefore speak to them, and say to them, Thus says 
       the Lord GOD: Any of those of the house of Israel who take their idols 
       into their hearts and place their iniquity as a stumbling block before 
       them, and yet come to the prophet--I the LORD will answer those who 
       come with the multitude of their idols,

       (Ezek 14:5 NRSV)  in order that I may take hold of the hearts of the 
       house of Israel, all of whom are estranged from me through their 
       idols.

       (Ezek 14:6 NRSV)  Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the 
       Lord GOD: Repent and turn away from your idols; and turn away your 





       faces from all your abominations.

       (Ezek 14:7 NRSV)  For any of those of the house of Israel, or of the 
       aliens who reside in Israel, who separate themselves from me, taking 
       their idols into their hearts and placing their iniquity as a 
       stumbling block before them, and yet come to a prophet to inquire of 
       me by him, I the LORD will answer them myself.

       (Ezek 14:8 NRSV)  I will set my face against them; I will make them a 
       sign and a byword and cut them off from the midst of my people; and 
       you shall know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 14:9 NRSV)  If a prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, the 
       LORD, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand 
       against him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

       (Ezek 14:10 NRSV)  And they shall bear their punishment--the 
       punishment of the inquirer and the punishment of the prophet shall be 
       the same--

       (Ezek 14:11 NRSV)  so that the house of Israel may no longer go astray 
       from me, nor defile themselves any more with all their transgressions. 
       Then they shall be my people, and I will be their God, says the Lord 
       GOD.

       (Ezek 14:12 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 14:13 NRSV)  Mortal, when a land sins against me by acting 
       faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it, and break its staff 
       of bread and send famine upon it, and cut off from it human beings and 
       animals,

       (Ezek 14:14 NRSV)  even if Noah, Daniel, and Job, these three, were in 
       it, they would save only their own lives by their righteousness, says 
       the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 14:15 NRSV)  If I send wild animals through the land to ravage 
       it, so that it is made desolate, and no one may pass through because 
       of the animals;

       (Ezek 14:16 NRSV)  even if these three men were in it, as I live, says 
       the Lord GOD, they would save neither sons nor daughters; they alone 
       would be saved, but the land would be desolate.

       (Ezek 14:17 NRSV)  Or if I bring a sword upon that land and say, 'Let 
       a sword pass through the land,' and I cut off human beings and animals 
       from it;

       (Ezek 14:18 NRSV)  though these three men were in it, as I live, says 
       the Lord GOD, they would save neither sons nor daughters, but they 
       alone would be saved.

       (Ezek 14:19 NRSV)  Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour 
       out my wrath upon it with blood, to cut off humans and animals from 
       it;





       (Ezek 14:20 NRSV)  even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I 
       live, says the Lord GOD, they would save neither son nor daughter; 
       they would save only their own lives by their righteousness.

       (Ezek 14:21 NRSV)  For thus says the Lord GOD: How much more when I 
       send upon Jerusalem my four deadly acts of judgment, sword, famine, 
       wild animals, and pestilence, to cut off humans and animals from it!

       (Ezek 14:22 NRSV)  Yet, survivors shall be left in it, sons and 
       daughters who will be brought out; they will come out to you. When you 
       see their ways and their deeds, you will be consoled for the evil that 
       I have brought upon Jerusalem, for all that I have brought upon it.

       (Ezek 14:23 NRSV)  They shall console you, when you see their ways and 
       their deeds; and you shall know that it was not without cause that I 
       did all that I have done in it, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 15:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 15:2 NRSV)  O mortal, how does the wood of the vine surpass all 
       other wood-- the vine branch that is among the trees of the forest?

       (Ezek 15:3 NRSV)  Is wood taken from it to make anything? Does one 
       take a peg from it on which to hang any object?

       (Ezek 15:4 NRSV)  It is put in the fire for fuel; when the fire has 
       consumed both ends of it and the middle of it is charred, is it useful 
       for anything?

       (Ezek 15:5 NRSV)  When it was whole it was used for nothing; how much 
       less--when the fire has consumed it, and it is charred-- can it ever 
       be used for anything!

       (Ezek 15:6 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Like the wood of 
       the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire 
       for fuel, so I will give up the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

       (Ezek 15:7 NRSV)  I will set my face against them; although they 
       escape from the fire, the fire shall still consume them; and you shall 
       know that I am the LORD, when I set my face against them.

       (Ezek 15:8 NRSV)  And I will make the land desolate, because they have 
       acted faithlessly, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 16:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 16:2 NRSV)  Mortal, make known to Jerusalem her abominations,

       (Ezek 16:3 NRSV)  and say, Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem: Your 
       origin and your birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father 
       was an Amorite, and your mother a Hittite.

       (Ezek 16:4 NRSV)  As for your birth, on the day you were born your 
       navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, 
       nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in cloths.





       (Ezek 16:5 NRSV)  No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you 
       out of compassion for you; but you were thrown out in the open field, 
       for you were abhorred on the day you were born.

       (Ezek 16:6 NRSV)  I passed by you, and saw you flailing about in your 
       blood. As you lay in your blood, I said to you, "Live!

       (Ezek 16:7 NRSV)  and grow up like a plant of the field." You grew up 
       and became tall and arrived at full womanhood; your breasts were 
       formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare.

       (Ezek 16:8 NRSV)  I passed by you again and looked on you; you were at 
       the age for love. I spread the edge of my cloak over you, and covered 
       your nakedness: I pledged myself to you and entered into a covenant 
       with you, says the Lord GOD, and you became mine.

       (Ezek 16:9 NRSV)  Then I bathed you with water and washed off the 
       blood from you, and anointed you with oil.

       (Ezek 16:10 NRSV)  I clothed you with embroidered cloth and with 
       sandals of fine leather; I bound you in fine linen and covered you 
       with rich fabric.

       (Ezek 16:11 NRSV)  I adorned you with ornaments: I put bracelets on 
       your arms, a chain on your neck,

       (Ezek 16:12 NRSV)  a ring on your nose, earrings in your ears, and a 
       beautiful crown upon your head.

       (Ezek 16:13 NRSV)  You were adorned with gold and silver, while your 
       clothing was of fine linen, rich fabric, and embroidered cloth. You 
       had choice flour and honey and oil for food. You grew exceedingly 
       beautiful, fit to be a queen.

       (Ezek 16:14 NRSV)  Your fame spread among the nations on account of 
       your beauty, for it was perfect because of my splendor that I had 
       bestowed on you, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 16:15 NRSV)  But you trusted in your beauty, and played the 
       whore because of your fame, and lavished your whorings on any 
       passer-by.

       (Ezek 16:16 NRSV)  You took some of your garments, and made for 
       yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore; nothing like 
       this has ever been or ever shall be.

       (Ezek 16:17 NRSV)  You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and 
       my silver that I had given you, and made for yourself male images, and 
       with them played the whore;

       (Ezek 16:18 NRSV)  and you took your embroidered garments to cover 
       them, and set my oil and my incense before them.

       (Ezek 16:19 NRSV)  Also my bread that I gave you--I fed you with 
       choice flour and oil and honey--you set it before them as a pleasing 
       odor; and so it was, says the Lord GOD.






       (Ezek 16:20 NRSV)  You took your sons and your daughters, whom you had 
       borne to me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. As if 
       your whorings were not enough!

       (Ezek 16:21 NRSV)  You slaughtered my children and delivered them up 
       as an offering to them.

       (Ezek 16:22 NRSV)  And in all your abominations and your whorings you 
       did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, 
       flailing about in your blood.

       (Ezek 16:23 NRSV)  After all your wickedness (woe, woe to you! says 
       the Lord GOD),

       (Ezek 16:24 NRSV)  you built yourself a platform and made yourself a 
       lofty place in every square;

       (Ezek 16:25 NRSV)  at the head of every street you built your lofty 
       place and prostituted your beauty, offering yourself to every 
       passer-by, and multiplying your whoring.

       (Ezek 16:26 NRSV)  You played the whore with the Egyptians, your 
       lustful neighbors, multiplying your whoring, to provoke me to anger.

       (Ezek 16:27 NRSV)  Therefore I stretched out my hand against you, 
       reduced your rations, and gave you up to the will of your enemies, the 
       daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior.

       (Ezek 16:28 NRSV)  You played the whore with the Assyrians, because 
       you were insatiable; you played the whore with them, and still you 
       were not satisfied.

       (Ezek 16:29 NRSV)  You multiplied your whoring with Chaldea, the land 
       of merchants; and even with this you were not satisfied.

       (Ezek 16:30 NRSV)  How sick is your heart, says the Lord GOD, that you 
       did all these things, the deeds of a brazen whore;

       (Ezek 16:31 NRSV)  building your platform at the head of every street, 
       and making your lofty place in every square! Yet you were not like a 
       whore, because you scorned payment.

       (Ezek 16:32 NRSV)  Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of 
       her husband!

       (Ezek 16:33 NRSV)  Gifts are given to all whores; but you gave your 
       gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from all around 
       for your whorings.

       (Ezek 16:34 NRSV)  So you were different from other women in your 
       whorings: no one solicited you to play the whore; and you gave 
       payment, while no payment was given to you; you were different.

       (Ezek 16:35 NRSV)  Therefore, O whore, hear the word of the LORD:





       (Ezek 16:36 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD, Because your lust was 
       poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your whoring with your 
       lovers, and because of all your abominable idols, and because of the 
       blood of your children that you gave to them,

       (Ezek 16:37 NRSV)  therefore, I will gather all your lovers, with whom 
       you took pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated; I will 
       gather them against you from all around, and will uncover your 
       nakedness to them, so that they may see all your nakedness.

       (Ezek 16:38 NRSV)  I will judge you as women who commit adultery and 
       shed blood are judged, and bring blood upon you in wrath and jealousy.

       (Ezek 16:39 NRSV)  I will deliver you into their hands, and they shall 
       throw down your platform and break down your lofty places; they shall 
       strip you of your clothes and take your beautiful objects and leave 
       you naked and bare.

       (Ezek 16:40 NRSV)  They shall bring up a mob against you, and they 
       shall stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords.

       (Ezek 16:41 NRSV)  They shall burn your houses and execute judgments 
       on you in the sight of many women; I will stop you from playing the 
       whore, and you shall also make no more payments.

       (Ezek 16:42 NRSV)  So I will satisfy my fury on you, and my jealousy 
       shall turn away from you; I will be calm, and will be angry no longer.

       (Ezek 16:43 NRSV)  Because you have not remembered the days of your 
       youth, but have enraged me with all these things; therefore, I have 
       returned your deeds upon your head, says the Lord GOD. Have you not 
       committed lewdness beyond all your abominations?

       (Ezek 16:44 NRSV)  See, everyone who uses proverbs will use this 
       proverb about you, "Like mother, like daughter."

       (Ezek 16:45 NRSV)  You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed 
       her husband and her children; and you are the sister of your sisters, 
       who loathed their husbands and their children. Your mother was a 
       Hittite and your father an Amorite.

       (Ezek 16:46 NRSV)  Your elder sister is Samaria, who lived with her 
       daughters to the north of you; and your younger sister, who lived to 
       the south of you, is Sodom with her daughters.

       (Ezek 16:47 NRSV)  You not only followed their ways, and acted 
       according to their abominations; within a very little time you were 
       more corrupt than they in all your ways.

       (Ezek 16:48 NRSV)  As I live, says the Lord GOD, your sister Sodom and 
       her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done.

       (Ezek 16:49 NRSV)  This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and 
       her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did 
       not aid the poor and needy.





       (Ezek 16:50 NRSV)  They were haughty, and did abominable things before 
       me; therefore I removed them when I saw it.

       (Ezek 16:51 NRSV)  Samaria has not committed half your sins; you have 
       committed more abominations than they, and have made your sisters 
       appear righteous by all the abominations that you have committed.

       (Ezek 16:52 NRSV)  Bear your disgrace, you also, for you have brought 
       about for your sisters a more favorable judgment; because of your sins 
       in which you acted more abominably than they, they are more in the 
       right than you. So be ashamed, you also, and bear your disgrace, for 
       you have made your sisters appear righteous.

       (Ezek 16:53 NRSV)  I will restore their fortunes, the fortunes of 
       Sodom and her daughters and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters, 
       and I will restore your own fortunes along with theirs,

       (Ezek 16:54 NRSV)  in order that you may bear your disgrace and be 
       ashamed of all that you have done, becoming a consolation to them.

       (Ezek 16:55 NRSV)  As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters shall 
       return to their former state, Samaria and her daughters shall return 
       to their former state, and you and your daughters shall return to your 
       former state.

       (Ezek 16:56 NRSV)  Was not your sister Sodom a byword in your mouth in 
       the day of your pride,

       (Ezek 16:57 NRSV)  before your wickedness was uncovered? Now you are a 
       mockery to the daughters of Aram and all her neighbors, and to the 
       daughters of the Philistines, those all around who despise you.

       (Ezek 16:58 NRSV)  You must bear the penalty of your lewdness and your 
       abominations, says the LORD.

       (Ezek 16:59 NRSV)  Yes, thus says the Lord GOD: I will deal with you 
       as you have done, you who have despised the oath, breaking the 
       covenant;

       (Ezek 16:60 NRSV)  yet I will remember my covenant with you in the 
       days of your youth, and I will establish with you an everlasting 
       covenant.

       (Ezek 16:61 NRSV)  Then you will remember your ways, and be ashamed 
       when I take your sisters, both your elder and your younger, and give 
       them to you as daughters, but not on account of my covenant with you.

       (Ezek 16:62 NRSV)  I will establish my covenant with you, and you 
       shall know that I am the LORD,

       (Ezek 16:63 NRSV)  in order that you may remember and be confounded, 
       and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I forgive 
       you all that you have done, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 17:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:





       (Ezek 17:2 NRSV)  O mortal, propound a riddle, and speak an allegory 
       to the house of Israel.

       (Ezek 17:3 NRSV)  Say: Thus says the Lord GOD: A great eagle, with 
       great wings and long pinions, rich in plumage of many colors, came to 
       the Lebanon. He took the top of the cedar,

       (Ezek 17:4 NRSV)  broke off its topmost shoot; He carried it to a land 
       of trade, set it in a city of merchants.

       (Ezek 17:5 NRSV)  Then he took a seed from the land, placed it in 
       fertile soil; A plant by abundant waters, he set it like a willow 
       twig.

       (Ezek 17:6 NRSV)  It sprouted and became a vine spreading out, but 
       low; Its branches turned toward him, its roots remained where it 
       stood. So it became a vine; it brought forth branches, put forth 
       foliage.

       (Ezek 17:7 NRSV)  There was another great eagle, with great wings and 
       much plumage. And see! This vine stretched out its roots toward him; 
       It shot out its branches toward him, so that he might water it. From 
       the bed where it was planted

       (Ezek 17:8 NRSV)  it was transplanted to good soil by abundant waters, 
       so that it might produce branches and bear fruit and become a noble 
       vine.

       (Ezek 17:9 NRSV)  Say: Thus says the Lord GOD: Will it prosper? Will 
       he not pull up its roots, cause its fruit to rot and wither, its fresh 
       sprouting leaves to fade? No strong arm or mighty army will be needed 
       to pull it from its roots.

       (Ezek 17:10 NRSV)  When it is transplanted, will it thrive? When the 
       east wind strikes it, will it not utterly wither, wither on the bed 
       where it grew?

       (Ezek 17:11 NRSV)  Then the word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 17:12 NRSV)  Say now to the rebellious house: Do you not know 
       what these things mean? Tell them: The king of Babylon came to 
       Jerusalem, took its king and its officials, and brought them back with 
       him to Babylon.

       (Ezek 17:13 NRSV)  He took one of the royal offspring and made a 
       covenant with him, putting him under oath (he had taken away the chief 
       men of the land),

       (Ezek 17:14 NRSV)  so that the kingdom might be humble and not lift 
       itself up, and that by keeping his covenant it might stand.

       (Ezek 17:15 NRSV)  But he rebelled against him by sending ambassadors 
       to Egypt, in order that they might give him horses and a large army. 
       Will he succeed? Can one escape who does such things? Can he break the 
       covenant and yet escape?





       (Ezek 17:16 NRSV)  As I live, says the Lord GOD, surely in the place 
       where the king resides who made him king, whose oath he despised, and 
       whose covenant with him he broke--in Babylon he shall die.

       (Ezek 17:17 NRSV)  Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company will 
       not help him in war, when ramps are cast up and siege walls built to 
       cut off many lives.

       (Ezek 17:18 NRSV)  Because he despised the oath and broke the 
       covenant, because he gave his hand and yet did all these things, he 
       shall not escape.

       (Ezek 17:19 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: As I live, I will 
       surely return upon his head my oath that he despised, and my covenant 
       that he broke.

       (Ezek 17:20 NRSV)  I will spread my net over him, and he shall be 
       caught in my snare; I will bring him to Babylon and enter into 
       judgment with him there for the treason he has committed against me.

       (Ezek 17:21 NRSV)  All the pick of his troops shall fall by the sword, 
       and the survivors shall be scattered to every wind; and you shall know 
       that I, the LORD, have spoken.

       (Ezek 17:22 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will take a sprig 
       from the lofty top of a cedar; I will set it out. I will break off a 
       tender one from the topmost of its young twigs; I myself will plant it 
       on a high and lofty mountain.

       (Ezek 17:23 NRSV)  On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it, 
       in order that it may produce boughs and bear fruit, and become a noble 
       cedar. Under it every kind of bird will live; in the shade of its 
       branches will nest winged creatures of every kind.

       (Ezek 17:24 NRSV)  All the trees of the field shall know that I am the 
       LORD. I bring low the high tree, I make high the low tree; I dry up 
       the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I the LORD have spoken; 
       I will accomplish it.

       (Ezek 18:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 18:2 NRSV)  What do you mean by repeating this proverb 
       concerning the land of Israel, "The parents have eaten sour grapes, 
       and the children's teeth are set on edge"?

       (Ezek 18:3 NRSV)  As I live, says the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no 
       more be used by you in Israel.

       (Ezek 18:4 NRSV)  Know that all lives are mine; the life of the parent 
       as well as the life of the child is mine: it is only the person who 
       sins that shall die.

       (Ezek 18:5 NRSV)  If a man is righteous and does what is lawful and 
       right--

       (Ezek 18:6 NRSV)  if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his 





       eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his 
       neighbor's wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period,

       (Ezek 18:7 NRSV)  does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor 
       his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and 
       covers the naked with a garment,

       (Ezek 18:8 NRSV)  does not take advance or accrued interest, withholds 
       his hand from iniquity, executes true justice between contending 
       parties,

       (Ezek 18:9 NRSV)  follows my statutes, and is careful to observe my 
       ordinances, acting faithfully--such a one is righteous; he shall 
       surely live, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 18:10 NRSV)  If he has a son who is violent, a shedder of blood,

       (Ezek 18:11 NRSV)  who does any of these things (though his father 
       does none of them), who eats upon the mountains, defiles his 
       neighbor's wife,

       (Ezek 18:12 NRSV)  oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does 
       not restore the pledge, lifts up his eyes to the idols, commits 
       abomination,

       (Ezek 18:13 NRSV)  takes advance or accrued interest; shall he then 
       live? He shall not. He has done all these abominable things; he shall 
       surely die; his blood shall be upon himself.

       (Ezek 18:14 NRSV)  But if this man has a son who sees all the sins 
       that his father has done, considers, and does not do likewise,

       (Ezek 18:15 NRSV)  who does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his 
       eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his 
       neighbor's wife,

       (Ezek 18:16 NRSV)  does not wrong anyone, exacts no pledge, commits no 
       robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a 
       garment,

       (Ezek 18:17 NRSV)  withholds his hand from iniquity, takes no advance 
       or accrued interest, observes my ordinances, and follows my statutes; 
       he shall not die for his father's iniquity; he shall surely live.

       (Ezek 18:18 NRSV)  As for his father, because he practiced extortion, 
       robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people, he dies 
       for his iniquity.

       (Ezek 18:19 NRSV)  Yet you say, "Why should not the son suffer for the 
       iniquity of the father?" When the son has done what is lawful and 
       right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall 
       surely live.

       (Ezek 18:20 NRSV)  The person who sins shall die. A child shall not 
       suffer for the iniquity of a parent, nor a parent suffer for the 
       iniquity of a child; the righteousness of the righteous shall be his 





       own, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be his own.

       (Ezek 18:21 NRSV)  But if the wicked turn away from all their sins 
       that they have committed and keep all my statutes and do what is 
       lawful and right, they shall surely live; they shall not die.

       (Ezek 18:22 NRSV)  None of the transgressions that they have committed 
       shall be remembered against them; for the righteousness that they have 
       done they shall live.

       (Ezek 18:23 NRSV)  Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, 
       says the Lord GOD, and not rather that they should turn from their 
       ways and live?

       (Ezek 18:24 NRSV)  But when the righteous turn away from their 
       righteousness and commit iniquity and do the same abominable things 
       that the wicked do, shall they live? None of the righteous deeds that 
       they have done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which they 
       are guilty and the sin they have committed, they shall die.

       (Ezek 18:25 NRSV)  Yet you say, "The way of the Lord is unfair." Hear 
       now, O house of Israel: Is my way unfair? Is it not your ways that are 
       unfair?

       (Ezek 18:26 NRSV)  When the righteous turn away from their 
       righteousness and commit iniquity, they shall die for it; for the 
       iniquity that they have committed they shall die.

       (Ezek 18:27 NRSV)  Again, when the wicked turn away from the 
       wickedness they have committed and do what is lawful and right, they 
       shall save their life.

       (Ezek 18:28 NRSV)  Because they considered and turned away from all 
       the transgressions that they had committed, they shall surely live; 
       they shall not die.

       (Ezek 18:29 NRSV)  Yet the house of Israel says, "The way of the Lord 
       is unfair." O house of Israel, are my ways unfair? Is it not your ways 
       that are unfair?

       (Ezek 18:30 NRSV)  Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, all 
       of you according to your ways, says the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from 
       all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin.

       (Ezek 18:31 NRSV)  Cast away from you all the transgressions that you 
       have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new 
       spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel?

       (Ezek 18:32 NRSV)  For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says 
       the Lord GOD. Turn, then, and live.

       (Ezek 19:1 NRSV)  As for you, raise up a lamentation for the princes 
       of Israel,

       (Ezek 19:2 NRSV)  and say: What a lioness was your mother among lions! 
       She lay down among young lions, rearing her cubs.






       (Ezek 19:3 NRSV)  She raised up one of her cubs; he became a young 
       lion, and he learned to catch prey; he devoured humans.

       (Ezek 19:4 NRSV)  The nations sounded an alarm against him; he was 
       caught in their pit; and they brought him with hooks to the land of 
       Egypt.

       (Ezek 19:5 NRSV)  When she saw that she was thwarted, that her hope 
       was lost, she took another of her cubs and made him a young lion.

       (Ezek 19:6 NRSV)  He prowled among the lions; he became a young lion, 
       and he learned to catch prey; he devoured people.

       (Ezek 19:7 NRSV)  And he ravaged their strongholds, and laid waste 
       their towns; the land was appalled, and all in it, at the sound of his 
       roaring.

       (Ezek 19:8 NRSV)  The nations set upon him from the provinces all 
       around; they spread their net over him; he was caught in their pit.

       (Ezek 19:9 NRSV)  With hooks they put him in a cage, and brought him 
       to the king of Babylon; they brought him into custody, so that his 
       voice should be heard no more on the mountains of Israel.

       (Ezek 19:10 NRSV)  Your mother was like a vine in a vineyard 
       transplanted by the water, fruitful and full of branches from abundant 
       water.

       (Ezek 19:11 NRSV)  Its strongest stem became a ruler's scepter; it 
       towered aloft among the thick boughs; it stood out in its height with 
       its mass of branches.

       (Ezek 19:12 NRSV)  But it was plucked up in fury, cast down to the 
       ground; the east wind dried it up; its fruit was stripped off, its 
       strong stem was withered; the fire consumed it.

       (Ezek 19:13 NRSV)  Now it is transplanted into the wilderness, into a 
       dry and thirsty land.

       (Ezek 19:14 NRSV)  And fire has gone out from its stem, has consumed 
       its branches and fruit, so that there remains in it no strong stem, no 
       scepter for ruling. This is a lamentation, and it is used as a 
       lamentation.

       (Ezek 20:1 NRSV)  In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the 
       tenth day of the month, certain elders of Israel came to consult the 
       LORD, and sat down before me.

       (Ezek 20:2 NRSV)  And the word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 20:3 NRSV)  Mortal, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to 
       them: Thus says the Lord GOD: Why are you coming? To consult me? As I 
       live, says the Lord GOD, I will not be consulted by you.

       (Ezek 20:4 NRSV)  Will you judge them, mortal, will you judge them? 





       Then let them know the abominations of their ancestors,

       (Ezek 20:5 NRSV)  and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day 
       when I chose Israel, I swore to the offspring of the house of 
       Jacob--making myself known to them in the land of Egypt--I swore to 
       them, saying, I am the LORD your God.

       (Ezek 20:6 NRSV)  On that day I swore to them that I would bring them 
       out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, 
       a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands.

       (Ezek 20:7 NRSV)  And I said to them, Cast away the detestable things 
       your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves 
       with the idols of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.

       (Ezek 20:8 NRSV)  But they rebelled against me and would not listen to 
       me; not one of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted 
       on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I thought I would 
       pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the 
       midst of the land of Egypt.

       (Ezek 20:9 NRSV)  But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should 
       not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in 
       whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the 
       land of Egypt.

       (Ezek 20:10 NRSV)  So I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought 
       them into the wilderness.

       (Ezek 20:11 NRSV)  I gave them my statutes and showed them my 
       ordinances, by whose observance everyone shall live.

       (Ezek 20:12 NRSV)  Moreover I gave them my sabbaths, as a sign between 
       me and them, so that they might know that I the LORD sanctify them.

       (Ezek 20:13 NRSV)  But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the 
       wilderness; they did not observe my statutes but rejected my 
       ordinances, by whose observance everyone shall live; and my sabbaths 
       they greatly profaned. Then I thought I would pour out my wrath upon 
       them in the wilderness, to make an end of them.

       (Ezek 20:14 NRSV)  But I acted for the sake of my name, so that it 
       should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I 
       had brought them out.

       (Ezek 20:15 NRSV)  Moreover I swore to them in the wilderness that I 
       would not bring them into the land that I had given them, a land 
       flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands,

       (Ezek 20:16 NRSV)  because they rejected my ordinances and did not 
       observe my statutes, and profaned my sabbaths; for their heart went 
       after their idols.

       (Ezek 20:17 NRSV)  Nevertheless my eye spared them, and I did not 
       destroy them or make an end of them in the wilderness.





       (Ezek 20:18 NRSV)  I said to their children in the wilderness, Do not 
       follow the statutes of your parents, nor observe their ordinances, nor 
       defile yourselves with their idols.

       (Ezek 20:19 NRSV)  I the LORD am your God; follow my statutes, and be 
       careful to observe my ordinances,

       (Ezek 20:20 NRSV)  and hallow my sabbaths that they may be a sign 
       between me and you, so that you may know that I the LORD am your God.

       (Ezek 20:21 NRSV)  But the children rebelled against me; they did not 
       follow my statutes, and were not careful to observe my ordinances, by 
       whose observance everyone shall live; they profaned my sabbaths. Then 
       I thought I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger 
       against them in the wilderness.

       (Ezek 20:22 NRSV)  But I withheld my hand, and acted for the sake of 
       my name, so that it should not be profaned in the sight of the 
       nations, in whose sight I had brought them out.

       (Ezek 20:23 NRSV)  Moreover I swore to them in the wilderness that I 
       would scatter them among the nations and disperse them through the 
       countries,

       (Ezek 20:24 NRSV)  because they had not executed my ordinances, but 
       had rejected my statutes and profaned my sabbaths, and their eyes were 
       set on their ancestors' idols.

       (Ezek 20:25 NRSV)  Moreover I gave them statutes that were not good 
       and ordinances by which they could not live.

       (Ezek 20:26 NRSV)  I defiled them through their very gifts, in their 
       offering up all their firstborn, in order that I might horrify them, 
       so that they might know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 20:27 NRSV)  Therefore, mortal, speak to the house of Israel and 
       say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: In this again your ancestors 
       blasphemed me, by dealing treacherously with me.

       (Ezek 20:28 NRSV)  For when I had brought them into the land that I 
       swore to give them, then wherever they saw any high hill or any leafy 
       tree, there they offered their sacrifices and presented the 
       provocation of their offering; there they sent up their pleasing 
       odors, and there they poured out their drink offerings.

       (Ezek 20:29 NRSV)  (I said to them, What is the high place to which 
       you go? So it is called Bamah to this day.)

       (Ezek 20:30 NRSV)  Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the 
       Lord GOD: Will you defile yourselves after the manner of your 
       ancestors and go astray after their detestable things?

       (Ezek 20:31 NRSV)  When you offer your gifts and make your children 
       pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols to 
       this day. And shall I be consulted by you, O house of Israel? As I 
       live, says the Lord GOD, I will not be consulted by you.






       (Ezek 20:32 NRSV)  What is in your mind shall never happen--the 
       thought, "Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the 
       countries, and worship wood and stone."

       (Ezek 20:33 NRSV)  As I live, says the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty 
       hand and an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, I will be 
       king over you.

       (Ezek 20:34 NRSV)  I will bring you out from the peoples and gather 
       you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand 
       and an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out;

       (Ezek 20:35 NRSV)  and I will bring you into the wilderness of the 
       peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face.

       (Ezek 20:36 NRSV)  As I entered into judgment with your ancestors in 
       the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment 
       with you, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 20:37 NRSV)  I will make you pass under the staff, and will 
       bring you within the bond of the covenant.

       (Ezek 20:38 NRSV)  I will purge out the rebels among you, and those 
       who transgress against me; I will bring them out of the land where 
       they reside as aliens, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. 
       Then you shall know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 20:39 NRSV)  As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord 
       GOD: Go serve your idols, everyone of you now and hereafter, if you 
       will not listen to me; but my holy name you shall no more profane with 
       your gifts and your idols.

       (Ezek 20:40 NRSV)  For on my holy mountain, the mountain height of 
       Israel, says the Lord GOD, there all the house of Israel, all of them, 
       shall serve me in the land; there I will accept them, and there I will 
       require your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all 
       your sacred things.

       (Ezek 20:41 NRSV)  As a pleasing odor I will accept you, when I bring 
       you out from the peoples, and gather you out of the countries where 
       you have been scattered; and I will manifest my holiness among you in 
       the sight of the nations.

       (Ezek 20:42 NRSV)  You shall know that I am the LORD, when I bring you 
       into the land of Israel, the country that I swore to give to your 
       ancestors.

       (Ezek 20:43 NRSV)  There you shall remember your ways and all the 
       deeds by which you have polluted yourselves; and you shall loathe 
       yourselves for all the evils that you have committed.

       (Ezek 20:44 NRSV)  And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I deal 
       with you for my name's sake, not according to your evil ways, or 
       corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, says the Lord GOD.





       (Ezek 20:45 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 20:46 NRSV)  Mortal, set your face toward the south, preach 
       against the south, and prophesy against the forest land in the Negeb;

       (Ezek 20:47 NRSV)  say to the forest of the Negeb, Hear the word of 
       the LORD: Thus says the Lord GOD, I will kindle a fire in you, and it 
       shall devour every green tree in you and every dry tree; the blazing 
       flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from south to north shall 
       be scorched by it.

       (Ezek 20:48 NRSV)  All flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled 
       it; it shall not be quenched.

       (Ezek 20:49 NRSV)  Then I said, "Ah Lord GOD! they are saying of me, 
       'Is he not a maker of allegories?'"

       (Ezek 21:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 21:2 NRSV)  Mortal, set your face toward Jerusalem and preach 
       against the sanctuaries; prophesy against the land of Israel

       (Ezek 21:3 NRSV)  and say to the land of Israel, Thus says the LORD: I 
       am coming against you, and will draw my sword out of its sheath, and 
       will cut off from you both righteous and wicked.

       (Ezek 21:4 NRSV)  Because I will cut off from you both righteous and 
       wicked, therefore my sword shall go out of its sheath against all 
       flesh from south to north;

       (Ezek 21:5 NRSV)  and all flesh shall know that I the LORD have drawn 
       my sword out of its sheath; it shall not be sheathed again.

       (Ezek 21:6 NRSV)  Moan therefore, mortal; moan with breaking heart and 
       bitter grief before their eyes.

       (Ezek 21:7 NRSV)  And when they say to you, "Why do you moan?" you 
       shall say, "Because of the news that has come. Every heart will melt 
       and all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint and all knees 
       will turn to water. See, it comes and it will be fulfilled," says the 
       Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 21:8 NRSV)  And the word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 21:9 NRSV)  Mortal, prophesy and say: Thus says the Lord; Say: A 
       sword, a sword is sharpened, it is also polished;

       (Ezek 21:10 NRSV)  It is sharpened for slaughter, honed to flash like 
       lightning! How can we make merry? You have despised the rod, and all 
       discipline.

       (Ezek 21:11 NRSV)  The sword is given to be polished, to be grasped in 
       the hand; It is sharpened, the sword is polished, to be placed in the 
       slayer's hand.

       (Ezek 21:12 NRSV)  Cry and wail, O mortal, for it is against my 





       people; it is against all Israel's princes; they are thrown to the 
       sword, together with my people. Ah! Strike the thigh!

       (Ezek 21:13 NRSV)  For consider: What! If you despise the rod, will it 
       not happen? says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 21:14 NRSV)  And you, mortal, prophesy; Strike hand to hand. Let 
       the sword fall twice, thrice; it is a sword for killing. A sword for 
       great slaughter-- it surrounds them;

       (Ezek 21:15 NRSV)  therefore hearts melt and many stumble. At all 
       their gates I have set the point of the sword. Ah! It is made for 
       flashing, it is polished for slaughter.

       (Ezek 21:16 NRSV)  Attack to the right! Engage to the left! Wherever 
       your edge is directed.

       (Ezek 21:17 NRSV)  I too will strike hand to hand, I will satisfy my 
       fury; I the LORD have spoken.

       (Ezek 21:18 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 21:19 NRSV)  Mortal, mark out two roads for the sword of the 
       king of Babylon to come; both of them shall issue from the same land. 
       And make a signpost, make it for a fork in the road leading to a city;

       (Ezek 21:20 NRSV)  mark out the road for the sword to come to Rabbah 
       of the Ammonites or to Judah and to Jerusalem the fortified.

       (Ezek 21:21 NRSV)  For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of 
       the way, at the fork in the two roads, to use divination; he shakes 
       the arrows, he consults the teraphim, he inspects the liver.

       (Ezek 21:22 NRSV)  Into his right hand comes the lot for Jerusalem, to 
       set battering rams, to call out for slaughter, for raising the battle 
       cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up ramps, to 
       build siege towers.

       (Ezek 21:23 NRSV)  But to them it will seem like a false divination; 
       they have sworn solemn oaths; but he brings their guilt to 
       remembrance, bringing about their capture.

       (Ezek 21:24 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have 
       brought your guilt to remembrance, in that your transgressions are 
       uncovered, so that in all your deeds your sins appear--because you 
       have come to remembrance, you shall be taken in hand.

       (Ezek 21:25 NRSV)  As for you, vile, wicked prince of Israel, you 
       whose day has come, the time of final punishment,

       (Ezek 21:26 NRSV)  thus says the Lord GOD: Remove the turban, take off 
       the crown; things shall not remain as they are. Exalt that which is 
       low, abase that which is high.

       (Ezek 21:27 NRSV)  A ruin, a ruin, a ruin-- I will make it! (Such has 
       never occurred.) Until he comes whose right it is; to him I will give 





       it.

       (Ezek 21:28 NRSV)  As for you, mortal, prophesy, and say, Thus says 
       the Lord GOD concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; 
       say: A sword, a sword! Drawn for slaughter Polished to consume, to 
       flash like lightning.

       (Ezek 21:29 NRSV)  Offering false visions for you, divining lies for 
       you, they place you over the necks of the vile, wicked ones-- those 
       whose day has come, the time of final punishment.

       (Ezek 21:30 NRSV)  Return it to its sheath! In the place where you 
       were created, in the land of your origin, I will judge you.

       (Ezek 21:31 NRSV)  I will pour out my indignation upon you, with the 
       fire of my wrath I will blow upon you. I will deliver you into brutish 
       hands, those skillful to destroy.

       (Ezek 21:32 NRSV)  You shall be fuel for the fire, your blood shall 
       enter the earth; You shall be remembered no more, for I the LORD have 
       spoken.

       (Ezek 22:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 22:2 NRSV)  You, mortal, will you judge, will you judge the 
       bloody city? Then declare to it all its abominable deeds.

       (Ezek 22:3 NRSV)  You shall say, Thus says the Lord GOD: A city! 
       Shedding blood within itself; its time has come; making its idols, 
       defiling itself.

       (Ezek 22:4 NRSV)  You have become guilty by the blood that you have 
       shed, and defiled by the idols that you have made; you have brought 
       your day near, the appointed time of your years has come. Therefore I 
       have made you a disgrace before the nations, and a mockery to all the 
       countries.

       (Ezek 22:5 NRSV)  Those who are near and those who are far from you 
       will mock you, you infamous one, full of tumult.

       (Ezek 22:6 NRSV)  The princes of Israel in you, everyone according to 
       his power, have been bent on shedding blood.

       (Ezek 22:7 NRSV)  Father and mother are treated with contempt in you; 
       the alien residing within you suffers extortion; the orphan and the 
       widow are wronged in you.

       (Ezek 22:8 NRSV)  You have despised my holy things, and profaned my 
       sabbaths.

       (Ezek 22:9 NRSV)  In you are those who slander to shed blood, those in 
       you who eat upon the mountains, who commit lewdness in your midst.

       (Ezek 22:10 NRSV)  In you they uncover their fathers' nakedness; in 
       you they violate women in their menstrual periods.





       (Ezek 22:11 NRSV)  One commits abomination with his neighbor's wife; 
       another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; another in you defiles his 
       sister, his father's daughter.

       (Ezek 22:12 NRSV)  In you, they take bribes to shed blood; you take 
       both advance interest and accrued interest, and make gain of your 
       neighbors by extortion; and you have forgotten me, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 22:13 NRSV)  See, I strike my hands together at the dishonest 
       gain you have made, and at the blood that has been shed within you.

       (Ezek 22:14 NRSV)  Can your courage endure, or can your hands remain 
       strong in the days when I shall deal with you? I the LORD have spoken, 
       and I will do it.

       (Ezek 22:15 NRSV)  I will scatter you among the nations and disperse 
       you through the countries, and I will purge your filthiness out of 
       you.

       (Ezek 22:16 NRSV)  And I shall be profaned through you in the sight of 
       the nations; and you shall know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 22:17 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 22:18 NRSV)  Mortal, the house of Israel has become dross to me; 
       all of them, silver, bronze, tin, iron, and lead. In the smelter they 
       have become dross.

       (Ezek 22:19 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have 
       all become dross, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.

       (Ezek 22:20 NRSV)  As one gathers silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin 
       into a smelter, to blow the fire upon them in order to melt them; so I 
       will gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will put you in and 
       melt you.

       (Ezek 22:21 NRSV)  I will gather you and blow upon you with the fire 
       of my wrath, and you shall be melted within it.

       (Ezek 22:22 NRSV)  As silver is melted in a smelter, so you shall be 
       melted in it; and you shall know that I the LORD have poured out my 
       wrath upon you.

       (Ezek 22:23 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 22:24 NRSV)  Mortal, say to it: You are a land that is not 
       cleansed, not rained upon in the day of indignation.

       (Ezek 22:25 NRSV)  Its princes within it are like a roaring lion 
       tearing the prey; they have devoured human lives; they have taken 
       treasure and precious things; they have made many widows within it.

       (Ezek 22:26 NRSV)  Its priests have done violence to my teaching and 
       have profaned my holy things; they have made no distinction between 
       the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference 
       between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded my 





       sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.

       (Ezek 22:27 NRSV)  Its officials within it are like wolves tearing the 
       prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain.

       (Ezek 22:28 NRSV)  Its prophets have smeared whitewash on their 
       behalf, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, "Thus 
       says the Lord GOD," when the LORD has not spoken.

       (Ezek 22:29 NRSV)  The people of the land have practiced extortion and 
       committed robbery; they have oppressed the poor and needy, and have 
       extorted from the alien without redress.

       (Ezek 22:30 NRSV)  And I sought for anyone among them who would repair 
       the wall and stand in the breach before me on behalf of the land, so 
       that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.

       (Ezek 22:31 NRSV)  Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon 
       them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath; I have returned 
       their conduct upon their heads, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 23:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 23:2 NRSV)  Mortal, there were two women, the daughters of one 
       mother;

       (Ezek 23:3 NRSV)  they played the whore in Egypt; they played the 
       whore in their youth; their breasts were caressed there, and their 
       virgin bosoms were fondled.

       (Ezek 23:4 NRSV)  Oholah was the name of the elder and Oholibah the 
       name of her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and 
       daughters. As for their names, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is 
       Jerusalem.

       (Ezek 23:5 NRSV)  Oholah played the whore while she was mine; she 
       lusted after her lovers the Assyrians, warriors

       (Ezek 23:6 NRSV)  clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all of 
       them handsome young men, mounted horsemen.

       (Ezek 23:7 NRSV)  She bestowed her favors upon them, the choicest men 
       of Assyria all of them; and she defiled herself with all the idols of 
       everyone for whom she lusted.

       (Ezek 23:8 NRSV)  She did not give up her whorings that she had 
       practiced since Egypt; for in her youth men had lain with her and 
       fondled her virgin bosom and poured out their lust upon her.

       (Ezek 23:9 NRSV)  Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her 
       lovers, into the hands of the Assyrians, for whom she lusted.

       (Ezek 23:10 NRSV)  These uncovered her nakedness; they seized her sons 
       and her daughters; and they killed her with the sword. Judgment was 
       executed upon her, and she became a byword among women.





       (Ezek 23:11 NRSV)  Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet she was more 
       corrupt than she in her lusting and in her whorings, which were worse 
       than those of her sister.

       (Ezek 23:12 NRSV)  She lusted after the Assyrians, governors and 
       commanders, warriors clothed in full armor, mounted horsemen, all of 
       them handsome young men.

       (Ezek 23:13 NRSV)  And I saw that she was defiled; they both took the 
       same way.

       (Ezek 23:14 NRSV)  But she carried her whorings further; she saw male 
       figures carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans portrayed in 
       vermilion,

       (Ezek 23:15 NRSV)  with belts around their waists, with flowing 
       turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers--a picture 
       of Babylonians whose native land was Chaldea.

       (Ezek 23:16 NRSV)  When she saw them she lusted after them, and sent 
       messengers to them in Chaldea.

       (Ezek 23:17 NRSV)  And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of 
       love, and they defiled her with their lust; and after she defiled 
       herself with them, she turned from them in disgust.

       (Ezek 23:18 NRSV)  When she carried on her whorings so openly and 
       flaunted her nakedness, I turned in disgust from her, as I had turned 
       from her sister.

       (Ezek 23:19 NRSV)  Yet she increased her whorings, remembering the 
       days of her youth, when she played the whore in the land of Egypt

       (Ezek 23:20 NRSV)  and lusted after her paramours there, whose members 
       were like those of donkeys, and whose emission was like that of 
       stallions.

       (Ezek 23:21 NRSV)  Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, 
       when the Egyptians fondled your bosom and caressed your young breasts.

       (Ezek 23:22 NRSV)  Therefore, O Oholibah, thus says the Lord GOD: I 
       will rouse against you your lovers from whom you turned in disgust, 
       and I will bring them against you from every side:

       (Ezek 23:23 NRSV)  the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod and 
       Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, handsome young men, 
       governors and commanders all of them, officers and warriors, all of 
       them riding on horses.

       (Ezek 23:24 NRSV)  They shall come against you from the north with 
       chariots and wagons and a host of peoples; they shall set themselves 
       against you on every side with buckler, shield, and helmet, and I will 
       commit the judgment to them, and they shall judge you according to 
       their ordinances.

       (Ezek 23:25 NRSV)  I will direct my indignation against you, in order 





       that they may deal with you in fury. They shall cut off your nose and 
       your ears, and your survivors shall fall by the sword. They shall 
       seize your sons and your daughters, and your survivors shall be 
       devoured by fire.

       (Ezek 23:26 NRSV)  They shall also strip you of your clothes and take 
       away your fine jewels.

       (Ezek 23:27 NRSV)  So I will put an end to your lewdness and your 
       whoring brought from the land of Egypt; you shall not long for them, 
       or remember Egypt any more.

       (Ezek 23:28 NRSV)  For thus says the Lord GOD: I will deliver you into 
       the hands of those whom you hate, into the hands of those from whom 
       you turned in disgust;

       (Ezek 23:29 NRSV)  and they shall deal with you in hatred, and take 
       away all the fruit of your labor, and leave you naked and bare, and 
       the nakedness of your whorings shall be exposed. Your lewdness and 
       your whorings

       (Ezek 23:30 NRSV)  have brought this upon you, because you played the 
       whore with the nations, and polluted yourself with their idols.

       (Ezek 23:31 NRSV)  You have gone the way of your sister; therefore I 
       will give her cup into your hand.

       (Ezek 23:32 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: You shall drink your 
       sister's cup, deep and wide; you shall be scorned and derided, it 
       holds so much.

       (Ezek 23:33 NRSV)  You shall be filled with drunkenness and sorrow. A 
       cup of horror and desolation is the cup of your sister Samaria;

       (Ezek 23:34 NRSV)  you shall drink it and drain it out, and gnaw its 
       sherds, and tear out your breasts; for I have spoken, says the Lord 
       GOD.

       (Ezek 23:35 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have 
       forgotten me and cast me behind your back, therefore bear the 
       consequences of your lewdness and whorings.

       (Ezek 23:36 NRSV)  The LORD said to me: Mortal, will you judge Oholah 
       and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominable deeds.

       (Ezek 23:37 NRSV)  For they have committed adultery, and blood is on 
       their hands; with their idols they have committed adultery; and they 
       have even offered up to them for food the children whom they had borne 
       to me.

       (Ezek 23:38 NRSV)  Moreover this they have done to me: they have 
       defiled my sanctuary on the same day and profaned my sabbaths.

       (Ezek 23:39 NRSV)  For when they had slaughtered their children for 
       their idols, on the same day they came into my sanctuary to profane 
       it. This is what they did in my house.






       (Ezek 23:40 NRSV)  They even sent for men to come from far away, to 
       whom a messenger was sent, and they came. For them you bathed 
       yourself, painted your eyes, and decked yourself with ornaments;

       (Ezek 23:41 NRSV)  you sat on a stately couch, with a table spread 
       before it on which you had placed my incense and my oil.

       (Ezek 23:42 NRSV)  The sound of a raucous multitude was around her, 
       with many of the rabble brought in drunken from the wilderness; and 
       they put bracelets on the arms of the women, and beautiful crowns upon 
       their heads.

       (Ezek 23:43 NRSV)  Then I said, Ah, she is worn out with adulteries, 
       but they carry on their sexual acts with her.

       (Ezek 23:44 NRSV)  For they have gone in to her, as one goes in to a 
       whore. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, wanton women.

       (Ezek 23:45 NRSV)  But righteous judges shall declare them guilty of 
       adultery and of bloodshed; because they are adulteresses and blood is 
       on their hands.

       (Ezek 23:46 NRSV)  For thus says the Lord GOD: Bring up an assembly 
       against them, and make them an object of terror and of plunder.

       (Ezek 23:47 NRSV)  The assembly shall stone them and with their swords 
       they shall cut them down; they shall kill their sons and their 
       daughters, and burn up their houses.

       (Ezek 23:48 NRSV)  Thus will I put an end to lewdness in the land, so 
       that all women may take warning and not commit lewdness as you have 
       done.

       (Ezek 23:49 NRSV)  They shall repay you for your lewdness, and you 
       shall bear the penalty for your sinful idolatry; and you shall know 
       that I am the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 24:1 NRSV)  In the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth 
       day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 24:2 NRSV)  Mortal, write down the name of this day, this very 
       day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day.

       (Ezek 24:3 NRSV)  And utter an allegory to the rebellious house and 
       say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Set on the pot, set it on, pour 
       in water also;

       (Ezek 24:4 NRSV)  put in it the pieces, all the good pieces, the thigh 
       and the shoulder; fill it with choice bones.

       (Ezek 24:5 NRSV)  Take the choicest one of the flock, pile the logs 
       under it; boil its pieces, seethe also its bones in it.

       (Ezek 24:6 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the bloody 
       city, the pot whose rust is in it, whose rust has not gone out of it! 





       Empty it piece by piece, making no choice at all.

       (Ezek 24:7 NRSV)  For the blood she shed is inside it; she placed it 
       on a bare rock; she did not pour it out on the ground, to cover it 
       with earth.

       (Ezek 24:8 NRSV)  To rouse my wrath, to take vengeance, I have placed 
       the blood she shed on a bare rock, so that it may not be covered.

       (Ezek 24:9 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the bloody 
       city! I will even make the pile great.

       (Ezek 24:10 NRSV)  Heap up the logs, kindle the fire; boil the meat 
       well, mix in the spices, let the bones be burned.

       (Ezek 24:11 NRSV)  Stand it empty upon the coals, so that it may 
       become hot, its copper glow, its filth melt in it, its rust be 
       consumed.

       (Ezek 24:12 NRSV)  In vain I have wearied myself; its thick rust does 
       not depart. To the fire with its rust!

       (Ezek 24:13 NRSV)  Yet, when I cleansed you in your filthy lewdness, 
       you did not become clean from your filth; you shall not again be 
       cleansed until I have satisfied my fury upon you.

       (Ezek 24:14 NRSV)  I the LORD have spoken; the time is coming, I will 
       act. I will not refrain, I will not spare, I will not relent. 
       According to your ways and your doings I will judge you, says the Lord 
       GOD.

       (Ezek 24:15 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 24:16 NRSV)  Mortal, with one blow I am about to take away from 
       you the delight of your eyes; yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor 
       shall your tears run down.

       (Ezek 24:17 NRSV)  Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. 
       Bind on your turban, and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover 
       your upper lip or eat the bread of mourners.

       (Ezek 24:18 NRSV)  So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at 
       evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did as I was 
       commanded.

       (Ezek 24:19 NRSV)  Then the people said to me, "Will you not tell us 
       what these things mean for us, that you are acting this way?"

       (Ezek 24:20 NRSV)  Then I said to them: The word of the LORD came to 
       me:

       (Ezek 24:21 NRSV)  Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: 
       I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of 
       your eyes, and your heart's desire; and your sons and your daughters 
       whom you left behind shall fall by the sword.





       (Ezek 24:22 NRSV)  And you shall do as I have done; you shall not 
       cover your upper lip or eat the bread of mourners.

       (Ezek 24:23 NRSV)  Your turbans shall be on your heads and your 
       sandals on your feet; you shall not mourn or weep, but you shall pine 
       away in your iniquities and groan to one another.

       (Ezek 24:24 NRSV)  Thus Ezekiel shall be a sign to you; you shall do 
       just as he has done. When this comes, then you shall know that I am 
       the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 24:25 NRSV)  And you, mortal, on the day when I take from them 
       their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes and 
       their heart's affection, and also their sons and their daughters,

       (Ezek 24:26 NRSV)  on that day, one who has escaped will come to you 
       to report to you the news.

       (Ezek 24:27 NRSV)  On that day your mouth shall be opened to the one 
       who has escaped, and you shall speak and no longer be silent. So you 
       shall be a sign to them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 25:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 25:2 NRSV)  Mortal, set your face toward the Ammonites and 
       prophesy against them.

       (Ezek 25:3 NRSV)  Say to the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD: 
       Thus says the Lord GOD, Because you said, "Aha!" over my sanctuary 
       when it was profaned, and over the land of Israel when it was made 
       desolate, and over the house of Judah when it went into exile;

       (Ezek 25:4 NRSV)  therefore I am handing you over to the people of the 
       east for a possession. They shall set their encampments among you and 
       pitch their tents in your midst; they shall eat your fruit, and they 
       shall drink your milk.

       (Ezek 25:5 NRSV)  I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels and Ammon a 
       fold for flocks. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 25:6 NRSV)  For thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have clapped 
       your hands and stamped your feet and rejoiced with all the malice 
       within you against the land of Israel,

       (Ezek 25:7 NRSV)  therefore I have stretched out my hand against you, 
       and will hand you over as plunder to the nations. I will cut you off 
       from the peoples and will make you perish out of the countries; I will 
       destroy you. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 25:8 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: Because Moab said, The house 
       of Judah is like all the other nations,

       (Ezek 25:9 NRSV)  therefore I will lay open the flank of Moab from the 
       towns on its frontier, the glory of the country, Beth-jeshimoth, 
       Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim.





       (Ezek 25:10 NRSV)  I will give it along with Ammon to the people of 
       the east as a possession. Thus Ammon shall be remembered no more among 
       the nations,

       (Ezek 25:11 NRSV)  and I will execute judgments upon Moab. Then they 
       shall know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 25:12 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: Because Edom acted 
       revengefully against the house of Judah and has grievously offended in 
       taking vengeance upon them,

       (Ezek 25:13 NRSV)  therefore thus says the Lord GOD, I will stretch 
       out my hand against Edom, and cut off from it humans and animals, and 
       I will make it desolate; from Teman even to Dedan they shall fall by 
       the sword.

       (Ezek 25:14 NRSV)  I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my 
       people Israel; and they shall act in Edom according to my anger and 
       according to my wrath; and they shall know my vengeance, says the Lord 
       GOD.

       (Ezek 25:15 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: Because with unending 
       hostilities the Philistines acted in vengeance, and with malice of 
       heart took revenge in destruction;

       (Ezek 25:16 NRSV)  therefore thus says the Lord GOD, I will stretch 
       out my hand against the Philistines, cut off the Cherethites, and 
       destroy the rest of the seacoast.

       (Ezek 25:17 NRSV)  I will execute great vengeance on them with 
       wrathful punishments. Then they shall know that I am the LORD, when I 
       lay my vengeance on them.

       (Ezek 26:1 NRSV)  In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, 
       the word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 26:2 NRSV)  Mortal, because Tyre said concerning Jerusalem, 
       "Aha, broken is the gateway of the peoples; it has swung open to me; I 
       shall be replenished, now that it is wasted."

       (Ezek 26:3 NRSV)  Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD: See, I am against 
       you, O Tyre! I will hurl many nations against you, as the sea hurls 
       its waves.

       (Ezek 26:4 NRSV)  They shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down 
       its towers. I will scrape its soil from it and make it a bare rock.

       (Ezek 26:5 NRSV)  It shall become, in the midst of the sea, a place 
       for spreading nets. I have spoken, says the Lord GOD. It shall become 
       plunder for the nations,

       (Ezek 26:6 NRSV)  and its daughter-towns in the country shall be 
       killed by the sword. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 26:7 NRSV)  For thus says the Lord GOD: I will bring against 
       Tyre from the north King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, king of kings, 





       together with horses, chariots, cavalry, and a great and powerful 
       army.

       (Ezek 26:8 NRSV)  Your daughter-towns in the country he shall put to 
       the sword. He shall set up a siege wall against you, cast up a ramp 
       against you, and raise a roof of shields against you.

       (Ezek 26:9 NRSV)  He shall direct the shock of his battering rams 
       against your walls and break down your towers with his axes.

       (Ezek 26:10 NRSV)  His horses shall be so many that their dust shall 
       cover you. At the noise of cavalry, wheels, and chariots your very 
       walls shall shake, when he enters your gates like those entering a 
       breached city.

       (Ezek 26:11 NRSV)  With the hoofs of his horses he shall trample all 
       your streets. He shall put your people to the sword, and your strong 
       pillars shall fall to the ground.

       (Ezek 26:12 NRSV)  They will plunder your riches and loot your 
       merchandise; they shall break down your walls and destroy your fine 
       houses. Your stones and timber and soil they shall cast into the 
       water.

       (Ezek 26:13 NRSV)  I will silence the music of your songs; the sound 
       of your lyres shall be heard no more.

       (Ezek 26:14 NRSV)  I will make you a bare rock; you shall be a place 
       for spreading nets. You shall never again be rebuilt, for I the LORD 
       have spoken, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 26:15 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD to Tyre: Shall not the 
       coastlands shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, 
       when slaughter goes on within you?

       (Ezek 26:16 NRSV)  Then all the princes of the sea shall step down 
       from their thrones; they shall remove their robes and strip off their 
       embroidered garments. They shall clothe themselves with trembling, and 
       shall sit on the ground; they shall tremble every moment, and be 
       appalled at you.

       (Ezek 26:17 NRSV)  And they shall raise a lamentation over you, and 
       say to you: How you have vanished from the seas, O city renowned, once 
       mighty on the sea, you and your inhabitants, who imposed your terror 
       on all the mainland!

       (Ezek 26:18 NRSV)  Now the coastlands tremble on the day of your fall; 
       the coastlands by the sea are dismayed at your passing.

       (Ezek 26:19 NRSV)  For thus says the Lord GOD: When I make you a city 
       laid waste, like cities that are not inhabited, when I bring up the 
       deep over you, and the great waters cover you,

       (Ezek 26:20 NRSV)  then I will thrust you down with those who descend 
       into the Pit, to the people of long ago, and I will make you live in 
       the world below, among primeval ruins, with those who go down to the 





       Pit, so that you will not be inhabited or have a place in the land of 
       the living.

       (Ezek 26:21 NRSV)  I will bring you to a dreadful end, and you shall 
       be no more; though sought for, you will never be found again, says the 
       Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 27:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 27:2 NRSV)  Now you, mortal, raise a lamentation over Tyre,

       (Ezek 27:3 NRSV)  and say to Tyre, which sits at the entrance to the 
       sea, merchant of the peoples on many coastlands, Thus says the Lord 
       GOD: O Tyre, you have said, "I am perfect in beauty."

       (Ezek 27:4 NRSV)  Your borders are in the heart of the seas; your 
       builders made perfect your beauty.

       (Ezek 27:5 NRSV)  They made all your planks of fir trees from Senir; 
       they took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.

       (Ezek 27:6 NRSV)  From oaks of Bashan they made your oars; they made 
       your deck of pines from the coasts of Cyprus, inlaid with ivory.

       (Ezek 27:7 NRSV)  Of fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail, 
       serving as your ensign; blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah was 
       your awning.

       (Ezek 27:8 NRSV)  The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers; 
       skilled men of Zemer were within you, they were your pilots.

       (Ezek 27:9 NRSV)  The elders of Gebal and its artisans were within 
       you, caulking your seams; all the ships of the sea with their mariners 
       were within you, to barter for your wares.

       (Ezek 27:10 NRSV)  Paras and Lud and Put were in your army, your 
       mighty warriors; they hung shield and helmet in you; they gave you 
       splendor.

       (Ezek 27:11 NRSV)  Men of Arvad and Helech were on your walls all 
       around; men of Gamad were at your towers. They hung their quivers all 
       around your walls; they made perfect your beauty.

       (Ezek 27:12 NRSV)  Tarshish did business with you out of the abundance 
       of your great wealth; silver, iron, tin, and lead they exchanged for 
       your wares.

       (Ezek 27:13 NRSV)  Javan, Tubal, and Meshech traded with you; they 
       exchanged human beings and vessels of bronze for your merchandise.

       (Ezek 27:14 NRSV)  Beth-togarmah exchanged for your wares horses, war 
       horses, and mules.

       (Ezek 27:15 NRSV)  The Rhodians traded with you; many coastlands were 
       your own special markets; they brought you in payment ivory tusks and 
       ebony.






       (Ezek 27:16 NRSV)  Edom did business with you because of your abundant 
       goods; they exchanged for your wares turquoise, purple, embroidered 
       work, fine linen, coral, and rubies.

       (Ezek 27:17 NRSV)  Judah and the land of Israel traded with you; they 
       exchanged for your merchandise wheat from Minnith, millet, honey, oil, 
       and balm.

       (Ezek 27:18 NRSV)  Damascus traded with you for your abundant 
       goods--because of your great wealth of every kind--wine of Helbon, and 
       white wool.

       (Ezek 27:19 NRSV)  Vedan and Javan from Uzal entered into trade for 
       your wares; wrought iron, cassia, and sweet cane were bartered for 
       your merchandise.

       (Ezek 27:20 NRSV)  Dedan traded with you in saddlecloths for riding.

       (Ezek 27:21 NRSV)  Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your 
       favored dealers in lambs, rams, and goats; in these they did business 
       with you.

       (Ezek 27:22 NRSV)  The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you; 
       they exchanged for your wares the best of all kinds of spices, and all 
       precious stones, and gold.

       (Ezek 27:23 NRSV)  Haran, Canneh, Eden, the merchants of Sheba, 
       Asshur, and Chilmad traded with you.

       (Ezek 27:24 NRSV)  These traded with you in choice garments, in 
       clothes of blue and embroidered work, and in carpets of colored 
       material, bound with cords and made secure; in these they traded with 
       you.

       (Ezek 27:25 NRSV)  The ships of Tarshish traveled for you in your 
       trade. So you were filled and heavily laden in the heart of the seas.

       (Ezek 27:26 NRSV)  Your rowers have brought you into the high seas. 
       The east wind has wrecked you in the heart of the seas.

       (Ezek 27:27 NRSV)  Your riches, your wares, your merchandise, your 
       mariners and your pilots, your caulkers, your dealers in merchandise, 
       and all your warriors within you, with all the company that is with 
       you, sink into the heart of the seas on the day of your ruin.

       (Ezek 27:28 NRSV)  At the sound of the cry of your pilots the 
       countryside shakes,

       (Ezek 27:29 NRSV)  and down from their ships come all that handle the 
       oar. The mariners and all the pilots of the sea stand on the shore

       (Ezek 27:30 NRSV)  and wail aloud over you, and cry bitterly. They 
       throw dust on their heads and wallow in ashes;

       (Ezek 27:31 NRSV)  they make themselves bald for you, and put on 





       sackcloth, and they weep over you in bitterness of soul, with bitter 
       mourning.

       (Ezek 27:32 NRSV)  In their wailing they raise a lamentation for you, 
       and lament over you: "Who was ever destroyed like Tyre in the midst of 
       the sea?

       (Ezek 27:33 NRSV)  When your wares came from the seas, you satisfied 
       many peoples; with your abundant wealth and merchandise you enriched 
       the kings of the earth.

       (Ezek 27:34 NRSV)  Now you are wrecked by the seas, in the depths of 
       the waters; your merchandise and all your crew have sunk with you.

       (Ezek 27:35 NRSV)  All the inhabitants of the coastlands are appalled 
       at you; and their kings are horribly afraid, their faces are 
       convulsed.

       (Ezek 27:36 NRSV)  The merchants among the peoples hiss at you; you 
       have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever."

       (Ezek 28:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 28:2 NRSV)  Mortal, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the 
       Lord GOD: Because your heart is proud and you have said, "I am a god; 
       I sit in the seat of the gods, in the heart of the seas," yet you are 
       but a mortal, and no god, though you compare your mind with the mind 
       of a god.

       (Ezek 28:3 NRSV)  You are indeed wiser than Daniel; no secret is 
       hidden from you;

       (Ezek 28:4 NRSV)  by your wisdom and your understanding you have 
       amassed wealth for yourself, and have gathered gold and silver into 
       your treasuries.

       (Ezek 28:5 NRSV)  By your great wisdom in trade you have increased 
       your wealth, and your heart has become proud in your wealth.

       (Ezek 28:6 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you 
       compare your mind with the mind of a god,

       (Ezek 28:7 NRSV)  therefore, I will bring strangers against you, the 
       most terrible of the nations; they shall draw their swords against the 
       beauty of your wisdom and defile your splendor.

       (Ezek 28:8 NRSV)  They shall thrust you down to the Pit, and you shall 
       die a violent death in the heart of the seas.

       (Ezek 28:9 NRSV)  Will you still say, "I am a god," in the presence of 
       those who kill you, though you are but a mortal, and no god, in the 
       hands of those who wound you?

       (Ezek 28:10 NRSV)  You shall die the death of the uncircumcised by the 
       hand of foreigners; for I have spoken, says the Lord GOD.





       (Ezek 28:11 NRSV)  Moreover the word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 28:12 NRSV)  Mortal, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, 
       and say to him, Thus says the Lord GOD: You were the signet of 
       perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

       (Ezek 28:13 NRSV)  You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious 
       stone was your covering, carnelian, chrysolite, and moonstone, beryl, 
       onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald; and worked in gold 
       were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were 
       created they were prepared.

       (Ezek 28:14 NRSV)  With an anointed cherub as guardian I placed you; 
       you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the stones of 
       fire.

       (Ezek 28:15 NRSV)  You were blameless in your ways from the day that 
       you were created, until iniquity was found in you.

       (Ezek 28:16 NRSV)  In the abundance of your trade you were filled with 
       violence, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the 
       mountain of God, and the guardian cherub drove you out from among the 
       stones of fire.

       (Ezek 28:17 NRSV)  Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you 
       corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the 
       ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you.

       (Ezek 28:18 NRSV)  By the multitude of your iniquities, in the 
       unrighteousness of your trade, you profaned your sanctuaries. So I 
       brought out fire from within you; it consumed you, and I turned you to 
       ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you.

       (Ezek 28:19 NRSV)  All who know you among the peoples are appalled at 
       you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever.

       (Ezek 28:20 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 28:21 NRSV)  Mortal, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy 
       against it,

       (Ezek 28:22 NRSV)  and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am against you, 
       O Sidon, and I will gain glory in your midst. They shall know that I 
       am the LORD when I execute judgments in it, and manifest my holiness 
       in it;

       (Ezek 28:23 NRSV)  for I will send pestilence into it, and bloodshed 
       into its streets; and the dead shall fall in its midst, by the sword 
       that is against it on every side. And they shall know that I am the 
       LORD.

       (Ezek 28:24 NRSV)  The house of Israel shall no longer find a pricking 
       brier or a piercing thorn among all their neighbors who have treated 
       them with contempt. And they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 28:25 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: When I gather the house of 





       Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and manifest my 
       holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they shall settle 
       on their own soil that I gave to my servant Jacob.

       (Ezek 28:26 NRSV)  They shall live in safety in it, and shall build 
       houses and plant vineyards. They shall live in safety, when I execute 
       judgments upon all their neighbors who have treated them with 
       contempt. And they shall know that I am the LORD their God.

       (Ezek 29:1 NRSV)  In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the 
       twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 29:2 NRSV)  Mortal, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, 
       and prophesy against him and against all Egypt;

       (Ezek 29:3 NRSV)  speak, and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am against 
       you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon sprawling in the midst of 
       its channels, saying, "My Nile is my own; I made it for myself."

       (Ezek 29:4 NRSV)  I will put hooks in your jaws, and make the fish of 
       your channels stick to your scales. I will draw you up from your 
       channels, with all the fish of your channels sticking to your scales.

       (Ezek 29:5 NRSV)  I will fling you into the wilderness, you and all 
       the fish of your channels; you shall fall in the open field, and not 
       be gathered and buried. To the animals of the earth and to the birds 
       of the air I have given you as food.

       (Ezek 29:6 NRSV)  Then all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I 
       am the LORD because you were a staff of reed to the house of Israel;

       (Ezek 29:7 NRSV)  when they grasped you with the hand, you broke, and 
       tore all their shoulders; and when they leaned on you, you broke, and 
       made all their legs unsteady.

       (Ezek 29:8 NRSV)  Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD: I will bring a 
       sword upon you, and will cut off from you human being and animal;

       (Ezek 29:9 NRSV)  and the land of Egypt shall be a desolation and a 
       waste. Then they shall know that I am the LORD. Because you said, "The 
       Nile is mine, and I made it,"

       (Ezek 29:10 NRSV)  therefore, I am against you, and against your 
       channels, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and 
       desolation, from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Ethiopia.

       (Ezek 29:11 NRSV)  No human foot shall pass through it, and no animal 
       foot shall pass through it; it shall be uninhabited forty years.

       (Ezek 29:12 NRSV)  I will make the land of Egypt a desolation among 
       desolated countries; and her cities shall be a desolation forty years 
       among cities that are laid waste. I will scatter the Egyptians among 
       the nations, and disperse them among the countries.

       (Ezek 29:13 NRSV)  Further, thus says the Lord GOD: At the end of 
       forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom 





       they were scattered;

       (Ezek 29:14 NRSV)  and I will restore the fortunes of Egypt, and bring 
       them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin; and there 
       they shall be a lowly kingdom.

       (Ezek 29:15 NRSV)  It shall be the most lowly of the kingdoms, and 
       never again exalt itself above the nations; and I will make them so 
       small that they will never again rule over the nations.

       (Ezek 29:16 NRSV)  The Egyptians shall never again be the reliance of 
       the house of Israel; they will recall their iniquity, when they turned 
       to them for aid. Then they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 29:17 NRSV)  In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on 
       the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 29:18 NRSV)  Mortal, King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon made his 
       army labor hard against Tyre; every head was made bald and every 
       shoulder was rubbed bare; yet neither he nor his army got anything 
       from Tyre to pay for the labor that he had expended against it.

       (Ezek 29:19 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: I will give the 
       land of Egypt to King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon; and he shall carry 
       off its wealth and despoil it and plunder it; and it shall be the 
       wages for his army.

       (Ezek 29:20 NRSV)  I have given him the land of Egypt as his payment 
       for which he labored, because they worked for me, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 29:21 NRSV)  On that day I will cause a horn to sprout up for 
       the house of Israel, and I will open your lips among them. Then they 
       shall know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 30:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 30:2 NRSV)  Mortal, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: 
       Wail, "Alas for the day!"

       (Ezek 30:3 NRSV)  For a day is near, the day of the LORD is near; it 
       will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations.

       (Ezek 30:4 NRSV)  A sword shall come upon Egypt, and anguish shall be 
       in Ethiopia, when the slain fall in Egypt, and its wealth is carried 
       away, and its foundations are torn down.

       (Ezek 30:5 NRSV)  Ethiopia, and Put, and Lud, and all Arabia, and 
       Libya, and the people of the allied land shall fall with them by the 
       sword.

       (Ezek 30:6 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: Those who support Egypt shall 
       fall, and its proud might shall come down; from Migdol to Syene they 
       shall fall within it by the sword, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 30:7 NRSV)  They shall be desolated among other desolated 
       countries, and their cities shall lie among cities laid waste.






       (Ezek 30:8 NRSV)  Then they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have 
       set fire to Egypt, and all who help it are broken.

       (Ezek 30:9 NRSV)  On that day, messengers shall go out from me in 
       ships to terrify the unsuspecting Ethiopians; and anguish shall come 
       upon them on the day of Egypt's doom; for it is coming!

       (Ezek 30:10 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: I will put an end to the 
       hordes of Egypt, by the hand of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon.

       (Ezek 30:11 NRSV)  He and his people with him, the most terrible of 
       the nations, shall be brought in to destroy the land; and they shall 
       draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain.

       (Ezek 30:12 NRSV)  I will dry up the channels, and will sell the land 
       into the hand of evildoers; I will bring desolation upon the land and 
       everything in it by the hand of foreigners; I the LORD have spoken.

       (Ezek 30:13 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: I will destroy the idols 
       and put an end to the images in Memphis; there shall no longer be a 
       prince in the land of Egypt; so I will put fear in the land of Egypt.

       (Ezek 30:14 NRSV)  I will make Pathros a desolation, and will set fire 
       to Zoan, and will execute acts of judgment on Thebes.

       (Ezek 30:15 NRSV)  I will pour my wrath upon Pelusium, the stronghold 
       of Egypt, and cut off the hordes of Thebes.

       (Ezek 30:16 NRSV)  I will set fire to Egypt; Pelusium shall be in 
       great agony; Thebes shall be breached, and Memphis face adversaries by 
       day.

       (Ezek 30:17 NRSV)  The young men of On and of Pi-beseth shall fall by 
       the sword; and the cities themselves shall go into captivity.

       (Ezek 30:18 NRSV)  At Tehaphnehes the day shall be dark, when I break 
       there the dominion of Egypt, and its proud might shall come to an end; 
       the city shall be covered by a cloud, and its daughter-towns shall go 
       into captivity.

       (Ezek 30:19 NRSV)  Thus I will execute acts of judgment on Egypt. Then 
       they shall know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 30:20 NRSV)  In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the 
       seventh day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 30:21 NRSV)  Mortal, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of 
       Egypt; it has not been bound up for healing or wrapped with a bandage, 
       so that it may become strong to wield the sword.

       (Ezek 30:22 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: I am against 
       Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, both the strong arm 
       and the one that was broken; and I will make the sword fall from his 
       hand.





       (Ezek 30:23 NRSV)  I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and 
       disperse them throughout the lands.

       (Ezek 30:24 NRSV)  I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, 
       and put my sword in his hand; but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, 
       and he will groan before him with the groans of one mortally wounded.

       (Ezek 30:25 NRSV)  I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, 
       but the arms of Pharaoh shall fall. And they shall know that I am the 
       LORD, when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon. He 
       shall stretch it out against the land of Egypt,

       (Ezek 30:26 NRSV)  and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations 
       and disperse them throughout the countries. Then they shall know that 
       I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 31:1 NRSV)  In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the 
       first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 31:2 NRSV)  Mortal, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his 
       hordes: Whom are you like in your greatness?

       (Ezek 31:3 NRSV)  Consider Assyria, a cedar of Lebanon, with fair 
       branches and forest shade, and of great height, its top among the 
       clouds.

       (Ezek 31:4 NRSV)  The waters nourished it, the deep made it grow tall, 
       making its rivers flow around the place it was planted, sending forth 
       its streams to all the trees of the field.

       (Ezek 31:5 NRSV)  So it towered high above all the trees of the field; 
       its boughs grew large and its branches long, from abundant water in 
       its shoots.

       (Ezek 31:6 NRSV)  All the birds of the air made their nests in its 
       boughs; under its branches all the animals of the field gave birth to 
       their young; and in its shade all great nations lived.

       (Ezek 31:7 NRSV)  It was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of 
       its branches; for its roots went down to abundant water.

       (Ezek 31:8 NRSV)  The cedars in the garden of God could not rival it, 
       nor the fir trees equal its boughs; the plane trees were as nothing 
       compared with its branches; no tree in the garden of God was like it 
       in beauty.

       (Ezek 31:9 NRSV)  I made it beautiful with its mass of branches, the 
       envy of all the trees of Eden that were in the garden of God.

       (Ezek 31:10 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because it 
       towered high and set its top among the clouds, and its heart was proud 
       of its height,

       (Ezek 31:11 NRSV)  I gave it into the hand of the prince of the 
       nations; he has dealt with it as its wickedness deserves. I have cast 
       it out.






       (Ezek 31:12 NRSV)  Foreigners from the most terrible of the nations 
       have cut it down and left it. On the mountains and in all the valleys 
       its branches have fallen, and its boughs lie broken in all the 
       watercourses of the land; and all the peoples of the earth went away 
       from its shade and left it.

       (Ezek 31:13 NRSV)  On its fallen trunk settle all the birds of the 
       air, and among its boughs lodge all the wild animals.

       (Ezek 31:14 NRSV)  All this is in order that no trees by the waters 
       may grow to lofty height or set their tops among the clouds, and that 
       no trees that drink water may reach up to them in height. For all of 
       them are handed over to death, to the world below; along with all 
       mortals, with those who go down to the Pit.

       (Ezek 31:15 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day it went down to 
       Sheol I closed the deep over it and covered it; I restrained its 
       rivers, and its mighty waters were checked. I clothed Lebanon in gloom 
       for it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it.

       (Ezek 31:16 NRSV)  I made the nations quake at the sound of its fall, 
       when I cast it down to Sheol with those who go down to the Pit; and 
       all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that were 
       well watered, were consoled in the world below.

       (Ezek 31:17 NRSV)  They also went down to Sheol with it, to those 
       killed by the sword, along with its allies, those who lived in its 
       shade among the nations.

       (Ezek 31:18 NRSV)  Which among the trees of Eden was like you in glory 
       and in greatness? Now you shall be brought down with the trees of Eden 
       to the world below; you shall lie among the uncircumcised, with those 
       who are killed by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his horde, says 
       the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 32:1 NRSV)  In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the 
       first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 32:2 NRSV)  Mortal, raise a lamentation over Pharaoh king of 
       Egypt, and say to him: You consider yourself a lion among the nations, 
       but you are like a dragon in the seas; you thrash about in your 
       streams, trouble the water with your feet, and foul your streams.

       (Ezek 32:3 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: In an assembly of many 
       peoples I will throw my net over you; and I will haul you up in my 
       dragnet.

       (Ezek 32:4 NRSV)  I will throw you on the ground, on the open field I 
       will fling you, and will cause all the birds of the air to settle on 
       you, and I will let the wild animals of the whole earth gorge 
       themselves with you.

       (Ezek 32:5 NRSV)  I will strew your flesh on the mountains, and fill 
       the valleys with your carcass.





       (Ezek 32:6 NRSV)  I will drench the land with your flowing blood up to 
       the mountains, and the watercourses will be filled with you.

       (Ezek 32:7 NRSV)  When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens, and 
       make their stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon 
       shall not give its light.

       (Ezek 32:8 NRSV)  All the shining lights of the heavens I will darken 
       above you, and put darkness on your land, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 32:9 NRSV)  I will trouble the hearts of many peoples, as I 
       carry you captive among the nations, into countries you have not 
       known.

       (Ezek 32:10 NRSV)  I will make many peoples appalled at you; their 
       kings shall shudder because of you. When I brandish my sword before 
       them, they shall tremble every moment for their lives, each one of 
       them, on the day of your downfall.

       (Ezek 32:11 NRSV)  For thus says the Lord GOD: The sword of the king 
       of Babylon shall come against you.

       (Ezek 32:12 NRSV)  I will cause your hordes to fall by the swords of 
       mighty ones, all of them most terrible among the nations. They shall 
       bring to ruin the pride of Egypt, and all its hordes shall perish.

       (Ezek 32:13 NRSV)  I will destroy all its livestock from beside 
       abundant waters; and no human foot shall trouble them any more, nor 
       shall the hoofs of cattle trouble them.

       (Ezek 32:14 NRSV)  Then I will make their waters clear, and cause 
       their streams to run like oil, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 32:15 NRSV)  When I make the land of Egypt desolate and when the 
       land is stripped of all that fills it, when I strike down all who live 
       in it, then they shall know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 32:16 NRSV)  This is a lamentation; it shall be chanted. The 
       women of the nations shall chant it. Over Egypt and all its hordes 
       they shall chant it, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 32:17 NRSV)  In the twelfth year, in the first month, on the 
       fifteenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 32:18 NRSV)  Mortal, wail over the hordes of Egypt, and send 
       them down, with Egypt and the daughters of majestic nations, to the 
       world below, with those who go down to the Pit.

       (Ezek 32:19 NRSV)  "Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down! Be laid to 
       rest with the uncircumcised!"

       (Ezek 32:20 NRSV)  They shall fall among those who are killed by the 
       sword. Egypt has been handed over to the sword; carry away both it and 
       its hordes.

       (Ezek 32:21 NRSV)  The mighty chiefs shall speak of them, with their 





       helpers, out of the midst of Sheol: "They have come down, they lie 
       still, the uncircumcised, killed by the sword."

       (Ezek 32:22 NRSV)  Assyria is there, and all its company, their graves 
       all around it, all of them killed, fallen by the sword.

       (Ezek 32:23 NRSV)  Their graves are set in the uttermost parts of the 
       Pit. Its company is all around its grave, all of them killed, fallen 
       by the sword, who spread terror in the land of the living.

       (Ezek 32:24 NRSV)  Elam is there, and all its hordes around its grave; 
       all of them killed, fallen by the sword, who went down uncircumcised 
       into the world below, who spread terror in the land of the living. 
       They bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit.

       (Ezek 32:25 NRSV)  They have made Elam a bed among the slain with all 
       its hordes, their graves all around it, all of them uncircumcised, 
       killed by the sword; for terror of them was spread in the land of the 
       living, and they bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit; 
       they are placed among the slain.

       (Ezek 32:26 NRSV)  Meshech and Tubal are there, and all their 
       multitude, their graves all around them, all of them uncircumcised, 
       killed by the sword; for they spread terror in the land of the living.

       (Ezek 32:27 NRSV)  And they do not lie with the fallen warriors of 
       long ago who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, whose 
       swords were laid under their heads, and whose shields are upon their 
       bones; for the terror of the warriors was in the land of the living.

       (Ezek 32:28 NRSV)  So you shall be broken and lie among the 
       uncircumcised, with those who are killed by the sword.

       (Ezek 32:29 NRSV)  Edom is there, its kings and all its princes, who 
       for all their might are laid with those who are killed by the sword; 
       they lie with the uncircumcised, with those who go down to the Pit.

       (Ezek 32:30 NRSV)  The princes of the north are there, all of them, 
       and all the Sidonians, who have gone down in shame with the slain, for 
       all the terror that they caused by their might; they lie uncircumcised 
       with those who are killed by the sword, and bear their shame with 
       those who go down to the Pit.

       (Ezek 32:31 NRSV)  When Pharaoh sees them, he will be consoled for all 
       his hordes--Pharaoh and all his army, killed by the sword, says the 
       Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 32:32 NRSV)  For he spread terror in the land of the living; 
       therefore he shall be laid to rest among the uncircumcised, with those 
       who are slain by the sword--Pharaoh and all his multitude, says the 
       Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 33:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 33:2 NRSV)  O Mortal, speak to your people and say to them, If I 
       bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one of 





       their number as their sentinel;

       (Ezek 33:3 NRSV)  and if the sentinel sees the sword coming upon the 
       land and blows the trumpet and warns the people;

       (Ezek 33:4 NRSV)  then if any who hear the sound of the trumpet do not 
       take warning, and the sword comes and takes them away, their blood 
       shall be upon their own heads.

       (Ezek 33:5 NRSV)  They heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take 
       warning; their blood shall be upon themselves. But if they had taken 
       warning, they would have saved their lives.

       (Ezek 33:6 NRSV)  But if the sentinel sees the sword coming and does 
       not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword 
       comes and takes any of them, they are taken away in their iniquity, 
       but their blood I will require at the sentinel's hand.

       (Ezek 33:7 NRSV)  So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house 
       of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them 
       warning from me.

       (Ezek 33:8 NRSV)  If I say to the wicked, "O wicked ones, you shall 
       surely die," and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from 
       their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I 
       will require at your hand.

       (Ezek 33:9 NRSV)  But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, 
       and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their 
       iniquity, but you will have saved your life.

       (Ezek 33:10 NRSV)  Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus 
       you have said: "Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we 
       waste away because of them; how then can we live?"

       (Ezek 33:11 NRSV)  Say to them, As I live, says the Lord GOD, I have 
       no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from 
       their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why 
       will you die, O house of Israel?

       (Ezek 33:12 NRSV)  And you, mortal, say to your people, The 
       righteousness of the righteous shall not save them when they 
       transgress; and as for the wickedness of the wicked, it shall not make 
       them stumble when they turn from their wickedness; and the righteous 
       shall not be able to live by their righteousness when they sin.

       (Ezek 33:13 NRSV)  Though I say to the righteous that they shall 
       surely live, yet if they trust in their righteousness and commit 
       iniquity, none of their righteous deeds shall be remembered; but in 
       the iniquity that they have committed they shall die.

       (Ezek 33:14 NRSV)  Again, though I say to the wicked, "You shall 
       surely die," yet if they turn from their sin and do what is lawful and 
       right--

       (Ezek 33:15 NRSV)  if the wicked restore the pledge, give back what 





       they have taken by robbery, and walk in the statutes of life, 
       committing no iniquity--they shall surely live, they shall not die.

       (Ezek 33:16 NRSV)  None of the sins that they have committed shall be 
       remembered against them; they have done what is lawful and right, they 
       shall surely live.

       (Ezek 33:17 NRSV)  Yet your people say, "The way of the Lord is not 
       just," when it is their own way that is not just.

       (Ezek 33:18 NRSV)  When the righteous turn from their righteousness, 
       and commit iniquity, they shall die for it.

       (Ezek 33:19 NRSV)  And when the wicked turn from their wickedness, and 
       do what is lawful and right, they shall live by it.

       (Ezek 33:20 NRSV)  Yet you say, "The way of the Lord is not just." O 
       house of Israel, I will judge all of you according to your ways!

       (Ezek 33:21 NRSV)  In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth 
       month, on the fifth day of the month, someone who had escaped from 
       Jerusalem came to me and said, "The city has fallen."

       (Ezek 33:22 NRSV)  Now the hand of the LORD had been upon me the 
       evening before the fugitive came; but he had opened my mouth by the 
       time the fugitive came to me in the morning; so my mouth was opened, 
       and I was no longer unable to speak.

       (Ezek 33:23 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 33:24 NRSV)  Mortal, the inhabitants of these waste places in 
       the land of Israel keep saying, "Abraham was only one man, yet he got 
       possession of the land; but we are many; the land is surely given us 
       to possess."

       (Ezek 33:25 NRSV)  Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: You 
       eat flesh with the blood, and lift up your eyes to your idols, and 
       shed blood; shall you then possess the land?

       (Ezek 33:26 NRSV)  You depend on your swords, you commit abominations, 
       and each of you defiles his neighbor's wife; shall you then possess 
       the land?

       (Ezek 33:27 NRSV)  Say this to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: As I 
       live, surely those who are in the waste places shall fall by the 
       sword; and those who are in the open field I will give to the wild 
       animals to be devoured; and those who are in strongholds and in caves 
       shall die by pestilence.

       (Ezek 33:28 NRSV)  I will make the land a desolation and a waste, and 
       its proud might shall come to an end; and the mountains of Israel 
       shall be so desolate that no one will pass through.

       (Ezek 33:29 NRSV)  Then they shall know that I am the LORD, when I 
       have made the land a desolation and a waste because of all their 
       abominations that they have committed.






       (Ezek 33:30 NRSV)  As for you, mortal, your people who talk together 
       about you by the walls, and at the doors of the houses, say to one 
       another, each to a neighbor, "Come and hear what the word is that 
       comes from the LORD."

       (Ezek 33:31 NRSV)  They come to you as people come, and they sit 
       before you as my people, and they hear your words, but they will not 
       obey them. For flattery is on their lips, but their heart is set on 
       their gain.

       (Ezek 33:32 NRSV)  To them you are like a singer of love songs, one 
       who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; they hear 
       what you say, but they will not do it.

       (Ezek 33:33 NRSV)  When this comes--and come it will!--then they shall 
       know that a prophet has been among them.

       (Ezek 34:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 34:2 NRSV)  Mortal, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel: 
       prophesy, and say to them--to the shepherds: Thus says the Lord GOD: 
       Ah, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should 
       not shepherds feed the sheep?

       (Ezek 34:3 NRSV)  You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the 
       wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep.

       (Ezek 34:4 NRSV)  You have not strengthened the weak, you have not 
       healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured, you have not 
       brought back the strayed, you have not sought the lost, but with force 
       and harshness you have ruled them.

       (Ezek 34:5 NRSV)  So they were scattered, because there was no 
       shepherd; and scattered, they became food for all the wild animals.

       (Ezek 34:6 NRSV)  My sheep were scattered, they wandered over all the 
       mountains and on every high hill; my sheep were scattered over all the 
       face of the earth, with no one to search or seek for them.

       (Ezek 34:7 NRSV)  Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:

       (Ezek 34:8 NRSV)  As I live, says the Lord GOD, because my sheep have 
       become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild animals, 
       since there was no shepherd; and because my shepherds have not 
       searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have 
       not fed my sheep;

       (Ezek 34:9 NRSV)  therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:

       (Ezek 34:10 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD, I am against the shepherds; 
       and I will demand my sheep at their hand, and put a stop to their 
       feeding the sheep; no longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I 
       will rescue my sheep from their mouths, so that they may not be food 
       for them.





       (Ezek 34:11 NRSV)  For thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will search 
       for my sheep, and will seek them out.

       (Ezek 34:12 NRSV)  As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are 
       among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will 
       rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a 
       day of clouds and thick darkness.

       (Ezek 34:13 NRSV)  I will bring them out from the peoples and gather 
       them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and 
       I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and 
       in all the inhabited parts of the land.

       (Ezek 34:14 NRSV)  I will feed them with good pasture, and the 
       mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall 
       lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on 
       the mountains of Israel.

       (Ezek 34:15 NRSV)  I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I 
       will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 34:16 NRSV)  I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the 
       strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the 
       weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with 
       justice.

       (Ezek 34:17 NRSV)  As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord GOD: I 
       shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats:

       (Ezek 34:18 NRSV)  Is it not enough for you to feed on the good 
       pasture, but you must tread down with your feet the rest of your 
       pasture? When you drink of clear water, must you foul the rest with 
       your feet?

       (Ezek 34:19 NRSV)  And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with 
       your feet, and drink what you have fouled with your feet?

       (Ezek 34:20 NRSV)  Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD to them: I myself 
       will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.

       (Ezek 34:21 NRSV)  Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and 
       butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered 
       them far and wide,

       (Ezek 34:22 NRSV)  I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be 
       ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.

       (Ezek 34:23 NRSV)  I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant 
       David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their 
       shepherd.

       (Ezek 34:24 NRSV)  And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant 
       David shall be prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.

       (Ezek 34:25 NRSV)  I will make with them a covenant of peace and 
       banish wild animals from the land, so that they may live in the wild 





       and sleep in the woods securely.

       (Ezek 34:26 NRSV)  I will make them and the region around my hill a 
       blessing; and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall 
       be showers of blessing.

       (Ezek 34:27 NRSV)  The trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and 
       the earth shall yield its increase. They shall be secure on their 
       soil; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I break the bars of 
       their yoke, and save them from the hands of those who enslaved them.

       (Ezek 34:28 NRSV)  They shall no more be plunder for the nations, nor 
       shall the animals of the land devour them; they shall live in safety, 
       and no one shall make them afraid.

       (Ezek 34:29 NRSV)  I will provide for them a splendid vegetation so 
       that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no 
       longer suffer the insults of the nations.

       (Ezek 34:30 NRSV)  They shall know that I, the LORD their God, am with 
       them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, says the Lord 
       GOD.

       (Ezek 34:31 NRSV)  You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture and I am 
       your God, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 35:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 35:2 NRSV)  Mortal, set your face against Mount Seir, and 
       prophesy against it,

       (Ezek 35:3 NRSV)  and say to it, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am against 
       you, Mount Seir; I stretch out my hand against you to make you a 
       desolation and a waste.

       (Ezek 35:4 NRSV)  I lay your towns in ruins; you shall become a 
       desolation, and you shall know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 35:5 NRSV)  Because you cherished an ancient enmity, and gave 
       over the people of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of 
       their calamity, at the time of their final punishment;

       (Ezek 35:6 NRSV)  therefore, as I live, says the Lord GOD, I will 
       prepare you for blood, and blood shall pursue you; since you did not 
       hate bloodshed, bloodshed shall pursue you.

       (Ezek 35:7 NRSV)  I will make Mount Seir a waste and a desolation; and 
       I will cut off from it all who come and go.

       (Ezek 35:8 NRSV)  I will fill its mountains with the slain; on your 
       hills and in your valleys and in all your watercourses those killed 
       with the sword shall fall.

       (Ezek 35:9 NRSV)  I will make you a perpetual desolation, and your 
       cities shall never be inhabited. Then you shall know that I am the 
       LORD.






       (Ezek 35:10 NRSV)  Because you said, "These two nations and these two 
       countries shall be mine, and we will take possession of 
       them,"--although the LORD was there--

       (Ezek 35:11 NRSV)  therefore, as I live, says the Lord GOD, I will 
       deal with you according to the anger and envy that you showed because 
       of your hatred against them; and I will make myself known among you, 
       when I judge you.

       (Ezek 35:12 NRSV)  You shall know that I, the LORD, have heard all the 
       abusive speech that you uttered against the mountains of Israel, 
       saying, "They are laid desolate, they are given us to devour."

       (Ezek 35:13 NRSV)  And you magnified yourselves against me with your 
       mouth, and multiplied your words against me; I heard it.

       (Ezek 35:14 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: As the whole earth 
       rejoices, I will make you desolate.

       (Ezek 35:15 NRSV)  As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house 
       of Israel, because it was desolate, so I will deal with you; you shall 
       be desolate, Mount Seir, and all Edom, all of it. Then they shall know 
       that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 36:1 NRSV)  And you, mortal, prophesy to the mountains of 
       Israel, and say: O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD.

       (Ezek 36:2 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: Because the enemy said of 
       you, "Aha!" and, "The ancient heights have become our possession,"

       (Ezek 36:3 NRSV)  therefore prophesy, and say: Thus says the Lord GOD: 
       Because they made you desolate indeed, and crushed you from all sides, 
       so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and you 
       became an object of gossip and slander among the people;

       (Ezek 36:4 NRSV)  therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of 
       the Lord GOD: Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains and the hills, 
       the watercourses and the valleys, the desolate wastes and the deserted 
       towns, which have become a source of plunder and an object of derision 
       to the rest of the nations all around;

       (Ezek 36:5 NRSV)  therefore thus says the Lord GOD: I am speaking in 
       my hot jealousy against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, 
       who, with wholehearted joy and utter contempt, took my land as their 
       possession, because of its pasture, to plunder it.

       (Ezek 36:6 NRSV)  Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, 
       and say to the mountains and hills, to the watercourses and valleys, 
       Thus says the Lord GOD: I am speaking in my jealous wrath, because you 
       have suffered the insults of the nations;

       (Ezek 36:7 NRSV)  therefore thus says the Lord GOD: I swear that the 
       nations that are all around you shall themselves suffer insults.

       (Ezek 36:8 NRSV)  But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot out your 





       branches, and yield your fruit to my people Israel; for they shall 
       soon come home.

       (Ezek 36:9 NRSV)  See now, I am for you; I will turn to you, and you 
       shall be tilled and sown;

       (Ezek 36:10 NRSV)  and I will multiply your population, the whole 
       house of Israel, all of it; the towns shall be inhabited and the waste 
       places rebuilt;

       (Ezek 36:11 NRSV)  and I will multiply human beings and animals upon 
       you. They shall increase and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be 
       inhabited as in your former times, and will do more good to you than 
       ever before. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 36:12 NRSV)  I will lead people upon you--my people Israel--and 
       they shall possess you, and you shall be their inheritance. No longer 
       shall you bereave them of children.

       (Ezek 36:13 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: Because they say to you, 
       "You devour people, and you bereave your nation of children,"

       (Ezek 36:14 NRSV)  therefore you shall no longer devour people and no 
       longer bereave your nation of children, says the Lord GOD;

       (Ezek 36:15 NRSV)  and no longer will I let you hear the insults of 
       the nations, no longer shall you bear the disgrace of the peoples; and 
       no longer shall you cause your nation to stumble, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 36:16 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 36:17 NRSV)  Mortal, when the house of Israel lived on their own 
       soil, they defiled it with their ways and their deeds; their conduct 
       in my sight was like the uncleanness of a woman in her menstrual 
       period.

       (Ezek 36:18 NRSV)  So I poured out my wrath upon them for the blood 
       that they had shed upon the land, and for the idols with which they 
       had defiled it.

       (Ezek 36:19 NRSV)  I scattered them among the nations, and they were 
       dispersed through the countries; in accordance with their conduct and 
       their deeds I judged them.

       (Ezek 36:20 NRSV)  But when they came to the nations, wherever they 
       came, they profaned my holy name, in that it was said of them, "These 
       are the people of the LORD, and yet they had to go out of his land."

       (Ezek 36:21 NRSV)  But I had concern for my holy name, which the house 
       of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they came.

       (Ezek 36:22 NRSV)  Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the 
       Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about 
       to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned 
       among the nations to which you came.





       (Ezek 36:23 NRSV)  I will sanctify my great name, which has been 
       profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them; 
       and the nations shall know that I am the LORD, says the Lord GOD, when 
       through you I display my holiness before their eyes.

       (Ezek 36:24 NRSV)  I will take you from the nations, and gather you 
       from all the countries, and bring you into your own land.

       (Ezek 36:25 NRSV)  I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall 
       be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will 
       cleanse you.

       (Ezek 36:26 NRSV)  A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I 
       will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of 
       stone and give you a heart of flesh.

       (Ezek 36:27 NRSV)  I will put my spirit within you, and make you 
       follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.

       (Ezek 36:28 NRSV)  Then you shall live in the land that I gave to your 
       ancestors; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

       (Ezek 36:29 NRSV)  I will save you from all your uncleannesses, and I 
       will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you.

       (Ezek 36:30 NRSV)  I will make the fruit of the tree and the produce 
       of the field abundant, so that you may never again suffer the disgrace 
       of famine among the nations.

       (Ezek 36:31 NRSV)  Then you shall remember your evil ways, and your 
       dealings that were not good; and you shall loathe yourselves for your 
       iniquities and your abominable deeds.

       (Ezek 36:32 NRSV)  It is not for your sake that I will act, says the 
       Lord GOD; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and dismayed for your 
       ways, O house of Israel.

       (Ezek 36:33 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day that I cleanse 
       you from all your iniquities, I will cause the towns to be inhabited, 
       and the waste places shall be rebuilt.

       (Ezek 36:34 NRSV)  The land that was desolate shall be tilled, instead 
       of being the desolation that it was in the sight of all who passed by.

       (Ezek 36:35 NRSV)  And they will say, "This land that was desolate has 
       become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined 
       towns are now inhabited and fortified."

       (Ezek 36:36 NRSV)  Then the nations that are left all around you shall 
       know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places, and replanted 
       that which was desolate; I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it.

       (Ezek 36:37 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: I will also let the house 
       of Israel ask me to do this for them: to increase their population 
       like a flock.





       (Ezek 36:38 NRSV)  Like the flock for sacrifices, like the flock at 
       Jerusalem during her appointed festivals, so shall the ruined towns be 
       filled with flocks of people. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 37:1 NRSV)  The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me 
       out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of a 
       valley; it was full of bones.

       (Ezek 37:2 NRSV)  He led me all around them; there were very many 
       lying in the valley, and they were very dry.

       (Ezek 37:3 NRSV)  He said to me, "Mortal, can these bones live?" I 
       answered, "O Lord GOD, you know."

       (Ezek 37:4 NRSV)  Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and 
       say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

       (Ezek 37:5 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause 
       breath to enter you, and you shall live.

       (Ezek 37:6 NRSV)  I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to 
       come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you 
       shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD."

       (Ezek 37:7 NRSV)  So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I 
       prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came 
       together, bone to its bone.

       (Ezek 37:8 NRSV)  I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh 
       had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath 
       in them.

       (Ezek 37:9 NRSV)  Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, 
       prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: Come 
       from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they 
       may live."

       (Ezek 37:10 NRSV)  I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath 
       came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast 
       multitude.

       (Ezek 37:11 NRSV)  Then he said to me, "Mortal, these bones are the 
       whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope 
       is lost; we are cut off completely.'

       (Ezek 37:12 NRSV)  Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the 
       Lord GOD: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your 
       graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel.

       (Ezek 37:13 NRSV)  And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open 
       your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people.

       (Ezek 37:14 NRSV)  I will put my spirit within you, and you shall 
       live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that 
       I, the LORD, have spoken and will act," says the LORD.





       (Ezek 37:15 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 37:16 NRSV)  Mortal, take a stick and write on it, "For Judah, 
       and the Israelites associated with it"; then take another stick and 
       write on it, "For Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) and all the house of 
       Israel associated with it";

       (Ezek 37:17 NRSV)  and join them together into one stick, so that they 
       may become one in your hand.

       (Ezek 37:18 NRSV)  And when your people say to you, "Will you not show 
       us what you mean by these?"

       (Ezek 37:19 NRSV)  say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am about to 
       take the stick of Joseph (which is in the hand of Ephraim) and the 
       tribes of Israel associated with it; and I will put the stick of Judah 
       upon it, and make them one stick, in order that they may be one in my 
       hand.

       (Ezek 37:20 NRSV)  When the sticks on which you write are in your hand 
       before their eyes,

       (Ezek 37:21 NRSV)  then say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: I will 
       take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, 
       and will gather them from every quarter, and bring them to their own 
       land.

       (Ezek 37:22 NRSV)  I will make them one nation in the land, on the 
       mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all. Never 
       again shall they be two nations, and never again shall they be divided 
       into two kingdoms.

       (Ezek 37:23 NRSV)  They shall never again defile themselves with their 
       idols and their detestable things, or with any of their 
       transgressions. I will save them from all the apostasies into which 
       they have fallen, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be my people, 
       and I will be their GOD.

       (Ezek 37:24 NRSV)  My servant David shall be king over them; and they 
       shall all have one shepherd. They shall follow my ordinances and be 
       careful to observe my statutes.

       (Ezek 37:25 NRSV)  They shall live in the land that I gave to my 
       servant Jacob, in which your ancestors lived; they and their children 
       and their children's children shall live there forever; and my servant 
       David shall be their prince forever.

       (Ezek 37:26 NRSV)  I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall 
       be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will bless them and 
       multiply them, and will set my sanctuary among them forevermore.

       (Ezek 37:27 NRSV)  My dwelling place shall be with them; and I will be 
       their God, and they shall be my people.

       (Ezek 37:28 NRSV)  Then the nations shall know that I the LORD 
       sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary is among them forevermore.






       (Ezek 38:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Ezek 38:2 NRSV)  Mortal, set your face toward Gog, of the land of 
       Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Prophesy against him

       (Ezek 38:3 NRSV)  and say: Thus says the Lord GOD: I am against you, O 
       Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal;

       (Ezek 38:4 NRSV)  I will turn you around and put hooks into your jaws, 
       and I will lead you out with all your army, horses and horsemen, all 
       of them clothed in full armor, a great company, all of them with 
       shield and buckler, wielding swords.

       (Ezek 38:5 NRSV)  Persia, Ethiopia, and Put are with them, all of them 
       with buckler and helmet;

       (Ezek 38:6 NRSV)  Gomer and all its troops; Beth-togarmah from the 
       remotest parts of the north with all its troops--many peoples are with 
       you.

       (Ezek 38:7 NRSV)  Be ready and keep ready, you and all the companies 
       that are assembled around you, and hold yourselves in reserve for 
       them.

       (Ezek 38:8 NRSV)  After many days you shall be mustered; in the latter 
       years you shall go against a land restored from war, a land where 
       people were gathered from many nations on the mountains of Israel, 
       which had long lain waste; its people were brought out from the 
       nations and now are living in safety, all of them.

       (Ezek 38:9 NRSV)  You shall advance, coming on like a storm; you shall 
       be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your troops, and many 
       peoples with you.

       (Ezek 38:10 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: On that day thoughts will 
       come into your mind, and you will devise an evil scheme.

       (Ezek 38:11 NRSV)  You will say, "I will go up against the land of 
       unwalled villages; I will fall upon the quiet people who live in 
       safety, all of them living without walls, and having no bars or 
       gates";

       (Ezek 38:12 NRSV)  to seize spoil and carry off plunder; to assail the 
       waste places that are now inhabited, and the people who were gathered 
       from the nations, who are acquiring cattle and goods, who live at the 
       center of the earth.

       (Ezek 38:13 NRSV)  Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and 
       all its young warriors will say to you, "Have you come to seize spoil? 
       Have you assembled your horde to carry off plunder, to carry away 
       silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to seize a great 
       amount of booty?"

       (Ezek 38:14 NRSV)  Therefore, mortal, prophesy, and say to Gog: Thus 
       says the Lord GOD: On that day when my people Israel are living 





       securely, you will rouse yourself

       (Ezek 38:15 NRSV)  and come from your place out of the remotest parts 
       of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on 
       horses, a great horde, a mighty army;

       (Ezek 38:16 NRSV)  you will come up against my people Israel, like a 
       cloud covering the earth. In the latter days I will bring you against 
       my land, so that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I 
       display my holiness before their eyes.

       (Ezek 38:17 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: Are you he of whom I spoke 
       in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel, who in those 
       days prophesied for years that I would bring you against them?

       (Ezek 38:18 NRSV)  On that day, when Gog comes against the land of 
       Israel, says the Lord GOD, my wrath shall be aroused.

       (Ezek 38:19 NRSV)  For in my jealousy and in my blazing wrath I 
       declare: On that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of 
       Israel;

       (Ezek 38:20 NRSV)  the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air, and 
       the animals of the field, and all creeping things that creep on the 
       ground, and all human beings that are on the face of the earth, shall 
       quake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the 
       cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground.

       (Ezek 38:21 NRSV)  I will summon the sword against Gog in all my 
       mountains, says the Lord GOD; the swords of all will be against their 
       comrades.

       (Ezek 38:22 NRSV)  With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into 
       judgment with him; and I will pour down torrential rains and 
       hailstones, fire and sulfur, upon him and his troops and the many 
       peoples that are with him.

       (Ezek 38:23 NRSV)  So I will display my greatness and my holiness and 
       make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know 
       that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 39:1 NRSV)  And you, mortal, prophesy against Gog, and say: Thus 
       says the Lord GOD: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech 
       and Tubal!

       (Ezek 39:2 NRSV)  I will turn you around and drive you forward, and 
       bring you up from the remotest parts of the north, and lead you 
       against the mountains of Israel.

       (Ezek 39:3 NRSV)  I will strike your bow from your left hand, and will 
       make your arrows drop out of your right hand.

       (Ezek 39:4 NRSV)  You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and 
       all your troops and the peoples that are with you; I will give you to 
       birds of prey of every kind and to the wild animals to be devoured.





       (Ezek 39:5 NRSV)  You shall fall in the open field; for I have spoken, 
       says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 39:6 NRSV)  I will send fire on Magog and on those who live 
       securely in the coastlands; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

       (Ezek 39:7 NRSV)  My holy name I will make known among my people 
       Israel; and I will not let my holy name be profaned any more; and the 
       nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.

       (Ezek 39:8 NRSV)  It has come! It has happened, says the Lord GOD. 
       This is the day of which I have spoken.

       (Ezek 39:9 NRSV)  Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go 
       out and make fires of the weapons and burn them--bucklers and shields, 
       bows and arrows, handpikes and spears--and they will make fires of 
       them for seven years.

       (Ezek 39:10 NRSV)  They will not need to take wood out of the field or 
       cut down any trees in the forests, for they will make their fires of 
       the weapons; they will despoil those who despoiled them, and plunder 
       those who plundered them, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 39:11 NRSV)  On that day I will give to Gog a place for burial 
       in Israel, the Valley of the Travelers east of the sea; it shall block 
       the path of the travelers, for there Gog and all his horde will be 
       buried; it shall be called the Valley of Hamon-gog.

       (Ezek 39:12 NRSV)  Seven months the house of Israel shall spend 
       burying them, in order to cleanse the land.

       (Ezek 39:13 NRSV)  All the people of the land shall bury them; and it 
       will bring them honor on the day that I show my glory, says the Lord 
       GOD.

       (Ezek 39:14 NRSV)  They will set apart men to pass through the land 
       regularly and bury any invaders who remain on the face of the land, so 
       as to cleanse it; for seven months they shall make their search.

       (Ezek 39:15 NRSV)  As the searchers pass through the land, anyone who 
       sees a human bone shall set up a sign by it, until the buriers have 
       buried it in the Valley of Hamon-gog.

       (Ezek 39:16 NRSV)  (A city Hamonah is there also.) Thus they shall 
       cleanse the land.

       (Ezek 39:17 NRSV)  As for you, mortal, thus says the Lord GOD: Speak 
       to the birds of every kind and to all the wild animals: Assemble and 
       come, gather from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am 
       preparing for you, a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of 
       Israel, and you shall eat flesh and drink blood.

       (Ezek 39:18 NRSV)  You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink 
       the blood of the princes of the earth--of rams, of lambs, and of 
       goats, of bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan.





       (Ezek 39:19 NRSV)  You shall eat fat until you are filled, and drink 
       blood until you are drunk, at the sacrificial feast that I am 
       preparing for you.

       (Ezek 39:20 NRSV)  And you shall be filled at my table with horses and 
       charioteers, with warriors and all kinds of soldiers, says the Lord 
       GOD.

       (Ezek 39:21 NRSV)  I will display my glory among the nations; and all 
       the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand 
       that I have laid on them.

       (Ezek 39:22 NRSV)  The house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD 
       their God, from that day forward.

       (Ezek 39:23 NRSV)  And the nations shall know that the house of Israel 
       went into captivity for their iniquity, because they dealt 
       treacherously with me. So I hid my face from them and gave them into 
       the hand of their adversaries, and they all fell by the sword.

       (Ezek 39:24 NRSV)  I dealt with them according to their uncleanness 
       and their transgressions, and hid my face from them.

       (Ezek 39:25 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Now I will 
       restore the fortunes of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of 
       Israel; and I will be jealous for my holy name.

       (Ezek 39:26 NRSV)  They shall forget their shame, and all the 
       treachery they have practiced against me, when they live securely in 
       their land with no one to make them afraid,

       (Ezek 39:27 NRSV)  when I have brought them back from the peoples and 
       gathered them from their enemies' lands, and through them have 
       displayed my holiness in the sight of many nations.

       (Ezek 39:28 NRSV)  Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God 
       because I sent them into exile among the nations, and then gathered 
       them into their own land. I will leave none of them behind;

       (Ezek 39:29 NRSV)  and I will never again hide my face from them, when 
       I pour out my spirit upon the house of Israel, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 40:1 NRSV)  In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the 
       beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the 
       fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, the 
       hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me there.

       (Ezek 40:2 NRSV)  He brought me, in visions of God, to the land of 
       Israel, and set me down upon a very high mountain, on which was a 
       structure like a city to the south.

       (Ezek 40:3 NRSV)  When he brought me there, a man was there, whose 
       appearance shone like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed 
       in his hand; and he was standing in the gateway.

       (Ezek 40:4 NRSV)  The man said to me, "Mortal, look closely and listen 





       attentively, and set your mind upon all that I shall show you, for you 
       were brought here in order that I might show it to you; declare all 
       that you see to the house of Israel."

       (Ezek 40:5 NRSV)  Now there was a wall all around the outside of the 
       temple area. The length of the measuring reed in the man's hand was 
       six long cubits, each being a cubit and a handbreadth in length; so he 
       measured the thickness of the wall, one reed; and the height, one 
       reed.

       (Ezek 40:6 NRSV)  Then he went into the gateway facing east, going up 
       its steps, and measured the threshold of the gate, one reed deep. 
       There were

       (Ezek 40:7 NRSV)  recesses, and each recess was one reed wide and one 
       reed deep; and the space between the recesses, five cubits; and the 
       threshold of the gate by the vestibule of the gate at the inner end 
       was one reed deep.

       (Ezek 40:8 NRSV)  Then he measured the inner vestibule of the gateway, 
       one cubit.

       (Ezek 40:9 NRSV)  Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, eight 
       cubits; and its pilasters, two cubits; and the vestibule of the gate 
       was at the inner end.

       (Ezek 40:10 NRSV)  There were three recesses on either side of the 
       east gate; the three were of the same size; and the pilasters on 
       either side were of the same size.

       (Ezek 40:11 NRSV)  Then he measured the width of the opening of the 
       gateway, ten cubits; and the width of the gateway, thirteen cubits.

       (Ezek 40:12 NRSV)  There was a barrier before the recesses, one cubit 
       on either side; and the recesses were six cubits on either side.

       (Ezek 40:13 NRSV)  Then he measured the gate from the back of the one 
       recess to the back of the other, a width of twenty-five cubits, from 
       wall to wall.

       (Ezek 40:14 NRSV)  He measured also the vestibule, twenty cubits; and 
       the gate next to the pilaster on every side of the court.

       (Ezek 40:15 NRSV)  From the front of the gate at the entrance to the 
       end of the inner vestibule of the gate was fifty cubits.

       (Ezek 40:16 NRSV)  The recesses and their pilasters had windows, with 
       shutters on the inside of the gateway all around, and the vestibules 
       also had windows on the inside all around; and on the pilasters were 
       palm trees.

       (Ezek 40:17 NRSV)  Then he brought me into the outer court; there were 
       chambers there, and a pavement, all around the court; thirty chambers 
       fronted on the pavement.

       (Ezek 40:18 NRSV)  The pavement ran along the side of the gates, 





       corresponding to the length of the gates; this was the lower pavement.

       (Ezek 40:19 NRSV)  Then he measured the distance from the inner front 
       of the lower gate to the outer front of the inner court, one hundred 
       cubits.

       (Ezek 40:20 NRSV)  Then he measured the gate of the outer court that 
       faced north--its depth and width.

       (Ezek 40:21 NRSV)  Its recesses, three on either side, and its 
       pilasters and its vestibule were of the same size as those of the 
       first gate; its depth was fifty cubits, and its width twenty-five 
       cubits.

       (Ezek 40:22 NRSV)  Its windows, its vestibule, and its palm trees were 
       of the same size as those of the gate that faced toward the east. 
       Seven steps led up to it; and its vestibule was on the inside.

       (Ezek 40:23 NRSV)  Opposite the gate on the north, as on the east, was 
       a gate to the inner court; he measured from gate to gate, one hundred 
       cubits.

       (Ezek 40:24 NRSV)  Then he led me toward the south, and there was a 
       gate on the south; and he measured its pilasters and its vestibule; 
       they had the same dimensions as the others.

       (Ezek 40:25 NRSV)  There were windows all around in it and in its 
       vestibule, like the windows of the others; its depth was fifty cubits, 
       and its width twenty-five cubits.

       (Ezek 40:26 NRSV)  There were seven steps leading up to it; its 
       vestibule was on the inside. It had palm trees on its pilasters, one 
       on either side.

       (Ezek 40:27 NRSV)  There was a gate on the south of the inner court; 
       and he measured from gate to gate toward the south, one hundred 
       cubits.

       (Ezek 40:28 NRSV)  Then he brought me to the inner court by the south 
       gate, and he measured the south gate; it was of the same dimensions as 
       the others.

       (Ezek 40:29 NRSV)  Its recesses, its pilasters, and its vestibule were 
       of the same size as the others; and there were windows all around in 
       it and in its vestibule; its depth was fifty cubits, and its width 
       twenty-five cubits.

       (Ezek 40:30 NRSV)  There were vestibules all around, twenty-five 
       cubits deep and five cubits wide.

       (Ezek 40:31 NRSV)  Its vestibule faced the outer court, and palm trees 
       were on its pilasters, and its stairway had eight steps.

       (Ezek 40:32 NRSV)  Then he brought me to the inner court on the east 
       side, and he measured the gate; it was of the same size as the others.





       (Ezek 40:33 NRSV)  Its recesses, its pilasters, and its vestibule were 
       of the same dimensions as the others; and there were windows all 
       around in it and in its vestibule; its depth was fifty cubits, and its 
       width twenty-five cubits.

       (Ezek 40:34 NRSV)  Its vestibule faced the outer court, and it had 
       palm trees on its pilasters, on either side; and its stairway had 
       eight steps.

       (Ezek 40:35 NRSV)  Then he brought me to the north gate, and he 
       measured it; it had the same dimensions as the others.

       (Ezek 40:36 NRSV)  Its recesses, its pilasters, and its vestibule were 
       of the same size as the others; and it had windows all around. Its 
       depth was fifty cubits, and its width twenty-five cubits.

       (Ezek 40:37 NRSV)  Its vestibule faced the outer court, and it had 
       palm trees on its pilasters, on either side; and its stairway had 
       eight steps.

       (Ezek 40:38 NRSV)  There was a chamber with its door in the vestibule 
       of the gate, where the burnt offering was to be washed.

       (Ezek 40:39 NRSV)  And in the vestibule of the gate were two tables on 
       either side, on which the burnt offering and the sin offering and the 
       guilt offering were to be slaughtered.

       (Ezek 40:40 NRSV)  On the outside of the vestibule at the entrance of 
       the north gate were two tables; and on the other side of the vestibule 
       of the gate were two tables.

       (Ezek 40:41 NRSV)  Four tables were on the inside, and four tables on 
       the outside of the side of the gate, eight tables, on which the 
       sacrifices were to be slaughtered.

       (Ezek 40:42 NRSV)  There were also four tables of hewn stone for the 
       burnt offering, a cubit and a half long, and one cubit and a half 
       wide, and one cubit high, on which the instruments were to be laid 
       with which the burnt offerings and the sacrifices were slaughtered.

       (Ezek 40:43 NRSV)  There were pegs, one handbreadth long, fastened all 
       around the inside. And on the tables the flesh of the offering was to 
       be laid.

       (Ezek 40:44 NRSV)  On the outside of the inner gateway there were 
       chambers for the singers in the inner court, one at the side of the 
       north gate facing south, the other at the side of the east gate facing 
       north.

       (Ezek 40:45 NRSV)  He said to me, "This chamber that faces south is 
       for the priests who have charge of the temple,

       (Ezek 40:46 NRSV)  and the chamber that faces north is for the priests 
       who have charge of the altar; these are the descendants of Zadok, who 
       alone among the descendants of Levi may come near to the LORD to 
       minister to him."






       (Ezek 40:47 NRSV)  He measured the court, one hundred cubits deep, and 
       one hundred cubits wide, a square; and the altar was in front of the 
       temple.

       (Ezek 40:48 NRSV)  Then he brought me to the vestibule of the temple 
       and measured the pilasters of the vestibule, five cubits on either 
       side; and the width of the gate was fourteen cubits; and the sidewalls 
       of the gate were three cubits on either side.

       (Ezek 40:49 NRSV)  The depth of the vestibule was twenty cubits, and 
       the width twelve cubits; ten steps led up to it; and there were 
       pillars beside the pilasters on either side.

       (Ezek 41:1 NRSV)  Then he brought me to the nave, and measured the 
       pilasters; on each side six cubits was the width of the pilasters.

       (Ezek 41:2 NRSV)  The width of the entrance was ten cubits; and the 
       sidewalls of the entrance were five cubits on either side. He measured 
       the length of the nave, forty cubits, and its width, twenty cubits.

       (Ezek 41:3 NRSV)  Then he went into the inner room and measured the 
       pilasters of the entrance, two cubits; and the width of the entrance, 
       six cubits; and the sidewalls of the entrance, seven cubits.

       (Ezek 41:4 NRSV)  He measured the depth of the room, twenty cubits, 
       and its width, twenty cubits, beyond the nave. And he said to me, This 
       is the most holy place.

       (Ezek 41:5 NRSV)  Then he measured the wall of the temple, six cubits 
       thick; and the width of the side chambers, four cubits, all around the 
       temple.

       (Ezek 41:6 NRSV)  The side chambers were in three stories, one over 
       another, thirty in each story. There were offsets all around the wall 
       of the temple to serve as supports for the side chambers, so that they 
       should not be supported by the wall of the temple.

       (Ezek 41:7 NRSV)  The passageway of the side chambers widened from 
       story to story; for the structure was supplied with a stairway all 
       around the temple. For this reason the structure became wider from 
       story to story. One ascended from the bottom story to the uppermost 
       story by way of the middle one.

       (Ezek 41:8 NRSV)  I saw also that the temple had a raised platform all 
       around; the foundations of the side chambers measured a full reed of 
       six long cubits.

       (Ezek 41:9 NRSV)  The thickness of the outer wall of the side chambers 
       was five cubits; and the free space between the side chambers of the 
       temple

       (Ezek 41:10 NRSV)  and the chambers of the court was a width of twenty 
       cubits all around the temple on every side.

       (Ezek 41:11 NRSV)  The side chambers opened onto the area left free, 





       one door toward the north, and another door toward the south; and the 
       width of the part that was left free was five cubits all around.

       (Ezek 41:12 NRSV)  The building that was facing the temple yard on the 
       west side was seventy cubits wide; and the wall of the building was 
       five cubits thick all around, and its depth ninety cubits.

       (Ezek 41:13 NRSV)  Then he measured the temple, one hundred cubits 
       deep; and the yard and the building with its walls, one hundred cubits 
       deep;

       (Ezek 41:14 NRSV)  also the width of the east front of the temple and 
       the yard, one hundred cubits.

       (Ezek 41:15 NRSV)  Then he measured the depth of the building facing 
       the yard at the west, together with its galleries on either side, one 
       hundred cubits. The nave of the temple and the inner room and the 
       outer vestibule

       (Ezek 41:16 NRSV)  were paneled, and, all around, all three had 
       windows with recessed frames. Facing the threshold the temple was 
       paneled with wood all around, from the floor up to the windows (now 
       the windows were covered),

       (Ezek 41:17 NRSV)  to the space above the door, even to the inner 
       room, and on the outside. And on all the walls all around in the inner 
       room and the nave there was a pattern.

       (Ezek 41:18 NRSV)  It was formed of cherubim and palm trees, a palm 
       tree between cherub and cherub. Each cherub had two faces:

       (Ezek 41:19 NRSV)  a human face turned toward the palm tree on the one 
       side, and the face of a young lion turned toward the palm tree on the 
       other side. They were carved on the whole temple all around;

       (Ezek 41:20 NRSV)  from the floor to the area above the door, cherubim 
       and palm trees were carved on the wall.

       (Ezek 41:21 NRSV)  The doorposts of the nave were square. In front of 
       the holy place was something resembling

       (Ezek 41:22 NRSV)  an altar of wood, three cubits high, two cubits 
       long, and two cubits wide; its corners, its base, and its walls were 
       of wood. He said to me, "This is the table that stands before the 
       LORD."

       (Ezek 41:23 NRSV)  The nave and the holy place had each a double door.

       (Ezek 41:24 NRSV)  The doors had two leaves apiece, two swinging 
       leaves for each door.

       (Ezek 41:25 NRSV)  On the doors of the nave were carved cherubim and 
       palm trees, such as were carved on the walls; and there was a canopy 
       of wood in front of the vestibule outside.

       (Ezek 41:26 NRSV)  And there were recessed windows and palm trees on 





       either side, on the sidewalls of the vestibule.

       (Ezek 42:1 NRSV)  Then he led me out into the outer court, toward the 
       north, and he brought me to the chambers that were opposite the temple 
       yard and opposite the building on the north.

       (Ezek 42:2 NRSV)  The length of the building that was on the north 
       side was one hundred cubits, and the width fifty cubits.

       (Ezek 42:3 NRSV)  Across the twenty cubits that belonged to the inner 
       court, and facing the pavement that belonged to the outer court, the 
       chambers rose gallery by gallery in three stories.

       (Ezek 42:4 NRSV)  In front of the chambers was a passage on the inner 
       side, ten cubits wide and one hundred cubits deep, and its entrances 
       were on the north.

       (Ezek 42:5 NRSV)  Now the upper chambers were narrower, for the 
       galleries took more away from them than from the lower and middle 
       chambers in the building.

       (Ezek 42:6 NRSV)  For they were in three stories, and they had no 
       pillars like the pillars of the outer court; for this reason the upper 
       chambers were set back from the ground more than the lower and the 
       middle ones.

       (Ezek 42:7 NRSV)  There was a wall outside parallel to the chambers, 
       toward the outer court, opposite the chambers, fifty cubits long.

       (Ezek 42:8 NRSV)  For the chambers on the outer court were fifty 
       cubits long, while those opposite the temple were one hundred cubits 
       long.

       (Ezek 42:9 NRSV)  At the foot of these chambers ran a passage that one 
       entered from the east in order to enter them from the outer court.

       (Ezek 42:10 NRSV)  The width of the passage is fixed by the wall of 
       the court. On the south also, opposite the vacant area and opposite 
       the building, there were chambers

       (Ezek 42:11 NRSV)  with a passage in front of them; they were similar 
       to the chambers on the north, of the same length and width, with the 
       same exits and arrangements and doors.

       (Ezek 42:12 NRSV)  So the entrances of the chambers to the south were 
       entered through the entrance at the head of the corresponding passage, 
       from the east, along the matching wall.

       (Ezek 42:13 NRSV)  Then he said to me, "The north chambers and the 
       south chambers opposite the vacant area are the holy chambers, where 
       the priests who approach the LORD shall eat the most holy offerings; 
       there they shall deposit the most holy offerings--the grain offering, 
       the sin offering, and the guilt offering, for the place is holy.

       (Ezek 42:14 NRSV)  When the priests enter the holy place, they shall 
       not go out of it into the outer court without laying there the 





       vestments in which they minister, for these are holy; they shall put 
       on other garments before they go near to the area open to the people."

       (Ezek 42:15 NRSV)  When he had finished measuring the interior of the 
       temple area, he led me out by the gate that faces east, and measured 
       the temple area all around.

       (Ezek 42:16 NRSV)  He measured the east side with the measuring reed, 
       five hundred cubits by the measuring reed.

       (Ezek 42:17 NRSV)  Then he turned and measured the north side, five 
       hundred cubits by the measuring reed.

       (Ezek 42:18 NRSV)  Then he turned and measured the south side, five 
       hundred cubits by the measuring reed.

       (Ezek 42:19 NRSV)  Then he turned to the west side and measured, five 
       hundred cubits by the measuring reed.

       (Ezek 42:20 NRSV)  He measured it on the four sides. It had a wall 
       around it, five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide, to 
       make a separation between the holy and the common.

       (Ezek 43:1 NRSV)  Then he brought me to the gate, the gate facing 
       east.

       (Ezek 43:2 NRSV)  And there, the glory of the God of Israel was coming 
       from the east; the sound was like the sound of mighty waters; and the 
       earth shone with his glory.

       (Ezek 43:3 NRSV)  The vision I saw was like the vision that I had seen 
       when he came to destroy the city, and like the vision that I had seen 
       by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.

       (Ezek 43:4 NRSV)  As the glory of the LORD entered the temple by the 
       gate facing east,

       (Ezek 43:5 NRSV)  the spirit lifted me up, and brought me into the 
       inner court; and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.

       (Ezek 43:6 NRSV)  While the man was standing beside me, I heard 
       someone speaking to me out of the temple.

       (Ezek 43:7 NRSV)  He said to me: Mortal, this is the place of my 
       throne and the place for the soles of my feet, where I will reside 
       among the people of Israel forever. The house of Israel shall no more 
       defile my holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their whoring, 
       and by the corpses of their kings at their death.

       (Ezek 43:8 NRSV)  When they placed their threshold by my threshold and 
       their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and 
       them, they were defiling my holy name by their abominations that they 
       committed; therefore I have consumed them in my anger.

       (Ezek 43:9 NRSV)  Now let them put away their idolatry and the corpses 
       of their kings far from me, and I will reside among them forever.






       (Ezek 43:10 NRSV)  As for you, mortal, describe the temple to the 
       house of Israel, and let them measure the pattern; and let them be 
       ashamed of their iniquities.

       (Ezek 43:11 NRSV)  When they are ashamed of all that they have done, 
       make known to them the plan of the temple, its arrangement, its exits 
       and its entrances, and its whole form--all its ordinances and its 
       entire plan and all its laws; and write it down in their sight, so 
       that they may observe and follow the entire plan and all its 
       ordinances.

       (Ezek 43:12 NRSV)  This is the law of the temple: the whole territory 
       on the top of the mountain all around shall be most holy. This is the 
       law of the temple.

       (Ezek 43:13 NRSV)  These are the dimensions of the altar by cubits 
       (the cubit being one cubit and a handbreadth): its base shall be one 
       cubit high, and one cubit wide, with a rim of one span around its 
       edge. This shall be the height of the altar:

       (Ezek 43:14 NRSV)  From the base on the ground to the lower ledge, two 
       cubits, with a width of one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the 
       larger ledge, four cubits, with a width of one cubit;

       (Ezek 43:15 NRSV)  and the altar hearth, four cubits; and from the 
       altar hearth projecting upward, four horns.

       (Ezek 43:16 NRSV)  The altar hearth shall be square, twelve cubits 
       long by twelve wide.

       (Ezek 43:17 NRSV)  The ledge also shall be square, fourteen cubits 
       long by fourteen wide, with a rim around it half a cubit wide, and its 
       surrounding base, one cubit. Its steps shall face east.

       (Ezek 43:18 NRSV)  Then he said to me: Mortal, thus says the Lord GOD: 
       These are the ordinances for the altar: On the day when it is erected 
       for offering burnt offerings upon it and for dashing blood against it,

       (Ezek 43:19 NRSV)  you shall give to the levitical priests of the 
       family of Zadok, who draw near to me to minister to me, says the Lord 
       GOD, a bull for a sin offering.

       (Ezek 43:20 NRSV)  And you shall take some of its blood, and put it on 
       the four horns of the altar, and on the four corners of the ledge, and 
       upon the rim all around; thus you shall purify it and make atonement 
       for it.

       (Ezek 43:21 NRSV)  You shall also take the bull of the sin offering, 
       and it shall be burnt in the appointed place belonging to the temple, 
       outside the sacred area.

       (Ezek 43:22 NRSV)  On the second day you shall offer a male goat 
       without blemish for a sin offering; and the altar shall be purified, 
       as it was purified with the bull.





       (Ezek 43:23 NRSV)  When you have finished purifying it, you shall 
       offer a bull without blemish and a ram from the flock without blemish.

       (Ezek 43:24 NRSV)  You shall present them before the LORD, and the 
       priests shall throw salt on them and offer them up as a burnt offering 
       to the LORD.

       (Ezek 43:25 NRSV)  For seven days you shall provide daily a goat for a 
       sin offering; also a bull and a ram from the flock, without blemish, 
       shall be provided.

       (Ezek 43:26 NRSV)  Seven days shall they make atonement for the altar 
       and cleanse it, and so consecrate it.

       (Ezek 43:27 NRSV)  When these days are over, then from the eighth day 
       onward the priests shall offer upon the altar your burnt offerings and 
       your offerings of well-being; and I will accept you, says the Lord 
       GOD.

       (Ezek 44:1 NRSV)  Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the 
       sanctuary, which faces east; and it was shut.

       (Ezek 44:2 NRSV)  The LORD said to me: This gate shall remain shut; it 
       shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it; for the LORD, the 
       God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it shall remain shut.

       (Ezek 44:3 NRSV)  Only the prince, because he is a prince, may sit in 
       it to eat food before the LORD; he shall enter by way of the vestibule 
       of the gate, and shall go out by the same way.

       (Ezek 44:4 NRSV)  Then he brought me by way of the north gate to the 
       front of the temple; and I looked, and lo! the glory of the LORD 
       filled the temple of the LORD; and I fell upon my face.

       (Ezek 44:5 NRSV)  The LORD said to me: Mortal, mark well, look 
       closely, and listen attentively to all that I shall tell you 
       concerning all the ordinances of the temple of the LORD and all its 
       laws; and mark well those who may be admitted to the temple and all 
       those who are to be excluded from the sanctuary.

       (Ezek 44:6 NRSV)  Say to the rebellious house, to the house of Israel, 
       Thus says the Lord GOD: O house of Israel, let there be an end to all 
       your abominations

       (Ezek 44:7 NRSV)  in admitting foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and 
       flesh, to be in my sanctuary, profaning my temple when you offer to me 
       my food, the fat and the blood. You have broken my covenant with all 
       your abominations.

       (Ezek 44:8 NRSV)  And you have not kept charge of my sacred offerings; 
       but you have appointed foreigners to act for you in keeping my charge 
       in my sanctuary.

       (Ezek 44:9 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: No foreigner, uncircumcised 
       in heart and flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the people of 
       Israel, shall enter my sanctuary.






       (Ezek 44:10 NRSV)  But the Levites who went far from me, going astray 
       from me after their idols when Israel went astray, shall bear their 
       punishment.

       (Ezek 44:11 NRSV)  They shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having 
       oversight at the gates of the temple, and serving in the temple; they 
       shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, 
       and they shall attend on them and serve them.

       (Ezek 44:12 NRSV)  Because they ministered to them before their idols 
       and made the house of Israel stumble into iniquity, therefore I have 
       sworn concerning them, says the Lord GOD, that they shall bear their 
       punishment.

       (Ezek 44:13 NRSV)  They shall not come near to me, to serve me as 
       priest, nor come near any of my sacred offerings, the things that are 
       most sacred; but they shall bear their shame, and the consequences of 
       the abominations that they have committed.

       (Ezek 44:14 NRSV)  Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the 
       temple, to do all its chores, all that is to be done in it.

       (Ezek 44:15 NRSV)  But the levitical priests, the descendants of 
       Zadok, who kept the charge of my sanctuary when the people of Israel 
       went astray from me, shall come near to me to minister to me; and they 
       shall attend me to offer me the fat and the blood, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 44:16 NRSV)  It is they who shall enter my sanctuary, it is they 
       who shall approach my table, to minister to me, and they shall keep my 
       charge.

       (Ezek 44:17 NRSV)  When they enter the gates of the inner court, they 
       shall wear linen vestments; they shall have nothing of wool on them, 
       while they minister at the gates of the inner court, and within.

       (Ezek 44:18 NRSV)  They shall have linen turbans on their heads, and 
       linen undergarments on their loins; they shall not bind themselves 
       with anything that causes sweat.

       (Ezek 44:19 NRSV)  When they go out into the outer court to the 
       people, they shall remove the vestments in which they have been 
       ministering, and lay them in the holy chambers; and they shall put on 
       other garments, so that they may not communicate holiness to the 
       people with their vestments.

       (Ezek 44:20 NRSV)  They shall not shave their heads or let their locks 
       grow long; they shall only trim the hair of their heads.

       (Ezek 44:21 NRSV)  No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner 
       court.

       (Ezek 44:22 NRSV)  They shall not marry a widow, or a divorced woman, 
       but only a virgin of the stock of the house of Israel, or a widow who 
       is the widow of a priest.





       (Ezek 44:23 NRSV)  They shall teach my people the difference between 
       the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the 
       unclean and the clean.

       (Ezek 44:24 NRSV)  In a controversy they shall act as judges, and they 
       shall decide it according to my judgments. They shall keep my laws and 
       my statutes regarding all my appointed festivals, and they shall keep 
       my sabbaths holy.

       (Ezek 44:25 NRSV)  They shall not defile themselves by going near to a 
       dead person; for father or mother, however, and for son or daughter, 
       and for brother or unmarried sister they may defile themselves.

       (Ezek 44:26 NRSV)  After he has become clean, they shall count seven 
       days for him.

       (Ezek 44:27 NRSV)  On the day that he goes into the holy place, into 
       the inner court, to minister in the holy place, he shall offer his sin 
       offering, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 44:28 NRSV)  This shall be their inheritance: I am their 
       inheritance; and you shall give them no holding in Israel; I am their 
       holding.

       (Ezek 44:29 NRSV)  They shall eat the grain offering, the sin 
       offering, and the guilt offering; and every devoted thing in Israel 
       shall be theirs.

       (Ezek 44:30 NRSV)  The first of all the first fruits of all kinds, and 
       every offering of all kinds from all your offerings, shall belong to 
       the priests; you shall also give to the priests the first of your 
       dough, in order that a blessing may rest on your house.

       (Ezek 44:31 NRSV)  The priests shall not eat of anything, whether bird 
       or animal, that died of itself or was torn by animals.

       (Ezek 45:1 NRSV)  When you allot the land as an inheritance, you shall 
       set aside for the LORD a portion of the land as a holy district, 
       twenty-five thousand cubits long and twenty thousand cubits wide; it 
       shall be holy throughout its entire extent.

       (Ezek 45:2 NRSV)  Of this, a square plot of five hundred by five 
       hundred cubits shall be for the sanctuary, with fifty cubits for an 
       open space around it.

       (Ezek 45:3 NRSV)  In the holy district you shall measure off a section 
       twenty-five thousand cubits long and ten thousand wide, in which shall 
       be the sanctuary, the most holy place.

       (Ezek 45:4 NRSV)  It shall be a holy portion of the land; it shall be 
       for the priests, who minister in the sanctuary and approach the LORD 
       to minister to him; and it shall be both a place for their houses and 
       a holy place for the sanctuary.

       (Ezek 45:5 NRSV)  Another section, twenty-five thousand cubits long 
       and ten thousand cubits wide, shall be for the Levites who minister at 





       the temple, as their holding for cities to live in.

       (Ezek 45:6 NRSV)  Alongside the portion set apart as the holy district 
       you shall assign as a holding for the city an area five thousand 
       cubits wide, and twenty-five thousand cubits long; it shall belong to 
       the whole house of Israel.

       (Ezek 45:7 NRSV)  And to the prince shall belong the land on both 
       sides of the holy district and the holding of the city, alongside the 
       holy district and the holding of the city, on the west and on the 
       east, corresponding in length to one of the tribal portions, and 
       extending from the western to the eastern boundary

       (Ezek 45:8 NRSV)  of the land. It is to be his property in Israel. And 
       my princes shall no longer oppress my people; but they shall let the 
       house of Israel have the land according to their tribes.

       (Ezek 45:9 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: Enough, O princes of Israel! 
       Put away violence and oppression, and do what is just and right. Cease 
       your evictions of my people, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 45:10 NRSV)  You shall have honest balances, an honest ephah, 
       and an honest bath.

       (Ezek 45:11 NRSV)  The ephah and the bath shall be of the same 
       measure, the bath containing one-tenth of a homer, and the ephah 
       one-tenth of a homer; the homer shall be the standard measure.

       (Ezek 45:12 NRSV)  The shekel shall be twenty gerahs. Twenty shekels, 
       twenty-five shekels, and fifteen shekels shall make a mina for you.

       (Ezek 45:13 NRSV)  This is the offering that you shall make: one-sixth 
       of an ephah from each homer of wheat, and one-sixth of an ephah from 
       each homer of barley,

       (Ezek 45:14 NRSV)  and as the fixed portion of oil, one-tenth of a 
       bath from each cor (the cor, like the homer, contains ten baths);

       (Ezek 45:15 NRSV)  and one sheep from every flock of two hundred, from 
       the pastures of Israel. This is the offering for grain offerings, 
       burnt offerings, and offerings of well-being, to make atonement for 
       them, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 45:16 NRSV)  All the people of the land shall join with the 
       prince in Israel in making this offering.

       (Ezek 45:17 NRSV)  But this shall be the obligation of the prince 
       regarding the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, 
       at the festivals, the new moons, and the sabbaths, all the appointed 
       festivals of the house of Israel: he shall provide the sin offerings, 
       grain offerings, the burnt offerings, and the offerings of well-being, 
       to make atonement for the house of Israel.

       (Ezek 45:18 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: In the first month, on the 
       first day of the month, you shall take a young bull without blemish, 
       and purify the sanctuary.






       (Ezek 45:19 NRSV)  The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin 
       offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, the four corners 
       of the ledge of the altar, and the posts of the gate of the inner 
       court.

       (Ezek 45:20 NRSV)  You shall do the same on the seventh day of the 
       month for anyone who has sinned through error or ignorance; so you 
       shall make atonement for the temple.

       (Ezek 45:21 NRSV)  In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the 
       month, you shall celebrate the festival of the passover, and for seven 
       days unleavened bread shall be eaten.

       (Ezek 45:22 NRSV)  On that day the prince shall provide for himself 
       and all the people of the land a young bull for a sin offering.

       (Ezek 45:23 NRSV)  And during the seven days of the festival he shall 
       provide as a burnt offering to the LORD seven young bulls and seven 
       rams without blemish, on each of the seven days; and a male goat daily 
       for a sin offering.

       (Ezek 45:24 NRSV)  He shall provide as a grain offering an ephah for 
       each bull, an ephah for each ram, and a hin of oil to each ephah.

       (Ezek 45:25 NRSV)  In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the 
       month and for the seven days of the festival, he shall make the same 
       provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, and grain offerings, and 
       for the oil.

       (Ezek 46:1 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: The gate of the inner court 
       that faces east shall remain closed on the six working days; but on 
       the sabbath day it shall be opened and on the day of the new moon it 
       shall be opened.

       (Ezek 46:2 NRSV)  The prince shall enter by the vestibule of the gate 
       from outside, and shall take his stand by the post of the gate. The 
       priests shall offer his burnt offering and his offerings of 
       well-being, and he shall bow down at the threshold of the gate. Then 
       he shall go out, but the gate shall not be closed until evening.

       (Ezek 46:3 NRSV)  The people of the land shall bow down at the 
       entrance of that gate before the LORD on the sabbaths and on the new 
       moons.

       (Ezek 46:4 NRSV)  The burnt offering that the prince offers to the 
       LORD on the sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish and a ram 
       without blemish;

       (Ezek 46:5 NRSV)  and the grain offering with the ram shall be an 
       ephah, and the grain offering with the lambs shall be as much as he 
       wishes to give, together with a hin of oil to each ephah.

       (Ezek 46:6 NRSV)  On the day of the new moon he shall offer a young 
       bull without blemish, and six lambs and a ram, which shall be without 
       blemish;






       (Ezek 46:7 NRSV)  as a grain offering he shall provide an ephah with 
       the bull and an ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as he 
       wishes, together with a hin of oil to each ephah.

       (Ezek 46:8 NRSV)  When the prince enters, he shall come in by the 
       vestibule of the gate, and he shall go out by the same way.

       (Ezek 46:9 NRSV)  When the people of the land come before the LORD at 
       the appointed festivals, whoever enters by the north gate to worship 
       shall go out by the south gate; and whoever enters by the south gate 
       shall go out by the north gate: they shall not return by way of the 
       gate by which they entered, but shall go out straight ahead.

       (Ezek 46:10 NRSV)  When they come in, the prince shall come in with 
       them; and when they go out, he shall go out.

       (Ezek 46:11 NRSV)  At the festivals and the appointed seasons the 
       grain offering with a young bull shall be an ephah, and with a ram an 
       ephah, and with the lambs as much as one wishes to give, together with 
       a hin of oil to an ephah.

       (Ezek 46:12 NRSV)  When the prince provides a freewill offering, 
       either a burnt offering or offerings of well-being as a freewill 
       offering to the LORD, the gate facing east shall be opened for him; 
       and he shall offer his burnt offering or his offerings of well-being 
       as he does on the sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he has 
       gone out the gate shall be closed.

       (Ezek 46:13 NRSV)  He shall provide a lamb, a yearling, without 
       blemish, for a burnt offering to the LORD daily; morning by morning he 
       shall provide it.

       (Ezek 46:14 NRSV)  And he shall provide a grain offering with it 
       morning by morning regularly, one-sixth of an ephah, and one-third of 
       a hin of oil to moisten the choice flour, as a grain offering to the 
       LORD; this is the ordinance for all time.

       (Ezek 46:15 NRSV)  Thus the lamb and the grain offering and the oil 
       shall be provided, morning by morning, as a regular burnt offering.

       (Ezek 46:16 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: If the prince makes a gift 
       to any of his sons out of his inheritance, it shall belong to his 
       sons, it is their holding by inheritance.

       (Ezek 46:17 NRSV)  But if he makes a gift out of his inheritance to 
       one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty; then it 
       shall revert to the prince; only his sons may keep a gift from his 
       inheritance.

       (Ezek 46:18 NRSV)  The prince shall not take any of the inheritance of 
       the people, thrusting them out of their holding; he shall give his 
       sons their inheritance out of his own holding, so that none of my 
       people shall be dispossessed of their holding.

       (Ezek 46:19 NRSV)  Then he brought me through the entrance, which was 





       at the side of the gate, to the north row of the holy chambers for the 
       priests; and there I saw a place at the extreme western end of them.

       (Ezek 46:20 NRSV)  He said to me, "This is the place where the priests 
       shall boil the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they 
       shall bake the grain offering, in order not to bring them out into the 
       outer court and so communicate holiness to the people."

       (Ezek 46:21 NRSV)  Then he brought me out to the outer court, and led 
       me past the four corners of the court; and in each corner of the court 
       there was a court--

       (Ezek 46:22 NRSV)  in the four corners of the court were small courts, 
       forty cubits long and thirty wide; the four were of the same size.

       (Ezek 46:23 NRSV)  On the inside, around each of the four courts was a 
       row of masonry, with hearths made at the bottom of the rows all 
       around.

       (Ezek 46:24 NRSV)  Then he said to me, "These are the kitchens where 
       those who serve at the temple shall boil the sacrifices of the 
       people."

       (Ezek 47:1 NRSV)  Then he brought me back to the entrance of the 
       temple; there, water was flowing from below the threshold of the 
       temple toward the east (for the temple faced east); and the water was 
       flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, 
       south of the altar.

       (Ezek 47:2 NRSV)  Then he brought me out by way of the north gate, and 
       led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the 
       east; and the water was coming out on the south side.

       (Ezek 47:3 NRSV)  Going on eastward with a cord in his hand, the man 
       measured one thousand cubits, and then led me through the water; and 
       it was ankle-deep.

       (Ezek 47:4 NRSV)  Again he measured one thousand, and led me through 
       the water; and it was knee-deep. Again he measured one thousand, and 
       led me through the water; and it was up to the waist.

       (Ezek 47:5 NRSV)  Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river 
       that I could not cross, for the water had risen; it was deep enough to 
       swim in, a river that could not be crossed.

       (Ezek 47:6 NRSV)  He said to me, "Mortal, have you seen this?" Then he 
       led me back along the bank of the river.

       (Ezek 47:7 NRSV)  As I came back, I saw on the bank of the river a 
       great many trees on the one side and on the other.

       (Ezek 47:8 NRSV)  He said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern 
       region and goes down into the Arabah; and when it enters the sea, the 
       sea of stagnant waters, the water will become fresh.

       (Ezek 47:9 NRSV)  Wherever the river goes, every living creature that 





       swarms will live, and there will be very many fish, once these waters 
       reach there. It will become fresh; and everything will live where the 
       river goes.

       (Ezek 47:10 NRSV)  People will stand fishing beside the sea from 
       En-gedi to En-eglaim; it will be a place for the spreading of nets; 
       its fish will be of a great many kinds, like the fish of the Great 
       Sea.

       (Ezek 47:11 NRSV)  But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; 
       they are to be left for salt.

       (Ezek 47:12 NRSV)  On the banks, on both sides of the river, there 
       will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither 
       nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, 
       because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will 
       be for food, and their leaves for healing."

       (Ezek 47:13 NRSV)  Thus says the Lord GOD: These are the boundaries by 
       which you shall divide the land for inheritance among the twelve 
       tribes of Israel. Joseph shall have two portions.

       (Ezek 47:14 NRSV)  You shall divide it equally; I swore to give it to 
       your ancestors, and this land shall fall to you as your inheritance.

       (Ezek 47:15 NRSV)  This shall be the boundary of the land: On the 
       north side, from the Great Sea by way of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath, and 
       on to Zedad,

       (Ezek 47:16 NRSV)  Berothah, Sibraim (which lies between the border of 
       Damascus and the border of Hamath), as far as Hazer-hatticon, which is 
       on the border of Hauran.

       (Ezek 47:17 NRSV)  So the boundary shall run from the sea to 
       Hazar-enon, which is north of the border of Damascus, with the border 
       of Hamath to the north. This shall be the north side.

       (Ezek 47:18 NRSV)  On the east side, between Hauran and Damascus; 
       along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel; to the eastern 
       sea and as far as Tamar. This shall be the east side.

       (Ezek 47:19 NRSV)  On the south side, it shall run from Tamar as far 
       as the waters of Meribath-kadesh, from there along the Wadi of Egypt 
       to the Great Sea. This shall be the south side.

       (Ezek 47:20 NRSV)  On the west side, the Great Sea shall be the 
       boundary to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This shall be the west side.

       (Ezek 47:21 NRSV)  So you shall divide this land among you according 
       to the tribes of Israel.

       (Ezek 47:22 NRSV)  You shall allot it as an inheritance for yourselves 
       and for the aliens who reside among you and have begotten children 
       among you. They shall be to you as citizens of Israel; with you they 
       shall be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.





       (Ezek 47:23 NRSV)  In whatever tribe aliens reside, there you shall 
       assign them their inheritance, says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 48:1 NRSV)  These are the names of the tribes: Beginning at the 
       northern border, on the Hethlon road, from Lebo-hamath, as far as 
       Hazar-enon (which is on the border of Damascus, with Hamath to the 
       north), and extending from the east side to the west, Dan, one 
       portion.

       (Ezek 48:2 NRSV)  Adjoining the territory of Dan, from the east side 
       to the west, Asher, one portion.

       (Ezek 48:3 NRSV)  Adjoining the territory of Asher, from the east side 
       to the west, Naphtali, one portion.

       (Ezek 48:4 NRSV)  Adjoining the territory of Naphtali, from the east 
       side to the west, Manasseh, one portion.

       (Ezek 48:5 NRSV)  Adjoining the territory of Manasseh, from the east 
       side to the west, Ephraim, one portion.

       (Ezek 48:6 NRSV)  Adjoining the territory of Ephraim, from the east 
       side to the west, Reuben, one portion.

       (Ezek 48:7 NRSV)  Adjoining the territory of Reuben, from the east 
       side to the west, Judah, one portion.

       (Ezek 48:8 NRSV)  Adjoining the territory of Judah, from the east side 
       to the west, shall be the portion that you shall set apart, 
       twenty-five thousand cubits in width, and in length equal to one of 
       the tribal portions, from the east side to the west, with the 
       sanctuary in the middle of it.

       (Ezek 48:9 NRSV)  The portion that you shall set apart for the LORD 
       shall be twenty-five thousand cubits in length, and twenty thousand in 
       width.

       (Ezek 48:10 NRSV)  These shall be the allotments of the holy portion: 
       the priests shall have an allotment measuring twenty-five thousand 
       cubits on the northern side, ten thousand cubits in width on the 
       western side, ten thousand in width on the eastern side, and 
       twenty-five thousand in length on the southern side, with the 
       sanctuary of the LORD in the middle of it.

       (Ezek 48:11 NRSV)  This shall be for the consecrated priests, the 
       descendants of Zadok, who kept my charge, who did not go astray when 
       the people of Israel went astray, as the Levites did.

       (Ezek 48:12 NRSV)  It shall belong to them as a special portion from 
       the holy portion of the land, a most holy place, adjoining the 
       territory of the Levites.

       (Ezek 48:13 NRSV)  Alongside the territory of the priests, the Levites 
       shall have an allotment twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten 
       thousand in width. The whole length shall be twenty-five thousand 
       cubits and the width twenty thousand.






       (Ezek 48:14 NRSV)  They shall not sell or exchange any of it; they 
       shall not transfer this choice portion of the land, for it is holy to 
       the LORD.

       (Ezek 48:15 NRSV)  The remainder, five thousand cubits in width and 
       twenty-five thousand in length, shall be for ordinary use for the 
       city, for dwellings and for open country. In the middle of it shall be 
       the city;

       (Ezek 48:16 NRSV)  and these shall be its dimensions: the north side 
       four thousand five hundred cubits, the south side four thousand five 
       hundred, the east side four thousand five hundred, and the west side 
       four thousand and five hundred.

       (Ezek 48:17 NRSV)  The city shall have open land: on the north two 
       hundred fifty cubits, on the south two hundred fifty, on the east two 
       hundred fifty, on the west two hundred fifty.

       (Ezek 48:18 NRSV)  The remainder of the length alongside the holy 
       portion shall be ten thousand cubits to the east, and ten thousand to 
       the west, and it shall be alongside the holy portion. Its produce 
       shall be food for the workers of the city.

       (Ezek 48:19 NRSV)  The workers of the city, from all the tribes of 
       Israel, shall cultivate it.

       (Ezek 48:20 NRSV)  The whole portion that you shall set apart shall be 
       twenty-five thousand cubits square, that is, the holy portion together 
       with the property of the city.

       (Ezek 48:21 NRSV)  What remains on both sides of the holy portion and 
       of the property of the city shall belong to the prince. Extending from 
       the twenty-five thousand cubits of the holy portion to the east 
       border, and westward from the twenty-five thousand cubits to the west 
       border, parallel to the tribal portions, it shall belong to the 
       prince. The holy portion with the sanctuary of the temple in the 
       middle of it,

       (Ezek 48:22 NRSV)  and the property of the Levites and of the city, 
       shall be in the middle of that which belongs to the prince. The 
       portion of the prince shall lie between the territory of Judah and the 
       territory of Benjamin.

       (Ezek 48:23 NRSV)  As for the rest of the tribes: from the east side 
       to the west, Benjamin, one portion.

       (Ezek 48:24 NRSV)  Adjoining the territory of Benjamin, from the east 
       side to the west, Simeon, one portion.

       (Ezek 48:25 NRSV)  Adjoining the territory of Simeon, from the east 
       side to the west, Issachar, one portion.

       (Ezek 48:26 NRSV)  Adjoining the territory of Issachar, from the east 
       side to the west, Zebulun, one portion.





       (Ezek 48:27 NRSV)  Adjoining the territory of Zebulun, from the east 
       side to the west, Gad, one portion.

       (Ezek 48:28 NRSV)  And adjoining the territory of Gad to the south, 
       the boundary shall run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, 
       from there along the Wadi of Egypt to the Great Sea.

       (Ezek 48:29 NRSV)  This is the land that you shall allot as an 
       inheritance among the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions, 
       says the Lord GOD.

       (Ezek 48:30 NRSV)  These shall be the exits of the city: On the north 
       side, which is to be four thousand five hundred cubits by measure,

       (Ezek 48:31 NRSV)  three gates, the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah, 
       and the gate of Levi, the gates of the city being named after the 
       tribes of Israel.

       (Ezek 48:32 NRSV)  On the east side, which is to be four thousand five 
       hundred cubits, three gates, the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin, 
       and the gate of Dan.

       (Ezek 48:33 NRSV)  On the south side, which is to be four thousand 
       five hundred cubits by measure, three gates, the gate of Simeon, the 
       gate of Issachar, and the gate of Zebulun.

       (Ezek 48:34 NRSV)  On the west side, which is to be four thousand five 
       hundred cubits, three gates, the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher, and 
       the gate of Naphtali.

       (Ezek 48:35 NRSV)  The circumference of the city shall be eighteen 
       thousand cubits. And the name of the city from that time on shall be, 
       The LORD is There.

       (Dan 1:1 NRSV)  In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of 
       Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged 
       it.

       (Dan 1:2 NRSV)  The Lord let King Jehoiakim of Judah fall into his 
       power, as well as some of the vessels of the house of God. These he 
       brought to the land of Shinar, and placed the vessels in the treasury 
       of his gods.

       (Dan 1:3 NRSV)  Then the king commanded his palace master Ashpenaz to 
       bring some of the Israelites of the royal family and of the nobility,

       (Dan 1:4 NRSV)  young men without physical defect and handsome, versed 
       in every branch of wisdom, endowed with knowledge and insight, and 
       competent to serve in the king's palace; they were to be taught the 
       literature and language of the Chaldeans.

       (Dan 1:5 NRSV)  The king assigned them a daily portion of the royal 
       rations of food and wine. They were to be educated for three years, so 
       that at the end of that time they could be stationed in the king's 
       court.





       (Dan 1:6 NRSV)  Among them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and 
       Azariah, from the tribe of Judah.

       (Dan 1:7 NRSV)  The palace master gave them other names: Daniel he 
       called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called 
       Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

       (Dan 1:8 NRSV)  But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself 
       with the royal rations of food and wine; so he asked the palace master 
       to allow him not to defile himself.

       (Dan 1:9 NRSV)  Now God allowed Daniel to receive favor and compassion 
       from the palace master.

       (Dan 1:10 NRSV)  The palace master said to Daniel, "I am afraid of my 
       lord the king; he has appointed your food and your drink. If he should 
       see you in poorer condition than the other young men of your own age, 
       you would endanger my head with the king."

       (Dan 1:11 NRSV)  Then Daniel asked the guard whom the palace master 
       had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:

       (Dan 1:12 NRSV)  "Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be 
       given vegetables to eat and water to drink.

       (Dan 1:13 NRSV)  You can then compare our appearance with the 
       appearance of the young men who eat the royal rations, and deal with 
       your servants according to what you observe."

       (Dan 1:14 NRSV)  So he agreed to this proposal and tested them for ten 
       days.

       (Dan 1:15 NRSV)  At the end of ten days it was observed that they 
       appeared better and fatter than all the young men who had been eating 
       the royal rations.

       (Dan 1:16 NRSV)  So the guard continued to withdraw their royal 
       rations and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.

       (Dan 1:17 NRSV)  To these four young men God gave knowledge and skill 
       in every aspect of literature and wisdom; Daniel also had insight into 
       all visions and dreams.

       (Dan 1:18 NRSV)  At the end of the time that the king had set for them 
       to be brought in, the palace master brought them into the presence of 
       Nebuchadnezzar,

       (Dan 1:19 NRSV)  and the king spoke with them. And among them all, no 
       one was found to compare with Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; 
       therefore they were stationed in the king's court.

       (Dan 1:20 NRSV)  In every matter of wisdom and understanding 
       concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times 
       better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.

       (Dan 1:21 NRSV)  And Daniel continued there until the first year of 





       King Cyrus.

       (Dan 2:1 NRSV)  In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, 
       Nebuchadnezzar dreamed such dreams that his spirit was troubled and 
       his sleep left him.

       (Dan 2:2 NRSV)  So the king commanded that the magicians, the 
       enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the 
       king his dreams. When they came in and stood before the king,

       (Dan 2:3 NRSV)  he said to them, "I have had such a dream that my 
       spirit is troubled by the desire to understand it."

       (Dan 2:4 NRSV)  The Chaldeans said to the king (in Aramaic), "O king, 
       live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will reveal the 
       interpretation."

       (Dan 2:5 NRSV)  The king answered the Chaldeans, "This is a public 
       decree: if you do not tell me both the dream and its interpretation, 
       you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in 
       ruins.

       (Dan 2:6 NRSV)  But if you do tell me the dream and its 
       interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great 
       honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation."

       (Dan 2:7 NRSV)  They answered a second time, "Let the king first tell 
       his servants the dream, then we can give its interpretation."

       (Dan 2:8 NRSV)  The king answered, "I know with certainty that you are 
       trying to gain time, because you see I have firmly decreed:

       (Dan 2:9 NRSV)  if you do not tell me the dream, there is but one 
       verdict for you. You have agreed to speak lying and misleading words 
       to me until things take a turn. Therefore, tell me the dream, and I 
       shall know that you can give me its interpretation."

       (Dan 2:10 NRSV)  The Chaldeans answered the king, "There is no one on 
       earth who can reveal what the king demands! In fact no king, however 
       great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or 
       enchanter or Chaldean.

       (Dan 2:11 NRSV)  The thing that the king is asking is too difficult, 
       and no one can reveal it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling 
       is not with mortals."

       (Dan 2:12 NRSV)  Because of this the king flew into a violent rage and 
       commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.

       (Dan 2:13 NRSV)  The decree was issued, and the wise men were about to 
       be executed; and they looked for Daniel and his companions, to execute 
       them.

       (Dan 2:14 NRSV)  Then Daniel responded with prudence and discretion to 
       Arioch, the king's chief executioner, who had gone out to execute the 
       wise men of Babylon;






       (Dan 2:15 NRSV)  he asked Arioch, the royal official, "Why is the 
       decree of the king so urgent?" Arioch then explained the matter to 
       Daniel.

       (Dan 2:16 NRSV)  So Daniel went in and requested that the king give 
       him time and he would tell the king the interpretation.

       (Dan 2:17 NRSV)  Then Daniel went to his home and informed his 
       companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

       (Dan 2:18 NRSV)  and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven 
       concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions with the 
       rest of the wise men of Babylon might not perish.

       (Dan 2:19 NRSV)  Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision 
       of the night, and Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

       (Dan 2:20 NRSV)  Daniel said: "Blessed be the name of God from age to 
       age, for wisdom and power are his.

       (Dan 2:21 NRSV)  He changes times and seasons, deposes kings and sets 
       up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have 
       understanding.

       (Dan 2:22 NRSV)  He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is 
       in the darkness, and light dwells with him.

       (Dan 2:23 NRSV)  To you, O God of my ancestors, I give thanks and 
       praise, for you have given me wisdom and power, and have now revealed 
       to me what we asked of you, for you have revealed to us what the king 
       ordered."

       (Dan 2:24 NRSV)  Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had 
       appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, "Do not 
       destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I 
       will give the king the interpretation."

       (Dan 2:25 NRSV)  Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king 
       and said to him: "I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who 
       can tell the king the interpretation."

       (Dan 2:26 NRSV)  The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, 
       "Are you able to tell me the dream that I have seen and its 
       interpretation?"

       (Dan 2:27 NRSV)  Daniel answered the king, "No wise men, enchanters, 
       magicians, or diviners can show to the king the mystery that the king 
       is asking,

       (Dan 2:28 NRSV)  but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, 
       and he has disclosed to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen at the 
       end of days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed 
       were these:

       (Dan 2:29 NRSV)  To you, O king, as you lay in bed, came thoughts of 





       what would be hereafter, and the revealer of mysteries disclosed to 
       you what is to be.

       (Dan 2:30 NRSV)  But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to 
       me because of any wisdom that I have more than any other living being, 
       but in order that the interpretation may be known to the king and that 
       you may understand the thoughts of your mind.

       (Dan 2:31 NRSV)  "You were looking, O king, and lo! there was a great 
       statue. This statue was huge, its brilliance extraordinary; it was 
       standing before you, and its appearance was frightening.

       (Dan 2:32 NRSV)  The head of that statue was of fine gold, its chest 
       and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze,

       (Dan 2:33 NRSV)  its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly 
       of clay.

       (Dan 2:34 NRSV)  As you looked on, a stone was cut out, not by human 
       hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and broke 
       them in pieces.

       (Dan 2:35 NRSV)  Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and 
       the gold, were all broken in pieces and became like the chaff of the 
       summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a 
       trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue 
       became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

       (Dan 2:36 NRSV)  "This was the dream; now we will tell the king its 
       interpretation.

       (Dan 2:37 NRSV)  You, O king, the king of kings--to whom the God of 
       heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the might, and the glory,

       (Dan 2:38 NRSV)  into whose hand he has given human beings, wherever 
       they live, the wild animals of the field, and the birds of the air, 
       and whom he has established as ruler over them all--you are the head 
       of gold.

       (Dan 2:39 NRSV)  After you shall arise another kingdom inferior to 
       yours, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over the 
       whole earth.

       (Dan 2:40 NRSV)  And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron; 
       just as iron crushes and smashes everything, it shall crush and 
       shatter all these.

       (Dan 2:41 NRSV)  As you saw the feet and toes partly of potter's clay 
       and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but some of the 
       strength of iron shall be in it, as you saw the iron mixed with the 
       clay.

       (Dan 2:42 NRSV)  As the toes of the feet were part iron and part clay, 
       so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.

       (Dan 2:43 NRSV)  As you saw the iron mixed with clay, so will they mix 





       with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as 
       iron does not mix with clay.

       (Dan 2:44 NRSV)  And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will 
       set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall this kingdom 
       be left to another people. It shall crush all these kingdoms and bring 
       them to an end, and it shall stand forever;

       (Dan 2:45 NRSV)  just as you saw that a stone was cut from the 
       mountain not by hands, and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the 
       clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God has informed the king 
       what shall be hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation 
       trustworthy."

       (Dan 2:46 NRSV)  Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, worshiped 
       Daniel, and commanded that a grain offering and incense be offered to 
       him.

       (Dan 2:47 NRSV)  The king said to Daniel, "Truly, your God is God of 
       gods and Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been 
       able to reveal this mystery!"

       (Dan 2:48 NRSV)  Then the king promoted Daniel, gave him many great 
       gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief 
       prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.

       (Dan 2:49 NRSV)  Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed 
       Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of 
       Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king's court.

       (Dan 3:1 NRSV)  King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue whose height 
       was sixty cubits and whose width was six cubits; he set it up on the 
       plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.

       (Dan 3:2 NRSV)  Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent for the satraps, the 
       prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the 
       justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to 
       assemble and come to the dedication of the statue that King 
       Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

       (Dan 3:3 NRSV)  So the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the 
       counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the 
       officials of the provinces, assembled for the dedication of the statue 
       that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. When they were standing before 
       the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had set up,

       (Dan 3:4 NRSV)  the herald proclaimed aloud, "You are commanded, O 
       peoples, nations, and languages,

       (Dan 3:5 NRSV)  that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, 
       trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, you are to fall down 
       and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.

       (Dan 3:6 NRSV)  Whoever does not fall down and worship shall 
       immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire."





       (Dan 3:7 NRSV)  Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound 
       of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical 
       ensemble, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and 
       worshiped the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

       (Dan 3:8 NRSV)  Accordingly, at this time certain Chaldeans came 
       forward and denounced the Jews.

       (Dan 3:9 NRSV)  They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live 
       forever!

       (Dan 3:10 NRSV)  You, O king, have made a decree, that everyone who 
       hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and 
       entire musical ensemble, shall fall down and worship the golden 
       statue,

       (Dan 3:11 NRSV)  and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be 
       thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.

       (Dan 3:12 NRSV)  There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over 
       the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and 
       Abednego. These pay no heed to you, O King. They do not serve your 
       gods and they do not worship the golden statue that you have set up."

       (Dan 3:13 NRSV)  Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that 
       Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought in; so they brought those 
       men before the king.

       (Dan 3:14 NRSV)  Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, O Shadrach, 
       Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods and you do not 
       worship the golden statue that I have set up?

       (Dan 3:15 NRSV)  Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the 
       horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble to 
       fall down and worship the statue that I have made, well and good. But 
       if you do not worship, you shall immediately be thrown into a furnace 
       of blazing fire, and who is the god that will deliver you out of my 
       hands?"

       (Dan 3:16 NRSV)  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, "O 
       Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to present a defense to you in this 
       matter.

       (Dan 3:17 NRSV)  If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from 
       the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him 
       deliver us.

       (Dan 3:18 NRSV)  But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will 
       not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you 
       have set up."

       (Dan 3:19 NRSV)  Then Nebuchadnezzar was so filled with rage against 
       Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face was distorted. He 
       ordered the furnace heated up seven times more than was customary,

       (Dan 3:20 NRSV)  and ordered some of the strongest guards in his army 





       to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the 
       furnace of blazing fire.

       (Dan 3:21 NRSV)  So the men were bound, still wearing their tunics, 
       their trousers, their hats, and their other garments, and they were 
       thrown into the furnace of blazing fire.

       (Dan 3:22 NRSV)  Because the king's command was urgent and the furnace 
       was so overheated, the raging flames killed the men who lifted 
       Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

       (Dan 3:23 NRSV)  But the three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, 
       fell down, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.

       (Dan 3:24 NRSV)  Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up 
       quickly. He said to his counselors, "Was it not three men that we 
       threw bound into the fire?" They answered the king, "True, O king."

       (Dan 3:25 NRSV)  He replied, "But I see four men unbound, walking in 
       the middle of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the fourth has the 
       appearance of a god."

       (Dan 3:26 NRSV)  Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the 
       furnace of blazing fire and said, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, 
       servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!" So Shadrach, 
       Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire.

       (Dan 3:27 NRSV)  And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the 
       king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had 
       any power over the bodies of those men; the hair of their heads was 
       not singed, their tunics were not harmed, and not even the smell of 
       fire came from them.

       (Dan 3:28 NRSV)  Nebuchadnezzar said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, 
       Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his 
       servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king's command and 
       yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except 
       their own God.

       (Dan 3:29 NRSV)  Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or 
       language that utters blasphemy against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, 
       and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in 
       ruins; for there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way."

       (Dan 3:30 NRSV)  Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and 
       Abednego in the province of Babylon.

       (Dan 4:1 NRSV)  King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and 
       languages that live throughout the earth: May you have abundant 
       prosperity!

       (Dan 4:2 NRSV)  The signs and wonders that the Most High God has 
       worked for me I am pleased to recount.

       (Dan 4:3 NRSV)  How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His 
       kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his sovereignty is from 





       generation to generation.

       (Dan 4:4 NRSV)  I, Nebuchadnezzar, was living at ease in my home and 
       prospering in my palace.

       (Dan 4:5 NRSV)  I saw a dream that frightened me; my fantasies in bed 
       and the visions of my head terrified me.

       (Dan 4:6 NRSV)  So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon 
       should be brought before me, in order that they might tell me the 
       interpretation of the dream.

       (Dan 4:7 NRSV)  Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and 
       the diviners came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not 
       tell me its interpretation.

       (Dan 4:8 NRSV)  At last Daniel came in before me--he who was named 
       Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and who is endowed with a 
       spirit of the holy gods--and I told him the dream:

       (Dan 4:9 NRSV)  "O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that 
       you are endowed with a spirit of the holy gods and that no mystery is 
       too difficult for you. Hear the dream that I saw; tell me its 
       interpretation.

       (Dan 4:10 NRSV)  Upon my bed this is what I saw; there was a tree at 
       the center of the earth, and its height was great.

       (Dan 4:11 NRSV)  The tree grew great and strong, its top reached to 
       heaven, and it was visible to the ends of the whole earth.

       (Dan 4:12 NRSV)  Its foliage was beautiful, its fruit abundant, and it 
       provided food for all. The animals of the field found shade under it, 
       the birds of the air nested in its branches, and from it all living 
       beings were fed.

       (Dan 4:13 NRSV)  I continued looking, in the visions of my head as I 
       lay in bed, and there was a holy watcher, coming down from heaven.

       (Dan 4:14 NRSV)  He cried aloud and said: 'Cut down the tree and chop 
       off its branches, strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit. Let the 
       animals flee from beneath it and the birds from its branches.

       (Dan 4:15 NRSV)  But leave its stump and roots in the ground, with a 
       band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field. Let him be 
       bathed with the dew of heaven. and let his lot be with the animals of 
       the field in the grass of the earth.

       (Dan 4:16 NRSV)  Let his mind be changed from that of a human, and let 
       the mind of an animal be given to him. And let seven times pass over 
       him.

       (Dan 4:17 NRSV)  The sentence is rendered by decree of the watchers, 
       the decision is given by order of the holy ones, in order that all who 
       live may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of 
       mortals; he gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of 





       human beings.'

       (Dan 4:18 NRSV)  This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. 
       Now you, Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation, since all the wise 
       men of my kingdom are unable to tell me the interpretation. You are 
       able, however, for you are endowed with a spirit of the holy gods."

       (Dan 4:19 NRSV)  Then Daniel, who was called Belteshazzar, was 
       severely distressed for a while. His thoughts terrified him. The king 
       said, "Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or the interpretation 
       terrify you." Belteshazzar answered, "My lord, may the dream be for 
       those who hate you, and its interpretation for your enemies!

       (Dan 4:20 NRSV)  The tree that you saw, which grew great and strong, 
       so that its top reached to heaven and was visible to the end of the 
       whole earth,

       (Dan 4:21 NRSV)  whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, 
       and which provided food for all, under which animals of the field 
       lived, and in whose branches the birds of the air had nests--

       (Dan 4:22 NRSV)  it is you, O king! You have grown great and strong. 
       Your greatness has increased and reaches to heaven, and your 
       sovereignty to the ends of the earth.

       (Dan 4:23 NRSV)  And whereas the king saw a holy watcher coming down 
       from heaven and saying, 'Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave 
       its stump and roots in the ground, with a band of iron and bronze, in 
       the grass of the field; and let him be bathed with the dew of heaven, 
       and let his lot be with the animals of the field, until seven times 
       pass over him'--

       (Dan 4:24 NRSV)  this is the interpretation, O king, and it is a 
       decree of the Most High that has come upon my lord the king:

       (Dan 4:25 NRSV)  You shall be driven away from human society, and your 
       dwelling shall be with the wild animals. You shall be made to eat 
       grass like oxen, you shall be bathed with the dew of heaven, and seven 
       times shall pass over you, until you have learned that the Most High 
       has sovereignty over the kingdom of mortals, and gives it to whom he 
       will.

       (Dan 4:26 NRSV)  As it was commanded to leave the stump and roots of 
       the tree, your kingdom shall be re-established for you from the time 
       that you learn that Heaven is sovereign.

       (Dan 4:27 NRSV)  Therefore, O king, may my counsel be acceptable to 
       you: atone for your sins with righteousness, and your iniquities with 
       mercy to the oppressed, so that your prosperity may be prolonged."

       (Dan 4:28 NRSV)  All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar.

       (Dan 4:29 NRSV)  At the end of twelve months he was walking on the 
       roof of the royal palace of Babylon,

       (Dan 4:30 NRSV)  and the king said, "Is this not magnificent Babylon, 





       which I have built as a royal capital by my mighty power and for my 
       glorious majesty?"

       (Dan 4:31 NRSV)  While the words were still in the king's mouth, a 
       voice came from heaven: "O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: 
       The kingdom has departed from you!

       (Dan 4:32 NRSV)  You shall be driven away from human society, and your 
       dwelling shall be with the animals of the field. You shall be made to 
       eat grass like oxen, and seven times shall pass over you, until you 
       have learned that the Most High has sovereignty over the kingdom of 
       mortals and gives it to whom he will."

       (Dan 4:33 NRSV)  Immediately the sentence was fulfilled against 
       Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven away from human society, ate grass like 
       oxen, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven, until his hair 
       grew as long as eagles' feathers and his nails became like birds' 
       claws.

       (Dan 4:34 NRSV)  When that period was over, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted 
       my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me. I blessed the Most 
       High, and praised and honored the one who lives forever. For his 
       sovereignty is an everlasting sovereignty, and his kingdom endures 
       from generation to generation.

       (Dan 4:35 NRSV)  All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as 
       nothing, and he does what he wills with the host of heaven and the 
       inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can stay his hand or say 
       to him, "What are you doing?"

       (Dan 4:36 NRSV)  At that time my reason returned to me; and my majesty 
       and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom. My 
       counselors and my lords sought me out, I was re-established over my 
       kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me.

       (Dan 4:37 NRSV)  Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the 
       King of heaven, for all his works are truth, and his ways are justice; 
       and he is able to bring low those who walk in pride.

       (Dan 5:1 NRSV)  King Belshazzar made a great festival for a thousand 
       of his lords, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the 
       thousand.

       (Dan 5:2 NRSV)  Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar commanded 
       that they bring in the vessels of gold and silver that his father 
       Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem, so that the 
       king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from 
       them.

       (Dan 5:3 NRSV)  So they brought in the vessels of gold and silver that 
       had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and 
       the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.

       (Dan 5:4 NRSV)  They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and 
       silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.





       (Dan 5:5 NRSV)  Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and 
       began writing on the plaster of the wall of the royal palace, next to 
       the lampstand. The king was watching the hand as it wrote.

       (Dan 5:6 NRSV)  Then the king's face turned pale, and his thoughts 
       terrified him. His limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together.

       (Dan 5:7 NRSV)  The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the 
       Chaldeans, and the diviners; and the king said to the wise men of 
       Babylon, "Whoever can read this writing and tell me its interpretation 
       shall be clothed in purple, have a chain of gold around his neck, and 
       rank third in the kingdom."

       (Dan 5:8 NRSV)  Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could 
       not read the writing or tell the king the interpretation.

       (Dan 5:9 NRSV)  Then King Belshazzar became greatly terrified and his 
       face turned pale, and his lords were perplexed.

       (Dan 5:10 NRSV)  The queen, when she heard the discussion of the king 
       and his lords, came into the banqueting hall. The queen said, "O king, 
       live forever! Do not let your thoughts terrify you or your face grow 
       pale.

       (Dan 5:11 NRSV)  There is a man in your kingdom who is endowed with a 
       spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father he was found to 
       have enlightenment, understanding, and wisdom like the wisdom of the 
       gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, made him chief of the 
       magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and diviners,

       (Dan 5:12 NRSV)  because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and 
       understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems 
       were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let 
       Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation."

       (Dan 5:13 NRSV)  Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king 
       said to Daniel, "So you are Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom 
       my father the king brought from Judah?

       (Dan 5:14 NRSV)  I have heard of you that a spirit of the gods is in 
       you, and that enlightenment, understanding, and excellent wisdom are 
       found in you.

       (Dan 5:15 NRSV)  Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought 
       in before me to read this writing and tell me its interpretation, but 
       they were not able to give the interpretation of the matter.

       (Dan 5:16 NRSV)  But I have heard that you can give interpretations 
       and solve problems. Now if you are able to read the writing and tell 
       me its interpretation, you shall be clothed in purple, have a chain of 
       gold around your neck, and rank third in the kingdom."

       (Dan 5:17 NRSV)  Then Daniel answered in the presence of the king, 
       "Let your gifts be for yourself, or give your rewards to someone else! 
       Nevertheless I will read the writing to the king and let him know the 
       interpretation.






       (Dan 5:18 NRSV)  O king, the Most High God gave your father 
       Nebuchadnezzar kingship, greatness, glory, and majesty.

       (Dan 5:19 NRSV)  And because of the greatness that he gave him, all 
       peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. He 
       killed those he wanted to kill, kept alive those he wanted to keep 
       alive, honored those he wanted to honor, and degraded those he wanted 
       to degrade.

       (Dan 5:20 NRSV)  But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was 
       hardened so that he acted proudly, he was deposed from his kingly 
       throne, and his glory was stripped from him.

       (Dan 5:21 NRSV)  He was driven from human society, and his mind was 
       made like that of an animal. His dwelling was with the wild asses, he 
       was fed grass like oxen, and his body was bathed with the dew of 
       heaven, until he learned that the Most High God has sovereignty over 
       the kingdom of mortals, and sets over it whomever he will.

       (Dan 5:22 NRSV)  And you, Belshazzar his son, have not humbled your 
       heart, even though you knew all this!

       (Dan 5:23 NRSV)  You have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven! 
       The vessels of his temple have been brought in before you, and you and 
       your lords, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine 
       from them. You have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, 
       iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know; but the God 
       in whose power is your very breath, and to whom belong all your ways, 
       you have not honored.

       (Dan 5:24 NRSV)  "So from his presence the hand was sent and this 
       writing was inscribed.

       (Dan 5:25 NRSV)  And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, 
       MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN.

       (Dan 5:26 NRSV)  This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God 
       has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end;

       (Dan 5:27 NRSV)  TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales and found 
       wanting;

       (Dan 5:28 NRSV)  PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes 
       and Persians."

       (Dan 5:29 NRSV)  Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was 
       clothed in purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a 
       proclamation was made concerning him that he should rank third in the 
       kingdom.

       (Dan 5:30 NRSV)  That very night Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was 
       killed.

       (Dan 5:31 NRSV)  And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about 
       sixty-two years old.






       (Dan 6:1 NRSV)  It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred 
       twenty satraps, stationed throughout the whole kingdom,

       (Dan 6:2 NRSV)  and over them three presidents, including Daniel; to 
       these the satraps gave account, so that the king might suffer no loss.

       (Dan 6:3 NRSV)  Soon Daniel distinguished himself above all the other 
       presidents and satraps because an excellent spirit was in him, and the 
       king planned to appoint him over the whole kingdom.

       (Dan 6:4 NRSV)  So the presidents and the satraps tried to find 
       grounds for complaint against Daniel in connection with the kingdom. 
       But they could find no grounds for complaint or any corruption, 
       because he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption could be 
       found in him.

       (Dan 6:5 NRSV)  The men said, "We shall not find any ground for 
       complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the 
       law of his God."

       (Dan 6:6 NRSV)  So the presidents and satraps conspired and came to 
       the king and said to him, "O King Darius, live forever!

       (Dan 6:7 NRSV)  All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects and 
       the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king 
       should establish an ordinance and enforce an interdict, that whoever 
       prays to anyone, divine or human, for thirty days, except to you, O 
       king, shall be thrown into a den of lions.

       (Dan 6:8 NRSV)  Now, O king, establish the interdict and sign the 
       document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the 
       Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked."

       (Dan 6:9 NRSV)  Therefore King Darius signed the document and 
       interdict.

       (Dan 6:10 NRSV)  Although Daniel knew that the document had been 
       signed, he continued to go to his house, which had windows in its 
       upper room open toward Jerusalem, and to get down on his knees three 
       times a day to pray to his God and praise him, just as he had done 
       previously.

       (Dan 6:11 NRSV)  The conspirators came and found Daniel praying and 
       seeking mercy before his God.

       (Dan 6:12 NRSV)  Then they approached the king and said concerning the 
       interdict, "O king! Did you not sign an interdict, that anyone who 
       prays to anyone, divine or human, within thirty days except to you, O 
       king, shall be thrown into a den of lions?" The king answered, "The 
       thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, 
       which cannot be revoked."

       (Dan 6:13 NRSV)  Then they responded to the king, "Daniel, one of the 
       exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the 
       interdict you have signed, but he is saying his prayers three times a 





       day."

       (Dan 6:14 NRSV)  When the king heard the charge, he was very much 
       distressed. He was determined to save Daniel, and until the sun went 
       down he made every effort to rescue him.

       (Dan 6:15 NRSV)  Then the conspirators came to the king and said to 
       him, "Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no 
       interdict or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed."

       (Dan 6:16 NRSV)  Then the king gave the command, and Daniel was 
       brought and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, 
       "May your God, whom you faithfully serve, deliver you!"

       (Dan 6:17 NRSV)  A stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, 
       and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his 
       lords, so that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel.

       (Dan 6:18 NRSV)  Then the king went to his palace and spent the night 
       fasting; no food was brought to him, and sleep fled from him.

       (Dan 6:19 NRSV)  Then, at break of day, the king got up and hurried to 
       the den of lions.

       (Dan 6:20 NRSV)  When he came near the den where Daniel was, he cried 
       out anxiously to Daniel, "O Daniel, servant of the living God, has 
       your God whom you faithfully serve been able to deliver you from the 
       lions?"

       (Dan 6:21 NRSV)  Daniel then said to the king, "O king, live forever!

       (Dan 6:22 NRSV)  My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths so 
       that they would not hurt me, because I was found blameless before him; 
       and also before you, O king, I have done no wrong."

       (Dan 6:23 NRSV)  Then the king was exceedingly glad and commanded that 
       Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the 
       den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in 
       his God.

       (Dan 6:24 NRSV)  The king gave a command, and those who had accused 
       Daniel were brought and thrown into the den of lions--they, their 
       children, and their wives. Before they reached the bottom of the den 
       the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.

       (Dan 6:25 NRSV)  Then King Darius wrote to all peoples and nations of 
       every language throughout the whole world: "May you have abundant 
       prosperity!

       (Dan 6:26 NRSV)  I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people 
       should tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: For he is the living 
       God, enduring forever. His kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his 
       dominion has no end.

       (Dan 6:27 NRSV)  He delivers and rescues, he works signs and wonders 
       in heaven and on earth; for he has saved Daniel from the power of the 





       lions."

       (Dan 6:28 NRSV)  So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius 
       and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

       (Dan 7:1 NRSV)  In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, 
       Daniel had a dream and visions of his head as he lay in bed. Then he 
       wrote down the dream:

       (Dan 7:2 NRSV)  I, Daniel, saw in my vision by night the four winds of 
       heaven stirring up the great sea,

       (Dan 7:3 NRSV)  and four great beasts came up out of the sea, 
       different from one another.

       (Dan 7:4 NRSV)  The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then, 
       as I watched, its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from 
       the ground and made to stand on two feet like a human being; and a 
       human mind was given to it.

       (Dan 7:5 NRSV)  Another beast appeared, a second one, that looked like 
       a bear. It was raised up on one side, had three tusks in its mouth 
       among its teeth and was told, "Arise, devour many bodies!"

       (Dan 7:6 NRSV)  After this, as I watched, another appeared, like a 
       leopard. The beast had four wings of a bird on its back and four 
       heads; and dominion was given to it.

       (Dan 7:7 NRSV)  After this I saw in the visions by night a fourth 
       beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great 
       iron teeth and was devouring, breaking in pieces, and stamping what 
       was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that 
       preceded it, and it had ten horns.

       (Dan 7:8 NRSV)  I was considering the horns, when another horn 
       appeared, a little one coming up among them; to make room for it, 
       three of the earlier horns were plucked up by the roots. There were 
       eyes like human eyes in this horn, and a mouth speaking arrogantly.

       (Dan 7:9 NRSV)  As I watched, thrones were set in place, and an 
       Ancient One took his throne, his clothing was white as snow, and the 
       hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, and its 
       wheels were burning fire.

       (Dan 7:10 NRSV)  A stream of fire issued and flowed out from his 
       presence. A thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten 
       thousand stood attending him. The court sat in judgment, and the books 
       were opened.

       (Dan 7:11 NRSV)  I watched then because of the noise of the arrogant 
       words that the horn was speaking. And as I watched, the beast was put 
       to death, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with 
       fire.

       (Dan 7:12 NRSV)  As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was 
       taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.






       (Dan 7:13 NRSV)  As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a 
       human being coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the 
       Ancient One and was presented before him.

       (Dan 7:14 NRSV)  To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, 
       that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His 
       dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his 
       kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.

       (Dan 7:15 NRSV)  As for me, Daniel, my spirit was troubled within me, 
       and the visions of my head terrified me.

       (Dan 7:16 NRSV)  I approached one of the attendants to ask him the 
       truth concerning all this. So he said that he would disclose to me the 
       interpretation of the matter:

       (Dan 7:17 NRSV)  "As for these four great beasts, four kings shall 
       arise out of the earth.

       (Dan 7:18 NRSV)  But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the 
       kingdom and possess the kingdom forever--forever and ever."

       (Dan 7:19 NRSV)  Then I desired to know the truth concerning the 
       fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly 
       terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which 
       devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped what was left with its feet;

       (Dan 7:20 NRSV)  and concerning the ten horns that were on its head, 
       and concerning the other horn, which came up and to make room for 
       which three of them fell out--the horn that had eyes and a mouth that 
       spoke arrogantly, and that seemed greater than the others.

       (Dan 7:21 NRSV)  As I looked, this horn made war with the holy ones 
       and was prevailing over them,

       (Dan 7:22 NRSV)  until the Ancient One came; then judgment was given 
       for the holy ones of the Most High, and the time arrived when the holy 
       ones gained possession of the kingdom.

       (Dan 7:23 NRSV)  This is what he said: "As for the fourth beast, there 
       shall be a fourth kingdom on earth that shall be different from all 
       the other kingdoms; it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it 
       down, and break it to pieces.

       (Dan 7:24 NRSV)  As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings 
       shall arise, and another shall arise after them. This one shall be 
       different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings.

       (Dan 7:25 NRSV)  He shall speak words against the Most High, shall 
       wear out the holy ones of the Most High, and shall attempt to change 
       the sacred seasons and the law; and they shall be given into his power 
       for a time, two times, and half a time.

       (Dan 7:26 NRSV)  Then the court shall sit in judgment, and his 
       dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and totally destroyed.






       (Dan 7:27 NRSV)  The kingship and dominion and the greatness of the 
       kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the 
       holy ones of the Most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting 
       kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them."

       (Dan 7:28 NRSV)  Here the account ends. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts 
       greatly terrified me, and my face turned pale; but I kept the matter 
       in my mind.

       (Dan 8:1 NRSV)  In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a 
       vision appeared to me, Daniel, after the one that had appeared to me 
       at first.

       (Dan 8:2 NRSV)  In the vision I was looking and saw myself in Susa the 
       capital, in the province of Elam, and I was by the river Ulai.

       (Dan 8:3 NRSV)  I looked up and saw a ram standing beside the river. 
       It had two horns. Both horns were long, but one was longer than the 
       other, and the longer one came up second.

       (Dan 8:4 NRSV)  I saw the ram charging westward and northward and 
       southward. All beasts were powerless to withstand it, and no one could 
       rescue from its power; it did as it pleased and became strong.

       (Dan 8:5 NRSV)  As I was watching, a male goat appeared from the west, 
       coming across the face of the whole earth without touching the ground. 
       The goat had a horn between its eyes.

       (Dan 8:6 NRSV)  It came toward the ram with the two horns that I had 
       seen standing beside the river, and it ran at it with savage force.

       (Dan 8:7 NRSV)  I saw it approaching the ram. It was enraged against 
       it and struck the ram, breaking its two horns. The ram did not have 
       power to withstand it; it threw the ram down to the ground and 
       trampled upon it, and there was no one who could rescue the ram from 
       its power.

       (Dan 8:8 NRSV)  Then the male goat grew exceedingly great; but at the 
       height of its power, the great horn was broken, and in its place there 
       came up four prominent horns toward the four winds of heaven.

       (Dan 8:9 NRSV)  Out of one of them came another horn, a little one, 
       which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and 
       toward the beautiful land.

       (Dan 8:10 NRSV)  It grew as high as the host of heaven. It threw down 
       to the earth some of the host and some of the stars, and trampled on 
       them.

       (Dan 8:11 NRSV)  Even against the prince of the host it acted 
       arrogantly; it took the regular burnt offering away from him and 
       overthrew the place of his sanctuary.

       (Dan 8:12 NRSV)  Because of wickedness, the host was given over to it 
       together with the regular burnt offering; it cast truth to the ground, 





       and kept prospering in what it did.

       (Dan 8:13 NRSV)  Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy 
       one said to the one that spoke, "For how long is this vision 
       concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes 
       desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be 
       trampled?"

       (Dan 8:14 NRSV)  And he answered him, "For two thousand three hundred 
       evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary shall be restored to its 
       rightful state."

       (Dan 8:15 NRSV)  When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I tried to 
       understand it. Then someone appeared standing before me, having the 
       appearance of a man,

       (Dan 8:16 NRSV)  and I heard a human voice by the Ulai, calling, 
       "Gabriel, help this man understand the vision."

       (Dan 8:17 NRSV)  So he came near where I stood; and when he came, I 
       became frightened and fell prostrate. But he said to me, "Understand, 
       O mortal, that the vision is for the time of the end."

       (Dan 8:18 NRSV)  As he was speaking to me, I fell into a trance, face 
       to the ground; then he touched me and set me on my feet.

       (Dan 8:19 NRSV)  He said, "Listen, and I will tell you what will take 
       place later in the period of wrath; for it refers to the appointed 
       time of the end.

       (Dan 8:20 NRSV)  As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these 
       are the kings of Media and Persia.

       (Dan 8:21 NRSV)  The male goat is the king of Greece, and the great 
       horn between its eyes is the first king.

       (Dan 8:22 NRSV)  As for the horn that was broken, in place of which 
       four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not 
       with his power.

       (Dan 8:23 NRSV)  At the end of their rule, when the transgressions 
       have reached their full measure, a king of bold countenance shall 
       arise, skilled in intrigue.

       (Dan 8:24 NRSV)  He shall grow strong in power, shall cause fearful 
       destruction, and shall succeed in what he does. He shall destroy the 
       powerful and the people of the holy ones.

       (Dan 8:25 NRSV)  By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his 
       hand, and in his own mind he shall be great. Without warning he shall 
       destroy many and shall even rise up against the Prince of princes. But 
       he shall be broken, and not by human hands.

       (Dan 8:26 NRSV)  The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has 
       been told is true. As for you, seal up the vision, for it refers to 
       many days from now."






       (Dan 8:27 NRSV)  So I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some 
       days; then I arose and went about the king's business. But I was 
       dismayed by the vision and did not understand it.

       (Dan 9:1 NRSV)  In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus, by birth 
       a Mede, who became king over the realm of the Chaldeans--

       (Dan 9:2 NRSV)  in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived 
       in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the 
       LORD to the prophet Jeremiah, must be fulfilled for the devastation of 
       Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

       (Dan 9:3 NRSV)  Then I turned to the Lord God, to seek an answer by 
       prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

       (Dan 9:4 NRSV)  I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, 
       saying, "Ah, Lord, great and awesome God, keeping covenant and 
       steadfast love with those who love you and keep your commandments,

       (Dan 9:5 NRSV)  we have sinned and done wrong, acted wickedly and 
       rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and ordinances.

       (Dan 9:6 NRSV)  We have not listened to your servants the prophets, 
       who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our ancestors, 
       and to all the people of the land.

       (Dan 9:7 NRSV)  "Righteousness is on your side, O Lord, but open 
       shame, as at this day, falls on us, the people of Judah, the 
       inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, those who are near and those 
       who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, 
       because of the treachery that they have committed against you.

       (Dan 9:8 NRSV)  Open shame, O LORD, falls on us, our kings, our 
       officials, and our ancestors, because we have sinned against you.

       (Dan 9:9 NRSV)  To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for 
       we have rebelled against him,

       (Dan 9:10 NRSV)  and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by 
       following his laws, which he set before us by his servants the 
       prophets.

       (Dan 9:11 NRSV)  "All Israel has transgressed your law and turned 
       aside, refusing to obey your voice. So the curse and the oath written 
       in the law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out upon us, 
       because we have sinned against you.

       (Dan 9:12 NRSV)  He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us 
       and against our rulers, by bringing upon us a calamity so great that 
       what has been done against Jerusalem has never before been done under 
       the whole heaven.

       (Dan 9:13 NRSV)  Just as it is written in the law of Moses, all this 
       calamity has come upon us. We did not entreat the favor of the LORD 
       our God, turning from our iniquities and reflecting on his fidelity.






       (Dan 9:14 NRSV)  So the LORD kept watch over this calamity until he 
       brought it upon us. Indeed, the LORD our God is right in all that he 
       has done; for we have disobeyed his voice.

       (Dan 9:15 NRSV)  "And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out 
       of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and made your name renowned 
       even to this day--we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

       (Dan 9:16 NRSV)  O Lord, in view of all your righteous acts, let your 
       anger and wrath, we pray, turn away from your city Jerusalem, your 
       holy mountain; because of our sins and the iniquities of our 
       ancestors, Jerusalem and your people have become a disgrace among all 
       our neighbors.

       (Dan 9:17 NRSV)  Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of 
       your servant and to his supplication, and for your own sake, Lord, let 
       your face shine upon your desolated sanctuary.

       (Dan 9:18 NRSV)  Incline your ear, O my God, and hear. Open your eyes 
       and look at our desolation and the city that bears your name. We do 
       not present our supplication before you on the ground of our 
       righteousness, but on the ground of your great mercies.

       (Dan 9:19 NRSV)  O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, listen and act 
       and do not delay! For your own sake, O my God, because your city and 
       your people bear your name!"

       (Dan 9:20 NRSV)  While I was speaking, and was praying and confessing 
       my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication 
       before the LORD my God on behalf of the holy mountain of my God--

       (Dan 9:21 NRSV)  while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom 
       I had seen before in a vision, came to me in swift flight at the time 
       of the evening sacrifice.

       (Dan 9:22 NRSV)  He came and said to me, "Daniel, I have now come out 
       to give you wisdom and understanding.

       (Dan 9:23 NRSV)  At the beginning of your supplications a word went 
       out, and I have come to declare it, for you are greatly beloved. So 
       consider the word and understand the vision:

       (Dan 9:24 NRSV)  "Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your 
       holy city: to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to 
       atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal 
       both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.

       (Dan 9:25 NRSV)  Know therefore and understand: from the time that the 
       word went out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the time of an 
       anointed prince, there shall be seven weeks; and for sixty-two weeks 
       it shall be built again with streets and moat, but in a troubled time.

       (Dan 9:26 NRSV)  After the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be 
       cut off and shall have nothing, and the troops of the prince who is to 
       come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with 





       a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.

       (Dan 9:27 NRSV)  He shall make a strong covenant with many for one 
       week, and for half of the week he shall make sacrifice and offering 
       cease; and in their place shall be an abomination that desolates, 
       until the decreed end is poured out upon the desolator."

       (Dan 10:1 NRSV)  In the third year of King Cyrus of Persia a word was 
       revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. The word was true, and 
       it concerned a great conflict. He understood the word, having received 
       understanding in the vision.

       (Dan 10:2 NRSV)  At that time I, Daniel, had been mourning for three 
       weeks.

       (Dan 10:3 NRSV)  I had eaten no rich food, no meat or wine had entered 
       my mouth, and I had not anointed myself at all, for the full three 
       weeks.

       (Dan 10:4 NRSV)  On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was 
       standing on the bank of the great river (that is, the Tigris),

       (Dan 10:5 NRSV)  I looked up and saw a man clothed in linen, with a 
       belt of gold from Uphaz around his waist.

       (Dan 10:6 NRSV)  His body was like beryl, his face like lightning, his 
       eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of 
       burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the roar of a 
       multitude.

       (Dan 10:7 NRSV)  I, Daniel, alone saw the vision; the people who were 
       with me did not see the vision, though a great trembling fell upon 
       them, and they fled and hid themselves.

       (Dan 10:8 NRSV)  So I was left alone to see this great vision. My 
       strength left me, and my complexion grew deathly pale, and I retained 
       no strength.

       (Dan 10:9 NRSV)  Then I heard the sound of his words; and when I heard 
       the sound of his words, I fell into a trance, face to the ground.

       (Dan 10:10 NRSV)  But then a hand touched me and roused me to my hands 
       and knees.

       (Dan 10:11 NRSV)  He said to me, "Daniel, greatly beloved, pay 
       attention to the words that I am going to speak to you. Stand on your 
       feet, for I have now been sent to you." So while he was speaking this 
       word to me, I stood up trembling.

       (Dan 10:12 NRSV)  He said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the 
       first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble 
       yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come 
       because of your words.

       (Dan 10:13 NRSV)  But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me 
       twenty-one days. So Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help 





       me, and I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia,

       (Dan 10:14 NRSV)  and have come to help you understand what is to 
       happen to your people at the end of days. For there is a further 
       vision for those days."

       (Dan 10:15 NRSV)  While he was speaking these words to me, I turned my 
       face toward the ground and was speechless.

       (Dan 10:16 NRSV)  Then one in human form touched my lips, and I opened 
       my mouth to speak, and said to the one who stood before me, "My lord, 
       because of the vision such pains have come upon me that I retain no 
       strength.

       (Dan 10:17 NRSV)  How can my lord's servant talk with my lord? For I 
       am shaking, no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me."

       (Dan 10:18 NRSV)  Again one in human form touched me and strengthened 
       me.

       (Dan 10:19 NRSV)  He said, "Do not fear, greatly beloved, you are 
       safe. Be strong and courageous!" When he spoke to me, I was 
       strengthened and said, "Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened 
       me."

       (Dan 10:20 NRSV)  Then he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? 
       Now I must return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I am 
       through with him, the prince of Greece will come.

       (Dan 10:21 NRSV)  But I am to tell you what is inscribed in the book 
       of truth. There is no one with me who contends against these princes 
       except Michael, your prince.

       (Dan 11:1 NRSV)  As for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I 
       stood up to support and strengthen him.

       (Dan 11:2 NRSV)  "Now I will announce the truth to you. Three more 
       kings shall arise in Persia. The fourth shall be far richer than all 
       of them, and when he has become strong through his riches, he shall 
       stir up all against the kingdom of Greece.

       (Dan 11:3 NRSV)  Then a warrior king shall arise, who shall rule with 
       great dominion and take action as he pleases.

       (Dan 11:4 NRSV)  And while still rising in power, his kingdom shall be 
       broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his 
       posterity, nor according to the dominion with which he ruled; for his 
       kingdom shall be uprooted and go to others besides these.

       (Dan 11:5 NRSV)  "Then the king of the south shall grow strong, but 
       one of his officers shall grow stronger than he and shall rule a realm 
       greater than his own realm.

       (Dan 11:6 NRSV)  After some years they shall make an alliance, and the 
       daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north 
       to ratify the agreement. But she shall not retain her power, and his 





       offspring shall not endure. She shall be given up, she and her 
       attendants and her child and the one who supported her. "In those 
       times

       (Dan 11:7 NRSV)  a branch from her roots shall rise up in his place. 
       He shall come against the army and enter the fortress of the king of 
       the north, and he shall take action against them and prevail.

       (Dan 11:8 NRSV)  Even their gods, with their idols and with their 
       precious vessels of silver and gold, he shall carry off to Egypt as 
       spoils of war. For some years he shall refrain from attacking the king 
       of the north;

       (Dan 11:9 NRSV)  then the latter shall invade the realm of the king of 
       the south, but will return to his own land.

       (Dan 11:10 NRSV)  "His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of 
       great forces, which shall advance like a flood and pass through, and 
       again shall carry the war as far as his fortress.

       (Dan 11:11 NRSV)  Moved with rage, the king of the south shall go out 
       and do battle against the king of the north, who shall muster a great 
       multitude, which shall, however, be defeated by his enemy.

       (Dan 11:12 NRSV)  When the multitude has been carried off, his heart 
       shall be exalted, and he shall overthrow tens of thousands, but he 
       shall not prevail.

       (Dan 11:13 NRSV)  For the king of the north shall again raise a 
       multitude, larger than the former, and after some years he shall 
       advance with a great army and abundant supplies.

       (Dan 11:14 NRSV)  "In those times many shall rise against the king of 
       the south. The lawless among your own people shall lift themselves up 
       in order to fulfill the vision, but they shall fail.

       (Dan 11:15 NRSV)  Then the king of the north shall come and throw up 
       siegeworks, and take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the 
       south shall not stand, not even his picked troops, for there shall be 
       no strength to resist.

       (Dan 11:16 NRSV)  But he who comes against him shall take the actions 
       he pleases, and no one shall withstand him. He shall take a position 
       in the beautiful land, and all of it shall be in his power.

       (Dan 11:17 NRSV)  He shall set his mind to come with the strength of 
       his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of peace and perform them. 
       In order to destroy the kingdom, he shall give him a woman in 
       marriage; but it shall not succeed or be to his advantage.

       (Dan 11:18 NRSV)  Afterward he shall turn to the coastlands, and shall 
       capture many. But a commander shall put an end to his insolence; 
       indeed, he shall turn his insolence back upon him.

       (Dan 11:19 NRSV)  Then he shall turn back toward the fortresses of his 
       own land, but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found.






       (Dan 11:20 NRSV)  "Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an 
       official for the glory of the kingdom; but within a few days he shall 
       be broken, though not in anger or in battle.

       (Dan 11:21 NRSV)  In his place shall arise a contemptible person on 
       whom royal majesty had not been conferred; he shall come in without 
       warning and obtain the kingdom through intrigue.

       (Dan 11:22 NRSV)  Armies shall be utterly swept away and broken before 
       him, and the prince of the covenant as well.

       (Dan 11:23 NRSV)  And after an alliance is made with him, he shall act 
       deceitfully and become strong with a small party.

       (Dan 11:24 NRSV)  Without warning he shall come into the richest parts 
       of the province and do what none of his predecessors had ever done, 
       lavishing plunder, spoil, and wealth on them. He shall devise plans 
       against strongholds, but only for a time.

       (Dan 11:25 NRSV)  He shall stir up his power and determination against 
       the king of the south with a great army, and the king of the south 
       shall wage war with a much greater and stronger army. But he shall not 
       succeed, for plots shall be devised against him

       (Dan 11:26 NRSV)  by those who eat of the royal rations. They shall 
       break him, his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall slain.

       (Dan 11:27 NRSV)  The two kings, their minds bent on evil, shall sit 
       at one table and exchange lies. But it shall not succeed, for there 
       remains an end at the time appointed.

       (Dan 11:28 NRSV)  He shall return to his land with great wealth, but 
       his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. He shall work his 
       will, and return to his own land.

       (Dan 11:29 NRSV)  "At the time appointed he shall return and come into 
       the south, but this time it shall not be as it was before.

       (Dan 11:30 NRSV)  For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he 
       shall lose heart and withdraw. He shall be enraged and take action 
       against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay heed to those 
       who forsake the holy covenant.

       (Dan 11:31 NRSV)  Forces sent by him shall occupy and profane the 
       temple and fortress. They shall abolish the regular burnt offering and 
       set up the abomination that makes desolate.

       (Dan 11:32 NRSV)  He shall seduce with intrigue those who violate the 
       covenant; but the people who are loyal to their God shall stand firm 
       and take action.

       (Dan 11:33 NRSV)  The wise among the people shall give understanding 
       to many; for some days, however, they shall fall by sword and flame, 
       and suffer captivity and plunder.





       (Dan 11:34 NRSV)  When they fall victim, they shall receive a little 
       help, and many shall join them insincerely.

       (Dan 11:35 NRSV)  Some of the wise shall fall, so that they may be 
       refined, purified, and cleansed, until the time of the end, for there 
       is still an interval until the time appointed.

       (Dan 11:36 NRSV)  "The king shall act as he pleases. He shall exalt 
       himself and consider himself greater than any god, and shall speak 
       horrendous things against the God of gods. He shall prosper until the 
       period of wrath is completed, for what is determined shall be done.

       (Dan 11:37 NRSV)  He shall pay no respect to the gods of his 
       ancestors, or to the one beloved by women; he shall pay no respect to 
       any other god, for he shall consider himself greater than all.

       (Dan 11:38 NRSV)  He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of 
       these; a god whom his ancestors did not know he shall honor with gold 
       and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts.

       (Dan 11:39 NRSV)  He shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the 
       help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall make more 
       wealthy, and shall appoint them as rulers over many, and shall 
       distribute the land for a price.

       (Dan 11:40 NRSV)  "At the time of the end the king of the south shall 
       attack him. But the king of the north shall rush upon him like a 
       whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. He shall 
       advance against countries and pass through like a flood.

       (Dan 11:41 NRSV)  He shall come into the beautiful land, and tens of 
       thousands shall fall victim, but Edom and Moab and the main part of 
       the Ammonites shall escape from his power.

       (Dan 11:42 NRSV)  He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, 
       and the land of Egypt shall not escape.

       (Dan 11:43 NRSV)  He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and 
       of silver, and all the riches of Egypt; and the Libyans and the 
       Ethiopians shall follow in his train.

       (Dan 11:44 NRSV)  But reports from the east and the north shall alarm 
       him, and he shall go out with great fury to bring ruin and complete 
       destruction to many.

       (Dan 11:45 NRSV)  He shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea 
       and the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with no 
       one to help him.

       (Dan 12:1 NRSV)  "At that time Michael, the great prince, the 
       protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of 
       anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into 
       existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone 
       who is found written in the book.

       (Dan 12:2 NRSV)  Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth 





       shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and 
       everlasting contempt.

       (Dan 12:3 NRSV)  Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of 
       the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars 
       forever and ever.

       (Dan 12:4 NRSV)  But you, Daniel, keep the words secret and the book 
       sealed until the time of the end. Many shall be running back and 
       forth, and evil shall increase."

       (Dan 12:5 NRSV)  Then I, Daniel, looked, and two others appeared, one 
       standing on this bank of the stream and one on the other.

       (Dan 12:6 NRSV)  One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was 
       upstream, "How long shall it be until the end of these wonders?"

       (Dan 12:7 NRSV)  The man clothed in linen, who was upstream, raised 
       his right hand and his left hand toward heaven. And I heard him swear 
       by the one who lives forever that it would be for a time, two times, 
       and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy 
       people comes to an end, all these things would be accomplished.

       (Dan 12:8 NRSV)  I heard but could not understand; so I said, "My 
       lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?"

       (Dan 12:9 NRSV)  He said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are to 
       remain secret and sealed until the time of the end.

       (Dan 12:10 NRSV)  Many shall be purified, cleansed, and refined, but 
       the wicked shall continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked shall 
       understand, but those who are wise shall understand.

       (Dan 12:11 NRSV)  From the time that the regular burnt offering is 
       taken away and the abomination that desolates is set up, there shall 
       be one thousand two hundred ninety days.

       (Dan 12:12 NRSV)  Happy are those who persevere and attain the 
       thousand three hundred thirty-five days.

       (Dan 12:13 NRSV)  But you, go your way, and rest; you shall rise for 
       your reward at the end of the days."

       (Hosea 1:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of 
       Beeri, in the days of Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of 
       Judah, and in the days of King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel.

       (Hosea 1:2 NRSV)  When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD 
       said to Hosea, "Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have 
       children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking 
       the LORD."

       (Hosea 1:3 NRSV)  So he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and 
       she conceived and bore him a son.

       (Hosea 1:4 NRSV)  And the LORD said to him, "Name him Jezreel; for in 





       a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of 
       Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.

       (Hosea 1:5 NRSV)  On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the 
       valley of Jezreel."

       (Hosea 1:6 NRSV)  She conceived again and bore a daughter. Then the 
       LORD said to him, "Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have pity 
       on the house of Israel or forgive them.

       (Hosea 1:7 NRSV)  But I will have pity on the house of Judah, and I 
       will save them by the LORD their God; I will not save them by bow, or 
       by sword, or by war, or by horses, or by horsemen."

       (Hosea 1:8 NRSV)  When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and 
       bore a son.

       (Hosea 1:9 NRSV)  Then the LORD said, "Name him Lo-ammi, for you are 
       not my people and I am not your God."

       (Hosea 1:10 NRSV)  Yet the number of the people of Israel shall be 
       like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; 
       and in the place where it was said to them, "You are not my people," 
       it shall be said to them, "Children of the living God."

       (Hosea 1:11 NRSV)  The people of Judah and the people of Israel shall 
       be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head; 
       and they shall take possession of the land, for great shall be the day 
       of Jezreel.

       (Hosea 2:1 NRSV)  Say to your brother, Ammi, and to your sister, 
       Ruhamah.

       (Hosea 2:2 NRSV)  Plead with your mother, plead-- for she is not my 
       wife, and I am not her husband-- that she put away her whoring from 
       her face, and her adultery from between her breasts,

       (Hosea 2:3 NRSV)  or I will strip her naked and expose her as in the 
       day she was born, and make her like a wilderness, and turn her into a 
       parched land, and kill her with thirst.

       (Hosea 2:4 NRSV)  Upon her children also I will have no pity, because 
       they are children of whoredom.

       (Hosea 2:5 NRSV)  For their mother has played the whore; she who 
       conceived them has acted shamefully. For she said, "I will go after my 
       lovers; they give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my 
       oil and my drink."

       (Hosea 2:6 NRSV)  Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns; and I 
       will build a wall against her, so that she cannot find her paths.

       (Hosea 2:7 NRSV)  She shall pursue her lovers, but not overtake them; 
       and she shall seek them, but shall not find them. Then she shall say, 
       "I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better with me 
       then than now."






       (Hosea 2:8 NRSV)  She did not know that it was I who gave her the 
       grain, the wine, and the oil, and who lavished upon her silver and 
       gold that they used for Baal.

       (Hosea 2:9 NRSV)  Therefore I will take back my grain in its time, and 
       my wine in its season; and I will take away my wool and my flax, which 
       were to cover her nakedness.

       (Hosea 2:10 NRSV)  Now I will uncover her shame in the sight of her 
       lovers, and no one shall rescue her out of my hand.

       (Hosea 2:11 NRSV)  I will put an end to all her mirth, her festivals, 
       her new moons, her sabbaths, and all her appointed festivals.

       (Hosea 2:12 NRSV)  I will lay waste her vines and her fig trees, of 
       which she said, "These are my pay, which my lovers have given me." I 
       will make them a forest, and the wild animals shall devour them.

       (Hosea 2:13 NRSV)  I will punish her for the festival days of the 
       Baals, when she offered incense to them and decked herself with her 
       ring and jewelry, and went after her lovers, and forgot me, says the 
       LORD.

       (Hosea 2:14 NRSV)  Therefore, I will now allure her, and bring her 
       into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.

       (Hosea 2:15 NRSV)  From there I will give her her vineyards, and make 
       the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she shall respond as in the 
       days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of 
       Egypt.

       (Hosea 2:16 NRSV)  On that day, says the LORD, you will call me, "My 
       husband," and no longer will you call me, "My Baal."

       (Hosea 2:17 NRSV)  For I will remove the names of the Baals from her 
       mouth, and they shall be mentioned by name no more.

       (Hosea 2:18 NRSV)  I will make for you a covenant on that day with the 
       wild animals, the birds of the air, and the creeping things of the 
       ground; and I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land; 
       and I will make you lie down in safety.

       (Hosea 2:19 NRSV)  And I will take you for my wife forever; I will 
       take you for my wife in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast 
       love, and in mercy.

       (Hosea 2:20 NRSV)  I will take you for my wife in faithfulness; and 
       you shall know the LORD.

       (Hosea 2:21 NRSV)  On that day I will answer, says the LORD, I will 
       answer the heavens and they shall answer the earth;

       (Hosea 2:22 NRSV)  and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and 
       the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel;





       (Hosea 2:23 NRSV)  and I will sow him for myself in the land. And I 
       will have pity on Lo-ruhamah, and I will say to Lo-ammi, "You are my 
       people"; and he shall say, "You are my God."

       (Hosea 3:1 NRSV)  The LORD said to me again, "Go, love a woman who has 
       a lover and is an adulteress, just as the LORD loves the people of 
       Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes."

       (Hosea 3:2 NRSV)  So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a 
       homer of barley and a measure of wine.

       (Hosea 3:3 NRSV)  And I said to her, "You must remain as mine for many 
       days; you shall not play the whore, you shall not have intercourse 
       with a man, nor I with you."

       (Hosea 3:4 NRSV)  For the Israelites shall remain many days without 
       king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or 
       teraphim.

       (Hosea 3:5 NRSV)  Afterward the Israelites shall return and seek the 
       LORD their God, and David their king; they shall come in awe to the 
       LORD and to his goodness in the latter days.

       (Hosea 4:1 NRSV)  Hear the word of the LORD, O people of Israel; for 
       the LORD has an indictment against the inhabitants of the land. There 
       is no faithfulness or loyalty, and no knowledge of God in the land.

       (Hosea 4:2 NRSV)  Swearing, lying, and murder, and stealing and 
       adultery break out; bloodshed follows bloodshed.

       (Hosea 4:3 NRSV)  Therefore the land mourns, and all who live in it 
       languish; together with the wild animals and the birds of the air, 
       even the fish of the sea are perishing.

       (Hosea 4:4 NRSV)  Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for 
       with you is my contention, O priest.

       (Hosea 4:5 NRSV)  You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall 
       stumble with you by night, and I will destroy your mother.

       (Hosea 4:6 NRSV)  My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; 
       because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest 
       to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will 
       forget your children.

       (Hosea 4:7 NRSV)  The more they increased, the more they sinned 
       against me; they changed their glory into shame.

       (Hosea 4:8 NRSV)  They feed on the sin of my people; they are greedy 
       for their iniquity.

       (Hosea 4:9 NRSV)  And it shall be like people, like priest; I will 
       punish them for their ways, and repay them for their deeds.

       (Hosea 4:10 NRSV)  They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall 
       play the whore, but not multiply; because they have forsaken the LORD 





       to devote themselves to

       (Hosea 4:11 NRSV)  whoredom. Wine and new wine take away the 
       understanding.

       (Hosea 4:12 NRSV)  My people consult a piece of wood, and their 
       divining rod gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them 
       astray, and they have played the whore, forsaking their God.

       (Hosea 4:13 NRSV)  They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains, and 
       make offerings upon the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, 
       because their shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the whore, 
       and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.

       (Hosea 4:14 NRSV)  I will not punish your daughters when they play the 
       whore, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery; for the 
       men themselves go aside with whores, and sacrifice with temple 
       prostitutes; thus a people without understanding comes to ruin.

       (Hosea 4:15 NRSV)  Though you play the whore, O Israel, do not let 
       Judah become guilty. Do not enter into Gilgal, or go up to Beth-aven, 
       and do not swear, "As the LORD lives."

       (Hosea 4:16 NRSV)  Like a stubborn heifer, Israel is stubborn; can the 
       LORD now feed them like a lamb in a broad pasture?

       (Hosea 4:17 NRSV)  Ephraim is joined to idols-- let him alone.

       (Hosea 4:18 NRSV)  When their drinking is ended, they indulge in 
       sexual orgies; they love lewdness more than their glory.

       (Hosea 4:19 NRSV)  A wind has wrapped them in its wings, and they 
       shall be ashamed because of their altars.

       (Hosea 5:1 NRSV)  Hear this, O priests! Give heed, O house of Israel! 
       Listen, O house of the king! For the judgment pertains to you; for you 
       have been a snare at Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor,

       (Hosea 5:2 NRSV)  and a pit dug deep in Shittim; but I will punish all 
       of them.

       (Hosea 5:3 NRSV)  I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from me; 
       for now, O Ephraim, you have played the whore; Israel is defiled.

       (Hosea 5:4 NRSV)  Their deeds do not permit them to return to their 
       God. For the spirit of whoredom is within them, and they do not know 
       the LORD.

       (Hosea 5:5 NRSV)  Israel's pride testifies against him; Ephraim 
       stumbles in his guilt; Judah also stumbles with them.

       (Hosea 5:6 NRSV)  With their flocks and herds they shall go to seek 
       the LORD, but they will not find him; he has withdrawn from them.

       (Hosea 5:7 NRSV)  They have dealt faithlessly with the LORD; for they 
       have borne illegitimate children. Now the new moon shall devour them 





       along with their fields.

       (Hosea 5:8 NRSV)  Blow the horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah. Sound 
       the alarm at Beth-aven; look behind you, Benjamin!

       (Hosea 5:9 NRSV)  Ephraim shall become a desolation in the day of 
       punishment; among the tribes of Israel I declare what is sure.

       (Hosea 5:10 NRSV)  The princes of Judah have become like those who 
       remove the landmark; on them I will pour out my wrath like water.

       (Hosea 5:11 NRSV)  Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, because 
       he was determined to go after vanity.

       (Hosea 5:12 NRSV)  Therefore I am like maggots to Ephraim, and like 
       rottenness to the house of Judah.

       (Hosea 5:13 NRSV)  When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, 
       then Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to the great king. But he is 
       not able to cure you or heal your wound.

       (Hosea 5:14 NRSV)  For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a 
       young lion to the house of Judah. I myself will tear and go away; I 
       will carry off, and no one shall rescue.

       (Hosea 5:15 NRSV)  I will return again to my place until they 
       acknowledge their guilt and seek my face. In their distress they will 
       beg my favor:

       (Hosea 6:1 NRSV)  "Come, let us return to the LORD; for it is he who 
       has torn, and he will heal us; he has struck down, and he will bind us 
       up.

       (Hosea 6:2 NRSV)  After two days he will revive us; on the third day 
       he will raise us up, that we may live before him.

       (Hosea 6:3 NRSV)  Let us know, let us press on to know the LORD; his 
       appearing is as sure as the dawn; he will come to us like the showers, 
       like the spring rains that water the earth."

       (Hosea 6:4 NRSV)  What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do 
       with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew 
       that goes away early.

       (Hosea 6:5 NRSV)  Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have 
       killed them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as 
       the light.

       (Hosea 6:6 NRSV)  For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the 
       knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

       (Hosea 6:7 NRSV)  But at Adam they transgressed the covenant; there 
       they dealt faithlessly with me.

       (Hosea 6:8 NRSV)  Gilead is a city of evildoers, tracked with blood.





       (Hosea 6:9 NRSV)  As robbers lie in wait for someone, so the priests 
       are banded together; they murder on the road to Shechem, they commit a 
       monstrous crime.

       (Hosea 6:10 NRSV)  In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible 
       thing; Ephraim's whoredom is there, Israel is defiled.

       (Hosea 6:11 NRSV)  For you also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed. When 
       I would restore the fortunes of my people,

       (Hosea 7:1 NRSV)  when I would heal Israel, the corruption of Ephraim 
       is revealed, and the wicked deeds of Samaria; for they deal falsely, 
       the thief breaks in, and the bandits raid outside.

       (Hosea 7:2 NRSV)  But they do not consider that I remember all their 
       wickedness. Now their deeds surround them, they are before my face.

       (Hosea 7:3 NRSV)  By their wickedness they make the king glad, and the 
       officials by their treachery.

       (Hosea 7:4 NRSV)  They are all adulterers; they are like a heated 
       oven, whose baker does not need to stir the fire, from the kneading of 
       the dough until it is leavened.

       (Hosea 7:5 NRSV)  On the day of our king the officials became sick 
       with the heat of wine; he stretched out his hand with mockers.

       (Hosea 7:6 NRSV)  For they are kindled like an oven, their heart burns 
       within them; all night their anger smolders; in the morning it blazes 
       like a flaming fire.

       (Hosea 7:7 NRSV)  All of them are hot as an oven, and they devour 
       their rulers. All their kings have fallen; none of them calls upon me.

       (Hosea 7:8 NRSV)  Ephraim mixes himself with the peoples; Ephraim is a 
       cake not turned.

       (Hosea 7:9 NRSV)  Foreigners devour his strength, but he does not know 
       it; gray hairs are sprinkled upon him, but he does not know it.

       (Hosea 7:10 NRSV)  Israel's pride testifies against him; yet they do 
       not return to the LORD their God, or seek him, for all this.

       (Hosea 7:11 NRSV)  Ephraim has become like a dove, silly and without 
       sense; they call upon Egypt, they go to Assyria.

       (Hosea 7:12 NRSV)  As they go, I will cast my net over them; I will 
       bring them down like birds of the air; I will discipline them 
       according to the report made to their assembly.

       (Hosea 7:13 NRSV)  Woe to them, for they have strayed from me! 
       Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me! I would redeem 
       them, but they speak lies against me.

       (Hosea 7:14 NRSV)  They do not cry to me from the heart, but they wail 
       upon their beds; they gash themselves for grain and wine; they rebel 





       against me.

       (Hosea 7:15 NRSV)  It was I who trained and strengthened their arms, 
       yet they plot evil against me.

       (Hosea 7:16 NRSV)  They turn to that which does not profit; they have 
       become like a defective bow; their officials shall fall by the sword 
       because of the rage of their tongue. So much for their babbling in the 
       land of Egypt.

       (Hosea 8:1 NRSV)  Set the trumpet to your lips! One like a vulture is 
       over the house of the LORD, because they have broken my covenant, and 
       transgressed my law.

       (Hosea 8:2 NRSV)  Israel cries to me, "My God, we--Israel--know you!"

       (Hosea 8:3 NRSV)  Israel has spurned the good; the enemy shall pursue 
       him.

       (Hosea 8:4 NRSV)  They made kings, but not through me; they set up 
       princes, but without my knowledge. With their silver and gold they 
       made idols for their own destruction.

       (Hosea 8:5 NRSV)  Your calf is rejected, O Samaria. My anger burns 
       against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence?

       (Hosea 8:6 NRSV)  For it is from Israel, an artisan made it; it is not 
       God. The calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces.

       (Hosea 8:7 NRSV)  For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the 
       whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads, it shall yield no meal; if 
       it were to yield, foreigners would devour it.

       (Hosea 8:8 NRSV)  Israel is swallowed up; now they are among the 
       nations as a useless vessel.

       (Hosea 8:9 NRSV)  For they have gone up to Assyria, a wild ass 
       wandering alone; Ephraim has bargained for lovers.

       (Hosea 8:10 NRSV)  Though they bargain with the nations, I will now 
       gather them up. They shall soon writhe under the burden of kings and 
       princes.

       (Hosea 8:11 NRSV)  When Ephraim multiplied altars to expiate sin, they 
       became to him altars for sinning.

       (Hosea 8:12 NRSV)  Though I write for him the multitude of my 
       instructions, they are regarded as a strange thing.

       (Hosea 8:13 NRSV)  Though they offer choice sacrifices, though they 
       eat flesh, the LORD does not accept them. Now he will remember their 
       iniquity, and punish their sins; they shall return to Egypt.

       (Hosea 8:14 NRSV)  Israel has forgotten his Maker, and built palaces; 
       and Judah has multiplied fortified cities; but I will send a fire upon 
       his cities, and it shall devour his strongholds.






       (Hosea 9:1 NRSV)  Do not rejoice, O Israel! Do not exult as other 
       nations do; for you have played the whore, departing from your God. 
       You have loved a prostitute's pay on all threshing floors.

       (Hosea 9:2 NRSV)  Threshing floor and wine vat shall not feed them, 
       and the new wine shall fail them.

       (Hosea 9:3 NRSV)  They shall not remain in the land of the LORD; but 
       Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and in Assyria they shall eat unclean 
       food.

       (Hosea 9:4 NRSV)  They shall not pour drink offerings of wine to the 
       LORD, and their sacrifices shall not please him. Such sacrifices shall 
       be like mourners' bread; all who eat of it shall be defiled; for their 
       bread shall be for their hunger only; it shall not come to the house 
       of the LORD.

       (Hosea 9:5 NRSV)  What will you do on the day of appointed festival, 
       and on the day of the festival of the LORD?

       (Hosea 9:6 NRSV)  For even if they escape destruction, Egypt shall 
       gather them, Memphis shall bury them. Nettles shall possess their 
       precious things of silver; thorns shall be in their tents.

       (Hosea 9:7 NRSV)  The days of punishment have come, the days of 
       recompense have come; Israel cries, "The prophet is a fool, the man of 
       the spirit is mad!" Because of your great iniquity, your hostility is 
       great.

       (Hosea 9:8 NRSV)  The prophet is a sentinel for my God over Ephraim, 
       yet a fowler's snare is on all his ways, and hostility in the house of 
       his God.

       (Hosea 9:9 NRSV)  They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the days 
       of Gibeah; he will remember their iniquity, he will punish their sins.

       (Hosea 9:10 NRSV)  Like grapes in the wilderness, I found Israel. Like 
       the first fruit on the fig tree, in its first season, I saw your 
       ancestors. But they came to Baal-peor, and consecrated themselves to a 
       thing of shame, and became detestable like the thing they loved.

       (Hosea 9:11 NRSV)  Ephraim's glory shall fly away like a bird-- no 
       birth, no pregnancy, no conception!

       (Hosea 9:12 NRSV)  Even if they bring up children, I will bereave them 
       until no one is left. Woe to them indeed when I depart from them!

       (Hosea 9:13 NRSV)  Once I saw Ephraim as a young palm planted in a 
       lovely meadow, but now Ephraim must lead out his children for 
       slaughter.

       (Hosea 9:14 NRSV)  Give them, O LORD-- what will you give? Give them a 
       miscarrying womb and dry breasts.

       (Hosea 9:15 NRSV)  Every evil of theirs began at Gilgal; there I came 





       to hate them. Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive 
       them out of my house. I will love them no more; all their officials 
       are rebels.

       (Hosea 9:16 NRSV)  Ephraim is stricken, their root is dried up, they 
       shall bear no fruit. Even though they give birth, I will kill the 
       cherished offspring of their womb.

       (Hosea 9:17 NRSV)  Because they have not listened to him, my God will 
       reject them; they shall become wanderers among the nations.

       (Hosea 10:1 NRSV)  Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. 
       The more his fruit increased the more altars he built; as his country 
       improved, he improved his pillars.

       (Hosea 10:2 NRSV)  Their heart is false; now they must bear their 
       guilt. The LORD will break down their altars, and destroy their 
       pillars.

       (Hosea 10:3 NRSV)  For now they will say: "We have no king, for we do 
       not fear the LORD, and a king--what could he do for us?"

       (Hosea 10:4 NRSV)  They utter mere words; with empty oaths they make 
       covenants; so litigation springs up like poisonous weeds in the 
       furrows of the field.

       (Hosea 10:5 NRSV)  The inhabitants of Samaria tremble for the calf of 
       Beth-aven. Its people shall mourn for it, and its idolatrous priests 
       shall wail over it, over its glory that has departed from it.

       (Hosea 10:6 NRSV)  The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria as 
       tribute to the great king. Ephraim shall be put to shame, and Israel 
       shall be ashamed of his idol.

       (Hosea 10:7 NRSV)  Samaria's king shall perish like a chip on the face 
       of the waters.

       (Hosea 10:8 NRSV)  The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall 
       be destroyed. Thorn and thistle shall grow up on their altars. They 
       shall say to the mountains, Cover us, and to the hills, Fall on us.

       (Hosea 10:9 NRSV)  Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel; 
       there they have continued. Shall not war overtake them in Gibeah?

       (Hosea 10:10 NRSV)  I will come against the wayward people to punish 
       them; and nations shall be gathered against them when they are 
       punished for their double iniquity.

       (Hosea 10:11 NRSV)  Ephraim was a trained heifer that loved to thresh, 
       and I spared her fair neck; but I will make Ephraim break the ground; 
       Judah must plow; Jacob must harrow for himself.

       (Hosea 10:12 NRSV)  Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast 
       love; break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, 
       that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.





       (Hosea 10:13 NRSV)  You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped 
       injustice, you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted 
       in your power and in the multitude of your warriors,

       (Hosea 10:14 NRSV)  therefore the tumult of war shall rise against 
       your people, and all your fortresses shall be destroyed, as Shalman 
       destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle when mothers were dashed in 
       pieces with their children.

       (Hosea 10:15 NRSV)  Thus it shall be done to you, O Bethel, because of 
       your great wickedness. At dawn the king of Israel shall be utterly cut 
       off.

       (Hosea 11:1 NRSV)  When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of 
       Egypt I called my son.

       (Hosea 11:2 NRSV)  The more I called them, the more they went from me; 
       they kept sacrificing to the Baals, and offering incense to idols.

       (Hosea 11:3 NRSV)  Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took 
       them up in my arms; but they did not know that I healed them.

       (Hosea 11:4 NRSV)  I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands 
       of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I 
       bent down to them and fed them.

       (Hosea 11:5 NRSV)  They shall return to the land of Egypt, and Assyria 
       shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me.

       (Hosea 11:6 NRSV)  The sword rages in their cities, it consumes their 
       oracle-priests, and devours because of their schemes.

       (Hosea 11:7 NRSV)  My people are bent on turning away from me. To the 
       Most High they call, but he does not raise them up at all.

       (Hosea 11:8 NRSV)  How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you 
       over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you 
       like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and 
       tender.

       (Hosea 11:9 NRSV)  I will not execute my fierce anger; I will not 
       again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in 
       your midst, and I will not come in wrath.

       (Hosea 11:10 NRSV)  They shall go after the LORD, who roars like a 
       lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west.

       (Hosea 11:11 NRSV)  They shall come trembling like birds from Egypt, 
       and like doves from the land of Assyria; and I will return them to 
       their homes, says the LORD.

       (Hosea 11:12 NRSV)  Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, and the house 
       of Israel with deceit; but Judah still walks with God, and is faithful 
       to the Holy One.

       (Hosea 12:1 NRSV)  Ephraim herds the wind, and pursues the east wind 





       all day long; they multiply falsehood and violence; they make a treaty 
       with Assyria, and oil is carried to Egypt.

       (Hosea 12:2 NRSV)  The LORD has an indictment against Judah, and will 
       punish Jacob according to his ways, and repay him according to his 
       deeds.

       (Hosea 12:3 NRSV)  In the womb he tried to supplant his brother, and 
       in his manhood he strove with God.

       (Hosea 12:4 NRSV)  He strove with the angel and prevailed, he wept and 
       sought his favor; he met him at Bethel, and there he spoke with him.

       (Hosea 12:5 NRSV)  The LORD the God of hosts, the LORD is his name!

       (Hosea 12:6 NRSV)  But as for you, return to your God, hold fast to 
       love and justice, and wait continually for your God.

       (Hosea 12:7 NRSV)  A trader, in whose hands are false balances, he 
       loves to oppress.

       (Hosea 12:8 NRSV)  Ephraim has said, "Ah, I am rich, I have gained 
       wealth for myself; in all of my gain no offense has been found in me 
       that would be sin."

       (Hosea 12:9 NRSV)  I am the LORD your God from the land of Egypt; I 
       will make you live in tents again, as in the days of the appointed 
       festival.

       (Hosea 12:10 NRSV)  I spoke to the prophets; it was I who multiplied 
       visions, and through the prophets I will bring destruction.

       (Hosea 12:11 NRSV)  In Gilead there is iniquity, they shall surely 
       come to nothing. In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls, so their altars shall 
       be like stone heaps on the furrows of the field.

       (Hosea 12:12 NRSV)  Jacob fled to the land of Aram, there Israel 
       served for a wife, and for a wife he guarded sheep.

       (Hosea 12:13 NRSV)  By a prophet the LORD brought Israel up from 
       Egypt, and by a prophet he was guarded.

       (Hosea 12:14 NRSV)  Ephraim has given bitter offense, so his Lord will 
       bring his crimes down on him and pay him back for his insults.

       (Hosea 13:1 NRSV)  When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling; he was 
       exalted in Israel; but he incurred guilt through Baal and died.

       (Hosea 13:2 NRSV)  And now they keep on sinning and make a cast image 
       for themselves, idols of silver made according to their understanding, 
       all of them the work of artisans. "Sacrifice to these," they say. 
       People are kissing calves!

       (Hosea 13:3 NRSV)  Therefore they shall be like the morning mist or 
       like the dew that goes away early, like chaff that swirls from the 
       threshing floor or like smoke from a window.






       (Hosea 13:4 NRSV)  Yet I have been the LORD your God ever since the 
       land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no 
       savior.

       (Hosea 13:5 NRSV)  It was I who fed you in the wilderness, in the land 
       of drought.

       (Hosea 13:6 NRSV)  When I fed them, they were satisfied; they were 
       satisfied, and their heart was proud; therefore they forgot me.

       (Hosea 13:7 NRSV)  So I will become like a lion to them, like a 
       leopard I will lurk beside the way.

       (Hosea 13:8 NRSV)  I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her 
       cubs, and will tear open the covering of their heart; there I will 
       devour them like a lion, as a wild animal would mangle them.

       (Hosea 13:9 NRSV)  I will destroy you, O Israel; who can help you?

       (Hosea 13:10 NRSV)  Where now is your king, that he may save you? 
       Where in all your cities are your rulers, of whom you said, "Give me a 
       king and rulers"?

       (Hosea 13:11 NRSV)  I gave you a king in my anger, and I took him away 
       in my wrath.

       (Hosea 13:12 NRSV)  Ephraim's iniquity is bound up; his sin is kept in 
       store.

       (Hosea 13:13 NRSV)  The pangs of childbirth come for him, but he is an 
       unwise son; for at the proper time he does not present himself at the 
       mouth of the womb.

       (Hosea 13:14 NRSV)  Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall 
       I redeem them from Death? O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, 
       where is your destruction? Compassion is hidden from my eyes.

       (Hosea 13:15 NRSV)  Although he may flourish among rushes, the east 
       wind shall come, a blast from the LORD, rising from the wilderness; 
       and his fountain shall dry up, his spring shall be parched. It shall 
       strip his treasury of every precious thing.

       (Hosea 13:16 NRSV)  Samaria shall bear her guilt, because she has 
       rebelled against her God; they shall fall by the sword, their little 
       ones shall be dashed in pieces, and their pregnant women ripped open.

       (Hosea 14:1 NRSV)  Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you 
       have stumbled because of your iniquity.

       (Hosea 14:2 NRSV)  Take words with you and return to the LORD; say to 
       him, "Take away all guilt; accept that which is good, and we will 
       offer the fruit of our lips.

       (Hosea 14:3 NRSV)  Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride upon 
       horses; we will say no more, 'Our God,' to the work of our hands. In 





       you the orphan finds mercy."

       (Hosea 14:4 NRSV)  I will heal their disloyalty; I will love them 
       freely, for my anger has turned from them.

       (Hosea 14:5 NRSV)  I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom 
       like the lily, he shall strike root like the forests of Lebanon.

       (Hosea 14:6 NRSV)  His shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be 
       like the olive tree, and his fragrance like that of Lebanon.

       (Hosea 14:7 NRSV)  They shall again live beneath my shadow, they shall 
       flourish as a garden; they shall blossom like the vine, their 
       fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

       (Hosea 14:8 NRSV)  O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols? It is I 
       who answer and look after you. I am like an evergreen cypress; your 
       faithfulness comes from me.

       (Hosea 14:9 NRSV)  Those who are wise understand these things; those 
       who are discerning know them. For the ways of the LORD are right, and 
       the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

       (Joel 1:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD that came to Joel son of 
       Pethuel:

       (Joel 1:2 NRSV)  Hear this, O elders, give ear, all inhabitants of the 
       land! Has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your 
       ancestors?

       (Joel 1:3 NRSV)  Tell your children of it, and let your children tell 
       their children, and their children another generation.

       (Joel 1:4 NRSV)  What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has 
       eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, 
       and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten.

       (Joel 1:5 NRSV)  Wake up, you drunkards, and weep; and wail, all you 
       wine-drinkers, over the sweet wine, for it is cut off from your mouth.

       (Joel 1:6 NRSV)  For a nation has invaded my land, powerful and 
       innumerable; its teeth are lions' teeth, and it has the fangs of a 
       lioness.

       (Joel 1:7 NRSV)  It has laid waste my vines, and splintered my fig 
       trees; it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down; their 
       branches have turned white.

       (Joel 1:8 NRSV)  Lament like a virgin dressed in sackcloth for the 
       husband of her youth.

       (Joel 1:9 NRSV)  The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off 
       from the house of the LORD. The priests mourn, the ministers of the 
       LORD.

       (Joel 1:10 NRSV)  The fields are devastated, the ground mourns; for 





       the grain is destroyed, the wine dries up, the oil fails.

       (Joel 1:11 NRSV)  Be dismayed, you farmers, wail, you vinedressers, 
       over the wheat and the barley; for the crops of the field are ruined.

       (Joel 1:12 NRSV)  The vine withers, the fig tree droops. Pomegranate, 
       palm, and apple-- all the trees of the field are dried up; surely, joy 
       withers away among the people.

       (Joel 1:13 NRSV)  Put on sackcloth and lament, you priests; wail, you 
       ministers of the altar. Come, pass the night in sackcloth, you 
       ministers of my God! Grain offering and drink offering are withheld 
       from the house of your God.

       (Joel 1:14 NRSV)  Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly. Gather the 
       elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD 
       your God, and cry out to the LORD.

       (Joel 1:15 NRSV)  Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, 
       and as destruction from the Almighty it comes.

       (Joel 1:16 NRSV)  Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and 
       gladness from the house of our God?

       (Joel 1:17 NRSV)  The seed shrivels under the clods, the storehouses 
       are desolate; the granaries are ruined because the grain has failed.

       (Joel 1:18 NRSV)  How the animals groan! The herds of cattle wander 
       about because there is no pasture for them; even the flocks of sheep 
       are dazed.

       (Joel 1:19 NRSV)  To you, O LORD, I cry. For fire has devoured the 
       pastures of the wilderness, and flames have burned all the trees of 
       the field.

       (Joel 1:20 NRSV)  Even the wild animals cry to you because the 
       watercourses are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the 
       wilderness.

       (Joel 2:1 NRSV)  Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy 
       mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of 
       the LORD is coming, it is near--

       (Joel 2:2 NRSV)  a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and 
       thick darkness! Like blackness spread upon the mountains a great and 
       powerful army comes; their like has never been from of old, nor will 
       be again after them in ages to come.

       (Joel 2:3 NRSV)  Fire devours in front of them, and behind them a 
       flame burns. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, but 
       after them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them.

       (Joel 2:4 NRSV)  They have the appearance of horses, and like 
       war-horses they charge.

       (Joel 2:5 NRSV)  As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the 





       tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring 
       the stubble, like a powerful army drawn up for battle.

       (Joel 2:6 NRSV)  Before them peoples are in anguish, all faces grow 
       pale.

       (Joel 2:7 NRSV)  Like warriors they charge, like soldiers they scale 
       the wall. Each keeps to its own course, they do not swerve from their 
       paths.

       (Joel 2:8 NRSV)  They do not jostle one another, each keeps to its own 
       track; they burst through the weapons and are not halted.

       (Joel 2:9 NRSV)  They leap upon the city, they run upon the walls; 
       they climb up into the houses, they enter through the windows like a 
       thief.

       (Joel 2:10 NRSV)  The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble. 
       The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their 
       shining.

       (Joel 2:11 NRSV)  The LORD utters his voice at the head of his army; 
       how vast is his host! Numberless are those who obey his command. Truly 
       the day of the LORD is great; terrible indeed--who can endure it?

       (Joel 2:12 NRSV)  Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with all 
       your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

       (Joel 2:13 NRSV)  rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to 
       the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, 
       and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.

       (Joel 2:14 NRSV)  Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and 
       leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for 
       the LORD, your God?

       (Joel 2:15 NRSV)  Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a 
       solemn assembly;

       (Joel 2:16 NRSV)  gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; 
       assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast. 
       Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her canopy.

       (Joel 2:17 NRSV)  Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, 
       the ministers of the LORD, weep. Let them say, "Spare your people, O 
       LORD, and do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the 
       nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, 'Where is their 
       God?'"

       (Joel 2:18 NRSV)  Then the LORD became jealous for his land, and had 
       pity on his people.

       (Joel 2:19 NRSV)  In response to his people the LORD said: I am 
       sending you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I 
       will no more make you a mockery among the nations.





       (Joel 2:20 NRSV)  I will remove the northern army far from you, and 
       drive it into a parched and desolate land, its front into the eastern 
       sea, and its rear into the western sea; its stench and foul smell will 
       rise up. Surely he has done great things!

       (Joel 2:21 NRSV)  Do not fear, O soil; be glad and rejoice, for the 
       LORD has done great things!

       (Joel 2:22 NRSV)  Do not fear, you animals of the field, for the 
       pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit, the 
       fig tree and vine give their full yield.

       (Joel 2:23 NRSV)  O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the LORD 
       your God; for he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has 
       poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as 
       before.

       (Joel 2:24 NRSV)  The threshing floors shall be full of grain, the 
       vats shall overflow with wine and oil.

       (Joel 2:25 NRSV)  I will repay you for the years that the swarming 
       locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great 
       army, which I sent against you.

       (Joel 2:26 NRSV)  You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise 
       the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And 
       my people shall never again be put to shame.

       (Joel 2:27 NRSV)  You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and 
       that I, the LORD, am your God and there is no other. And my people 
       shall never again be put to shame.

       (Joel 2:28 NRSV)  Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all 
       flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall 
       dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.

       (Joel 2:29 NRSV)  Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I 
       will pour out my spirit.

       (Joel 2:30 NRSV)  I will show portents in the heavens and on the 
       earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.

       (Joel 2:31 NRSV)  The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to 
       blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.

       (Joel 2:32 NRSV)  Then everyone who calls on the name of the LORD 
       shall be saved; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be 
       those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall 
       be those whom the LORD calls.

       (Joel 3:1 NRSV)  For then, in those days and at that time, when I 
       restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

       (Joel 3:2 NRSV)  I will gather all the nations and bring them down to 
       the valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will enter into judgment with them 
       there, on account of my people and my heritage Israel, because they 





       have scattered them among the nations. They have divided my land,

       (Joel 3:3 NRSV)  and cast lots for my people, and traded boys for 
       prostitutes, and sold girls for wine, and drunk it down.

       (Joel 3:4 NRSV)  What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the 
       regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are 
       paying me back, I will turn your deeds back upon your own heads 
       swiftly and speedily.

       (Joel 3:5 NRSV)  For you have taken my silver and my gold, and have 
       carried my rich treasures into your temples.

       (Joel 3:6 NRSV)  You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to 
       the Greeks, removing them far from their own border.

       (Joel 3:7 NRSV)  But now I will rouse them to leave the places to 
       which you have sold them, and I will turn your deeds back upon your 
       own heads.

       (Joel 3:8 NRSV)  I will sell your sons and your daughters into the 
       hand of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, 
       to a nation far away; for the LORD has spoken.

       (Joel 3:9 NRSV)  Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare war, stir up 
       the warriors. Let all the soldiers draw near, let them come up.

       (Joel 3:10 NRSV)  Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning 
       hooks into spears; let the weakling say, "I am a warrior."

       (Joel 3:11 NRSV)  Come quickly, all you nations all around, gather 
       yourselves there. Bring down your warriors, O LORD.

       (Joel 3:12 NRSV)  Let the nations rouse themselves, and come up to the 
       valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the 
       neighboring nations.

       (Joel 3:13 NRSV)  Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, 
       tread, for the wine press is full. The vats overflow, for their 
       wickedness is great.

       (Joel 3:14 NRSV)  Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! 
       For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

       (Joel 3:15 NRSV)  The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars 
       withdraw their shining.

       (Joel 3:16 NRSV)  The LORD roars from Zion, and utters his voice from 
       Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shake. But the LORD is a 
       refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.

       (Joel 3:17 NRSV)  So you shall know that I, the LORD your God, dwell 
       in Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers 
       shall never again pass through it.

       (Joel 3:18 NRSV)  In that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, the 





       hills shall flow with milk, and all the stream beds of Judah shall 
       flow with water; a fountain shall come forth from the house of the 
       LORD and water the Wadi Shittim.

       (Joel 3:19 NRSV)  Egypt shall become a desolation and Edom a desolate 
       wilderness, because of the violence done to the people of Judah, in 
       whose land they have shed innocent blood.

       (Joel 3:20 NRSV)  But Judah shall be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem 
       to all generations.

       (Joel 3:21 NRSV)  I will avenge their blood, and I will not clear the 
       guilty, for the LORD dwells in Zion.

       (Amos 1:1 NRSV)  The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of 
       Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of King Uzziah of 
       Judah and in the days of King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two 
       years before the earthquake.

       (Amos 1:2 NRSV)  And he said: The LORD roars from Zion, and utters his 
       voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds wither, and the 
       top of Carmel dries up.

       (Amos 1:3 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: For three transgressions of 
       Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they 
       have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron.

       (Amos 1:4 NRSV)  So I will send a fire on the house of Hazael, and it 
       shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.

       (Amos 1:5 NRSV)  I will break the gate bars of Damascus, and cut off 
       the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven, and the one who holds the 
       scepter from Beth-eden; and the people of Aram shall go into exile to 
       Kir, says the LORD.

       (Amos 1:6 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: For three transgressions of Gaza, 
       and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they carried 
       into exile entire communities, to hand them over to Edom.

       (Amos 1:7 NRSV)  So I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, fire that 
       shall devour its strongholds.

       (Amos 1:8 NRSV)  I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod, and the 
       one who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; I will turn my hand against 
       Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, says the Lord 
       GOD.

       (Amos 1:9 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: For three transgressions of Tyre, 
       and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they delivered 
       entire communities over to Edom, and did not remember the covenant of 
       kinship.

       (Amos 1:10 NRSV)  So I will send a fire on the wall of Tyre, fire that 
       shall devour its strongholds.

       (Amos 1:11 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: For three transgressions of 





       Edom, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because he 
       pursued his brother with the sword and cast off all pity; he 
       maintained his anger perpetually, and kept his wrath forever.

       (Amos 1:12 NRSV)  So I will send a fire on Teman, and it shall devour 
       the strongholds of Bozrah.

       (Amos 1:13 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: For three transgressions of the 
       Ammonites, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because 
       they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead in order to enlarge 
       their territory.

       (Amos 1:14 NRSV)  So I will kindle a fire against the wall of Rabbah, 
       fire that shall devour its strongholds, with shouting on the day of 
       battle, with a storm on the day of the whirlwind;

       (Amos 1:15 NRSV)  then their king shall go into exile, he and his 
       officials together, says the LORD.

       (Amos 2:1 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: For three transgressions of Moab, 
       and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because he burned to 
       lime the bones of the king of Edom.

       (Amos 2:2 NRSV)  So I will send a fire on Moab, and it shall devour 
       the strongholds of Kerioth, and Moab shall die amid uproar, amid 
       shouting and the sound of the trumpet;

       (Amos 2:3 NRSV)  I will cut off the ruler from its midst, and will 
       kill all its officials with him, says the LORD.

       (Amos 2:4 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: For three transgressions of 
       Judah, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they 
       have rejected the law of the LORD, and have not kept his statutes, but 
       they have been led astray by the same lies after which their ancestors 
       walked.

       (Amos 2:5 NRSV)  So I will send a fire on Judah, and it shall devour 
       the strongholds of Jerusalem.

       (Amos 2:6 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: For three transgressions of 
       Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they 
       sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals--

       (Amos 2:7 NRSV)  they who trample the head of the poor into the dust 
       of the earth, and push the afflicted out of the way; father and son go 
       in to the same girl, so that my holy name is profaned;

       (Amos 2:8 NRSV)  they lay themselves down beside every altar on 
       garments taken in pledge; and in the house of their God they drink 
       wine bought with fines they imposed.

       (Amos 2:9 NRSV)  Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height 
       was like the height of cedars, and who was as strong as oaks; I 
       destroyed his fruit above, and his roots beneath.

       (Amos 2:10 NRSV)  Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and 





       led you forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the 
       Amorite.

       (Amos 2:11 NRSV)  And I raised up some of your children to be prophets 
       and some of your youths to be nazirites. Is it not indeed so, O people 
       of Israel? says the LORD.

       (Amos 2:12 NRSV)  But you made the nazirites drink wine, and commanded 
       the prophets, saying, "You shall not prophesy."

       (Amos 2:13 NRSV)  So, I will press you down in your place, just as a 
       cart presses down when it is full of sheaves.

       (Amos 2:14 NRSV)  Flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong 
       shall not retain their strength, nor shall the mighty save their 
       lives;

       (Amos 2:15 NRSV)  those who handle the bow shall not stand, and those 
       who are swift of foot shall not save themselves, nor shall those who 
       ride horses save their lives;

       (Amos 2:16 NRSV)  and those who are stout of heart among the mighty 
       shall flee away naked in that day, says the LORD.

       (Amos 3:1 NRSV)  Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, 
       O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of 
       the land of Egypt:

       (Amos 3:2 NRSV)  You only have I known of all the families of the 
       earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

       (Amos 3:3 NRSV)  Do two walk together unless they have made an 
       appointment?

       (Amos 3:4 NRSV)  Does a lion roar in the forest, when it has no prey? 
       Does a young lion cry out from its den, if it has caught nothing?

       (Amos 3:5 NRSV)  Does a bird fall into a snare on the earth, when 
       there is no trap for it? Does a snare spring up from the ground, when 
       it has taken nothing?

       (Amos 3:6 NRSV)  Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not 
       afraid? Does disaster befall a city, unless the LORD has done it?

       (Amos 3:7 NRSV)  Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, without revealing 
       his secret to his servants the prophets.

       (Amos 3:8 NRSV)  The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord GOD 
       has spoken; who can but prophesy?

       (Amos 3:9 NRSV)  Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod, and to the 
       strongholds in the land of Egypt, and say, "Assemble yourselves on 
       Mount Samaria, and see what great tumults are within it, and what 
       oppressions are in its midst."

       (Amos 3:10 NRSV)  They do not know how to do right, says the LORD, 





       those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.

       (Amos 3:11 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: An adversary shall 
       surround the land, and strip you of your defense; and your strongholds 
       shall be plundered.

       (Amos 3:12 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: As the shepherd rescues from the 
       mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people 
       of Israel who live in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch 
       and part of a bed.

       (Amos 3:13 NRSV)  Hear, and testify against the house of Jacob, says 
       the Lord GOD, the God of hosts:

       (Amos 3:14 NRSV)  On the day I punish Israel for its transgressions, I 
       will punish the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be 
       cut off and fall to the ground.

       (Amos 3:15 NRSV)  I will tear down the winter house as well as the 
       summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great 
       houses shall come to an end, says the LORD.

       (Amos 4:1 NRSV)  Hear this word, you cows of Bashan who are on Mount 
       Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their 
       husbands, "Bring something to drink!"

       (Amos 4:2 NRSV)  The Lord GOD has sworn by his holiness: The time is 
       surely coming upon you, when they shall take you away with hooks, even 
       the last of you with fishhooks.

       (Amos 4:3 NRSV)  Through breaches in the wall you shall leave, each 
       one straight ahead; and you shall be flung out into Harmon, says the 
       LORD.

       (Amos 4:4 NRSV)  Come to Bethel--and transgress; to Gilgal--and 
       multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your 
       tithes every three days;

       (Amos 4:5 NRSV)  bring a thank offering of leavened bread, and 
       proclaim freewill offerings, publish them; for so you love to do, O 
       people of Israel! says the Lord GOD.

       (Amos 4:6 NRSV)  I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and 
       lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me, says 
       the LORD.

       (Amos 4:7 NRSV)  And I also withheld the rain from you when there were 
       still three months to the harvest; I would send rain on one city, and 
       send no rain on another city; one field would be rained upon, and the 
       field on which it did not rain withered;

       (Amos 4:8 NRSV)  so two or three towns wandered to one town to drink 
       water, and were not satisfied; yet you did not return to me, says the 
       LORD.

       (Amos 4:9 NRSV)  I struck you with blight and mildew; I laid waste 





       your gardens and your vineyards; the locust devoured your fig trees 
       and your olive trees; yet you did not return to me, says the LORD.

       (Amos 4:10 NRSV)  I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of 
       Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword; I carried away your 
       horses; and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils; 
       yet you did not return to me, says the LORD.

       (Amos 4:11 NRSV)  I overthrew some of you, as when God overthrew Sodom 
       and Gomorrah, and you were like a brand snatched from the fire; yet 
       you did not return to me, says the LORD.

       (Amos 4:12 NRSV)  Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I 
       will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!

       (Amos 4:13 NRSV)  For lo, the one who forms the mountains, creates the 
       wind, reveals his thoughts to mortals, makes the morning darkness, and 
       treads on the heights of the earth-- the LORD, the God of hosts, is 
       his name!

       (Amos 5:1 NRSV)  Hear this word that I take up over you in 
       lamentation, O house of Israel:

       (Amos 5:2 NRSV)  Fallen, no more to rise, is maiden Israel; forsaken 
       on her land, with no one to raise her up.

       (Amos 5:3 NRSV)  For thus says the Lord GOD: The city that marched out 
       a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which marched out a 
       hundred shall have ten left.

       (Amos 5:4 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: Seek 
       me and live;

       (Amos 5:5 NRSV)  but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal 
       or cross over to Beer-sheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, 
       and Bethel shall come to nothing.

       (Amos 5:6 NRSV)  Seek the LORD and live, or he will break out against 
       the house of Joseph like fire, and it will devour Bethel, with no one 
       to quench it.

       (Amos 5:7 NRSV)  Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood, and bring 
       righteousness to the ground!

       (Amos 5:8 NRSV)  The one who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns 
       deep darkness into the morning, and darkens the day into night, who 
       calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of 
       the earth, the LORD is his name,

       (Amos 5:9 NRSV)  who makes destruction flash out against the strong, 
       so that destruction comes upon the fortress.

       (Amos 5:10 NRSV)  They hate the one who reproves in the gate, and they 
       abhor the one who speaks the truth.

       (Amos 5:11 NRSV)  Therefore because you trample on the poor and take 





       from them levies of grain, you have built houses of hewn stone, but 
       you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but 
       you shall not drink their wine.

       (Amos 5:12 NRSV)  For I know how many are your transgressions, and how 
       great are your sins-- you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, 
       and push aside the needy in the gate.

       (Amos 5:13 NRSV)  Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a 
       time; for it is an evil time.

       (Amos 5:14 NRSV)  Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so 
       the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said.

       (Amos 5:15 NRSV)  Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in 
       the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious 
       to the remnant of Joseph.

       (Amos 5:16 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the 
       Lord: In all the squares there shall be wailing; and in all the 
       streets they shall say, "Alas! alas!" They shall call the farmers to 
       mourning, and those skilled in lamentation, to wailing;

       (Amos 5:17 NRSV)  in all the vineyards there shall be wailing, for I 
       will pass through the midst of you, says the LORD.

       (Amos 5:18 NRSV)  Alas for you who desire the day of the LORD! Why do 
       you want the day of the LORD? It is darkness, not light;

       (Amos 5:19 NRSV)  as if someone fled from a lion, and was met by a 
       bear; or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall, and 
       was bitten by a snake.

       (Amos 5:20 NRSV)  Is not the day of the LORD darkness, not light, and 
       gloom with no brightness in it?

       (Amos 5:21 NRSV)  I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no 
       delight in your solemn assemblies.

       (Amos 5:22 NRSV)  Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and 
       grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of 
       well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon.

       (Amos 5:23 NRSV)  Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will 
       not listen to the melody of your harps.

       (Amos 5:24 NRSV)  But let justice roll down like waters, and 
       righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

       (Amos 5:25 NRSV)  Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings the 
       forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

       (Amos 5:26 NRSV)  You shall take up Sakkuth your king, and Kaiwan your 
       star-god, your images, which you made for yourselves;

       (Amos 5:27 NRSV)  therefore I will take you into exile beyond 





       Damascus, says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.

       (Amos 6:1 NRSV)  Alas for those who are at ease in Zion, and for those 
       who feel secure on Mount Samaria, the notables of the first of the 
       nations, to whom the house of Israel resorts!

       (Amos 6:2 NRSV)  Cross over to Calneh, and see; from there go to 
       Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you 
       better than these kingdoms? Or is your territory greater than their 
       territory,

       (Amos 6:3 NRSV)  O you that put far away the evil day, and bring near 
       a reign of violence?

       (Amos 6:4 NRSV)  Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge 
       on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the 
       stall;

       (Amos 6:5 NRSV)  who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and 
       like David improvise on instruments of music;

       (Amos 6:6 NRSV)  who drink wine from bowls, and anoint themselves with 
       the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!

       (Amos 6:7 NRSV)  Therefore they shall now be the first to go into 
       exile, and the revelry of the loungers shall pass away.

       (Amos 6:8 NRSV)  The Lord GOD has sworn by himself (says the LORD, the 
       God of hosts): I abhor the pride of Jacob and hate his strongholds; 
       and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.

       (Amos 6:9 NRSV)  If ten people remain in one house, they shall die.

       (Amos 6:10 NRSV)  And if a relative, one who burns the dead, shall 
       take up the body to bring it out of the house, and shall say to 
       someone in the innermost parts of the house, "Is anyone else with 
       you?" the answer will come, "No." Then the relative shall say, "Hush! 
       We must not mention the name of the LORD."

       (Amos 6:11 NRSV)  See, the LORD commands, and the great house shall be 
       shattered to bits, and the little house to pieces.

       (Amos 6:12 NRSV)  Do horses run on rocks? Does one plow the sea with 
       oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of 
       righteousness into wormwood--

       (Amos 6:13 NRSV)  you who rejoice in Lo-debar, who say, "Have we not 
       by our own strength taken Karnaim for ourselves?"

       (Amos 6:14 NRSV)  Indeed, I am raising up against you a nation, O 
       house of Israel, says the LORD, the God of hosts, and they shall 
       oppress you from Lebo-hamath to the Wadi Arabah.

       (Amos 7:1 NRSV)  This is what the Lord GOD showed me: he was forming 
       locusts at the time the latter growth began to sprout (it was the 
       latter growth after the king's mowings).






       (Amos 7:2 NRSV)  When they had finished eating the grass of the land, 
       I said, "O Lord GOD, forgive, I beg you! How can Jacob stand? He is so 
       small!"

       (Amos 7:3 NRSV)  The LORD relented concerning this; "It shall not be," 
       said the LORD.

       (Amos 7:4 NRSV)  This is what the Lord GOD showed me: the Lord GOD was 
       calling for a shower of fire, and it devoured the great deep and was 
       eating up the land.

       (Amos 7:5 NRSV)  Then I said, "O Lord GOD, cease, I beg you! How can 
       Jacob stand? He is so small!"

       (Amos 7:6 NRSV)  The LORD relented concerning this; "This also shall 
       not be," said the Lord GOD.

       (Amos 7:7 NRSV)  This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing 
       beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand.

       (Amos 7:8 NRSV)  And the LORD said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And 
       I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said, "See, I am setting a plumb 
       line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them 
       by;

       (Amos 7:9 NRSV)  the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and 
       the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against 
       the house of Jeroboam with the sword."

       (Amos 7:10 NRSV)  Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King 
       Jeroboam of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you in the 
       very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all 
       his words.

       (Amos 7:11 NRSV)  For thus Amos has said, 'Jeroboam shall die by the 
       sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.'"

       (Amos 7:12 NRSV)  And Amaziah said to Amos, "O seer, go, flee away to 
       the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there;

       (Amos 7:13 NRSV)  but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the 
       king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom."

       (Amos 7:14 NRSV)  Then Amos answered Amaziah, "I am no prophet, nor a 
       prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees,

       (Amos 7:15 NRSV)  and the LORD took me from following the flock, and 
       the LORD said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'

       (Amos 7:16 NRSV)  "Now therefore hear the word of the LORD. You say, 
       'Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house 
       of Isaac."

       (Amos 7:17 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the LORD: 'Your wife shall 
       become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters 





       shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be parceled out by line; 
       you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go 
       into exile away from its land.'"

       (Amos 8:1 NRSV)  This is what the Lord GOD showed me--a basket of 
       summer fruit.

       (Amos 8:2 NRSV)  He said, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A 
       basket of summer fruit." Then the LORD said to me, "The end has come 
       upon my people Israel; I will never again pass them by.

       (Amos 8:3 NRSV)  The songs of the temple shall become wailings in that 
       day," says the Lord GOD; "the dead bodies shall be many, cast out in 
       every place. Be silent!"

       (Amos 8:4 NRSV)  Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring 
       to ruin the poor of the land,

       (Amos 8:5 NRSV)  saying, "When will the new moon be over so that we 
       may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? 
       We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit 
       with false balances,

       (Amos 8:6 NRSV)  buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair 
       of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat."

       (Amos 8:7 NRSV)  The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Surely I 
       will never forget any of their deeds.

       (Amos 8:8 NRSV)  Shall not the land tremble on this account, and 
       everyone mourn who lives in it, and all of it rise like the Nile, and 
       be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?

       (Amos 8:9 NRSV)  On that day, says the Lord GOD, I will make the sun 
       go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight.

       (Amos 8:10 NRSV)  I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your 
       songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on all loins, and 
       baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only 
       son, and the end of it like a bitter day.

       (Amos 8:11 NRSV)  The time is surely coming, says the Lord GOD, when I 
       will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, or a thirst for 
       water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.

       (Amos 8:12 NRSV)  They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to 
       east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but 
       they shall not find it.

       (Amos 8:13 NRSV)  In that day the beautiful young women and the young 
       men shall faint for thirst.

       (Amos 8:14 NRSV)  Those who swear by Ashimah of Samaria, and say, "As 
       your god lives, O Dan," and, "As the way of Beer-sheba lives"-- they 
       shall fall, and never rise again.





       (Amos 9:1 NRSV)  I saw the LORD standing beside the altar, and he 
       said: Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake, and shatter them 
       on the heads of all the people; and those who are left I will kill 
       with the sword; not one of them shall flee away, not one of them shall 
       escape.

       (Amos 9:2 NRSV)  Though they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand 
       take them; though they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring 
       them down.

       (Amos 9:3 NRSV)  Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, 
       from there I will search out and take them; and though they hide from 
       my sight at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the 
       sea-serpent, and it shall bite them.

       (Amos 9:4 NRSV)  And though they go into captivity in front of their 
       enemies, there I will command the sword, and it shall kill them; and I 
       will fix my eyes on them for harm and not for good.

       (Amos 9:5 NRSV)  The Lord, GOD of hosts, he who touches the earth and 
       it melts, and all who live in it mourn, and all of it rises like the 
       Nile, and sinks again, like the Nile of Egypt;

       (Amos 9:6 NRSV)  who builds his upper chambers in the heavens, and 
       founds his vault upon the earth; who calls for the waters of the sea, 
       and pours them out upon the surface of the earth-- the LORD is his 
       name.

       (Amos 9:7 NRSV)  Are you not like the Ethiopians to me, O people of 
       Israel? says the LORD. Did I not bring Israel up from the land of 
       Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?

       (Amos 9:8 NRSV)  The eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, 
       and I will destroy it from the face of the earth --except that I will 
       not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, says the LORD.

       (Amos 9:9 NRSV)  For lo, I will command, and shake the house of Israel 
       among all the nations as one shakes with a sieve, but no pebble shall 
       fall to the ground.

       (Amos 9:10 NRSV)  All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, 
       who say, "Evil shall not overtake or meet us."

       (Amos 9:11 NRSV)  On that day I will raise up the booth of David that 
       is fallen, and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins, and 
       rebuild it as in the days of old;

       (Amos 9:12 NRSV)  in order that they may possess the remnant of Edom 
       and all the nations who are called by my name, says the LORD who does 
       this.

       (Amos 9:13 NRSV)  The time is surely coming, says the LORD, when the 
       one who plows shall overtake the one who reaps, and the treader of 
       grapes the one who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, 
       and all the hills shall flow with it.





       (Amos 9:14 NRSV)  I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and 
       they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall 
       plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and 
       eat their fruit.

       (Amos 9:15 NRSV)  I will plant them upon their land, and they shall 
       never again be plucked up out of the land that I have given them, says 
       the LORD your God.

       (Oba 1:1 NRSV)  The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord GOD 
       concerning Edom: We have heard a report from the LORD, and a messenger 
       has been sent among the nations: "Rise up! Let us rise against it for 
       battle!"

       (Oba 1:2 NRSV)  I will surely make you least among the nations; you 
       shall be utterly despised.

       (Oba 1:3 NRSV)  Your proud heart has deceived you, you that live in 
       the clefts of the rock, whose dwelling is in the heights. You say in 
       your heart, "Who will bring me down to the ground?"

       (Oba 1:4 NRSV)  Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest 
       is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, says the 
       LORD.

       (Oba 1:5 NRSV)  If thieves came to you, if plunderers by night --how 
       you have been destroyed!-- would they not steal only what they wanted? 
       If grape-gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings?

       (Oba 1:6 NRSV)  How Esau has been pillaged, his treasures searched 
       out!

       (Oba 1:7 NRSV)  All your allies have deceived you, they have driven 
       you to the border; your confederates have prevailed against you; those 
       who ate your bread have set a trap for you-- there is no understanding 
       of it.

       (Oba 1:8 NRSV)  On that day, says the LORD, I will destroy the wise 
       out of Edom, and understanding out of Mount Esau.

       (Oba 1:9 NRSV)  Your warriors shall be shattered, O Teman, so that 
       everyone from Mount Esau will be cut off.

       (Oba 1:10 NRSV)  For the slaughter and violence done to your brother 
       Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever.

       (Oba 1:11 NRSV)  On the day that you stood aside, on the day that 
       strangers carried off his wealth, and foreigners entered his gates and 
       cast lots for Jerusalem, you too were like one of them.

       (Oba 1:12 NRSV)  But you should not have gloated over your brother on 
       the day of his misfortune; you should not have rejoiced over the 
       people of Judah on the day of their ruin; you should not have boasted 
       on the day of distress.

       (Oba 1:13 NRSV)  You should not have entered the gate of my people on 





       the day of their calamity; you should not have joined in the gloating 
       over Judah's disaster on the day of his calamity; you should not have 
       looted his goods on the day of his calamity.

       (Oba 1:14 NRSV)  You should not have stood at the crossings to cut off 
       his fugitives; you should not have handed over his survivors on the 
       day of distress.

       (Oba 1:15 NRSV)  For the day of the LORD is near against all the 
       nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall 
       return on your own head.

       (Oba 1:16 NRSV)  For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, all the 
       nations around you shall drink; they shall drink and gulp down, and 
       shall be as though they had never been.

       (Oba 1:17 NRSV)  But on Mount Zion there shall be those that escape, 
       and it shall be holy; and the house of Jacob shall take possession of 
       those who dispossessed them.

       (Oba 1:18 NRSV)  The house of Jacob shall be a fire, the house of 
       Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble; they shall burn them 
       and consume them, and there shall be no survivor of the house of Esau; 
       for the LORD has spoken.

       (Oba 1:19 NRSV)  Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau, and 
       those of the Shephelah the land of the Philistines; they shall possess 
       the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall 
       possess Gilead.

       (Oba 1:20 NRSV)  The exiles of the Israelites who are in Halah shall 
       possess Phoenicia as far as Zarephath; and the exiles of Jerusalem who 
       are in Sepharad shall possess the towns of the Negeb.

       (Oba 1:21 NRSV)  Those who have been saved shall go up to Mount Zion 
       to rule Mount Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord's.

       (Jonah 1:1 NRSV)  Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah son of 
       Amittai, saying,

       (Jonah 1:2 NRSV)  "Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out 
       against it; for their wickedness has come up before me."

       (Jonah 1:3 NRSV)  But Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the 
       presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to 
       Tarshish; so he paid his fare and went on board, to go with them to 
       Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.

       (Jonah 1:4 NRSV)  But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and 
       such a mighty storm came upon the sea that the ship threatened to 
       break up.

       (Jonah 1:5 NRSV)  Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried to his 
       god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to 
       lighten it for them. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold of 
       the ship and had lain down, and was fast asleep.






       (Jonah 1:6 NRSV)  The captain came and said to him, "What are you 
       doing sound asleep? Get up, call on your god! Perhaps the god will 
       spare us a thought so that we do not perish."

       (Jonah 1:7 NRSV)  The sailors said to one another, "Come, let us cast 
       lots, so that we may know on whose account this calamity has come upon 
       us." So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.

       (Jonah 1:8 NRSV)  Then they said to him, "Tell us why this calamity 
       has come upon us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? 
       What is your country? And of what people are you?"

       (Jonah 1:9 NRSV)  "I am a Hebrew," he replied. "I worship the LORD, 
       the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land."

       (Jonah 1:10 NRSV)  Then the men were even more afraid, and said to 
       him, "What is this that you have done!" For the men knew that he was 
       fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them so.

       (Jonah 1:11 NRSV)  Then they said to him, "What shall we do to you, 
       that the sea may quiet down for us?" For the sea was growing more and 
       more tempestuous.

       (Jonah 1:12 NRSV)  He said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the 
       sea; then the sea will quiet down for you; for I know it is because of 
       me that this great storm has come upon you."

       (Jonah 1:13 NRSV)  Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring the ship 
       back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more 
       stormy against them.

       (Jonah 1:14 NRSV)  Then they cried out to the LORD, "Please, O LORD, 
       we pray, do not let us perish on account of this man's life. Do not 
       make us guilty of innocent blood; for you, O LORD, have done as it 
       pleased you."

       (Jonah 1:15 NRSV)  So they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea; 
       and the sea ceased from its raging.

       (Jonah 1:16 NRSV)  Then the men feared the LORD even more, and they 
       offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.

       (Jonah 1:17 NRSV)  But the LORD provided a large fish to swallow up 
       Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three 
       nights.

       (Jonah 2:1 NRSV)  Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly 
       of the fish,

       (Jonah 2:2 NRSV)  saying, "I called to the LORD out of my distress, 
       and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard 
       my voice.

       (Jonah 2:3 NRSV)  You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the 
       seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows 





       passed over me.

       (Jonah 2:4 NRSV)  Then I said, 'I am driven away from your sight; how 
       shall I look again upon your holy temple?'

       (Jonah 2:5 NRSV)  The waters closed in over me; the deep surrounded 
       me; weeds were wrapped around my head

       (Jonah 2:6 NRSV)  at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the 
       land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life 
       from the Pit, O LORD my God.

       (Jonah 2:7 NRSV)  As my life was ebbing away, I remembered the LORD; 
       and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.

       (Jonah 2:8 NRSV)  Those who worship vain idols forsake their true 
       loyalty.

       (Jonah 2:9 NRSV)  But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice 
       to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Deliverance belongs to the 
       LORD!"

       (Jonah 2:10 NRSV)  Then the LORD spoke to the fish, and it spewed 
       Jonah out upon the dry land.

       (Jonah 3:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, 
       saying,

       (Jonah 3:2 NRSV)  "Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and 
       proclaim to it the message that I tell you."

       (Jonah 3:3 NRSV)  So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to 
       the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a 
       three days' walk across.

       (Jonah 3:4 NRSV)  Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's walk. 
       And he cried out, "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"

       (Jonah 3:5 NRSV)  And the people of Nineveh believed God; they 
       proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.

       (Jonah 3:6 NRSV)  When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose 
       from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and 
       sat in ashes.

       (Jonah 3:7 NRSV)  Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: "By the 
       decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd 
       or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they 
       drink water.

       (Jonah 3:8 NRSV)  Human beings and animals shall be covered with 
       sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from 
       their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands.

       (Jonah 3:9 NRSV)  Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he 
       may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish."






       (Jonah 3:10 NRSV)  When God saw what they did, how they turned from 
       their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had 
       said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

       (Jonah 4:1 NRSV)  But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he 
       became angry.

       (Jonah 4:2 NRSV)  He prayed to the LORD and said, "O LORD! Is not this 
       what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to 
       Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and 
       merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to 
       relent from punishing.

       (Jonah 4:3 NRSV)  And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it 
       is better for me to die than to live."

       (Jonah 4:4 NRSV)  And the LORD said, "Is it right for you to be 
       angry?"

       (Jonah 4:5 NRSV)  Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of 
       the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the 
       shade, waiting to see what would become of the city.

       (Jonah 4:6 NRSV)  The LORD God appointed a bush, and made it come up 
       over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his 
       discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush.

       (Jonah 4:7 NRSV)  But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a 
       worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered.

       (Jonah 4:8 NRSV)  When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, 
       and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and 
       asked that he might die. He said, "It is better for me to die than to 
       live."

       (Jonah 4:9 NRSV)  But God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be 
       angry about the bush?" And he said, "Yes, angry enough to die."

       (Jonah 4:10 NRSV)  Then the LORD said, "You are concerned about the 
       bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came 
       into being in a night and perished in a night.

       (Jonah 4:11 NRSV)  And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that 
       great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand 
       persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also 
       many animals?"

       (Micah 1:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD that came to Micah of Moresheth 
       in the days of Kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah, which he saw 
       concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

       (Micah 1:2 NRSV)  Hear, you peoples, all of you; listen, O earth, and 
       all that is in it; and let the Lord GOD be a witness against you, the 
       Lord from his holy temple.





       (Micah 1:3 NRSV)  For lo, the LORD is coming out of his place, and 
       will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.

       (Micah 1:4 NRSV)  Then the mountains will melt under him and the 
       valleys will burst open, like wax near the fire, like waters poured 
       down a steep place.

       (Micah 1:5 NRSV)  All this is for the transgression of Jacob and for 
       the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? 
       Is it not Samaria? And what is the high place of Judah? Is it not 
       Jerusalem?

       (Micah 1:6 NRSV)  Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the open 
       country, a place for planting vineyards. I will pour down her stones 
       into the valley, and uncover her foundations.

       (Micah 1:7 NRSV)  All her images shall be beaten to pieces, all her 
       wages shall be burned with fire, and all her idols I will lay waste; 
       for as the wages of a prostitute she gathered them, and as the wages 
       of a prostitute they shall again be used.

       (Micah 1:8 NRSV)  For this I will lament and wail; I will go barefoot 
       and naked; I will make lamentation like the jackals, and mourning like 
       the ostriches.

       (Micah 1:9 NRSV)  For her wound is incurable. It has come to Judah; it 
       has reached to the gate of my people, to Jerusalem.

       (Micah 1:10 NRSV)  Tell it not in Gath, weep not at all; in 
       Beth-leaphrah roll yourselves in the dust.

       (Micah 1:11 NRSV)  Pass on your way, inhabitants of Shaphir, in 
       nakedness and shame; the inhabitants of Zaanan do not come forth; 
       Beth-ezel is wailing and shall remove its support from you.

       (Micah 1:12 NRSV)  For the inhabitants of Maroth wait anxiously for 
       good, yet disaster has come down from the LORD to the gate of 
       Jerusalem.

       (Micah 1:13 NRSV)  Harness the steeds to the chariots, inhabitants of 
       Lachish; it was the beginning of sin to daughter Zion, for in you were 
       found the transgressions of Israel.

       (Micah 1:14 NRSV)  Therefore you shall give parting gifts to 
       Moresheth-gath; the houses of Achzib shall be a deception to the kings 
       of Israel.

       (Micah 1:15 NRSV)  I will again bring a conqueror upon you, 
       inhabitants of Mareshah; the glory of Israel shall come to Adullam.

       (Micah 1:16 NRSV)  Make yourselves bald and cut off your hair for your 
       pampered children; make yourselves as bald as the eagle, for they have 
       gone from you into exile.

       (Micah 2:1 NRSV)  Alas for those who devise wickedness and evil deeds 
       on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is 





       in their power.

       (Micah 2:2 NRSV)  They covet fields, and seize them; houses, and take 
       them away; they oppress householder and house, people and their 
       inheritance.

       (Micah 2:3 NRSV)  Therefore thus says the LORD: Now, I am devising 
       against this family an evil from which you cannot remove your necks; 
       and you shall not walk haughtily, for it will be an evil time.

       (Micah 2:4 NRSV)  On that day they shall take up a taunt song against 
       you, and wail with bitter lamentation, and say, "We are utterly 
       ruined; the LORD alters the inheritance of my people; how he removes 
       it from me! Among our captors he parcels out our fields."

       (Micah 2:5 NRSV)  Therefore you will have no one to cast the line by 
       lot in the assembly of the LORD.

       (Micah 2:6 NRSV)  "Do not preach"--thus they preach-- "one should not 
       preach of such things; disgrace will not overtake us."

       (Micah 2:7 NRSV)  Should this be said, O house of Jacob? Is the Lord's 
       patience exhausted? Are these his doings? Do not my words do good to 
       one who walks uprightly?

       (Micah 2:8 NRSV)  But you rise up against my people as an enemy; you 
       strip the robe from the peaceful, from those who pass by trustingly 
       with no thought of war.

       (Micah 2:9 NRSV)  The women of my people you drive out from their 
       pleasant houses; from their young children you take away my glory 
       forever.

       (Micah 2:10 NRSV)  Arise and go; for this is no place to rest, because 
       of uncleanness that destroys with a grievous destruction.

       (Micah 2:11 NRSV)  If someone were to go about uttering empty 
       falsehoods, saying, "I will preach to you of wine and strong drink," 
       such a one would be the preacher for this people!

       (Micah 2:12 NRSV)  I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob, I will 
       gather the survivors of Israel; I will set them together like sheep in 
       a fold, like a flock in its pasture; it will resound with people.

       (Micah 2:13 NRSV)  The one who breaks out will go up before them; they 
       will break through and pass the gate, going out by it. Their king will 
       pass on before them, the LORD at their head.

       (Micah 3:1 NRSV)  And I said: Listen, you heads of Jacob and rulers of 
       the house of Israel! Should you not know justice?--

       (Micah 3:2 NRSV)  you who hate the good and love the evil, who tear 
       the skin off my people, and the flesh off their bones;

       (Micah 3:3 NRSV)  who eat the flesh of my people, flay their skin off 
       them, break their bones in pieces, and chop them up like meat in a 





       kettle, like flesh in a caldron.

       (Micah 3:4 NRSV)  Then they will cry to the LORD, but he will not 
       answer them; he will hide his face from them at that time, because 
       they have acted wickedly.

       (Micah 3:5 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who lead 
       my people astray, who cry "Peace" when they have something to eat, but 
       declare war against those who put nothing into their mouths.

       (Micah 3:6 NRSV)  Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision, 
       and darkness to you, without revelation. The sun shall go down upon 
       the prophets, and the day shall be black over them;

       (Micah 3:7 NRSV)  the seers shall be disgraced, and the diviners put 
       to shame; they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from 
       God.

       (Micah 3:8 NRSV)  But as for me, I am filled with power, with the 
       spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob 
       his transgression and to Israel his sin.

       (Micah 3:9 NRSV)  Hear this, you rulers of the house of Jacob and 
       chiefs of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and pervert all 
       equity,

       (Micah 3:10 NRSV)  who build Zion with blood and Jerusalem with wrong!

       (Micah 3:11 NRSV)  Its rulers give judgment for a bribe, its priests 
       teach for a price, its prophets give oracles for money; yet they lean 
       upon the LORD and say, "Surely the LORD is with us! No harm shall come 
       upon us."

       (Micah 3:12 NRSV)  Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a 
       field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the 
       house a wooded height.

       (Micah 4:1 NRSV)  In days to come the mountain of the Lord's house 
       shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be 
       raised up above the hills. Peoples shall stream to it,

       (Micah 4:2 NRSV)  and many nations shall come and say: "Come, let us 
       go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; 
       that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For 
       out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from 
       Jerusalem.

       (Micah 4:3 NRSV)  He shall judge between many peoples, and shall 
       arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their 
       swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation 
       shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war 
       any more;

       (Micah 4:4 NRSV)  but they shall all sit under their own vines and 
       under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid; for the 
       mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.






       (Micah 4:5 NRSV)  For all the peoples walk, each in the name of its 
       god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and 
       ever.

       (Micah 4:6 NRSV)  In that day, says the LORD, I will assemble the lame 
       and gather those who have been driven away, and those whom I have 
       afflicted.

       (Micah 4:7 NRSV)  The lame I will make the remnant, and those who were 
       cast off, a strong nation; and the LORD will reign over them in Mount 
       Zion now and forevermore.

       (Micah 4:8 NRSV)  And you, O tower of the flock, hill of daughter 
       Zion, to you it shall come, the former dominion shall come, the 
       sovereignty of daughter Jerusalem.

       (Micah 4:9 NRSV)  Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in you? 
       Has your counselor perished, that pangs have seized you like a woman 
       in labor?

       (Micah 4:10 NRSV)  Writhe and groan, O daughter Zion, like a woman in 
       labor; for now you shall go forth from the city and camp in the open 
       country; you shall go to Babylon. There you shall be rescued, there 
       the LORD will redeem you from the hands of your enemies.

       (Micah 4:11 NRSV)  Now many nations are assembled against you, saying, 
       "Let her be profaned, and let our eyes gaze upon Zion."

       (Micah 4:12 NRSV)  But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD; they 
       do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them as sheaves to 
       the threshing floor.

       (Micah 4:13 NRSV)  Arise and thresh, O daughter Zion, for I will make 
       your horn iron and your hoofs bronze; you shall beat in pieces many 
       peoples, and shall devote their gain to the LORD, their wealth to the 
       Lord of the whole earth.

       (Micah 5:1 NRSV)  Now you are walled around with a wall; siege is laid 
       against us; with a rod they strike the ruler of Israel upon the cheek.

       (Micah 5:2 NRSV)  But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of 
       the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is 
       to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.

       (Micah 5:3 NRSV)  Therefore he shall give them up until the time when 
       she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred 
       shall return to the people of Israel.

       (Micah 5:4 NRSV)  And he shall stand and feed his flock in the 
       strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. 
       And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of 
       the earth;

       (Micah 5:5 NRSV)  and he shall be the one of peace. If the Assyrians 
       come into our land and tread upon our soil, we will raise against them 





       seven shepherds and eight installed as rulers.

       (Micah 5:6 NRSV)  They shall rule the land of Assyria with the sword, 
       and the land of Nimrod with the drawn sword; they shall rescue us from 
       the Assyrians if they come into our land or tread within our border.

       (Micah 5:7 NRSV)  Then the remnant of Jacob, surrounded by many 
       peoples, shall be like dew from the LORD, like showers on the grass, 
       which do not depend upon people or wait for any mortal.

       (Micah 5:8 NRSV)  And among the nations the remnant of Jacob, 
       surrounded by many peoples, shall be like a lion among the animals of 
       the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, which, when 
       it goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, with no one to 
       deliver.

       (Micah 5:9 NRSV)  Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries, 
       and all your enemies shall be cut off.

       (Micah 5:10 NRSV)  In that day, says the LORD, I will cut off your 
       horses from among you and will destroy your chariots;

       (Micah 5:11 NRSV)  and I will cut off the cities of your land and 
       throw down all your strongholds;

       (Micah 5:12 NRSV)  and I will cut off sorceries from your hand, and 
       you shall have no more soothsayers;

       (Micah 5:13 NRSV)  and I will cut off your images and your pillars 
       from among you, and you shall bow down no more to the work of your 
       hands;

       (Micah 5:14 NRSV)  and I will uproot your sacred poles from among you 
       and destroy your towns.

       (Micah 5:15 NRSV)  And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance on 
       the nations that did not obey.

       (Micah 6:1 NRSV)  Hear what the LORD says: Rise, plead your case 
       before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.

       (Micah 6:2 NRSV)  Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the LORD, 
       and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a 
       controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel.

       (Micah 6:3 NRSV)  "O my people, what have I done to you? In what have 
       I wearied you? Answer me!

       (Micah 6:4 NRSV)  For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and 
       redeemed you from the house of slavery; and I sent before you Moses, 
       Aaron, and Miriam.

       (Micah 6:5 NRSV)  O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab 
       devised, what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and what happened from 
       Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the saving acts of the LORD."





       (Micah 6:6 NRSV)  "With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow 
       myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt 
       offerings, with calves a year old?

       (Micah 6:7 NRSV)  Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, 
       with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my 
       transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"

       (Micah 6:8 NRSV)  He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what 
       does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, 
       and to walk humbly with your God?

       (Micah 6:9 NRSV)  The voice of the LORD cries to the city (it is sound 
       wisdom to fear your name): Hear, O tribe and assembly of the city!

       (Micah 6:10 NRSV)  Can I forget the treasures of wickedness in the 
       house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is accursed?

       (Micah 6:11 NRSV)  Can I tolerate wicked scales and a bag of dishonest 
       weights?

       (Micah 6:12 NRSV)  Your wealthy are full of violence; your inhabitants 
       speak lies, with tongues of deceit in their mouths.

       (Micah 6:13 NRSV)  Therefore I have begun to strike you down, making 
       you desolate because of your sins.

       (Micah 6:14 NRSV)  You shall eat, but not be satisfied, and there 
       shall be a gnawing hunger within you; you shall put away, but not 
       save, and what you save, I will hand over to the sword.

       (Micah 6:15 NRSV)  You shall sow, but not reap; you shall tread 
       olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil; you shall tread grapes, 
       but not drink wine.

       (Micah 6:16 NRSV)  For you have kept the statutes of Omri and all the 
       works of the house of Ahab, and you have followed their counsels. 
       Therefore I will make you a desolation, and your inhabitants an object 
       of hissing; so you shall bear the scorn of my people.

       (Micah 7:1 NRSV)  Woe is me! For I have become like one who, after the 
       summer fruit has been gathered, after the vintage has been gleaned, 
       finds no cluster to eat; there is no first-ripe fig for which I 
       hunger.

       (Micah 7:2 NRSV)  The faithful have disappeared from the land, and 
       there is no one left who is upright; they all lie in wait for blood, 
       and they hunt each other with nets.

       (Micah 7:3 NRSV)  Their hands are skilled to do evil; the official and 
       the judge ask for a bribe, and the powerful dictate what they desire; 
       thus they pervert justice.

       (Micah 7:4 NRSV)  The best of them is like a brier, the most upright 
       of them a thorn hedge. The day of their sentinels, of their 
       punishment, has come; now their confusion is at hand.






       (Micah 7:5 NRSV)  Put no trust in a friend, have no confidence in a 
       loved one; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your 
       embrace;

       (Micah 7:6 NRSV)  for the son treats the father with contempt, the 
       daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her 
       mother-in-law; your enemies are members of your own household.

       (Micah 7:7 NRSV)  But as for me, I will look to the LORD, I will wait 
       for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

       (Micah 7:8 NRSV)  Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I 
       shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me.

       (Micah 7:9 NRSV)  I must bear the indignation of the LORD, because I 
       have sinned against him, until he takes my side and executes judgment 
       for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall see his 
       vindication.

       (Micah 7:10 NRSV)  Then my enemy will see, and shame will cover her 
       who said to me, "Where is the LORD your God?" My eyes will see her 
       downfall; now she will be trodden down like the mire of the streets.

       (Micah 7:11 NRSV)  A day for the building of your walls! In that day 
       the boundary shall be far extended.

       (Micah 7:12 NRSV)  In that day they will come to you from Assyria to 
       Egypt, and from Egypt to the River, from sea to sea and from mountain 
       to mountain.

       (Micah 7:13 NRSV)  But the earth will be desolate because of its 
       inhabitants, for the fruit of their doings.

       (Micah 7:14 NRSV)  Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock 
       that belongs to you, which lives alone in a forest in the midst of a 
       garden land; let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old.

       (Micah 7:15 NRSV)  As in the days when you came out of the land of 
       Egypt, show us marvelous things.

       (Micah 7:16 NRSV)  The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their 
       might; they shall lay their hands on their mouths; their ears shall be 
       deaf;

       (Micah 7:17 NRSV)  they shall lick dust like a snake, like the 
       crawling things of the earth; they shall come trembling out of their 
       fortresses; they shall turn in dread to the LORD our God, and they 
       shall stand in fear of you.

       (Micah 7:18 NRSV)  Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and 
       passing over the transgression of the remnant of your possession? He 
       does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in showing 
       clemency.

       (Micah 7:19 NRSV)  He will again have compassion upon us; he will 





       tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the 
       depths of the sea.

       (Micah 7:20 NRSV)  You will show faithfulness to Jacob and unswerving 
       loyalty to Abraham, as you have sworn to our ancestors from the days 
       of old.

       (Nahum 1:1 NRSV)  An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision 
       of Nahum of Elkosh.

       (Nahum 1:2 NRSV)  A jealous and avenging God is the LORD, the LORD is 
       avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and 
       rages against his enemies.

       (Nahum 1:3 NRSV)  The LORD is slow to anger but great in power, and 
       the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind 
       and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

       (Nahum 1:4 NRSV)  He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, and he dries up 
       all the rivers; Bashan and Carmel wither, and the bloom of Lebanon 
       fades.

       (Nahum 1:5 NRSV)  The mountains quake before him, and the hills melt; 
       the earth heaves before him, the world and all who live in it.

       (Nahum 1:6 NRSV)  Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure 
       the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and by him 
       the rocks are broken in pieces.

       (Nahum 1:7 NRSV)  The LORD is good, a stronghold in a day of trouble; 
       he protects those who take refuge in him,

       (Nahum 1:8 NRSV)  even in a rushing flood. He will make a full end of 
       his adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.

       (Nahum 1:9 NRSV)  Why do you plot against the LORD? He will make an 
       end; no adversary will rise up twice.

       (Nahum 1:10 NRSV)  Like thorns they are entangled, like drunkards they 
       are drunk; they are consumed like dry straw.

       (Nahum 1:11 NRSV)  From you one has gone out who plots evil against 
       the LORD, who counsels wickedness.

       (Nahum 1:12 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD, "Though they are at full 
       strength and many, they will be cut off and pass away. Though I have 
       afflicted you, I will afflict you no more.

       (Nahum 1:13 NRSV)  And now I will break off his yoke from you and snap 
       the bonds that bind you."

       (Nahum 1:14 NRSV)  The LORD has commanded concerning you: "Your name 
       shall be perpetuated no longer; from the house of your gods I will cut 
       off the carved image and the cast image. I will make your grave, for 
       you are worthless."





       (Nahum 1:15 NRSV)  Look! On the mountains the feet of one who brings 
       good tidings, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, 
       fulfill your vows, for never again shall the wicked invade you; they 
       are utterly cut off.

       (Nahum 2:1 NRSV)  A shatterer has come up against you. Guard the 
       ramparts; watch the road; gird your loins; collect all your strength.

       (Nahum 2:2 NRSV)  (For the LORD is restoring the majesty of Jacob, as 
       well as the majesty of Israel, though ravagers have ravaged them and 
       ruined their branches.)

       (Nahum 2:3 NRSV)  The shields of his warriors are red; his soldiers 
       are clothed in crimson. The metal on the chariots flashes on the day 
       when he musters them; the chargers prance.

       (Nahum 2:4 NRSV)  The chariots race madly through the streets, they 
       rush to and fro through the squares; their appearance is like torches, 
       they dart like lightning.

       (Nahum 2:5 NRSV)  He calls his officers; they stumble as they come 
       forward; they hasten to the wall, and the mantelet is set up.

       (Nahum 2:6 NRSV)  The river gates are opened, the palace trembles.

       (Nahum 2:7 NRSV)  It is decreed that the city be exiled, its slave 
       women led away, moaning like doves and beating their breasts.

       (Nahum 2:8 NRSV)  Nineveh is like a pool whose waters run away. "Halt! 
       Halt!"-- but no one turns back.

       (Nahum 2:9 NRSV)  "Plunder the silver, plunder the gold! There is no 
       end of treasure! An abundance of every precious thing!"

       (Nahum 2:10 NRSV)  Devastation, desolation, and destruction! Hearts 
       faint and knees tremble, all loins quake, all faces grow pale!

       (Nahum 2:11 NRSV)  What became of the lions' den, the cave of the 
       young lions, where the lion goes, and the lion's cubs, with no one to 
       disturb them?

       (Nahum 2:12 NRSV)  The lion has torn enough for his whelps and 
       strangled prey for his lionesses; he has filled his caves with prey 
       and his dens with torn flesh.

       (Nahum 2:13 NRSV)  See, I am against you, says the LORD of hosts, and 
       I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your 
       young lions; I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of 
       your messengers shall be heard no more.

       (Nahum 3:1 NRSV)  Ah! City of bloodshed, utterly deceitful, full of 
       booty-- no end to the plunder!

       (Nahum 3:2 NRSV)  The crack of whip and rumble of wheel, galloping 
       horse and bounding chariot!





       (Nahum 3:3 NRSV)  Horsemen charging, flashing sword and glittering 
       spear, piles of dead, heaps of corpses, dead bodies without end-- they 
       stumble over the bodies!

       (Nahum 3:4 NRSV)  Because of the countless debaucheries of the 
       prostitute, gracefully alluring, mistress of sorcery, who enslaves 
       nations through her debaucheries, and peoples through her sorcery,

       (Nahum 3:5 NRSV)  I am against you, says the LORD of hosts, and will 
       lift up your skirts over your face; and I will let nations look on 
       your nakedness and kingdoms on your shame.

       (Nahum 3:6 NRSV)  I will throw filth at you and treat you with 
       contempt, and make you a spectacle.

       (Nahum 3:7 NRSV)  Then all who see you will shrink from you and say, 
       "Nineveh is devastated; who will bemoan her?" Where shall I seek 
       comforters for you?

       (Nahum 3:8 NRSV)  Are you better than Thebes that sat by the Nile, 
       with water around her, her rampart a sea, water her wall?

       (Nahum 3:9 NRSV)  Ethiopia was her strength, Egypt too, and that 
       without limit; Put and the Libyans were her helpers.

       (Nahum 3:10 NRSV)  Yet she became an exile, she went into captivity; 
       even her infants were dashed in pieces at the head of every street; 
       lots were cast for her nobles, all her dignitaries were bound in 
       fetters.

       (Nahum 3:11 NRSV)  You also will be drunken, you will go into hiding; 
       you will seek a refuge from the enemy.

       (Nahum 3:12 NRSV)  All your fortresses are like fig trees with 
       first-ripe figs-- if shaken they fall into the mouth of the eater.

       (Nahum 3:13 NRSV)  Look at your troops: they are women in your midst. 
       The gates of your land are wide open to your foes; fire has devoured 
       the bars of your gates.

       (Nahum 3:14 NRSV)  Draw water for the siege, strengthen your forts; 
       trample the clay, tread the mortar, take hold of the brick mold!

       (Nahum 3:15 NRSV)  There the fire will devour you, the sword will cut 
       you off. It will devour you like the locust. Multiply yourselves like 
       the locust, multiply like the grasshopper!

       (Nahum 3:16 NRSV)  You increased your merchants more than the stars of 
       the heavens. The locust sheds its skin and flies away.

       (Nahum 3:17 NRSV)  Your guards are like grasshoppers, your scribes 
       like swarms of locusts settling on the fences on a cold day-- when the 
       sun rises, they fly away; no one knows where they have gone.

       (Nahum 3:18 NRSV)  Your shepherds are asleep, O king of Assyria; your 
       nobles slumber. Your people are scattered on the mountains with no one 





       to gather them.

       (Nahum 3:19 NRSV)  There is no assuaging your hurt, your wound is 
       mortal. All who hear the news about you clap their hands over you. For 
       who has ever escaped your endless cruelty?

       (Hab 1:1 NRSV)  The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw.

       (Hab 1:2 NRSV)  O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will 
       not listen? Or cry to you "Violence!" and you will not save?

       (Hab 1:3 NRSV)  Why do you make me see wrongdoing and look at trouble? 
       Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.

       (Hab 1:4 NRSV)  So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails. 
       The wicked surround the righteous-- therefore judgment comes forth 
       perverted.

       (Hab 1:5 NRSV)  Look at the nations, and see! Be astonished! Be 
       astounded! For a work is being done in your days that you would not 
       believe if you were told.

       (Hab 1:6 NRSV)  For I am rousing the Chaldeans, that fierce and 
       impetuous nation, who march through the breadth of the earth to seize 
       dwellings not their own.

       (Hab 1:7 NRSV)  Dread and fearsome are they; their justice and dignity 
       proceed from themselves.

       (Hab 1:8 NRSV)  Their horses are swifter than leopards, more menacing 
       than wolves at dusk; their horses charge. Their horsemen come from far 
       away; they fly like an eagle swift to devour.

       (Hab 1:9 NRSV)  They all come for violence, with faces pressing 
       forward; they gather captives like sand.

       (Hab 1:10 NRSV)  At kings they scoff, and of rulers they make sport. 
       They laugh at every fortress, and heap up earth to take it.

       (Hab 1:11 NRSV)  Then they sweep by like the wind; they transgress and 
       become guilty; their own might is their god!

       (Hab 1:12 NRSV)  Are you not from of old, O LORD my God, my Holy One? 
       You shall not die. O LORD, you have marked them for judgment; and you, 
       O Rock, have established them for punishment.

       (Hab 1:13 NRSV)  Your eyes are too pure to behold evil, and you cannot 
       look on wrongdoing; why do you look on the treacherous, and are silent 
       when the wicked swallow those more righteous than they?

       (Hab 1:14 NRSV)  You have made people like the fish of the sea, like 
       crawling things that have no ruler.

       (Hab 1:15 NRSV)  The enemy brings all of them up with a hook; he drags 
       them out with his net, he gathers them in his seine; so he rejoices 
       and exults.






       (Hab 1:16 NRSV)  Therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes 
       offerings to his seine; for by them his portion is lavish, and his 
       food is rich.

       (Hab 1:17 NRSV)  Is he then to keep on emptying his net, and 
       destroying nations without mercy?

       (Hab 2:1 NRSV)  I will stand at my watchpost, and station myself on 
       the rampart; I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what 
       he will answer concerning my complaint.

       (Hab 2:2 NRSV)  Then the LORD answered me and said: Write the vision; 
       make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it.

       (Hab 2:3 NRSV)  For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it 
       speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for 
       it; it will surely come, it will not delay.

       (Hab 2:4 NRSV)  Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, 
       but the righteous live by their faith.

       (Hab 2:5 NRSV)  Moreover, wealth is treacherous; the arrogant do not 
       endure. They open their throats wide as Sheol; like Death they never 
       have enough. They gather all nations for themselves, and collect all 
       peoples as their own.

       (Hab 2:6 NRSV)  Shall not everyone taunt such people and, with mocking 
       riddles, say about them, "Alas for you who heap up what is not your 
       own!" How long will you load yourselves with goods taken in pledge?

       (Hab 2:7 NRSV)  Will not your own creditors suddenly rise, and those 
       who make you tremble wake up? Then you will be booty for them.

       (Hab 2:8 NRSV)  Because you have plundered many nations, all that 
       survive of the peoples shall plunder you-- because of human bloodshed, 
       and violence to the earth, to cities and all who live in them.

       (Hab 2:9 NRSV)  "Alas for you who get evil gain for your houses, 
       setting your nest on high to be safe from the reach of harm!"

       (Hab 2:10 NRSV)  You have devised shame for your house by cutting off 
       many peoples; you have forfeited your life.

       (Hab 2:11 NRSV)  The very stones will cry out from the wall, and the 
       plaster will respond from the woodwork.

       (Hab 2:12 NRSV)  "Alas for you who build a town by bloodshed, and 
       found a city on iniquity!"

       (Hab 2:13 NRSV)  Is it not from the LORD of hosts that peoples labor 
       only to feed the flames, and nations weary themselves for nothing?

       (Hab 2:14 NRSV)  But the earth will be filled with the knowledge of 
       the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.





       (Hab 2:15 NRSV)  "Alas for you who make your neighbors drink, pouring 
       out your wrath until they are drunk, in order to gaze on their 
       nakedness!"

       (Hab 2:16 NRSV)  You will be sated with contempt instead of glory. 
       Drink, you yourself, and stagger! The cup in the Lord's right hand 
       will come around to you, and shame will come upon your glory!

       (Hab 2:17 NRSV)  For the violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you; 
       the destruction of the animals will terrify you-- because of human 
       bloodshed and violence to the earth, to cities and all who live in 
       them.

       (Hab 2:18 NRSV)  What use is an idol once its maker has shaped it-- a 
       cast image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in what has been 
       made, though the product is only an idol that cannot speak!

       (Hab 2:19 NRSV)  Alas for you who say to the wood, "Wake up!" to 
       silent stone, "Rouse yourself!" Can it teach? See, it is gold and 
       silver plated, and there is no breath in it at all.

       (Hab 2:20 NRSV)  But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth 
       keep silence before him!

       (Hab 3:1 NRSV)  A prayer of the prophet Habakkuk according to 
       Shigionoth.

       (Hab 3:2 NRSV)  O LORD, I have heard of your renown, and I stand in 
       awe, O LORD, of your work. In our own time revive it; in our own time 
       make it known; in wrath may you remember mercy.

       (Hab 3:3 NRSV)  God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. 
       Selah His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his 
       praise.

       (Hab 3:4 NRSV)  The brightness was like the sun; rays came forth from 
       his hand, where his power lay hidden.

       (Hab 3:5 NRSV)  Before him went pestilence, and plague followed close 
       behind.

       (Hab 3:6 NRSV)  He stopped and shook the earth; he looked and made the 
       nations tremble. The eternal mountains were shattered; along his 
       ancient pathways the everlasting hills sank low.

       (Hab 3:7 NRSV)  I saw the tents of Cushan under affliction; the 
       tent-curtains of the land of Midian trembled.

       (Hab 3:8 NRSV)  Was your wrath against the rivers, O LORD? Or your 
       anger against the rivers, or your rage against the sea, when you drove 
       your horses, your chariots to victory?

       (Hab 3:9 NRSV)  You brandished your naked bow, sated were the arrows 
       at your command. Selah You split the earth with rivers.

       (Hab 3:10 NRSV)  The mountains saw you, and writhed; a torrent of 





       water swept by; the deep gave forth its voice. The sun raised high its 
       hands;

       (Hab 3:11 NRSV)  the moon stood still in its exalted place, at the 
       light of your arrows speeding by, at the gleam of your flashing spear.

       (Hab 3:12 NRSV)  In fury you trod the earth, in anger you trampled 
       nations.

       (Hab 3:13 NRSV)  You came forth to save your people, to save your 
       anointed. You crushed the head of the wicked house, laying it bare 
       from foundation to roof. Selah

       (Hab 3:14 NRSV)  You pierced with his own arrows the head of his 
       warriors, who came like a whirlwind to scatter us, gloating as if 
       ready to devour the poor who were in hiding.

       (Hab 3:15 NRSV)  You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the 
       mighty waters.

       (Hab 3:16 NRSV)  I hear, and I tremble within; my lips quiver at the 
       sound. Rottenness enters into my bones, and my steps tremble beneath 
       me. I wait quietly for the day of calamity to come upon the people who 
       attack us.

       (Hab 3:17 NRSV)  Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is 
       on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails and the fields 
       yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold and there is 
       no herd in the stalls,

       (Hab 3:18 NRSV)  yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will exult in the 
       God of my salvation.

       (Hab 3:19 NRSV)  GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like 
       the feet of a deer, and makes me tread upon the heights. To the 
       leader: with stringed instruments.

       (Zep 1:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of 
       Cushi son of Gedaliah son of Amariah son of Hezekiah, in the days of 
       King Josiah son of Amon of Judah.

       (Zep 1:2 NRSV)  I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of 
       the earth, says the LORD.

       (Zep 1:3 NRSV)  I will sweep away humans and animals; I will sweep 
       away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. I will make the 
       wicked stumble. I will cut off humanity from the face of the earth, 
       says the LORD.

       (Zep 1:4 NRSV)  I will stretch out my hand against Judah, and against 
       all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off from this place 
       every remnant of Baal and the name of the idolatrous priests;

       (Zep 1:5 NRSV)  those who bow down on the roofs to the host of the 
       heavens; those who bow down and swear to the LORD, but also swear by 
       Milcom;






       (Zep 1:6 NRSV)  those who have turned back from following the LORD, 
       who have not sought the LORD or inquired of him.

       (Zep 1:7 NRSV)  Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD 
       is at hand; the LORD has prepared a sacrifice, he has consecrated his 
       guests.

       (Zep 1:8 NRSV)  And on the day of the Lord's sacrifice I will punish 
       the officials and the king's sons and all who dress themselves in 
       foreign attire.

       (Zep 1:9 NRSV)  On that day I will punish all who leap over the 
       threshold, who fill their master's house with violence and fraud.

       (Zep 1:10 NRSV)  On that day, says the LORD, a cry will be heard from 
       the Fish Gate, a wail from the Second Quarter, a loud crash from the 
       hills.

       (Zep 1:11 NRSV)  The inhabitants of the Mortar wail, for all the 
       traders have perished; all who weigh out silver are cut off.

       (Zep 1:12 NRSV)  At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and 
       I will punish the people who rest complacently on their dregs, those 
       who say in their hearts, "The LORD will not do good, nor will he do 
       harm."

       (Zep 1:13 NRSV)  Their wealth shall be plundered, and their houses 
       laid waste. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; 
       though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them.

       (Zep 1:14 NRSV)  The great day of the LORD is near, near and hastening 
       fast; the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter, the warrior cries 
       aloud there.

       (Zep 1:15 NRSV)  That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress 
       and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and 
       gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

       (Zep 1:16 NRSV)  a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the 
       fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.

       (Zep 1:17 NRSV)  I will bring such distress upon people that they 
       shall walk like the blind; because they have sinned against the LORD, 
       their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung.

       (Zep 1:18 NRSV)  Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to 
       save them on the day of the Lord's wrath; in the fire of his passion 
       the whole earth shall be consumed; for a full, a terrible end he will 
       make of all the inhabitants of the earth.

       (Zep 2:1 NRSV)  Gather together, gather, O shameless nation,

       (Zep 2:2 NRSV)  before you are driven away like the drifting chaff, 
       before there comes upon you the fierce anger of the LORD, before there 
       comes upon you the day of the Lord's wrath.






       (Zep 2:3 NRSV)  Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his 
       commands; seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden 
       on the day of the Lord's wrath.

       (Zep 2:4 NRSV)  For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become 
       a desolation; Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron 
       shall be uprooted.

       (Zep 2:5 NRSV)  Ah, inhabitants of the seacoast, you nation of the 
       Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of 
       the Philistines; and I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left.

       (Zep 2:6 NRSV)  And you, O seacoast, shall be pastures, meadows for 
       shepherds and folds for flocks.

       (Zep 2:7 NRSV)  The seacoast shall become the possession of the 
       remnant of the house of Judah, on which they shall pasture, and in the 
       houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening. For the LORD their 
       God will be mindful of them and restore their fortunes.

       (Zep 2:8 NRSV)  I have heard the taunts of Moab and the revilings of 
       the Ammonites, how they have taunted my people and made boasts against 
       their territory.

       (Zep 2:9 NRSV)  Therefore, as I live, says the LORD of hosts, the God 
       of Israel, Moab shall become like Sodom and the Ammonites like 
       Gomorrah, a land possessed by nettles and salt pits, and a waste 
       forever. The remnant of my people shall plunder them, and the 
       survivors of my nation shall possess them.

       (Zep 2:10 NRSV)  This shall be their lot in return for their pride, 
       because they scoffed and boasted against the people of the LORD of 
       hosts.

       (Zep 2:11 NRSV)  The LORD will be terrible against them; he will 
       shrivel all the gods of the earth, and to him shall bow down, each in 
       its place, all the coasts and islands of the nations.

       (Zep 2:12 NRSV)  You also, O Ethiopians, shall be killed by my sword.

       (Zep 2:13 NRSV)  And he will stretch out his hand against the north, 
       and destroy Assyria; and he will make Nineveh a desolation, a dry 
       waste like the desert.

       (Zep 2:14 NRSV)  Herds shall lie down in it, every wild animal; the 
       desert owl and the screech owl shall lodge on its capitals; the owl 
       shall hoot at the window, the raven croak on the threshold; for its 
       cedar work will be laid bare.

       (Zep 2:15 NRSV)  Is this the exultant city that lived secure, that 
       said to itself, "I am, and there is no one else"? What a desolation it 
       has become, a lair for wild animals! Everyone who passes by it hisses 
       and shakes the fist.

       (Zep 3:1 NRSV)  Ah, soiled, defiled, oppressing city!






       (Zep 3:2 NRSV)  It has listened to no voice; it has accepted no 
       correction. It has not trusted in the LORD; it has not drawn near to 
       its God.

       (Zep 3:3 NRSV)  The officials within it are roaring lions; its judges 
       are evening wolves that leave nothing until the morning.

       (Zep 3:4 NRSV)  Its prophets are reckless, faithless persons; its 
       priests have profaned what is sacred, they have done violence to the 
       law.

       (Zep 3:5 NRSV)  The LORD within it is righteous; he does no wrong. 
       Every morning he renders his judgment, each dawn without fail; but the 
       unjust knows no shame.

       (Zep 3:6 NRSV)  I have cut off nations; their battlements are in 
       ruins; I have laid waste their streets so that no one walks in them; 
       their cities have been made desolate, without people, without 
       inhabitants.

       (Zep 3:7 NRSV)  I said, "Surely the city will fear me, it will accept 
       correction; it will not lose sight of all that I have brought upon 
       it." But they were the more eager to make all their deeds corrupt.

       (Zep 3:8 NRSV)  Therefore wait for me, says the LORD, for the day when 
       I arise as a witness. For my decision is to gather nations, to 
       assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all the heat 
       of my anger; for in the fire of my passion all the earth shall be 
       consumed.

       (Zep 3:9 NRSV)  At that time I will change the speech of the peoples 
       to a pure speech, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD 
       and serve him with one accord.

       (Zep 3:10 NRSV)  From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, my 
       scattered ones, shall bring my offering.

       (Zep 3:11 NRSV)  On that day you shall not be put to shame because of 
       all the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will 
       remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no 
       longer be haughty in my holy mountain.

       (Zep 3:12 NRSV)  For I will leave in the midst of you a people humble 
       and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the LORD--

       (Zep 3:13 NRSV)  the remnant of Israel; they shall do no wrong and 
       utter no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths. 
       Then they will pasture and lie down, and no one shall make them 
       afraid.

       (Zep 3:14 NRSV)  Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice 
       and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!

       (Zep 3:15 NRSV)  The LORD has taken away the judgments against you, he 
       has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your 





       midst; you shall fear disaster no more.

       (Zep 3:16 NRSV)  On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not 
       fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak.

       (Zep 3:17 NRSV)  The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who 
       gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew 
       you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing

       (Zep 3:18 NRSV)  as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from 
       you, so that you will not bear reproach for it.

       (Zep 3:19 NRSV)  I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. 
       And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change 
       their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.

       (Zep 3:20 NRSV)  At that time I will bring you home, at the time when 
       I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the 
       peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, 
       says the LORD.

       (Hag 1:1 NRSV)  In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, 
       on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the 
       prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and 
       to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest:

       (Hag 1:2 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts: These people say the time 
       has not yet come to rebuild the Lord's house.

       (Hag 1:3 NRSV)  Then the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai, 
       saying:

       (Hag 1:4 NRSV)  Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your 
       paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?

       (Hag 1:5 NRSV)  Now therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider 
       how you have fared.

       (Hag 1:6 NRSV)  You have sown much, and harvested little; you eat, but 
       you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill; you 
       clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and you that earn wages earn 
       wages to put them into a bag with holes.

       (Hag 1:7 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider how you have 
       fared.

       (Hag 1:8 NRSV)  Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, 
       so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored, says the LORD.

       (Hag 1:9 NRSV)  You have looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; 
       and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? says the LORD of 
       hosts. Because my house lies in ruins, while all of you hurry off to 
       your own houses.

       (Hag 1:10 NRSV)  Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the 
       dew, and the earth has withheld its produce.






       (Hag 1:11 NRSV)  And I have called for a drought on the land and the 
       hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the soil produces, 
       on human beings and animals, and on all their labors.

       (Hag 1:12 NRSV)  Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Joshua son of 
       Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed 
       the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of the prophet Haggai, 
       as the LORD their God had sent him; and the people feared the LORD.

       (Hag 1:13 NRSV)  Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke to the 
       people with the Lord's message, saying, I am with you, says the LORD.

       (Hag 1:14 NRSV)  And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son 
       of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of 
       Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the 
       people; and they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, 
       their God,

       (Hag 1:15 NRSV)  on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth 
       month.

       (Hag 2:1 NRSV)  In the second year of King Darius, in the seventh 
       month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came 
       by the prophet Haggai, saying:

       (Hag 2:2 NRSV)  Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of 
       Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the 
       remnant of the people, and say,

       (Hag 2:3 NRSV)  Who is left among you that saw this house in its 
       former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as 
       nothing?

       (Hag 2:4 NRSV)  Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the LORD; 
       take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take 
       courage, all you people of the land, says the LORD; work, for I am 
       with you, says the LORD of hosts,

       (Hag 2:5 NRSV)  according to the promise that I made you when you came 
       out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear.

       (Hag 2:6 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD of hosts: Once again, in a 
       little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and 
       the dry land;

       (Hag 2:7 NRSV)  and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure 
       of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor, 
       says the LORD of hosts.

       (Hag 2:8 NRSV)  The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the 
       LORD of hosts.

       (Hag 2:9 NRSV)  The latter splendor of this house shall be greater 
       than the former, says the LORD of hosts; and in this place I will give 
       prosperity, says the LORD of hosts.






       (Hag 2:10 NRSV)  On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the 
       second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came by the prophet 
       Haggai, saying:

       (Hag 2:11 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts: Ask the priests for a 
       ruling:

       (Hag 2:12 NRSV)  If one carries consecrated meat in the fold of one's 
       garment, and with the fold touches bread, or stew, or wine, or oil, or 
       any kind of food, does it become holy? The priests answered, "No."

       (Hag 2:13 NRSV)  Then Haggai said, "If one who is unclean by contact 
       with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?" The 
       priests answered, "Yes, it becomes unclean."

       (Hag 2:14 NRSV)  Haggai then said, So is it with this people, and with 
       this nation before me, says the LORD; and so with every work of their 
       hands; and what they offer there is unclean.

       (Hag 2:15 NRSV)  But now, consider what will come to pass from this 
       day on. Before a stone was placed upon a stone in the Lord's temple,

       (Hag 2:16 NRSV)  how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty 
       measures, there were but ten; when one came to the winevat to draw 
       fifty measures, there were but twenty.

       (Hag 2:17 NRSV)  I struck you and all the products of your toil with 
       blight and mildew and hail; yet you did not return to me, says the 
       LORD.

       (Hag 2:18 NRSV)  Consider from this day on, from the twenty-fourth day 
       of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the Lord's 
       temple was laid, consider:

       (Hag 2:19 NRSV)  Is there any seed left in the barn? Do the vine, the 
       fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree still yield nothing? 
       From this day on I will bless you.

       (Hag 2:20 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came a second time to Haggai on 
       the twenty-fourth day of the month:

       (Hag 2:21 NRSV)  Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am 
       about to shake the heavens and the earth,

       (Hag 2:22 NRSV)  and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I am about 
       to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow 
       the chariots and their riders; and the horses and their riders shall 
       fall, every one by the sword of a comrade.

       (Hag 2:23 NRSV)  On that day, says the LORD of hosts, I will take you, 
       O Zerubbabel my servant, son of Shealtiel, says the LORD, and make you 
       like a signet ring; for I have chosen you, says the LORD of hosts.

       (Zec 1:1 NRSV)  In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the 
       word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of 





       Iddo, saying:

       (Zec 1:2 NRSV)  The LORD was very angry with your ancestors.

       (Zec 1:3 NRSV)  Therefore say to them, Thus says the LORD of hosts: 
       Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you, says 
       the LORD of hosts.

       (Zec 1:4 NRSV)  Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the former 
       prophets proclaimed, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, Return from your 
       evil ways and from your evil deeds." But they did not hear or heed me, 
       says the LORD.

       (Zec 1:5 NRSV)  Your ancestors, where are they? And the prophets, do 
       they live forever?

       (Zec 1:6 NRSV)  But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my 
       servants the prophets, did they not overtake your ancestors? So they 
       repented and said, "The LORD of hosts has dealt with us according to 
       our ways and deeds, just as he planned to do."

       (Zec 1:7 NRSV)  On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the 
       month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD 
       came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo; and 
       Zechariah said,

       (Zec 1:8 NRSV)  In the night I saw a man riding on a red horse! He was 
       standing among the myrtle trees in the glen; and behind him were red, 
       sorrel, and white horses.

       (Zec 1:9 NRSV)  Then I said, "What are these, my lord?" The angel who 
       talked with me said to me, "I will show you what they are."

       (Zec 1:10 NRSV)  So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees 
       answered, "They are those whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth."

       (Zec 1:11 NRSV)  Then they spoke to the angel of the LORD who was 
       standing among the myrtle trees, "We have patrolled the earth, and lo, 
       the whole earth remains at peace."

       (Zec 1:12 NRSV)  Then the angel of the LORD said, "O LORD of hosts, 
       how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of 
       Judah, with which you have been angry these seventy years?"

       (Zec 1:13 NRSV)  Then the LORD replied with gracious and comforting 
       words to the angel who talked with me.

       (Zec 1:14 NRSV)  So the angel who talked with me said to me, Proclaim 
       this message: Thus says the LORD of hosts; I am very jealous for 
       Jerusalem and for Zion.

       (Zec 1:15 NRSV)  And I am extremely angry with the nations that are at 
       ease; for while I was only a little angry, they made the disaster 
       worse.

       (Zec 1:16 NRSV)  Therefore, thus says the LORD, I have returned to 





       Jerusalem with compassion; my house shall be built in it, says the 
       LORD of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over 
       Jerusalem.

       (Zec 1:17 NRSV)  Proclaim further: Thus says the LORD of hosts: My 
       cities shall again overflow with prosperity; the LORD will again 
       comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.

       (Zec 1:18 NRSV)  And I looked up and saw four horns.

       (Zec 1:19 NRSV)  I asked the angel who talked with me, "What are 
       these?" And he answered me, "These are the horns that have scattered 
       Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."

       (Zec 1:20 NRSV)  Then the LORD showed me four blacksmiths.

       (Zec 1:21 NRSV)  And I asked, "What are they coming to do?" He 
       answered, "These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no head 
       could be raised; but these have come to terrify them, to strike down 
       the horns of the nations that lifted up their horns against the land 
       of Judah to scatter its people."

       (Zec 2:1 NRSV)  I looked up and saw a man with a measuring line in his 
       hand.

       (Zec 2:2 NRSV)  Then I asked, "Where are you going?" He answered me, 
       "To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its 
       length."

       (Zec 2:3 NRSV)  Then the angel who talked with me came forward, and 
       another angel came forward to meet him,

       (Zec 2:4 NRSV)  and said to him, "Run, say to that young man: 
       Jerusalem shall be inhabited like villages without walls, because of 
       the multitude of people and animals in it.

       (Zec 2:5 NRSV)  For I will be a wall of fire all around it, says the 
       LORD, and I will be the glory within it."

       (Zec 2:6 NRSV)  Up, up! Flee from the land of the north, says the 
       LORD; for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven, says 
       the LORD.

       (Zec 2:7 NRSV)  Up! Escape to Zion, you that live with daughter 
       Babylon.

       (Zec 2:8 NRSV)  For thus said the LORD of hosts (after his glory sent 
       me) regarding the nations that plundered you: Truly, one who touches 
       you touches the apple of my eye.

       (Zec 2:9 NRSV)  See now, I am going to raise my hand against them, and 
       they shall become plunder for their own slaves. Then you will know 
       that the LORD of hosts has sent me.

       (Zec 2:10 NRSV)  Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! For lo, I will 
       come and dwell in your midst, says the LORD.






       (Zec 2:11 NRSV)  Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on 
       that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in your midst. And 
       you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.

       (Zec 2:12 NRSV)  The LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the 
       holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.

       (Zec 2:13 NRSV)  Be silent, all people, before the LORD; for he has 
       roused himself from his holy dwelling.

       (Zec 3:1 NRSV)  Then he showed me the high priest Joshua standing 
       before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to 
       accuse him.

       (Zec 3:2 NRSV)  And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, O 
       Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this man a 
       brand plucked from the fire?"

       (Zec 3:3 NRSV)  Now Joshua was dressed with filthy clothes as he stood 
       before the angel.

       (Zec 3:4 NRSV)  The angel said to those who were standing before him, 
       "Take off his filthy clothes." And to him he said, "See, I have taken 
       your guilt away from you, and I will clothe you with festal apparel."

       (Zec 3:5 NRSV)  And I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." 
       So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with the 
       apparel; and the angel of the LORD was standing by.

       (Zec 3:6 NRSV)  Then the angel of the LORD assured Joshua, saying

       (Zec 3:7 NRSV)  "Thus says the LORD of hosts: If you will walk in my 
       ways and keep my requirements, then you shall rule my house and have 
       charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among 
       those who are standing here.

       (Zec 3:8 NRSV)  Now listen, Joshua, high priest, you and your 
       colleagues who sit before you! For they are an omen of things to come: 
       I am going to bring my servant the Branch.

       (Zec 3:9 NRSV)  For on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a 
       single stone with seven facets, I will engrave its inscription, says 
       the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the guilt of this land in a 
       single day.

       (Zec 3:10 NRSV)  On that day, says the LORD of hosts, you shall invite 
       each other to come under your vine and fig tree."

       (Zec 4:1 NRSV)  The angel who talked with me came again, and wakened 
       me, as one is wakened from sleep.

       (Zec 4:2 NRSV)  He said to me, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see a 
       lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it; there are seven 
       lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top 
       of it.






       (Zec 4:3 NRSV)  And by it there are two olive trees, one on the right 
       of the bowl and the other on its left."

       (Zec 4:4 NRSV)  I said to the angel who talked with me, "What are 
       these, my lord?"

       (Zec 4:5 NRSV)  Then the angel who talked with me answered me, "Do you 
       not know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord."

       (Zec 4:6 NRSV)  He said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to 
       Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the 
       LORD of hosts.

       (Zec 4:7 NRSV)  What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you 
       shall become a plain; and he shall bring out the top stone amid shouts 
       of 'Grace, grace to it!'"

       (Zec 4:8 NRSV)  Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

       (Zec 4:9 NRSV)  "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of 
       this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that 
       the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.

       (Zec 4:10 NRSV)  For whoever has despised the day of small things 
       shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel. 
       "These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole 
       earth."

       (Zec 4:11 NRSV)  Then I said to him, "What are these two olive trees 
       on the right and the left of the lampstand?"

       (Zec 4:12 NRSV)  And a second time I said to him, "What are these two 
       branches of the olive trees, which pour out the oil through the two 
       golden pipes?"

       (Zec 4:13 NRSV)  He said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" I 
       said, "No, my lord."

       (Zec 4:14 NRSV)  Then he said, "These are the two anointed ones who 
       stand by the Lord of the whole earth."

       (Zec 5:1 NRSV)  Again I looked up and saw a flying scroll.

       (Zec 5:2 NRSV)  And he said to me, "What do you see?" I answered, "I 
       see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten 
       cubits."

       (Zec 5:3 NRSV)  Then he said to me, "This is the curse that goes out 
       over the face of the whole land; for everyone who steals shall be cut 
       off according to the writing on one side, and everyone who swears 
       falsely shall be cut off according to the writing on the other side.

       (Zec 5:4 NRSV)  I have sent it out, says the LORD of hosts, and it 
       shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of anyone who swears 
       falsely by my name; and it shall abide in that house and consume it, 





       both timber and stones."

       (Zec 5:5 NRSV)  Then the angel who talked with me came forward and 
       said to me, "Look up and see what this is that is coming out."

       (Zec 5:6 NRSV)  I said, "What is it?" He said, "This is a basket 
       coming out." And he said, "This is their iniquity in all the land."

       (Zec 5:7 NRSV)  Then a leaden cover was lifted, and there was a woman 
       sitting in the basket!

       (Zec 5:8 NRSV)  And he said, "This is Wickedness." So he thrust her 
       back into the basket, and pressed the leaden weight down on its mouth.

       (Zec 5:9 NRSV)  Then I looked up and saw two women coming forward. The 
       wind was in their wings; they had wings like the wings of a stork, and 
       they lifted up the basket between earth and sky.

       (Zec 5:10 NRSV)  Then I said to the angel who talked with me, "Where 
       are they taking the basket?"

       (Zec 5:11 NRSV)  He said to me, "To the land of Shinar, to build a 
       house for it; and when this is prepared, they will set the basket down 
       there on its base."

       (Zec 6:1 NRSV)  And again I looked up and saw four chariots coming out 
       from between two mountains--mountains of bronze.

       (Zec 6:2 NRSV)  The first chariot had red horses, the second chariot 
       black horses,

       (Zec 6:3 NRSV)  the third chariot white horses, and the fourth chariot 
       dappled gray horses.

       (Zec 6:4 NRSV)  Then I said to the angel who talked with me, "What are 
       these, my lord?"

       (Zec 6:5 NRSV)  The angel answered me, "These are the four winds of 
       heaven going out, after presenting themselves before the LORD of all 
       the earth.

       (Zec 6:6 NRSV)  The chariot with the black horses goes toward the 
       north country, the white ones go toward the west country, and the 
       dappled ones go toward the south country."

       (Zec 6:7 NRSV)  When the steeds came out, they were impatient to get 
       off and patrol the earth. And he said, "Go, patrol the earth." So they 
       patrolled the earth.

       (Zec 6:8 NRSV)  Then he cried out to me, "Lo, those who go toward the 
       north country have set my spirit at rest in the north country."

       (Zec 6:9 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to me:

       (Zec 6:10 NRSV)  Collect silver and gold from the exiles--from Heldai, 
       Tobijah, and Jedaiah--who have arrived from Babylon; and go the same 





       day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah.

       (Zec 6:11 NRSV)  Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it 
       on the head of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak;

       (Zec 6:12 NRSV)  say to him: Thus says the LORD of hosts: Here is a 
       man whose name is Branch: for he shall branch out in his place, and he 
       shall build the temple of the LORD.

       (Zec 6:13 NRSV)  It is he that shall build the temple of the LORD; he 
       shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. There 
       shall be a priest by his throne, with peaceful understanding between 
       the two of them.

       (Zec 6:14 NRSV)  And the crown shall be in the care of Heldai, 
       Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Josiah son of Zephaniah, as a memorial in the 
       temple of the LORD.

       (Zec 6:15 NRSV)  Those who are far off shall come and help to build 
       the temple of the LORD; and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has 
       sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the voice of 
       the LORD your God.

       (Zec 7:1 NRSV)  In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the 
       LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is 
       Chislev.

       (Zec 7:2 NRSV)  Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and 
       Regem-melech and their men, to entreat the favor of the LORD,

       (Zec 7:3 NRSV)  and to ask the priests of the house of the LORD of 
       hosts and the prophets, "Should I mourn and practice abstinence in the 
       fifth month, as I have done for so many years?"

       (Zec 7:4 NRSV)  Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me:

       (Zec 7:5 NRSV)  Say to all the people of the land and the priests: 
       When you fasted and lamented in the fifth month and in the seventh, 
       for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted?

       (Zec 7:6 NRSV)  And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat 
       and drink only for yourselves?

       (Zec 7:7 NRSV)  Were not these the words that the LORD proclaimed by 
       the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, 
       along with the towns around it, and when the Negeb and the Shephelah 
       were inhabited?

       (Zec 7:8 NRSV)  The word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying:

       (Zec 7:9 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts: Render true judgments, 
       show kindness and mercy to one another;

       (Zec 7:10 NRSV)  do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or 
       the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.





       (Zec 7:11 NRSV)  But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn 
       shoulder, and stopped their ears in order not to hear.

       (Zec 7:12 NRSV)  They made their hearts adamant in order not to hear 
       the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by his spirit 
       through the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from the LORD 
       of hosts.

       (Zec 7:13 NRSV)  Just as, when I called, they would not hear, so, when 
       they called, I would not hear, says the LORD of hosts,

       (Zec 7:14 NRSV)  and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the 
       nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, 
       so that no one went to and fro, and a pleasant land was made desolate.

       (Zec 8:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying:

       (Zec 8:2 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am jealous for Zion 
       with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath.

       (Zec 8:3 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD: I will return to Zion, and will 
       dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the 
       faithful city, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts shall be called 
       the holy mountain.

       (Zec 8:4 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts: Old men and old women 
       shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand 
       because of their great age.

       (Zec 8:5 NRSV)  And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and 
       girls playing in its streets.

       (Zec 8:6 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts: Even though it seems 
       impossible to the remnant of this people in these days, should it also 
       seem impossible to me, says the LORD of hosts?

       (Zec 8:7 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts: I will save my people 
       from the east country and from the west country;

       (Zec 8:8 NRSV)  and I will bring them to live in Jerusalem. They shall 
       be my people and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in 
       righteousness.

       (Zec 8:9 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts: Let your hands be 
       strong--you that have recently been hearing these words from the 
       mouths of the prophets who were present when the foundation was laid 
       for the rebuilding of the temple, the house of the LORD of hosts.

       (Zec 8:10 NRSV)  For before those days there were no wages for people 
       or for animals, nor was there any safety from the foe for those who 
       went out or came in, and I set them all against one other.

       (Zec 8:11 NRSV)  But now I will not deal with the remnant of this 
       people as in the former days, says the LORD of hosts.

       (Zec 8:12 NRSV)  For there shall be a sowing of peace; the vine shall 





       yield its fruit, the ground shall give its produce, and the skies 
       shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to 
       possess all these things.

       (Zec 8:13 NRSV)  Just as you have been a cursing among the nations, O 
       house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you and you shall 
       be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.

       (Zec 8:14 NRSV)  For thus says the LORD of hosts: Just as I purposed 
       to bring disaster upon you, when your ancestors provoked me to wrath, 
       and I did not relent, says the LORD of hosts,

       (Zec 8:15 NRSV)  so again I have purposed in these days to do good to 
       Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; do not be afraid.

       (Zec 8:16 NRSV)  These are the things that you shall do: Speak the 
       truth to one another, render in your gates judgments that are true and 
       make for peace,

       (Zec 8:17 NRSV)  do not devise evil in your hearts against one 
       another, and love no false oath; for all these are things that I hate, 
       says the LORD.

       (Zec 8:18 NRSV)  The word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying:

       (Zec 8:19 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts: The fast of the fourth 
       month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the 
       fast of the tenth, shall be seasons of joy and gladness, and cheerful 
       festivals for the house of Judah: therefore love truth and peace.

       (Zec 8:20 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, 
       the inhabitants of many cities;

       (Zec 8:21 NRSV)  the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, 
       saying, "Come, let us go to entreat the favor of the LORD, and to seek 
       the LORD of hosts; I myself am going."

       (Zec 8:22 NRSV)  Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek 
       the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of the LORD.

       (Zec 8:23 NRSV)  Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men 
       from nations of every language shall take hold of a Jew, grasping his 
       garment and saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is 
       with you."

       (Zec 9:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach 
       and will rest upon Damascus. For to the LORD belongs the capital of 
       Aram, as do all the tribes of Israel;

       (Zec 9:2 NRSV)  Hamath also, which borders on it, Tyre and Sidon, 
       though they are very wise.

       (Zec 9:3 NRSV)  Tyre has built itself a rampart, and heaped up silver 
       like dust, and gold like the dirt of the streets.

       (Zec 9:4 NRSV)  But now, the Lord will strip it of its possessions and 





       hurl its wealth into the sea, and it shall be devoured by fire.

       (Zec 9:5 NRSV)  Ashkelon shall see it and be afraid; Gaza too, and 
       shall writhe in anguish; Ekron also, because its hopes are withered. 
       The king shall perish from Gaza; Ashkelon shall be uninhabited;

       (Zec 9:6 NRSV)  a mongrel people shall settle in Ashdod, and I will 
       make an end of the pride of Philistia.

       (Zec 9:7 NRSV)  I will take away its blood from its mouth, and its 
       abominations from between its teeth; it too shall be a remnant for our 
       God; it shall be like a clan in Judah, and Ekron shall be like the 
       Jebusites.

       (Zec 9:8 NRSV)  Then I will encamp at my house as a guard, so that no 
       one shall march to and fro; no oppressor shall again overrun them, for 
       now I have seen with my own eyes.

       (Zec 9:9 NRSV)  Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O 
       daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and 
       victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal 
       of a donkey.

       (Zec 9:10 NRSV)  He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war 
       horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he 
       shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to 
       sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

       (Zec 9:11 NRSV)  As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant 
       with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

       (Zec 9:12 NRSV)  Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today 
       I declare that I will restore to you double.

       (Zec 9:13 NRSV)  For I have bent Judah as my bow; I have made Ephraim 
       its arrow. I will arouse your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O 
       Greece, and wield you like a warrior's sword.

       (Zec 9:14 NRSV)  Then the LORD will appear over them, and his arrow go 
       forth like lightning; the Lord GOD will sound the trumpet and march 
       forth in the whirlwinds of the south.

       (Zec 9:15 NRSV)  The LORD of hosts will protect them, and they shall 
       devour and tread down the slingers; they shall drink their blood like 
       wine, and be full like a bowl, drenched like the corners of the altar.

       (Zec 9:16 NRSV)  On that day the LORD their God will save them for 
       they are the flock of his people; for like the jewels of a crown they 
       shall shine on his land.

       (Zec 9:17 NRSV)  For what goodness and beauty are his! Grain shall 
       make the young men flourish, and new wine the young women.

       (Zec 10:1 NRSV)  Ask rain from the LORD in the season of the spring 
       rain, from the LORD who makes the storm clouds, who gives showers of 
       rain to you, the vegetation in the field to everyone.






       (Zec 10:2 NRSV)  For the teraphim utter nonsense, and the diviners see 
       lies; the dreamers tell false dreams, and give empty consolation. 
       Therefore the people wander like sheep; they suffer for lack of a 
       shepherd.

       (Zec 10:3 NRSV)  My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will 
       punish the leaders; for the LORD of hosts cares for his flock, the 
       house of Judah, and will make them like his proud war horse.

       (Zec 10:4 NRSV)  Out of them shall come the cornerstone, out of them 
       the tent peg, out of them the battle bow, out of them every commander.

       (Zec 10:5 NRSV)  Together they shall be like warriors in battle, 
       trampling the foe in the mud of the streets; they shall fight, for the 
       LORD is with them, and they shall put to shame the riders on horses.

       (Zec 10:6 NRSV)  I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save 
       the house of Joseph. I will bring them back because I have compassion 
       on them, and they shall be as though I had not rejected them; for I am 
       the LORD their God and I will answer them.

       (Zec 10:7 NRSV)  Then the people of Ephraim shall become like 
       warriors, and their hearts shall be glad as with wine. Their children 
       shall see it and rejoice, their hearts shall exult in the LORD.

       (Zec 10:8 NRSV)  I will signal for them and gather them in, for I have 
       redeemed them, and they shall be as numerous as they were before.

       (Zec 10:9 NRSV)  Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far 
       countries they shall remember me, and they shall rear their children 
       and return.

       (Zec 10:10 NRSV)  I will bring them home from the land of Egypt, and 
       gather them from Assyria; I will bring them to the land of Gilead and 
       to Lebanon, until there is no room for them.

       (Zec 10:11 NRSV)  They shall pass through the sea of distress, and the 
       waves of the sea shall be struck down, and all the depths of the Nile 
       dried up. The pride of Assyria shall be laid low, and the scepter of 
       Egypt shall depart.

       (Zec 10:12 NRSV)  I will make them strong in the LORD, and they shall 
       walk in his name, says the LORD.

       (Zec 11:1 NRSV)  Open your doors, O Lebanon, so that fire may devour 
       your cedars!

       (Zec 11:2 NRSV)  Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, for the 
       glorious trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the thick forest 
       has been felled!

       (Zec 11:3 NRSV)  Listen, the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is 
       despoiled! Listen, the roar of the lions, for the thickets of the 
       Jordan are destroyed!





       (Zec 11:4 NRSV)  Thus said the LORD my God: Be a shepherd of the flock 
       doomed to slaughter.

       (Zec 11:5 NRSV)  Those who buy them kill them and go unpunished; and 
       those who sell them say, "Blessed be the LORD, for I have become 
       rich"; and their own shepherds have no pity on them.

       (Zec 11:6 NRSV)  For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of 
       the earth, says the LORD. I will cause them, every one, to fall each 
       into the hand of a neighbor, and each into the hand of the king; and 
       they shall devastate the earth, and I will deliver no one from their 
       hand.

       (Zec 11:7 NRSV)  So, on behalf of the sheep merchants, I became the 
       shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter. I took two staffs; one I 
       named Favor, the other I named Unity, and I tended the sheep.

       (Zec 11:8 NRSV)  In one month I disposed of the three shepherds, for I 
       had become impatient with them, and they also detested me.

       (Zec 11:9 NRSV)  So I said, "I will not be your shepherd. What is to 
       die, let it die; what is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed; and let 
       those that are left devour the flesh of one another!"

       (Zec 11:10 NRSV)  I took my staff Favor and broke it, annulling the 
       covenant that I had made with all the peoples.

       (Zec 11:11 NRSV)  So it was annulled on that day, and the sheep 
       merchants, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the 
       LORD.

       (Zec 11:12 NRSV)  I then said to them, "If it seems right to you, give 
       me my wages; but if not, keep them." So they weighed out as my wages 
       thirty shekels of silver.

       (Zec 11:13 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to me, "Throw it into the 
       treasury"--this lordly price at which I was valued by them. So I took 
       the thirty shekels of silver and threw them into the treasury in the 
       house of the LORD.

       (Zec 11:14 NRSV)  Then I broke my second staff Unity, annulling the 
       family ties between Judah and Israel.

       (Zec 11:15 NRSV)  Then the LORD said to me: Take once more the 
       implements of a worthless shepherd.

       (Zec 11:16 NRSV)  For I am now raising up in the land a shepherd who 
       does not care for the perishing, or seek the wandering, or heal the 
       maimed, or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, 
       tearing off even their hoofs.

       (Zec 11:17 NRSV)  Oh, my worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! 
       May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! Let his arm be 
       completely withered, his right eye utterly blinded!

       (Zec 12:1 NRSV)  The word of the LORD concerning Israel: Thus says the 





       LORD, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed 
       the human spirit within:

       (Zec 12:2 NRSV)  See, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of reeling 
       for all the surrounding peoples; it will be against Judah also in the 
       siege against Jerusalem.

       (Zec 12:3 NRSV)  On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for 
       all the peoples; all who lift it shall grievously hurt themselves. And 
       all the nations of the earth shall come together against it.

       (Zec 12:4 NRSV)  On that day, says the LORD, I will strike every horse 
       with panic, and its rider with madness. But on the house of Judah I 
       will keep a watchful eye, when I strike every horse of the peoples 
       with blindness.

       (Zec 12:5 NRSV)  Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, "The 
       inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the LORD of hosts, 
       their God."

       (Zec 12:6 NRSV)  On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a 
       blazing pot on a pile of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves; and 
       they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding 
       peoples, while Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place, in 
       Jerusalem.

       (Zec 12:7 NRSV)  And the LORD will give victory to the tents of Judah 
       first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the 
       inhabitants of Jerusalem may not be exalted over that of Judah.

       (Zec 12:8 NRSV)  On that day the LORD will shield the inhabitants of 
       Jerusalem so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like 
       David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the 
       LORD, at their head.

       (Zec 12:9 NRSV)  And on that day I will seek to destroy all the 
       nations that come against Jerusalem.

       (Zec 12:10 NRSV)  And I will pour out a spirit of compassion and 
       supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, 
       so that, when they look on the one whom they have pierced, they shall 
       mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over 
       him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

       (Zec 12:11 NRSV)  On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as 
       great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.

       (Zec 12:12 NRSV)  The land shall mourn, each family by itself; the 
       family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; 
       the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by 
       themselves;

       (Zec 12:13 NRSV)  the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their 
       wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their 
       wives by themselves;





       (Zec 12:14 NRSV)  and all the families that are left, each by itself, 
       and their wives by themselves.

       (Zec 13:1 NRSV)  On that day a fountain shall be opened for the house 
       of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin 
       and impurity.

       (Zec 13:2 NRSV)  On that day, says the LORD of hosts, I will cut off 
       the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered 
       no more; and also I will remove from the land the prophets and the 
       unclean spirit.

       (Zec 13:3 NRSV)  And if any prophets appear again, their fathers and 
       mothers who bore them will say to them, "You shall not live, for you 
       speak lies in the name of the LORD"; and their fathers and their 
       mothers who bore them shall pierce them through when they prophesy.

       (Zec 13:4 NRSV)  On that day the prophets will be ashamed, every one, 
       of their visions when they prophesy; they will not put on a hairy 
       mantle in order to deceive,

       (Zec 13:5 NRSV)  but each of them will say, "I am no prophet, I am a 
       tiller of the soil; for the land has been my possession since my 
       youth."

       (Zec 13:6 NRSV)  And if anyone asks them, "What are these wounds on 
       your chest?" the answer will be "The wounds I received in the house of 
       my friends."

       (Zec 13:7 NRSV)  "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man 
       who is my associate," says the LORD of hosts. Strike the shepherd, 
       that the sheep may be scattered; I will turn my hand against the 
       little ones.

       (Zec 13:8 NRSV)  In the whole land, says the LORD, two-thirds shall be 
       cut off and perish, and one-third shall be left alive.

       (Zec 13:9 NRSV)  And I will put this third into the fire, refine them 
       as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call 
       on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, "They are my people"; 
       and they will say, "The LORD is our God."

       (Zec 14:1 NRSV)  See, a day is coming for the LORD, when the plunder 
       taken from you will be divided in your midst.

       (Zec 14:2 NRSV)  For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem 
       to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses looted and the 
       women raped; half the city shall go into exile, but the rest of the 
       people shall not be cut off from the city.

       (Zec 14:3 NRSV)  Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those 
       nations as when he fights on a day of battle.

       (Zec 14:4 NRSV)  On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of 
       Olives, which lies before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of 
       Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley; 





       so that one half of the Mount shall withdraw northward, and the other 
       half southward.

       (Zec 14:5 NRSV)  And you shall flee by the valley of the Lord's 
       mountain, for the valley between the mountains shall reach to Azal; 
       and you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King 
       Uzziah of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones 
       with him.

       (Zec 14:6 NRSV)  On that day there shall not be either cold or frost.

       (Zec 14:7 NRSV)  And there shall be continuous day (it is known to the 
       LORD), not day and not night, for at evening time there shall be 
       light.

       (Zec 14:8 NRSV)  On that day living waters shall flow out from 
       Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the 
       western sea; it shall continue in summer as in winter.

       (Zec 14:9 NRSV)  And the LORD will become king over all the earth; on 
       that day the LORD will be one and his name one.

       (Zec 14:10 NRSV)  The whole land shall be turned into a plain from 
       Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on 
       its site from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to 
       the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's wine 
       presses.

       (Zec 14:11 NRSV)  And it shall be inhabited, for never again shall it 
       be doomed to destruction; Jerusalem shall abide in security.

       (Zec 14:12 NRSV)  This shall be the plague with which the LORD will 
       strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh 
       shall rot while they are still on their feet; their eyes shall rot in 
       their sockets, and their tongues shall rot in their mouths.

       (Zec 14:13 NRSV)  On that day a great panic from the LORD shall fall 
       on them, so that each will seize the hand of a neighbor, and the hand 
       of the one will be raised against the hand of the other;

       (Zec 14:14 NRSV)  even Judah will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth 
       of all the surrounding nations shall be collected--gold, silver, and 
       garments in great abundance.

       (Zec 14:15 NRSV)  And a plague like this plague shall fall on the 
       horses, the mules, the camels, the donkeys, and whatever animals may 
       be in those camps.

       (Zec 14:16 NRSV)  Then all who survive of the nations that have come 
       against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the 
       LORD of hosts, and to keep the festival of booths.

       (Zec 14:17 NRSV)  If any of the families of the earth do not go up to 
       Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no 
       rain upon them.





       (Zec 14:18 NRSV)  And if the family of Egypt do not go up and present 
       themselves, then on them shall come the plague that the LORD inflicts 
       on the nations that do not go up to keep the festival of booths.

       (Zec 14:19 NRSV)  Such shall be the punishment of Egypt and the 
       punishment of all the nations that do not go up to keep the festival 
       of booths.

       (Zec 14:20 NRSV)  On that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of 
       the horses, "Holy to the LORD." And the cooking pots in the house of 
       the LORD shall be as holy as the bowls in front of the altar;

       (Zec 14:21 NRSV)  and every cooking pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall 
       be sacred to the LORD of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and 
       use them to boil the flesh of the sacrifice. And there shall no longer 
       be traders in the house of the LORD of hosts on that day.

       (Mal 1:1 NRSV)  An oracle. The word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.

       (Mal 1:2 NRSV)  I have loved you, says the LORD. But you say, "How 
       have you loved us?" Is not Esau Jacob's brother? says the LORD. Yet I 
       have loved Jacob

       (Mal 1:3 NRSV)  but I have hated Esau; I have made his hill country a 
       desolation and his heritage a desert for jackals.

       (Mal 1:4 NRSV)  If Edom says, "We are shattered but we will rebuild 
       the ruins," the LORD of hosts says: They may build, but I will tear 
       down, until they are called the wicked country, the people with whom 
       the LORD is angry forever.

       (Mal 1:5 NRSV)  Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, 
       "Great is the LORD beyond the borders of Israel!"

       (Mal 1:6 NRSV)  A son honors his father, and servants their master. If 
       then I am a father, where is the honor due me? And if I am a master, 
       where is the respect due me? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, 
       who despise my name. You say, "How have we despised your name?"

       (Mal 1:7 NRSV)  By offering polluted food on my altar. And you say, 
       "How have we polluted it?" By thinking that the Lord's table may be 
       despised.

       (Mal 1:8 NRSV)  When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not 
       wrong? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not 
       wrong? Try presenting that to your governor; will he be pleased with 
       you or show you favor? says the LORD of hosts.

       (Mal 1:9 NRSV)  And now implore the favor of God, that he may be 
       gracious to us. The fault is yours. Will he show favor to any of you? 
       says the LORD of hosts.

       (Mal 1:10 NRSV)  Oh, that someone among you would shut the temple 
       doors, so that you would not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have 
       no pleasure in you, says the LORD of hosts, and I will not accept an 
       offering from your hands.






       (Mal 1:11 NRSV)  For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name 
       is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to 
       my name, and a pure offering; for my name is great among the nations, 
       says the LORD of hosts.

       (Mal 1:12 NRSV)  But you profane it when you say that the Lord's table 
       is polluted, and the food for it may be despised.

       (Mal 1:13 NRSV)  "What a weariness this is," you say, and you sniff at 
       me, says the LORD of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence 
       or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I 
       accept that from your hand? says the LORD.

       (Mal 1:14 NRSV)  Cursed be the cheat who has a male in the flock and 
       vows to give it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished; for 
       I am a great King, says the LORD of hosts, and my name is reverenced 
       among the nations.

       (Mal 2:1 NRSV)  And now, O priests, this command is for you.

       (Mal 2:2 NRSV)  If you will not listen, if you will not lay it to 
       heart to give glory to my name, says the LORD of hosts, then I will 
       send the curse on you and I will curse your blessings; indeed I have 
       already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart.

       (Mal 2:3 NRSV)  I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your 
       faces, the dung of your offerings, and I will put you out of my 
       presence.

       (Mal 2:4 NRSV)  Know, then, that I have sent this command to you, that 
       my covenant with Levi may hold, says the LORD of hosts.

       (Mal 2:5 NRSV)  My covenant with him was a covenant of life and 
       well-being, which I gave him; this called for reverence, and he 
       revered me and stood in awe of my name.

       (Mal 2:6 NRSV)  True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was 
       found on his lips. He walked with me in integrity and uprightness, and 
       he turned many from iniquity.

       (Mal 2:7 NRSV)  For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and 
       people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger 
       of the LORD of hosts.

       (Mal 2:8 NRSV)  But you have turned aside from the way; you have 
       caused many to stumble by your instruction; you have corrupted the 
       covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts,

       (Mal 2:9 NRSV)  and so I make you despised and abased before all the 
       people, inasmuch as you have not kept my ways but have shown 
       partiality in your instruction.

       (Mal 2:10 NRSV)  Have we not all one father? Has not one God created 
       us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant 
       of our ancestors?






       (Mal 2:11 NRSV)  Judah has been faithless, and abomination has been 
       committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the 
       sanctuary of the LORD, which he loves, and has married the daughter of 
       a foreign god.

       (Mal 2:12 NRSV)  May the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob anyone 
       who does this--any to witness or answer, or to bring an offering to 
       the LORD of hosts.

       (Mal 2:13 NRSV)  And this you do as well: You cover the Lord's altar 
       with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the 
       offering or accepts it with favor at your hand.

       (Mal 2:14 NRSV)  You ask, "Why does he not?" Because the LORD was a 
       witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been 
       faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.

       (Mal 2:15 NRSV)  Did not one God make her? Both flesh and spirit are 
       his. And what does the one God desire? Godly offspring. So look to 
       yourselves, and do not let anyone be faithless to the wife of his 
       youth.

       (Mal 2:16 NRSV)  For I hate divorce, says the LORD, the God of Israel, 
       and covering one's garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So 
       take heed to yourselves and do not be faithless.

       (Mal 2:17 NRSV)  You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you 
       say, "How have we wearied him?" By saying, "All who do evil are good 
       in the sight of the LORD, and he delights in them." Or by asking, 
       "Where is the God of justice?"

       (Mal 3:1 NRSV)  See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way 
       before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his 
       temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight--indeed, he 
       is coming, says the LORD of hosts.

       (Mal 3:2 NRSV)  But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can 
       stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like 
       fullers' soap;

       (Mal 3:3 NRSV)  he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and 
       he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and 
       silver, until they present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.

       (Mal 3:4 NRSV)  Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be 
       pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.

       (Mal 3:5 NRSV)  Then I will draw near to you for judgment; I will be 
       swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, 
       against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired 
       workers in their wages, the widow and the orphan, against those who 
       thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.

       (Mal 3:6 NRSV)  For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O 
       children of Jacob, have not perished.






       (Mal 3:7 NRSV)  Ever since the days of your ancestors you have turned 
       aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I 
       will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, "How shall we 
       return?"

       (Mal 3:8 NRSV)  Will anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing me! But you 
       say, "How are we robbing you?" In your tithes and offerings!

       (Mal 3:9 NRSV)  You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing 
       me--the whole nation of you!

       (Mal 3:10 NRSV)  Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that 
       there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the 
       LORD of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you 
       and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.

       (Mal 3:11 NRSV)  I will rebuke the locust for you, so that it will not 
       destroy the produce of your soil; and your vine in the field shall not 
       be barren, says the LORD of hosts.

       (Mal 3:12 NRSV)  Then all nations will count you happy, for you will 
       be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts.

       (Mal 3:13 NRSV)  You have spoken harsh words against me, says the 
       LORD. Yet you say, "How have we spoken against you?"

       (Mal 3:14 NRSV)  You have said, "It is vain to serve God. What do we 
       profit by keeping his command or by going about as mourners before the 
       LORD of hosts?

       (Mal 3:15 NRSV)  Now we count the arrogant happy; evildoers not only 
       prosper, but when they put God to the test they escape."

       (Mal 3:16 NRSV)  Then those who revered the LORD spoke with one 
       another. The LORD took note and listened, and a book of remembrance 
       was written before him of those who revered the LORD and thought on 
       his name.

       (Mal 3:17 NRSV)  They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, my 
       special possession on the day when I act, and I will spare them as 
       parents spare their children who serve them.

       (Mal 3:18 NRSV)  Then once more you shall see the difference between 
       the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who 
       does not serve him.

       (Mal 4:1 NRSV)  See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all 
       the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes 
       shall burn them up, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them 
       neither root nor branch.

       (Mal 4:2 NRSV)  But for you who revere my name the sun of 
       righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings. You shall go out 
       leaping like calves from the stall.





       (Mal 4:3 NRSV)  And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be 
       ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the 
       LORD of hosts.

       (Mal 4:4 NRSV)  Remember the teaching of my servant Moses, the 
       statutes and ordinances that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.

       (Mal 4:5 NRSV)  Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the 
       great and terrible day of the LORD comes.

       (Mal 4:6 NRSV)  He will turn the hearts of parents to their children 
       and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come 
       and strike the land with a curse.

       (Mat 1:1 NRSV)  An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the 
       son of David, the son of Abraham.

       (Mat 1:2 NRSV)  Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father 
       of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

       (Mat 1:3 NRSV)  and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and 
       Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram,

       (Mat 1:4 NRSV)  and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the 
       father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon,

       (Mat 1:5 NRSV)  and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the 
       father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,

       (Mat 1:6 NRSV)  and Jesse the father of King David. And David was the 
       father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,

       (Mat 1:7 NRSV)  and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the 
       father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,

       (Mat 1:8 NRSV)  and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat 
       the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah,

       (Mat 1:9 NRSV)  and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father 
       of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

       (Mat 1:10 NRSV)  and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the 
       father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah,

       (Mat 1:11 NRSV)  and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, 
       at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

       (Mat 1:12 NRSV)  And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was 
       the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel,

       (Mat 1:13 NRSV)  and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the 
       father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor,

       (Mat 1:14 NRSV)  and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of 
       Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud,





       (Mat 1:15 NRSV)  and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the 
       father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob,

       (Mat 1:16 NRSV)  and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, 
       of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

       (Mat 1:17 NRSV)  So all the generations from Abraham to David are 
       fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, 
       fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the 
       Messiah, fourteen generations.

       (Mat 1:18 NRSV)  Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this 
       way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they 
       lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

       (Mat 1:19 NRSV)  Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and 
       unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her 
       quietly.

       (Mat 1:20 NRSV)  But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of 
       the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, 
       do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in 
       her is from the Holy Spirit.

       (Mat 1:21 NRSV)  She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, 
       for he will save his people from their sins."

       (Mat 1:22 NRSV)  All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken 
       by the Lord through the prophet:

       (Mat 1:23 NRSV)  "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and 
       they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us."

       (Mat 1:24 NRSV)  When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of 
       the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,

       (Mat 1:25 NRSV)  but had no marital relations with her until she had 
       borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

       (Mat 2:1 NRSV)  In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in 
       Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,

       (Mat 2:2 NRSV)  asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of 
       the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay 
       him homage."

       (Mat 2:3 NRSV)  When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all 
       Jerusalem with him;

       (Mat 2:4 NRSV)  and calling together all the chief priests and scribes 
       of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

       (Mat 2:5 NRSV)  They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has 
       been written by the prophet:

       (Mat 2:6 NRSV)  'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no 





       means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler 
       who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"

       (Mat 2:7 NRSV)  Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and 
       learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.

       (Mat 2:8 NRSV)  Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search 
       diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word 
       so that I may also go and pay him homage."

       (Mat 2:9 NRSV)  When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, 
       ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until 
       it stopped over the place where the child was.

       (Mat 2:10 NRSV)  When they saw that the star had stopped, they were 
       overwhelmed with joy.

       (Mat 2:11 NRSV)  On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary 
       his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening 
       their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, 
       and myrrh.

       (Mat 2:12 NRSV)  And having been warned in a dream not to return to 
       Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

       (Mat 2:13 NRSV)  Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord 
       appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and 
       his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for 
       Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him."

       (Mat 2:14 NRSV)  Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by 
       night, and went to Egypt,

       (Mat 2:15 NRSV)  and remained there until the death of Herod. This was 
       to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, "Out 
       of Egypt I have called my son."

       (Mat 2:16 NRSV)  When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise 
       men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and 
       around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the 
       time that he had learned from the wise men.

       (Mat 2:17 NRSV)  Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the 
       prophet Jeremiah:

       (Mat 2:18 NRSV)  "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud 
       lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be 
       consoled, because they are no more."

       (Mat 2:19 NRSV)  When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly 
       appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said,

       (Mat 2:20 NRSV)  "Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the 
       land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life are dead."

       (Mat 2:21 NRSV)  Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, 





       and went to the land of Israel.

       (Mat 2:22 NRSV)  But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over 
       Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And 
       after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of 
       Galilee.

       (Mat 2:23 NRSV)  There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so 
       that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He 
       will be called a Nazorean."

       (Mat 3:1 NRSV)  In those days John the Baptist appeared in the 
       wilderness of Judea, proclaiming,

       (Mat 3:2 NRSV)  "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."

       (Mat 3:3 NRSV)  This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when 
       he said, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the 
       way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'"

       (Mat 3:4 NRSV)  Now John wore clothing of camel's hair with a leather 
       belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

       (Mat 3:5 NRSV)  Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going 
       out to him, and all the region along the Jordan,

       (Mat 3:6 NRSV)  and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, 
       confessing their sins.

       (Mat 3:7 NRSV)  But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming 
       for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to 
       flee from the wrath to come?

       (Mat 3:8 NRSV)  Bear fruit worthy of repentance.

       (Mat 3:9 NRSV)  Do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham 
       as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to 
       raise up children to Abraham.

       (Mat 3:10 NRSV)  Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; 
       every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and 
       thrown into the fire.

       (Mat 3:11 NRSV)  "I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who 
       is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry 
       his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

       (Mat 3:12 NRSV)  His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear 
       his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but 
       the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

       (Mat 3:13 NRSV)  Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, 
       to be baptized by him.

       (Mat 3:14 NRSV)  John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be 
       baptized by you, and do you come to me?"






       (Mat 3:15 NRSV)  But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is 
       proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he 
       consented.

       (Mat 3:16 NRSV)  And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up 
       from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the 
       Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.

       (Mat 3:17 NRSV)  And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the 
       Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

       (Mat 4:1 NRSV)  Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the 
       wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

       (Mat 4:2 NRSV)  He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards 
       he was famished.

       (Mat 4:3 NRSV)  The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son 
       of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."

       (Mat 4:4 NRSV)  But he answered, "It is written, 'One does not live by 
       bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

       (Mat 4:5 NRSV)  Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed 
       him on the pinnacle of the temple,

       (Mat 4:6 NRSV)  saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw 
       yourself down; for it is written, 'He will command his angels 
       concerning you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that 
       you will not dash your foot against a stone.'"

       (Mat 4:7 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'Do not put 
       the Lord your God to the test.'"

       (Mat 4:8 NRSV)  Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and 
       showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor;

       (Mat 4:9 NRSV)  and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you 
       will fall down and worship me."

       (Mat 4:10 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it is 
       written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'"

       (Mat 4:11 NRSV)  Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and 
       waited on him.

       (Mat 4:12 NRSV)  Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he 
       withdrew to Galilee.

       (Mat 4:13 NRSV)  He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by 
       the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,

       (Mat 4:14 NRSV)  so that what had been spoken through the prophet 
       Isaiah might be fulfilled:





       (Mat 4:15 NRSV)  "Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by 
       the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles--

       (Mat 4:16 NRSV)  the people who sat in darkness have seen a great 
       light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light 
       has dawned."

       (Mat 4:17 NRSV)  From that time Jesus began to proclaim, "Repent, for 
       the kingdom of heaven has come near."

       (Mat 4:18 NRSV)  As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two 
       brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting 
       a net into the sea--for they were fishermen.

       (Mat 4:19 NRSV)  And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you 
       fish for people."

       (Mat 4:20 NRSV)  Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

       (Mat 4:21 NRSV)  As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, 
       James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their 
       father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them.

       (Mat 4:22 NRSV)  Immediately they left the boat and their father, and 
       followed him.

       (Mat 4:23 NRSV)  Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their 
       synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing 
       every disease and every sickness among the people.

       (Mat 4:24 NRSV)  So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they 
       brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various 
       diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he 
       cured them.

       (Mat 4:25 NRSV)  And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the 
       Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

       (Mat 5:1 NRSV)  When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; 
       and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.

       (Mat 5:2 NRSV)  Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

       (Mat 5:3 NRSV)  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the 
       kingdom of heaven.

       (Mat 5:4 NRSV)  "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be 
       comforted.

       (Mat 5:5 NRSV)  "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the 
       earth.

       (Mat 5:6 NRSV)  "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for 
       righteousness, for they will be filled.

       (Mat 5:7 NRSV)  "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive 





       mercy.

       (Mat 5:8 NRSV)  "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

       (Mat 5:9 NRSV)  "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called 
       children of God.

       (Mat 5:10 NRSV)  "Blessed are those who are persecuted for 
       righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

       (Mat 5:11 NRSV)  "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute 
       you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

       (Mat 5:12 NRSV)  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in 
       heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were 
       before you.

       (Mat 5:13 NRSV)  "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost 
       its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for 
       anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

       (Mat 5:14 NRSV)  "You are the light of the world. A city built on a 
       hill cannot be hid.

       (Mat 5:15 NRSV)  No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel 
       basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.

       (Mat 5:16 NRSV)  In the same way, let your light shine before others, 
       so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in 
       heaven.

       (Mat 5:17 NRSV)  "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or 
       the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

       (Mat 5:18 NRSV)  For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass 
       away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the 
       law until all is accomplished.

       (Mat 5:19 NRSV)  Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these 
       commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least 
       in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will 
       be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

       (Mat 5:20 NRSV)  For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds 
       that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of 
       heaven.

       (Mat 5:21 NRSV)  "You have heard that it was said to those of ancient 
       times, 'You shall not murder'; and 'whoever murders shall be liable to 
       judgment.'

       (Mat 5:22 NRSV)  But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother 
       or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother 
       or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, 'You 
       fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire.





       (Mat 5:23 NRSV)  So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if 
       you remember that your brother or sister has something against you,

       (Mat 5:24 NRSV)  leave your gift there before the altar and go; first 
       be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your 
       gift.

       (Mat 5:25 NRSV)  Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are 
       on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the 
       judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.

       (Mat 5:26 NRSV)  Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you 
       have paid the last penny.

       (Mat 5:27 NRSV)  "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not 
       commit adultery.'

       (Mat 5:28 NRSV)  But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman 
       with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

       (Mat 5:29 NRSV)  If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and 
       throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than 
       for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

       (Mat 5:30 NRSV)  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off 
       and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members 
       than for your whole body to go into hell.

       (Mat 5:31 NRSV)  "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let 
       him give her a certificate of divorce.'

       (Mat 5:32 NRSV)  But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, 
       except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and 
       whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

       (Mat 5:33 NRSV)  "Again, you have heard that it was said to those of 
       ancient times, 'You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows 
       you have made to the Lord.'

       (Mat 5:34 NRSV)  But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by 
       heaven, for it is the throne of God,

       (Mat 5:35 NRSV)  or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by 
       Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

       (Mat 5:36 NRSV)  And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make 
       one hair white or black.

       (Mat 5:37 NRSV)  Let your word be 'Yes, Yes' or 'No, No'; anything 
       more than this comes from the evil one.

       (Mat 5:38 NRSV)  "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye 
       and a tooth for a tooth.'

       (Mat 5:39 NRSV)  But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if 
       anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;






       (Mat 5:40 NRSV)  and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, 
       give your cloak as well;

       (Mat 5:41 NRSV)  and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the 
       second mile.

       (Mat 5:42 NRSV)  Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse 
       anyone who wants to borrow from you.

       (Mat 5:43 NRSV)  "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love 
       your neighbor and hate your enemy.'

       (Mat 5:44 NRSV)  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for 
       those who persecute you,

       (Mat 5:45 NRSV)  so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; 
       for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain 
       on the righteous and on the unrighteous.

       (Mat 5:46 NRSV)  For if you love those who love you, what reward do 
       you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

       (Mat 5:47 NRSV)  And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what 
       more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

       (Mat 5:48 NRSV)  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is 
       perfect.

       (Mat 6:1 NRSV)  "Beware of practicing your piety before others in 
       order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father 
       in heaven.

       (Mat 6:2 NRSV)  "So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet 
       before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, 
       so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have 
       received their reward.

       (Mat 6:3 NRSV)  But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know 
       what your right hand is doing,

       (Mat 6:4 NRSV)  so that your alms may be done in secret; and your 
       Father who sees in secret will reward you.

       (Mat 6:5 NRSV)  "And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; 
       for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street 
       corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they 
       have received their reward.

       (Mat 6:6 NRSV)  But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the 
       door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who 
       sees in secret will reward you.

       (Mat 6:7 NRSV)  "When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as 
       the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of 
       their many words.






       (Mat 6:8 NRSV)  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you 
       need before you ask him.

       (Mat 6:9 NRSV)  "Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed 
       be your name.

       (Mat 6:10 NRSV)  Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it 
       is in heaven.

       (Mat 6:11 NRSV)  Give us this day our daily bread.

       (Mat 6:12 NRSV)  And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven 
       our debtors.

       (Mat 6:13 NRSV)  And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue 
       us from the evil one.

       (Mat 6:14 NRSV)  For if you forgive others their trespasses, your 
       heavenly Father will also forgive you;

       (Mat 6:15 NRSV)  but if you do not forgive others, neither will your 
       Father forgive your trespasses.

       (Mat 6:16 NRSV)  "And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the 
       hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that 
       they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.

       (Mat 6:17 NRSV)  But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your 
       face,

       (Mat 6:18 NRSV)  so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by 
       your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will 
       reward you.

       (Mat 6:19 NRSV)  "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, 
       where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal;

       (Mat 6:20 NRSV)  but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, 
       where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in 
       and steal.

       (Mat 6:21 NRSV)  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be 
       also.

       (Mat 6:22 NRSV)  "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is 
       healthy, your whole body will be full of light;

       (Mat 6:23 NRSV)  but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be 
       full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is 
       the darkness!

       (Mat 6:24 NRSV)  "No one can serve two masters; for a slave will 
       either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and 
       despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.





       (Mat 6:25 NRSV)  "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, 
       what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you 
       will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than 
       clothing?

       (Mat 6:26 NRSV)  Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor 
       reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. 
       Are you not of more value than they?

       (Mat 6:27 NRSV)  And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to 
       your span of life?

       (Mat 6:28 NRSV)  And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the 
       lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin,

       (Mat 6:29 NRSV)  yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not 
       clothed like one of these.

       (Mat 6:30 NRSV)  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which 
       is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much 
       more clothe you--you of little faith?

       (Mat 6:31 NRSV)  Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' 
       or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?'

       (Mat 6:32 NRSV)  For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these 
       things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these 
       things.

       (Mat 6:33 NRSV)  But strive first for the kingdom of God and his 
       righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

       (Mat 6:34 NRSV)  "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will 
       bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today.

       (Mat 7:1 NRSV)  "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.

       (Mat 7:2 NRSV)  For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and 
       the measure you give will be the measure you get.

       (Mat 7:3 NRSV)  Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but 
       do not notice the log in your own eye?

       (Mat 7:4 NRSV)  Or how can you say to your neighbor, 'Let me take the 
       speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eye?

       (Mat 7:5 NRSV)  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, 
       and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's 
       eye.

       (Mat 7:6 NRSV)  "Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw 
       your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and 
       turn and maul you.

       (Mat 7:7 NRSV)  "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will 
       find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.






       (Mat 7:8 NRSV)  For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who 
       searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

       (Mat 7:9 NRSV)  Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for 
       bread, will give a stone?

       (Mat 7:10 NRSV)  Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake?

       (Mat 7:11 NRSV)  If you then, who are evil, know how to give good 
       gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give 
       good things to those who ask him!

       (Mat 7:12 NRSV)  "In everything do to others as you would have them do 
       to you; for this is the law and the prophets.

       (Mat 7:13 NRSV)  "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide 
       and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who 
       take it.

       (Mat 7:14 NRSV)  For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that 
       leads to life, and there are few who find it.

       (Mat 7:15 NRSV)  "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's 
       clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

       (Mat 7:16 NRSV)  You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes 
       gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles?

       (Mat 7:17 NRSV)  In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, 
       but the bad tree bears bad fruit.

       (Mat 7:18 NRSV)  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree 
       bear good fruit.

       (Mat 7:19 NRSV)  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down 
       and thrown into the fire.

       (Mat 7:20 NRSV)  Thus you will know them by their fruits.

       (Mat 7:21 NRSV)  "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will 
       enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my 
       Father in heaven.

       (Mat 7:22 NRSV)  On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we 
       not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do 
       many deeds of power in your name?'

       (Mat 7:23 NRSV)  Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; go 
       away from me, you evildoers.'

       (Mat 7:24 NRSV)  "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts 
       on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.

       (Mat 7:25 NRSV)  The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew 
       and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been 





       founded on rock.

       (Mat 7:26 NRSV)  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does 
       not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on 
       sand.

       (Mat 7:27 NRSV)  The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds 
       blew and beat against that house, and it fell--and great was its 
       fall!"

       (Mat 7:28 NRSV)  Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the 
       crowds were astounded at his teaching,

       (Mat 7:29 NRSV)  for he taught them as one having authority, and not 
       as their scribes.

       (Mat 8:1 NRSV)  When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great 
       crowds followed him;

       (Mat 8:2 NRSV)  and there was a leper who came to him and knelt before 
       him, saying, "Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean."

       (Mat 8:3 NRSV)  He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I 
       do choose. Be made clean!" Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

       (Mat 8:4 NRSV)  Then Jesus said to him, "See that you say nothing to 
       anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that 
       Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

       (Mat 8:5 NRSV)  When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, 
       appealing to him

       (Mat 8:6 NRSV)  and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home 
       paralyzed, in terrible distress."

       (Mat 8:7 NRSV)  And he said to him, "I will come and cure him."

       (Mat 8:8 NRSV)  The centurion answered, "Lord, I am not worthy to have 
       you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will 
       be healed.

       (Mat 8:9 NRSV)  For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers 
       under me; and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' 
       and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and the slave does it."

       (Mat 8:10 NRSV)  When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those 
       who followed him, "Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found 
       such faith.

       (Mat 8:11 NRSV)  I tell you, many will come from east and west and 
       will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,

       (Mat 8:12 NRSV)  while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into 
       the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of 
       teeth."





       (Mat 8:13 NRSV)  And to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; let it be done 
       for you according to your faith." And the servant was healed in that 
       hour.

       (Mat 8:14 NRSV)  When Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his 
       mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever;

       (Mat 8:15 NRSV)  he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she 
       got up and began to serve him.

       (Mat 8:16 NRSV)  That evening they brought to him many who were 
       possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and 
       cured all who were sick.

       (Mat 8:17 NRSV)  This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the 
       prophet Isaiah, "He took our infirmities and bore our diseases."

       (Mat 8:18 NRSV)  Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave 
       orders to go over to the other side.

       (Mat 8:19 NRSV)  A scribe then approached and said, "Teacher, I will 
       follow you wherever you go."

       (Mat 8:20 NRSV)  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds 
       of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his 
       head."

       (Mat 8:21 NRSV)  Another of his disciples said to him, "Lord, first 
       let me go and bury my father."

       (Mat 8:22 NRSV)  But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and let the dead 
       bury their own dead."

       (Mat 8:23 NRSV)  And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed 
       him.

       (Mat 8:24 NRSV)  A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat 
       was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.

       (Mat 8:25 NRSV)  And they went and woke him up, saying, "Lord, save 
       us! We are perishing!"

       (Mat 8:26 NRSV)  And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, you of 
       little faith?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and 
       there was a dead calm.

       (Mat 8:27 NRSV)  They were amazed, saying, "What sort of man is this, 
       that even the winds and the sea obey him?"

       (Mat 8:28 NRSV)  When he came to the other side, to the country of the 
       Gadarenes, two demoniacs coming out of the tombs met him. They were so 
       fierce that no one could pass that way.

       (Mat 8:29 NRSV)  Suddenly they shouted, "What have you to do with us, 
       Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?"





       (Mat 8:30 NRSV)  Now a large herd of swine was feeding at some 
       distance from them.

       (Mat 8:31 NRSV)  The demons begged him, "If you cast us out, send us 
       into the herd of swine."

       (Mat 8:32 NRSV)  And he said to them, "Go!" So they came out and 
       entered the swine; and suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the steep 
       bank into the sea and perished in the water.

       (Mat 8:33 NRSV)  The swineherds ran off, and on going into the town, 
       they told the whole story about what had happened to the demoniacs.

       (Mat 8:34 NRSV)  Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when 
       they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood.

       (Mat 9:1 NRSV)  And after getting into a boat he crossed the sea and 
       came to his own town.

       (Mat 9:2 NRSV)  And just then some people were carrying a paralyzed 
       man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the 
       paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven."

       (Mat 9:3 NRSV)  Then some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man 
       is blaspheming."

       (Mat 9:4 NRSV)  But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, "Why do 
       you think evil in your hearts?

       (Mat 9:5 NRSV)  For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' 
       or to say, 'Stand up and walk'?

       (Mat 9:6 NRSV)  But so that you may know that the Son of Man has 
       authority on earth to forgive sins"--he then said to the paralytic--" 
       Stand up, take your bed and go to your home."

       (Mat 9:7 NRSV)  And he stood up and went to his home.

       (Mat 9:8 NRSV)  When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and 
       they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.

       (Mat 9:9 NRSV)  As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called 
       Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, "Follow me." And 
       he got up and followed him.

       (Mat 9:10 NRSV)  And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax 
       collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his 
       disciples.

       (Mat 9:11 NRSV)  When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his 
       disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 
       sinners?"

       (Mat 9:12 NRSV)  But when he heard this, he said, "Those who are well 
       have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.





       (Mat 9:13 NRSV)  Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not 
       sacrifice.' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners."

       (Mat 9:14 NRSV)  Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why 
       do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?"

       (Mat 9:15 NRSV)  And Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot 
       mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will 
       come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will 
       fast.

       (Mat 9:16 NRSV)  No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old 
       cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is 
       made.

       (Mat 9:17 NRSV)  Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; 
       otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are 
       destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are 
       preserved."

       (Mat 9:18 NRSV)  While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a 
       leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, "My 
       daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she 
       will live."

       (Mat 9:19 NRSV)  And Jesus got up and followed him, with his 
       disciples.

       (Mat 9:20 NRSV)  Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from 
       hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe 
       of his cloak,

       (Mat 9:21 NRSV)  for she said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, 
       I will be made well."

       (Mat 9:22 NRSV)  Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, 
       daughter; your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was 
       made well.

       (Mat 9:23 NRSV)  When Jesus came to the leader's house and saw the 
       flute players and the crowd making a commotion,

       (Mat 9:24 NRSV)  he said, "Go away; for the girl is not dead but 
       sleeping." And they laughed at him.

       (Mat 9:25 NRSV)  But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in 
       and took her by the hand, and the girl got up.

       (Mat 9:26 NRSV)  And the report of this spread throughout that 
       district.

       (Mat 9:27 NRSV)  As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed 
       him, crying loudly, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"

       (Mat 9:28 NRSV)  When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; 
       and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" 





       They said to him, "Yes, Lord."

       (Mat 9:29 NRSV)  Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to 
       your faith let it be done to you."

       (Mat 9:30 NRSV)  And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly 
       ordered them, "See that no one knows of this."

       (Mat 9:31 NRSV)  But they went away and spread the news about him 
       throughout that district.

       (Mat 9:32 NRSV)  After they had gone away, a demoniac who was mute was 
       brought to him.

       (Mat 9:33 NRSV)  And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had 
       been mute spoke; and the crowds were amazed and said, "Never has 
       anything like this been seen in Israel."

       (Mat 9:34 NRSV)  But the Pharisees said, "By the ruler of the demons 
       he casts out the demons."

       (Mat 9:35 NRSV)  Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, 
       teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the 
       kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness.

       (Mat 9:36 NRSV)  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, 
       because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a 
       shepherd.

       (Mat 9:37 NRSV)  Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is 
       plentiful, but the laborers are few;

       (Mat 9:38 NRSV)  therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out 
       laborers into his harvest."

       (Mat 10:1 NRSV)  Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave 
       them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure 
       every disease and every sickness.

       (Mat 10:2 NRSV)  These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, 
       Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of 
       Zebedee, and his brother John;

       (Mat 10:3 NRSV)  Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax 
       collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;

       (Mat 10:4 NRSV)  Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who 
       betrayed him.

       (Mat 10:5 NRSV)  These twelve Jesus sent out with the following 
       instructions: "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the 
       Samaritans,

       (Mat 10:6 NRSV)  but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of 
       Israel.





       (Mat 10:7 NRSV)  As you go, proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of 
       heaven has come near.'

       (Mat 10:8 NRSV)  Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, 
       cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.

       (Mat 10:9 NRSV)  Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts,

       (Mat 10:10 NRSV)  no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, 
       or a staff; for laborers deserve their food.

       (Mat 10:11 NRSV)  Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in 
       it is worthy, and stay there until you leave.

       (Mat 10:12 NRSV)  As you enter the house, greet it.

       (Mat 10:13 NRSV)  If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; 
       but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.

       (Mat 10:14 NRSV)  If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your 
       words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or 
       town.

       (Mat 10:15 NRSV)  Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the 
       land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

       (Mat 10:16 NRSV)  "See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst 
       of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

       (Mat 10:17 NRSV)  Beware of them, for they will hand you over to 
       councils and flog you in their synagogues;

       (Mat 10:18 NRSV)  and you will be dragged before governors and kings 
       because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles.

       (Mat 10:19 NRSV)  When they hand you over, do not worry about how you 
       are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be 
       given to you at that time;

       (Mat 10:20 NRSV)  for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your 
       Father speaking through you.

       (Mat 10:21 NRSV)  Brother will betray brother to death, and a father 
       his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to 
       death;

       (Mat 10:22 NRSV)  and you will be hated by all because of my name. But 
       the one who endures to the end will be saved.

       (Mat 10:23 NRSV)  When they persecute you in one town, flee to the 
       next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the 
       towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

       (Mat 10:24 NRSV)  "A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave 
       above the master;





       (Mat 10:25 NRSV)  it is enough for the disciple to be like the 
       teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master 
       of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his 
       household!

       (Mat 10:26 NRSV)  "So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up 
       that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become 
       known.

       (Mat 10:27 NRSV)  What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; 
       and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.

       (Mat 10:28 NRSV)  Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill 
       the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

       (Mat 10:29 NRSV)  Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one 
       of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.

       (Mat 10:30 NRSV)  And even the hairs of your head are all counted.

       (Mat 10:31 NRSV)  So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many 
       sparrows.

       (Mat 10:32 NRSV)  "Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before 
       others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven;

       (Mat 10:33 NRSV)  but whoever denies me before others, I also will 
       deny before my Father in heaven.

       (Mat 10:34 NRSV)  "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the 
       earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

       (Mat 10:35 NRSV)  For I have come to set a man against his father, and 
       a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her 
       mother-in-law;

       (Mat 10:36 NRSV)  and one's foes will be members of one's own 
       household.

       (Mat 10:37 NRSV)  Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not 
       worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not 
       worthy of me;

       (Mat 10:38 NRSV)  and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me 
       is not worthy of me.

       (Mat 10:39 NRSV)  Those who find their life will lose it, and those 
       who lose their life for my sake will find it.

       (Mat 10:40 NRSV)  "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever 
       welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.

       (Mat 10:41 NRSV)  Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet 
       will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous 
       person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of 
       the righteous;






       (Mat 10:42 NRSV)  and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of 
       these little ones in the name of a disciple--truly I tell you, none of 
       these will lose their reward."

       (Mat 11:1 NRSV)  Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve 
       disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in 
       their cities.

       (Mat 11:2 NRSV)  When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, 
       he sent word by his disciples

       (Mat 11:3 NRSV)  and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or 
       are we to wait for another?"

       (Mat 11:4 NRSV)  Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear 
       and see:

       (Mat 11:5 NRSV)  the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the 
       lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor 
       have good news brought to them.

       (Mat 11:6 NRSV)  And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me."

       (Mat 11:7 NRSV)  As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds 
       about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A 
       reed shaken by the wind?

       (Mat 11:8 NRSV)  What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in 
       soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces.

       (Mat 11:9 NRSV)  What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I 
       tell you, and more than a prophet.

       (Mat 11:10 NRSV)  This is the one about whom it is written, 'See, I am 
       sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before 
       you.'

       (Mat 11:11 NRSV)  Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one 
       has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom 
       of heaven is greater than he.

       (Mat 11:12 NRSV)  From the days of John the Baptist until now the 
       kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by 
       force.

       (Mat 11:13 NRSV)  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until 
       John came;

       (Mat 11:14 NRSV)  and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah 
       who is to come.

       (Mat 11:15 NRSV)  Let anyone with ears listen!

       (Mat 11:16 NRSV)  "But to what will I compare this generation? It is 
       like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,






       (Mat 11:17 NRSV)  'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; 
       we wailed, and you did not mourn.'

       (Mat 11:18 NRSV)  For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they 
       say, 'He has a demon';

       (Mat 11:19 NRSV)  the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they 
       say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and 
       sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."

       (Mat 11:20 NRSV)  Then he began to reproach the cities in which most 
       of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent.

       (Mat 11:21 NRSV)  "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if 
       the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they 
       would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

       (Mat 11:22 NRSV)  But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be 
       more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you.

       (Mat 11:23 NRSV)  And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? 
       No, you will be brought down to Hades. For if the deeds of power done 
       in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

       (Mat 11:24 NRSV)  But I tell you that on the day of judgment it will 
       be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you."

       (Mat 11:25 NRSV)  At that time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord 
       of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the 
       wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants;

       (Mat 11:26 NRSV)  yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.

       (Mat 11:27 NRSV)  All things have been handed over to me by my Father; 
       and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the 
       Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal 
       him.

       (Mat 11:28 NRSV)  "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying 
       heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

       (Mat 11:29 NRSV)  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am 
       gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

       (Mat 11:30 NRSV)  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

       (Mat 12:1 NRSV)  At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on 
       the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads 
       of grain and to eat.

       (Mat 12:2 NRSV)  When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, "Look, 
       your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath."

       (Mat 12:3 NRSV)  He said to them, "Have you not read what David did 
       when he and his companions were hungry?






       (Mat 12:4 NRSV)  He entered the house of God and ate the bread of the 
       Presence, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, 
       but only for the priests.

       (Mat 12:5 NRSV)  Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath 
       the priests in the temple break the sabbath and yet are guiltless?

       (Mat 12:6 NRSV)  I tell you, something greater than the temple is 
       here.

       (Mat 12:7 NRSV)  But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy 
       and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.

       (Mat 12:8 NRSV)  For the Son of Man is lord of the sabbath."

       (Mat 12:9 NRSV)  He left that place and entered their synagogue;

       (Mat 12:10 NRSV)  a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked 
       him, "Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath?" so that they might accuse 
       him.

       (Mat 12:11 NRSV)  He said to them, "Suppose one of you has only one 
       sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of 
       it and lift it out?

       (Mat 12:12 NRSV)  How much more valuable is a human being than a 
       sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath."

       (Mat 12:13 NRSV)  Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He 
       stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other.

       (Mat 12:14 NRSV)  But the Pharisees went out and conspired against 
       him, how to destroy him.

       (Mat 12:15 NRSV)  When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many 
       crowds followed him, and he cured all of them,

       (Mat 12:16 NRSV)  and he ordered them not to make him known.

       (Mat 12:17 NRSV)  This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the 
       prophet Isaiah:

       (Mat 12:18 NRSV)  "Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, 
       with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and 
       he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

       (Mat 12:19 NRSV)  He will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will anyone 
       hear his voice in the streets.

       (Mat 12:20 NRSV)  He will not break a bruised reed or quench a 
       smoldering wick until he brings justice to victory.

       (Mat 12:21 NRSV)  And in his name the Gentiles will hope."

       (Mat 12:22 NRSV)  Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind 





       and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could 
       speak and see.

       (Mat 12:23 NRSV)  All the crowds were amazed and said, "Can this be 
       the Son of David?"

       (Mat 12:24 NRSV)  But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "It is 
       only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out 
       the demons."

       (Mat 12:25 NRSV)  He knew what they were thinking and said to them, 
       "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or 
       house divided against itself will stand.

       (Mat 12:26 NRSV)  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against 
       himself; how then will his kingdom stand?

       (Mat 12:27 NRSV)  If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your 
       own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

       (Mat 12:28 NRSV)  But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out 
       demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

       (Mat 12:29 NRSV)  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and 
       plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then 
       indeed the house can be plundered.

       (Mat 12:30 NRSV)  Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever 
       does not gather with me scatters.

       (Mat 12:31 NRSV)  Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for 
       every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be 
       forgiven.

       (Mat 12:32 NRSV)  Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be 
       forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be 
       forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

       (Mat 12:33 NRSV)  "Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or 
       make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its 
       fruit.

       (Mat 12:34 NRSV)  You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, 
       when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth 
       speaks.

       (Mat 12:35 NRSV)  The good person brings good things out of a good 
       treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil 
       treasure.

       (Mat 12:36 NRSV)  I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to 
       give an account for every careless word you utter;

       (Mat 12:37 NRSV)  for by your words you will be justified, and by your 
       words you will be condemned."





       (Mat 12:38 NRSV)  Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, 
       "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you."

       (Mat 12:39 NRSV)  But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous 
       generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the 
       sign of the prophet Jonah.

       (Mat 12:40 NRSV)  For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in 
       the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the 
       Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth.

       (Mat 12:41 NRSV)  The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment 
       with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the 
       proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!

       (Mat 12:42 NRSV)  The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment 
       with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of 
       the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something 
       greater than Solomon is here!

       (Mat 12:43 NRSV)  "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, 
       it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but 
       it finds none.

       (Mat 12:44 NRSV)  Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which 
       I came.' When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order.

       (Mat 12:45 NRSV)  Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits 
       more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last 
       state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with 
       this evil generation."

       (Mat 12:46 NRSV)  While he was still speaking to the crowds, his 
       mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to 
       him.

       (Mat 12:47 NRSV)  Someone told him, "Look, your mother and your 
       brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you."

       (Mat 12:48 NRSV)  But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, 
       "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?"

       (Mat 12:49 NRSV)  And pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my 
       mother and my brothers!

       (Mat 12:50 NRSV)  For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is 
       my brother and sister and mother."

       (Mat 13:1 NRSV)  That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat 
       beside the sea.

       (Mat 13:2 NRSV)  Such great crowds gathered around him that he got 
       into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach.

       (Mat 13:3 NRSV)  And he told them many things in parables, saying: 
       "Listen! A sower went out to sow.






       (Mat 13:4 NRSV)  And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the 
       birds came and ate them up.

       (Mat 13:5 NRSV)  Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not 
       have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of 
       soil.

       (Mat 13:6 NRSV)  But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since 
       they had no root, they withered away.

       (Mat 13:7 NRSV)  Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up 
       and choked them.

       (Mat 13:8 NRSV)  Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth 
       grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

       (Mat 13:9 NRSV)  Let anyone with ears listen!"

       (Mat 13:10 NRSV)  Then the disciples came and asked him, "Why do you 
       speak to them in parables?"

       (Mat 13:11 NRSV)  He answered, "To you it has been given to know the 
       secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

       (Mat 13:12 NRSV)  For to those who have, more will be given, and they 
       will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what 
       they have will be taken away.

       (Mat 13:13 NRSV)  The reason I speak to them in parables is that 
       'seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do 
       they understand.'

       (Mat 13:14 NRSV)  With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 
       that says: 'You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will 
       indeed look, but never perceive.

       (Mat 13:15 NRSV)  For this people's heart has grown dull, and their 
       ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they 
       might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and 
       understand with their heart and turn-- and I would heal them.'

       (Mat 13:16 NRSV)  But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your 
       ears, for they hear.

       (Mat 13:17 NRSV)  Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people 
       longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you 
       hear, but did not hear it.

       (Mat 13:18 NRSV)  "Hear then the parable of the sower.

       (Mat 13:19 NRSV)  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does 
       not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown 
       in the heart; this is what was sown on the path.

       (Mat 13:20 NRSV)  As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the 





       one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;

       (Mat 13:21 NRSV)  yet such a person has no root, but endures only for 
       a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the 
       word, that person immediately falls away.

       (Mat 13:22 NRSV)  As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one 
       who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth 
       choke the word, and it yields nothing.

       (Mat 13:23 NRSV)  But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the 
       one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and 
       yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another 
       thirty."

       (Mat 13:24 NRSV)  He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of 
       heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field;

       (Mat 13:25 NRSV)  but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and 
       sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away.

       (Mat 13:26 NRSV)  So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the 
       weeds appeared as well.

       (Mat 13:27 NRSV)  And the slaves of the householder came and said to 
       him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, 
       did these weeds come from?'

       (Mat 13:28 NRSV)  He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' The slaves 
       said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?'

       (Mat 13:29 NRSV)  But he replied, 'No; for in gathering the weeds you 
       would uproot the wheat along with them.

       (Mat 13:30 NRSV)  Let both of them grow together until the harvest; 
       and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first 
       and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my 
       barn.'"

       (Mat 13:31 NRSV)  He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of 
       heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his 
       field;

       (Mat 13:32 NRSV)  it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has 
       grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the 
       birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."

       (Mat 13:33 NRSV)  He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven 
       is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of 
       flour until all of it was leavened."

       (Mat 13:34 NRSV)  Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; 
       without a parable he told them nothing.

       (Mat 13:35 NRSV)  This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the 
       prophet: "I will open my mouth to speak in parables; I will proclaim 





       what has been hidden from the foundation of the world."

       (Mat 13:36 NRSV)  Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And 
       his disciples approached him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of 
       the weeds of the field."

       (Mat 13:37 NRSV)  He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the 
       Son of Man;

       (Mat 13:38 NRSV)  the field is the world, and the good seed are the 
       children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one,

       (Mat 13:39 NRSV)  and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the 
       harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

       (Mat 13:40 NRSV)  Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with 
       fire, so will it be at the end of the age.

       (Mat 13:41 NRSV)  The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will 
       collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers,

       (Mat 13:42 NRSV)  and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, 
       where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

       (Mat 13:43 NRSV)  Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the 
       kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!

       (Mat 13:44 NRSV)  "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a 
       field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells 
       all that he has and buys that field.

       (Mat 13:45 NRSV)  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in 
       search of fine pearls;

       (Mat 13:46 NRSV)  on finding one pearl of great value, he went and 
       sold all that he had and bought it.

       (Mat 13:47 NRSV)  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was 
       thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind;

       (Mat 13:48 NRSV)  when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and 
       put the good into baskets but threw out the bad.

       (Mat 13:49 NRSV)  So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will 
       come out and separate the evil from the righteous

       (Mat 13:50 NRSV)  and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there 
       will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

       (Mat 13:51 NRSV)  "Have you understood all this?" They answered, 
       "Yes."

       (Mat 13:52 NRSV)  And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has 
       been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a 
       household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."





       (Mat 13:53 NRSV)  When Jesus had finished these parables, he left that 
       place.

       (Mat 13:54 NRSV)  He came to his hometown and began to teach the 
       people in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, 
       "Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power?

       (Mat 13:55 NRSV)  Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother 
       called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and 
       Judas?

       (Mat 13:56 NRSV)  And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did 
       this man get all this?"

       (Mat 13:57 NRSV)  And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to 
       them, "Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and 
       in their own house."

       (Mat 13:58 NRSV)  And he did not do many deeds of power there, because 
       of their unbelief.

       (Mat 14:1 NRSV)  At that time Herod the ruler heard reports about 
       Jesus;

       (Mat 14:2 NRSV)  and he said to his servants, "This is John the 
       Baptist; he has been raised from the dead, and for this reason these 
       powers are at work in him."

       (Mat 14:3 NRSV)  For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him 
       in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife,

       (Mat 14:4 NRSV)  because John had been telling him, "It is not lawful 
       for you to have her."

       (Mat 14:5 NRSV)  Though Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared 
       the crowd, because they regarded him as a prophet.

       (Mat 14:6 NRSV)  But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of 
       Herodias danced before the company, and she pleased Herod

       (Mat 14:7 NRSV)  so much that he promised on oath to grant her 
       whatever she might ask.

       (Mat 14:8 NRSV)  Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me the head 
       of John the Baptist here on a platter."

       (Mat 14:9 NRSV)  The king was grieved, yet out of regard for his oaths 
       and for the guests, he commanded it to be given;

       (Mat 14:10 NRSV)  he sent and had John beheaded in the prison.

       (Mat 14:11 NRSV)  The head was brought on a platter and given to the 
       girl, who brought it to her mother.

       (Mat 14:12 NRSV)  His disciples came and took the body and buried it; 
       then they went and told Jesus.






       (Mat 14:13 NRSV)  Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in 
       a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, 
       they followed him on foot from the towns.

       (Mat 14:14 NRSV)  When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he 
       had compassion for them and cured their sick.

       (Mat 14:15 NRSV)  When it was evening, the disciples came to him and 
       said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the 
       crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for 
       themselves."

       (Mat 14:16 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give 
       them something to eat."

       (Mat 14:17 NRSV)  They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves 
       and two fish."

       (Mat 14:18 NRSV)  And he said, "Bring them here to me."

       (Mat 14:19 NRSV)  Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. 
       Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and 
       blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the 
       disciples gave them to the crowds.

       (Mat 14:20 NRSV)  And all ate and were filled; and they took up what 
       was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full.

       (Mat 14:21 NRSV)  And those who ate were about five thousand men, 
       besides women and children.

       (Mat 14:22 NRSV)  Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat 
       and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.

       (Mat 14:23 NRSV)  And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up 
       the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there 
       alone,

       (Mat 14:24 NRSV)  but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, 
       was far from the land, for the wind was against them.

       (Mat 14:25 NRSV)  And early in the morning he came walking toward them 
       on the sea.

       (Mat 14:26 NRSV)  But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, 
       they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in 
       fear.

       (Mat 14:27 NRSV)  But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take 
       heart, it is I; do not be afraid."

       (Mat 14:28 NRSV)  Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me 
       to come to you on the water."

       (Mat 14:29 NRSV)  He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat, 





       started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus.

       (Mat 14:30 NRSV)  But when he noticed the strong wind, he became 
       frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"

       (Mat 14:31 NRSV)  Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught 
       him, saying to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

       (Mat 14:32 NRSV)  When they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

       (Mat 14:33 NRSV)  And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly 
       you are the Son of God."

       (Mat 14:34 NRSV)  When they had crossed over, they came to land at 
       Gennesaret.

       (Mat 14:35 NRSV)  After the people of that place recognized him, they 
       sent word throughout the region and brought all who were sick to him,

       (Mat 14:36 NRSV)  and begged him that they might touch even the fringe 
       of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

       (Mat 15:1 NRSV)  Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from 
       Jerusalem and said,

       (Mat 15:2 NRSV)  "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the 
       elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat."

       (Mat 15:3 NRSV)  He answered them, "And why do you break the 
       commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

       (Mat 15:4 NRSV)  For God said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' 
       and, 'Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.'

       (Mat 15:5 NRSV)  But you say that whoever tells father or mother, 
       'Whatever support you might have had from me is given to God,' then 
       that person need not honor the father.

       (Mat 15:6 NRSV)  So, for the sake of your tradition, you make void the 
       word of God.

       (Mat 15:7 NRSV)  You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you 
       when he said:

       (Mat 15:8 NRSV)  'This people honors me with their lips, but their 
       hearts are far from me;

       (Mat 15:9 NRSV)  in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts 
       as doctrines.'"

       (Mat 15:10 NRSV)  Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, 
       "Listen and understand:

       (Mat 15:11 NRSV)  it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a 
       person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles."





       (Mat 15:12 NRSV)  Then the disciples approached and said to him, "Do 
       you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you 
       said?"

       (Mat 15:13 NRSV)  He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father 
       has not planted will be uprooted.

       (Mat 15:14 NRSV)  Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. 
       And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit."

       (Mat 15:15 NRSV)  But Peter said to him, "Explain this parable to us."

       (Mat 15:16 NRSV)  Then he said, "Are you also still without 
       understanding?

       (Mat 15:17 NRSV)  Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth 
       enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer?

       (Mat 15:18 NRSV)  But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the 
       heart, and this is what defiles.

       (Mat 15:19 NRSV)  For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, 
       adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander.

       (Mat 15:20 NRSV)  These are what defile a person, but to eat with 
       unwashed hands does not defile."

       (Mat 15:21 NRSV)  Jesus left that place and went away to the district 
       of Tyre and Sidon.

       (Mat 15:22 NRSV)  Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came 
       out and started shouting, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my 
       daughter is tormented by a demon."

       (Mat 15:23 NRSV)  But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples 
       came and urged him, saying, "Send her away, for she keeps shouting 
       after us."

       (Mat 15:24 NRSV)  He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of 
       the house of Israel."

       (Mat 15:25 NRSV)  But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, 
       help me."

       (Mat 15:26 NRSV)  He answered, "It is not fair to take the children's 
       food and throw it to the dogs."

       (Mat 15:27 NRSV)  She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the 
       crumbs that fall from their masters' table."

       (Mat 15:28 NRSV)  Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your 
       faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was 
       healed instantly.

       (Mat 15:29 NRSV)  After Jesus had left that place, he passed along the 
       Sea of Galilee, and he went up the mountain, where he sat down.






       (Mat 15:30 NRSV)  Great crowds came to him, bringing with them the 
       lame, the maimed, the blind, the mute, and many others. They put them 
       at his feet, and he cured them,

       (Mat 15:31 NRSV)  so that the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute 
       speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. 
       And they praised the God of Israel.

       (Mat 15:32 NRSV)  Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I 
       have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for 
       three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them 
       away hungry, for they might faint on the way."

       (Mat 15:33 NRSV)  The disciples said to him, "Where are we to get 
       enough bread in the desert to feed so great a crowd?"

       (Mat 15:34 NRSV)  Jesus asked them, "How many loaves have you?" They 
       said, "Seven, and a few small fish."

       (Mat 15:35 NRSV)  Then ordering the crowd to sit down on the ground,

       (Mat 15:36 NRSV)  he took the seven loaves and the fish; and after 
       giving thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the 
       disciples gave them to the crowds.

       (Mat 15:37 NRSV)  And all of them ate and were filled; and they took 
       up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.

       (Mat 15:38 NRSV)  Those who had eaten were four thousand men, besides 
       women and children.

       (Mat 15:39 NRSV)  After sending away the crowds, he got into the boat 
       and went to the region of Magadan.

       (Mat 16:1 NRSV)  The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test Jesus 
       they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

       (Mat 16:2 NRSV)  He answered them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It 
       will be fair weather, for the sky is red.'

       (Mat 16:3 NRSV)  And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the 
       sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance 
       of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

       (Mat 16:4 NRSV)  An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, 
       but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." Then he 
       left them and went away.

       (Mat 16:5 NRSV)  When the disciples reached the other side, they had 
       forgotten to bring any bread.

       (Mat 16:6 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "Watch out, and beware of the 
       yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

       (Mat 16:7 NRSV)  They said to one another, "It is because we have 





       brought no bread."

       (Mat 16:8 NRSV)  And becoming aware of it, Jesus said, "You of little 
       faith, why are you talking about having no bread?

       (Mat 16:9 NRSV)  Do you still not perceive? Do you not remember the 
       five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered?

       (Mat 16:10 NRSV)  Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how 
       many baskets you gathered?

       (Mat 16:11 NRSV)  How could you fail to perceive that I was not 
       speaking about bread? Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and 
       Sadducees!"

       (Mat 16:12 NRSV)  Then they understood that he had not told them to 
       beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and 
       Sadducees.

       (Mat 16:13 NRSV)  Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea 
       Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of 
       Man is?"

       (Mat 16:14 NRSV)  And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, but 
       others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

       (Mat 16:15 NRSV)  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

       (Mat 16:16 NRSV)  Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son 
       of the living God."

       (Mat 16:17 NRSV)  And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son 
       of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my 
       Father in heaven.

       (Mat 16:18 NRSV)  And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I 
       will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against 
       it.

       (Mat 16:19 NRSV)  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, 
       and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever 
       you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

       (Mat 16:20 NRSV)  Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell 
       anyone that he was the Messiah.

       (Mat 16:21 NRSV)  From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples 
       that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands 
       of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the 
       third day be raised.

       (Mat 16:22 NRSV)  And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, 
       saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you."

       (Mat 16:23 NRSV)  But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, 
       Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind 





       not on divine things but on human things."

       (Mat 16:24 NRSV)  Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to 
       become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross 
       and follow me.

       (Mat 16:25 NRSV)  For those who want to save their life will lose it, 
       and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

       (Mat 16:26 NRSV)  For what will it profit them if they gain the whole 
       world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for 
       their life?

       (Mat 16:27 NRSV)  "For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in 
       the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has 
       been done.

       (Mat 16:28 NRSV)  Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who 
       will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his 
       kingdom."

       (Mat 17:1 NRSV)  Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James 
       and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.

       (Mat 17:2 NRSV)  And he was transfigured before them, and his face 
       shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.

       (Mat 17:3 NRSV)  Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, 
       talking with him.

       (Mat 17:4 NRSV)  Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to 
       be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, 
       one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

       (Mat 17:5 NRSV)  While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud 
       overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, 
       the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!"

       (Mat 17:6 NRSV)  When the disciples heard this, they fell to the 
       ground and were overcome by fear.

       (Mat 17:7 NRSV)  But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and 
       do not be afraid."

       (Mat 17:8 NRSV)  And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus 
       himself alone.

       (Mat 17:9 NRSV)  As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered 
       them, "Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has 
       been raised from the dead."

       (Mat 17:10 NRSV)  And the disciples asked him, "Why, then, do the 
       scribes say that Elijah must come first?"

       (Mat 17:11 NRSV)  He replied, "Elijah is indeed coming and will 
       restore all things;






       (Mat 17:12 NRSV)  but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and 
       they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. 
       So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands."

       (Mat 17:13 NRSV)  Then the disciples understood that he was speaking 
       to them about John the Baptist.

       (Mat 17:14 NRSV)  When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, 
       knelt before him,

       (Mat 17:15 NRSV)  and said, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an 
       epileptic and he suffers terribly; he often falls into the fire and 
       often into the water.

       (Mat 17:16 NRSV)  And I brought him to your disciples, but they could 
       not cure him."

       (Mat 17:17 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "You faithless and perverse 
       generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I 
       put up with you? Bring him here to me."

       (Mat 17:18 NRSV)  And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, 
       and the boy was cured instantly.

       (Mat 17:19 NRSV)  Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, 
       "Why could we not cast it out?"

       (Mat 17:20 NRSV)  He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For 
       truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you 
       will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will 
       move; and nothing will be impossible for you."

       (Mat 17:21 NRSV)  

       (Mat 17:22 NRSV)  As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to 
       them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands,

       (Mat 17:23 NRSV)  and they will kill him, and on the third day he will 
       be raised." And they were greatly distressed.

       (Mat 17:24 NRSV)  When they reached Capernaum, the collectors of the 
       temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your teacher not pay the 
       temple tax?"

       (Mat 17:25 NRSV)  He said, "Yes, he does." And when he came home, 
       Jesus spoke of it first, asking, "What do you think, Simon? From whom 
       do kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their children or 
       from others?"

       (Mat 17:26 NRSV)  When Peter said, "From others," Jesus said to him, 
       "Then the children are free.

       (Mat 17:27 NRSV)  However, so that we do not give offense to them, go 
       to the sea and cast a hook; take the first fish that comes up; and 
       when you open its mouth, you will find a coin; take that and give it 





       to them for you and me."

       (Mat 18:1 NRSV)  At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 
       "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

       (Mat 18:2 NRSV)  He called a child, whom he put among them,

       (Mat 18:3 NRSV)  and said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and 
       become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

       (Mat 18:4 NRSV)  Whoever becomes humble like this child is the 
       greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

       (Mat 18:5 NRSV)  Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes 
       me.

       (Mat 18:6 NRSV)  "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of 
       these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a 
       great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in 
       the depth of the sea.

       (Mat 18:7 NRSV)  Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! 
       Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom 
       the stumbling block comes!

       (Mat 18:8 NRSV)  "If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut 
       it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or 
       lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the 
       eternal fire.

       (Mat 18:9 NRSV)  And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out 
       and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye 
       than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire.

       (Mat 18:10 NRSV)  "Take care that you do not despise one of these 
       little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see 
       the face of my Father in heaven.

       (Mat 18:11 NRSV)  

       (Mat 18:12 NRSV)  What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred 
       sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the 
       ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went 
       astray?

       (Mat 18:13 NRSV)  And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices 
       over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.

       (Mat 18:14 NRSV)  So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that 
       one of these little ones should be lost.

       (Mat 18:15 NRSV)  "If another member of the church sins against you, 
       go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the 
       member listens to you, you have regained that one.

       (Mat 18:16 NRSV)  But if you are not listened to, take one or two 





       others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the 
       evidence of two or three witnesses.

       (Mat 18:17 NRSV)  If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to 
       the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, 
       let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

       (Mat 18:18 NRSV)  Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be 
       bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in 
       heaven.

       (Mat 18:19 NRSV)  Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on 
       earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in 
       heaven.

       (Mat 18:20 NRSV)  For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am 
       there among them."

       (Mat 18:21 NRSV)  Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another 
       member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As 
       many as seven times?"

       (Mat 18:22 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell 
       you, seventy-seven times.

       (Mat 18:23 NRSV)  "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be 
       compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.

       (Mat 18:24 NRSV)  When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten 
       thousand talents was brought to him;

       (Mat 18:25 NRSV)  and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be 
       sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and 
       payment to be made.

       (Mat 18:26 NRSV)  So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, 
       'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.'

       (Mat 18:27 NRSV)  And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave 
       released him and forgave him the debt.

       (Mat 18:28 NRSV)  But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one 
       of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him 
       by the throat, he said, 'Pay what you owe.'

       (Mat 18:29 NRSV)  Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with 
       him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.'

       (Mat 18:30 NRSV)  But he refused; then he went and threw him into 
       prison until he would pay the debt.

       (Mat 18:31 NRSV)  When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they 
       were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all 
       that had taken place.

       (Mat 18:32 NRSV)  Then his lord summoned him and said to him, 'You 





       wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.

       (Mat 18:33 NRSV)  Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, 
       as I had mercy on you?'

       (Mat 18:34 NRSV)  And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured 
       until he would pay his entire debt.

       (Mat 18:35 NRSV)  So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of 
       you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart."

       (Mat 19:1 NRSV)  When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left 
       Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.

       (Mat 19:2 NRSV)  Large crowds followed him, and he cured them there.

       (Mat 19:3 NRSV)  Some Pharisees came to him, and to test him they 
       asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?"

       (Mat 19:4 NRSV)  He answered, "Have you not read that the one who made 
       them at the beginning 'made them male and female,'

       (Mat 19:5 NRSV)  and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his 
       father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become 
       one flesh'?

       (Mat 19:6 NRSV)  So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore 
       what God has joined together, let no one separate."

       (Mat 19:7 NRSV)  They said to him, "Why then did Moses command us to 
       give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?"

       (Mat 19:8 NRSV)  He said to them, "It was because you were so 
       hard-hearted that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from 
       the beginning it was not so.

       (Mat 19:9 NRSV)  And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except 
       for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery."

       (Mat 19:10 NRSV)  His disciples said to him, "If such is the case of a 
       man with his wife, it is better not to marry."

       (Mat 19:11 NRSV)  But he said to them, "Not everyone can accept this 
       teaching, but only those to whom it is given.

       (Mat 19:12 NRSV)  For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, 
       and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there 
       are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the 
       kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can."

       (Mat 19:13 NRSV)  Then little children were being brought to him in 
       order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples 
       spoke sternly to those who brought them;

       (Mat 19:14 NRSV)  but Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, 
       and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of 





       heaven belongs."

       (Mat 19:15 NRSV)  And he laid his hands on them and went on his way.

       (Mat 19:16 NRSV)  Then someone came to him and said, "Teacher, what 
       good deed must I do to have eternal life?"

       (Mat 19:17 NRSV)  And he said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is 
       good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, 
       keep the commandments."

       (Mat 19:18 NRSV)  He said to him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "You 
       shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; 
       You shall not bear false witness;

       (Mat 19:19 NRSV)  Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love 
       your neighbor as yourself."

       (Mat 19:20 NRSV)  The young man said to him, "I have kept all these; 
       what do I still lack?"

       (Mat 19:21 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, 
       sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will 
       have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."

       (Mat 19:22 NRSV)  When the young man heard this word, he went away 
       grieving, for he had many possessions.

       (Mat 19:23 NRSV)  Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly I tell you, 
       it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.

       (Mat 19:24 NRSV)  Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go 
       through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the 
       kingdom of God."

       (Mat 19:25 NRSV)  When the disciples heard this, they were greatly 
       astounded and said, "Then who can be saved?"

       (Mat 19:26 NRSV)  But Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it 
       is impossible, but for God all things are possible."

       (Mat 19:27 NRSV)  Then Peter said in reply, "Look, we have left 
       everything and followed you. What then will we have?"

       (Mat 19:28 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, at the 
       renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of 
       his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, 
       judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

       (Mat 19:29 NRSV)  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or 
       sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name's sake, 
       will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life.

       (Mat 19:30 NRSV)  But many who are first will be last, and the last 
       will be first.





       (Mat 20:1 NRSV)  "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who 
       went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

       (Mat 20:2 NRSV)  After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily 
       wage, he sent them into his vineyard.

       (Mat 20:3 NRSV)  When he went out about nine o'clock, he saw others 
       standing idle in the marketplace;

       (Mat 20:4 NRSV)  and he said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, 
       and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went.

       (Mat 20:5 NRSV)  When he went out again about noon and about three 
       o'clock, he did the same.

       (Mat 20:6 NRSV)  And about five o'clock he went out and found others 
       standing around; and he said to them, 'Why are you standing here idle 
       all day?'

       (Mat 20:7 NRSV)  They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He 
       said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard.'

       (Mat 20:8 NRSV)  When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to 
       his manager, 'Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning 
       with the last and then going to the first.'

       (Mat 20:9 NRSV)  When those hired about five o'clock came, each of 
       them received the usual daily wage.

       (Mat 20:10 NRSV)  Now when the first came, they thought they would 
       receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage.

       (Mat 20:11 NRSV)  And when they received it, they grumbled against the 
       landowner,

       (Mat 20:12 NRSV)  saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you 
       have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and 
       the scorching heat.'

       (Mat 20:13 NRSV)  But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing 
       you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?

       (Mat 20:14 NRSV)  Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to 
       this last the same as I give to you.

       (Mat 20:15 NRSV)  Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what 
       belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?'

       (Mat 20:16 NRSV)  So the last will be first, and the first will be 
       last."

       (Mat 20:17 NRSV)  While Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the 
       twelve disciples aside by themselves, and said to them on the way,

       (Mat 20:18 NRSV)  "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of 
       Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they 





       will condemn him to death;

       (Mat 20:19 NRSV)  then they will hand him over to the Gentiles to be 
       mocked and flogged and crucified; and on the third day he will be 
       raised."

       (Mat 20:20 NRSV)  Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him 
       with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him.

       (Mat 20:21 NRSV)  And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to 
       him, "Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right 
       hand and one at your left, in your kingdom."

       (Mat 20:22 NRSV)  But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are 
       asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?'' They 
       said to him, "We are able."

       (Mat 20:23 NRSV)  He said to them, "You will indeed drink my cup, but 
       to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but 
       it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."

       (Mat 20:24 NRSV)  When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two 
       brothers.

       (Mat 20:25 NRSV)  But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know 
       that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great 
       ones are tyrants over them.

       (Mat 20:26 NRSV)  It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to 
       be great among you must be your servant,

       (Mat 20:27 NRSV)  and whoever wishes to be first among you must be 
       your slave;

       (Mat 20:28 NRSV)  just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to 
       serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."

       (Mat 20:29 NRSV)  As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed 
       him.

       (Mat 20:30 NRSV)  There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. 
       When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, "Lord, have 
       mercy on us, Son of David!"

       (Mat 20:31 NRSV)  The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they 
       shouted even more loudly, "Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!"

       (Mat 20:32 NRSV)  Jesus stood still and called them, saying, "What do 
       you want me to do for you?"

       (Mat 20:33 NRSV)  They said to him, "Lord, let our eyes be opened."

       (Mat 20:34 NRSV)  Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. 
       Immediately they regained their sight and followed him.

       (Mat 21:1 NRSV)  When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached 





       Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,

       (Mat 21:2 NRSV)  saying to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, 
       and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; 
       untie them and bring them to me.

       (Mat 21:3 NRSV)  If anyone says anything to you, just say this, 'The 
       Lord needs them.' And he will send them immediately."

       (Mat 21:4 NRSV)  This took place to fulfill what had been spoken 
       through the prophet, saying,

       (Mat 21:5 NRSV)  "Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming 
       to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a 
       donkey."

       (Mat 21:6 NRSV)  The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed 
       them;

       (Mat 21:7 NRSV)  they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their 
       cloaks on them, and he sat on them.

       (Mat 21:8 NRSV)  A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, 
       and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

       (Mat 21:9 NRSV)  The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed 
       were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who 
       comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!"

       (Mat 21:10 NRSV)  When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in 
       turmoil, asking, "Who is this?"

       (Mat 21:11 NRSV)  The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus 
       from Nazareth in Galilee."

       (Mat 21:12 NRSV)  Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who 
       were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of 
       the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.

       (Mat 21:13 NRSV)  He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be 
       called a house of prayer'; but you are making it a den of robbers."

       (Mat 21:14 NRSV)  The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, 
       and he cured them.

       (Mat 21:15 NRSV)  But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the 
       amazing things that he did, and heard the children crying out in the 
       temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became angry

       (Mat 21:16 NRSV)  and said to him, "Do you hear what these are 
       saying?" Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, 'Out of the 
       mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for 
       yourself'?"

       (Mat 21:17 NRSV)  He left them, went out of the city to Bethany, and 
       spent the night there.






       (Mat 21:18 NRSV)  In the morning, when he returned to the city, he was 
       hungry.

       (Mat 21:19 NRSV)  And seeing a fig tree by the side of the road, he 
       went to it and found nothing at all on it but leaves. Then he said to 
       it, "May no fruit ever come from you again!" And the fig tree withered 
       at once.

       (Mat 21:20 NRSV)  When the disciples saw it, they were amazed, saying, 
       "How did the fig tree wither at once?"

       (Mat 21:21 NRSV)  Jesus answered them, "Truly I tell you, if you have 
       faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the 
       fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and 
       thrown into the sea,' it will be done.

       (Mat 21:22 NRSV)  Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will 
       receive."

       (Mat 21:23 NRSV)  When he entered the temple, the chief priests and 
       the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, "By 
       what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this 
       authority?"

       (Mat 21:24 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one 
       question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what 
       authority I do these things.

       (Mat 21:25 NRSV)  Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it 
       of human origin?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From 
       heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'

       (Mat 21:26 NRSV)  But if we say, 'Of human origin,' we are afraid of 
       the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet."

       (Mat 21:27 NRSV)  So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he 
       said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing 
       these things.

       (Mat 21:28 NRSV)  "What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to 
       the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.'

       (Mat 21:29 NRSV)  He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his 
       mind and went.

       (Mat 21:30 NRSV)  The father went to the second and said the same; and 
       he answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go.

       (Mat 21:31 NRSV)  Which of the two did the will of his father?" They 
       said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax 
       collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead 
       of you.

       (Mat 21:32 NRSV)  For John came to you in the way of righteousness and 
       you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes 





       believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds 
       and believe him.

       (Mat 21:33 NRSV)  "Listen to another parable. There was a landowner 
       who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, 
       and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to 
       another country.

       (Mat 21:34 NRSV)  When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves 
       to the tenants to collect his produce.

       (Mat 21:35 NRSV)  But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, 
       killed another, and stoned another.

       (Mat 21:36 NRSV)  Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and 
       they treated them in the same way.

       (Mat 21:37 NRSV)  Finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will 
       respect my son.'

       (Mat 21:38 NRSV)  But when the tenants saw the son, they said to 
       themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his 
       inheritance."

       (Mat 21:39 NRSV)  So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, 
       and killed him.

       (Mat 21:40 NRSV)  Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will 
       he do to those tenants?"

       (Mat 21:41 NRSV)  They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a 
       miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give 
       him the produce at the harvest time."

       (Mat 21:42 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the 
       scriptures: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the 
       cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our 
       eyes'?

       (Mat 21:43 NRSV)  Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be 
       taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of 
       the kingdom.

       (Mat 21:44 NRSV)  The one who falls on this stone will be broken to 
       pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls."

       (Mat 21:45 NRSV)  When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his 
       parables, they realized that he was speaking about them.

       (Mat 21:46 NRSV)  They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the 
       crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

       (Mat 22:1 NRSV)  Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying:

       (Mat 22:2 NRSV)  "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who 
       gave a wedding banquet for his son.






       (Mat 22:3 NRSV)  He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited 
       to the wedding banquet, but they would not come.

       (Mat 22:4 NRSV)  Again he sent other slaves, saying, 'Tell those who 
       have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat 
       calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the 
       wedding banquet.'

       (Mat 22:5 NRSV)  But they made light of it and went away, one to his 
       farm, another to his business,

       (Mat 22:6 NRSV)  while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, 
       and killed them.

       (Mat 22:7 NRSV)  The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed 
       those murderers, and burned their city.

       (Mat 22:8 NRSV)  Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, 
       but those invited were not worthy.

       (Mat 22:9 NRSV)  Go therefore into the main streets, and invite 
       everyone you find to the wedding banquet.'

       (Mat 22:10 NRSV)  Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered 
       all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled 
       with guests.

       (Mat 22:11 NRSV)  "But when the king came in to see the guests, he 
       noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe,

       (Mat 22:12 NRSV)  and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here 
       without a wedding robe?' And he was speechless.

       (Mat 22:13 NRSV)  Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand 
       and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be 
       weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

       (Mat 22:14 NRSV)  For many are called, but few are chosen."

       (Mat 22:15 NRSV)  Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in 
       what he said.

       (Mat 22:16 NRSV)  So they sent their disciples to him, along with the 
       Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach 
       the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; 
       for you do not regard people with partiality.

       (Mat 22:17 NRSV)  Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay 
       taxes to the emperor, or not?"

       (Mat 22:18 NRSV)  But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why are you 
       putting me to the test, you hypocrites?

       (Mat 22:19 NRSV)  Show me the coin used for the tax." And they brought 
       him a denarius.






       (Mat 22:20 NRSV)  Then he said to them, "Whose head is this, and whose 
       title?"

       (Mat 22:21 NRSV)  They answered, "The emperor's." Then he said to 
       them, "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the 
       emperor's, and to God the things that are God's."

       (Mat 22:22 NRSV)  When they heard this, they were amazed; and they 
       left him and went away.

       (Mat 22:23 NRSV)  The same day some Sadducees came to him, saying 
       there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying,

       (Mat 22:24 NRSV)  "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies childless, his 
       brother shall marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.'

       (Mat 22:25 NRSV)  Now there were seven brothers among us; the first 
       married, and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother.

       (Mat 22:26 NRSV)  The second did the same, so also the third, down to 
       the seventh.

       (Mat 22:27 NRSV)  Last of all, the woman herself died.

       (Mat 22:28 NRSV)  In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven 
       will she be? For all of them had married her."

       (Mat 22:29 NRSV)  Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you 
       know neither the scriptures nor the power of God.

       (Mat 22:30 NRSV)  For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are 
       given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

       (Mat 22:31 NRSV)  And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you 
       not read what was said to you by God,

       (Mat 22:32 NRSV)  'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the 
       God of Jacob'? He is God not of the dead, but of the living."

       (Mat 22:33 NRSV)  And when the crowd heard it, they were astounded at 
       his teaching.

       (Mat 22:34 NRSV)  When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the 
       Sadducees, they gathered together,

       (Mat 22:35 NRSV)  and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to 
       test him.

       (Mat 22:36 NRSV)  "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the 
       greatest?"

       (Mat 22:37 NRSV)  He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God 
       with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'

       (Mat 22:38 NRSV)  This is the greatest and first commandment.






       (Mat 22:39 NRSV)  And a second is like it: 'You shall love your 
       neighbor as yourself.'

       (Mat 22:40 NRSV)  On these two commandments hang all the law and the 
       prophets."

       (Mat 22:41 NRSV)  Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, 
       Jesus asked them this question:

       (Mat 22:42 NRSV)  "What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?" 
       They said to him, "The son of David."

       (Mat 22:43 NRSV)  He said to them, "How is it then that David by the 
       Spirit calls him Lord, saying,

       (Mat 22:44 NRSV)  'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, 
       until I put your enemies under your feet"'?

       (Mat 22:45 NRSV)  If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his 
       son?"

       (Mat 22:46 NRSV)  No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that 
       day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

       (Mat 23:1 NRSV)  Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,

       (Mat 23:2 NRSV)  "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat;

       (Mat 23:3 NRSV)  therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; 
       but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.

       (Mat 23:4 NRSV)  They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them 
       on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift 
       a finger to move them.

       (Mat 23:5 NRSV)  They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for 
       they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.

       (Mat 23:6 NRSV)  They love to have the place of honor at banquets and 
       the best seats in the synagogues,

       (Mat 23:7 NRSV)  and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 
       and to have people call them rabbi.

       (Mat 23:8 NRSV)  But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one 
       teacher, and you are all students.

       (Mat 23:9 NRSV)  And call no one your father on earth, for you have 
       one Father--the one in heaven.

       (Mat 23:10 NRSV)  Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have 
       one instructor, the Messiah.

       (Mat 23:11 NRSV)  The greatest among you will be your servant.





       (Mat 23:12 NRSV)  All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all 
       who humble themselves will be exalted.

       (Mat 23:13 NRSV)  "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! 
       For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in 
       yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them.

       (Mat 23:14 NRSV)  

       (Mat 23:15 NRSV)  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For 
       you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new 
       convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

       (Mat 23:16 NRSV)  "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears 
       by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold 
       of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.'

       (Mat 23:17 NRSV)  You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or 
       the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred?

       (Mat 23:18 NRSV)  And you say, 'Whoever swears by the altar is bound 
       by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is 
       bound by the oath.'

       (Mat 23:19 NRSV)  How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or 
       the altar that makes the gift sacred?

       (Mat 23:20 NRSV)  So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by 
       everything on it;

       (Mat 23:21 NRSV)  and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it 
       and by the one who dwells in it;

       (Mat 23:22 NRSV)  and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne 
       of God and by the one who is seated upon it.

       (Mat 23:23 NRSV)  "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For 
       you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier 
       matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought 
       to have practiced without neglecting the others.

       (Mat 23:24 NRSV)  You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow 
       a camel!

       (Mat 23:25 NRSV)  "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For 
       you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are 
       full of greed and self-indulgence.

       (Mat 23:26 NRSV)  You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the 
       cup, so that the outside also may become clean.

       (Mat 23:27 NRSV)  "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For 
       you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, 
       but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of 
       filth.





       (Mat 23:28 NRSV)  So you also on the outside look righteous to others, 
       but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

       (Mat 23:29 NRSV)  "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For 
       you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the 
       righteous,

       (Mat 23:30 NRSV)  and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our 
       ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the 
       blood of the prophets.'

       (Mat 23:31 NRSV)  Thus you testify against yourselves that you are 
       descendants of those who murdered the prophets.

       (Mat 23:32 NRSV)  Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors.

       (Mat 23:33 NRSV)  You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape 
       being sentenced to hell?

       (Mat 23:34 NRSV)  Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, 
       some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your 
       synagogues and pursue from town to town,

       (Mat 23:35 NRSV)  so that upon you may come all the righteous blood 
       shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of 
       Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary 
       and the altar.

       (Mat 23:36 NRSV)  Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this 
       generation.

       (Mat 23:37 NRSV)  "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the 
       prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired 
       to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her 
       wings, and you were not willing!

       (Mat 23:38 NRSV)  See, your house is left to you, desolate.

       (Mat 23:39 NRSV)  For I tell you, you will not see me again until you 
       say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

       (Mat 24:1 NRSV)  As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, 
       his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple.

       (Mat 24:2 NRSV)  Then he asked them, "You see all these, do you not? 
       Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all 
       will be thrown down."

       (Mat 24:3 NRSV)  When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the 
       disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will this be, 
       and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

       (Mat 24:4 NRSV)  Jesus answered them, "Beware that no one leads you 
       astray.

       (Mat 24:5 NRSV)  For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the 





       Messiah!' and they will lead many astray.

       (Mat 24:6 NRSV)  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see 
       that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not 
       yet.

       (Mat 24:7 NRSV)  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom 
       against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various 
       places:

       (Mat 24:8 NRSV)  all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

       (Mat 24:9 NRSV)  "Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will 
       put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my 
       name.

       (Mat 24:10 NRSV)  Then many will fall away, and they will betray one 
       another and hate one another.

       (Mat 24:11 NRSV)  And many false prophets will arise and lead many 
       astray.

       (Mat 24:12 NRSV)  And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love 
       of many will grow cold.

       (Mat 24:13 NRSV)  But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

       (Mat 24:14 NRSV)  And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed 
       throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the 
       end will come.

       (Mat 24:15 NRSV)  "So when you see the desolating sacrilege standing 
       in the holy place, as was spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the 
       reader understand),

       (Mat 24:16 NRSV)  then those in Judea must flee to the mountains;

       (Mat 24:17 NRSV)  the one on the housetop must not go down to take 
       what is in the house;

       (Mat 24:18 NRSV)  the one in the field must not turn back to get a 
       coat.

       (Mat 24:19 NRSV)  Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are 
       nursing infants in those days!

       (Mat 24:20 NRSV)  Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a 
       sabbath.

       (Mat 24:21 NRSV)  For at that time there will be great suffering, such 
       as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and 
       never will be.

       (Mat 24:22 NRSV)  And if those days had not been cut short, no one 
       would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut 
       short.






       (Mat 24:23 NRSV)  Then if anyone says to you, 'Look! Here is the 
       Messiah!' or 'There he is!'--do not believe it.

       (Mat 24:24 NRSV)  For false messiahs and false prophets will appear 
       and produce great signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even 
       the elect.

       (Mat 24:25 NRSV)  Take note, I have told you beforehand.

       (Mat 24:26 NRSV)  So, if they say to you, 'Look! He is in the 
       wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look! He is in the inner 
       rooms,' do not believe it.

       (Mat 24:27 NRSV)  For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes 
       as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

       (Mat 24:28 NRSV)  Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will 
       gather.

       (Mat 24:29 NRSV)  "Immediately after the suffering of those days the 
       sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars 
       will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.

       (Mat 24:30 NRSV)  Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in 
       heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will 
       see 'the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven' with power and 
       great glory.

       (Mat 24:31 NRSV)  And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet 
       call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end 
       of heaven to the other.

       (Mat 24:32 NRSV)  "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its 
       branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer 
       is near.

       (Mat 24:33 NRSV)  So also, when you see all these things, you know 
       that he is near, at the very gates.

       (Mat 24:34 NRSV)  Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away 
       until all these things have taken place.

       (Mat 24:35 NRSV)  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will 
       not pass away.

       (Mat 24:36 NRSV)  "But about that day and hour no one knows, neither 
       the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

       (Mat 24:37 NRSV)  For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming 
       of the Son of Man.

       (Mat 24:38 NRSV)  For as in those days before the flood they were 
       eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day 
       Noah entered the ark,





       (Mat 24:39 NRSV)  and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept 
       them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man.

       (Mat 24:40 NRSV)  Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and 
       one will be left.

       (Mat 24:41 NRSV)  Two women will be grinding meal together; one will 
       be taken and one will be left.

       (Mat 24:42 NRSV)  Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what 
       day your Lord is coming.

       (Mat 24:43 NRSV)  But understand this: if the owner of the house had 
       known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have 
       stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.

       (Mat 24:44 NRSV)  Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man 
       is coming at an unexpected hour.

       (Mat 24:45 NRSV)  "Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his 
       master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves 
       their allowance of food at the proper time?

       (Mat 24:46 NRSV)  Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at 
       work when he arrives.

       (Mat 24:47 NRSV)  Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of 
       all his possessions.

       (Mat 24:48 NRSV)  But if that wicked slave says to himself, 'My master 
       is delayed,'

       (Mat 24:49 NRSV)  and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and eats 
       and drinks with drunkards,

       (Mat 24:50 NRSV)  the master of that slave will come on a day when he 
       does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know.

       (Mat 24:51 NRSV)  He will cut him in pieces and put him with the 
       hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

       (Mat 25:1 NRSV)  "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten 
       bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.

       (Mat 25:2 NRSV)  Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

       (Mat 25:3 NRSV)  When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil 
       with them;

       (Mat 25:4 NRSV)  but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.

       (Mat 25:5 NRSV)  As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became 
       drowsy and slept.

       (Mat 25:6 NRSV)  But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look! Here is the 
       bridegroom! Come out to meet him.'






       (Mat 25:7 NRSV)  Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their 
       lamps.

       (Mat 25:8 NRSV)  The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your 
       oil, for our lamps are going out.'

       (Mat 25:9 NRSV)  But the wise replied, 'No! there will not be enough 
       for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for 
       yourselves.'

       (Mat 25:10 NRSV)  And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, 
       and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and 
       the door was shut.

       (Mat 25:11 NRSV)  Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, 
       'Lord, lord, open to us.'

       (Mat 25:12 NRSV)  But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I do not know 
       you.'

       (Mat 25:13 NRSV)  Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day 
       nor the hour.

       (Mat 25:14 NRSV)  "For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned 
       his slaves and entrusted his property to them;

       (Mat 25:15 NRSV)  to one he gave five talents, to another two, to 
       another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

       (Mat 25:16 NRSV)  The one who had received the five talents went off 
       at once and traded with them, and made five more talents.

       (Mat 25:17 NRSV)  In the same way, the one who had the two talents 
       made two more talents.

       (Mat 25:18 NRSV)  But the one who had received the one talent went off 
       and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

       (Mat 25:19 NRSV)  After a long time the master of those slaves came 
       and settled accounts with them.

       (Mat 25:20 NRSV)  Then the one who had received the five talents came 
       forward, bringing five more talents, saying, 'Master, you handed over 
       to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.'

       (Mat 25:21 NRSV)  His master said to him, 'Well done, good and 
       trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will 
       put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'

       (Mat 25:22 NRSV)  And the one with the two talents also came forward, 
       saying, 'Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made 
       two more talents.'

       (Mat 25:23 NRSV)  His master said to him, 'Well done, good and 
       trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will 





       put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'

       (Mat 25:24 NRSV)  Then the one who had received the one talent also 
       came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, 
       reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter 
       seed;

       (Mat 25:25 NRSV)  so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in 
       the ground. Here you have what is yours.'

       (Mat 25:26 NRSV)  But his master replied, 'You wicked and lazy slave! 
       You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I 
       did not scatter?

       (Mat 25:27 NRSV)  Then you ought to have invested my money with the 
       bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with 
       interest.

       (Mat 25:28 NRSV)  So take the talent from him, and give it to the one 
       with the ten talents.

       (Mat 25:29 NRSV)  For to all those who have, more will be given, and 
       they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even 
       what they have will be taken away.

       (Mat 25:30 NRSV)  As for this worthless slave, throw him into the 
       outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

       (Mat 25:31 NRSV)  "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the 
       angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.

       (Mat 25:32 NRSV)  All the nations will be gathered before him, and he 
       will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the 
       sheep from the goats,

       (Mat 25:33 NRSV)  and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the 
       goats at the left.

       (Mat 25:34 NRSV)  Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 
       'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared 
       for you from the foundation of the world;

       (Mat 25:35 NRSV)  for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty 
       and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed 
       me,

       (Mat 25:36 NRSV)  I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and 
       you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.'

       (Mat 25:37 NRSV)  Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was 
       it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you 
       something to drink?

       (Mat 25:38 NRSV)  And when was it that we saw you a stranger and 
       welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?





       (Mat 25:39 NRSV)  And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison 
       and visited you?'

       (Mat 25:40 NRSV)  And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, 
       just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my 
       family, you did it to me.'

       (Mat 25:41 NRSV)  Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You 
       that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for 
       the devil and his angels;

       (Mat 25:42 NRSV)  for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was 
       thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,

       (Mat 25:43 NRSV)  I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked 
       and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not 
       visit me.'

       (Mat 25:44 NRSV)  Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that 
       we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in 
       prison, and did not take care of you?'

       (Mat 25:45 NRSV)  Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as 
       you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to 
       me.'

       (Mat 25:46 NRSV)  And these will go away into eternal punishment, but 
       the righteous into eternal life."

       (Mat 26:1 NRSV)  When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he 
       said to his disciples,

       (Mat 26:2 NRSV)  "You know that after two days the Passover is coming, 
       and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."

       (Mat 26:3 NRSV)  Then the chief priests and the elders of the people 
       gathered in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,

       (Mat 26:4 NRSV)  and they conspired to arrest Jesus by stealth and 
       kill him.

       (Mat 26:5 NRSV)  But they said, "Not during the festival, or there may 
       be a riot among the people."

       (Mat 26:6 NRSV)  Now while Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon 
       the leper,

       (Mat 26:7 NRSV)  a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very 
       costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table.

       (Mat 26:8 NRSV)  But when the disciples saw it, they were angry and 
       said, "Why this waste?

       (Mat 26:9 NRSV)  For this ointment could have been sold for a large 
       sum, and the money given to the poor."





       (Mat 26:10 NRSV)  But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you 
       trouble the woman? She has performed a good service for me.

       (Mat 26:11 NRSV)  For you always have the poor with you, but you will 
       not always have me.

       (Mat 26:12 NRSV)  By pouring this ointment on my body she has prepared 
       me for burial.

       (Mat 26:13 NRSV)  Truly I tell you, wherever this good news is 
       proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in 
       remembrance of her."

       (Mat 26:14 NRSV)  Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas 
       Iscariot, went to the chief priests

       (Mat 26:15 NRSV)  and said, "What will you give me if I betray him to 
       you?" They paid him thirty pieces of silver.

       (Mat 26:16 NRSV)  And from that moment he began to look for an 
       opportunity to betray him.

       (Mat 26:17 NRSV)  On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples 
       came to Jesus, saying, "Where do you want us to make the preparations 
       for you to eat the Passover?"

       (Mat 26:18 NRSV)  He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say 
       to him, 'The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover 
       at your house with my disciples.'"

       (Mat 26:19 NRSV)  So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and 
       they prepared the Passover meal.

       (Mat 26:20 NRSV)  When it was evening, he took his place with the 
       twelve;

       (Mat 26:21 NRSV)  and while they were eating, he said, "Truly I tell 
       you, one of you will betray me."

       (Mat 26:22 NRSV)  And they became greatly distressed and began to say 
       to him one after another, "Surely not I, Lord?"

       (Mat 26:23 NRSV)  He answered, "The one who has dipped his hand into 
       the bowl with me will betray me.

       (Mat 26:24 NRSV)  The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe 
       to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been 
       better for that one not to have been born."

       (Mat 26:25 NRSV)  Judas, who betrayed him, said, "Surely not I, 
       Rabbi?" He replied, "You have said so."

       (Mat 26:26 NRSV)  While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, 
       and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, 
       "Take, eat; this is my body."





       (Mat 26:27 NRSV)  Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave 
       it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you;

       (Mat 26:28 NRSV)  for this is my blood of the covenant, which is 
       poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

       (Mat 26:29 NRSV)  I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit 
       of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's 
       kingdom."

       (Mat 26:30 NRSV)  When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the 
       Mount of Olives.

       (Mat 26:31 NRSV)  Then Jesus said to them, "You will all become 
       deserters because of me this night; for it is written, 'I will strike 
       the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

       (Mat 26:32 NRSV)  But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to 
       Galilee."

       (Mat 26:33 NRSV)  Peter said to him, "Though all become deserters 
       because of you, I will never desert you."

       (Mat 26:34 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, this very 
       night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times."

       (Mat 26:35 NRSV)  Peter said to him, "Even though I must die with you, 
       I will not deny you." And so said all the disciples.

       (Mat 26:36 NRSV)  Then Jesus went with them to a place called 
       Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I go over 
       there and pray."

       (Mat 26:37 NRSV)  He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, 
       and began to be grieved and agitated.

       (Mat 26:38 NRSV)  Then he said to them, "I am deeply grieved, even to 
       death; remain here, and stay awake with me."

       (Mat 26:39 NRSV)  And going a little farther, he threw himself on the 
       ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass 
       from me; yet not what I want but what you want."

       (Mat 26:40 NRSV)  Then he came to the disciples and found them 
       sleeping; and he said to Peter, "So, could you not stay awake with me 
       one hour?

       (Mat 26:41 NRSV)  Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the 
       time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

       (Mat 26:42 NRSV)  Again he went away for the second time and prayed, 
       "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done."

       (Mat 26:43 NRSV)  Again he came and found them sleeping, for their 
       eyes were heavy.





       (Mat 26:44 NRSV)  So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for 
       the third time, saying the same words.

       (Mat 26:45 NRSV)  Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Are 
       you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and 
       the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

       (Mat 26:46 NRSV)  Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at 
       hand."

       (Mat 26:47 NRSV)  While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the 
       twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, 
       from the chief priests and the elders of the people.

       (Mat 26:48 NRSV)  Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The 
       one I will kiss is the man; arrest him."

       (Mat 26:49 NRSV)  At once he came up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, 
       Rabbi!" and kissed him.

       (Mat 26:50 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you are here to 
       do." Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him.

       (Mat 26:51 NRSV)  Suddenly, one of those with Jesus put his hand on 
       his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting 
       off his ear.

       (Mat 26:52 NRSV)  Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into 
       its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.

       (Mat 26:53 NRSV)  Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and 
       he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?

       (Mat 26:54 NRSV)  But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, 
       which say it must happen in this way?"

       (Mat 26:55 NRSV)  At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you 
       come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? 
       Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me.

       (Mat 26:56 NRSV)  But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures 
       of the prophets may be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted him 
       and fled.

       (Mat 26:57 NRSV)  Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas 
       the high priest, in whose house the scribes and the elders had 
       gathered.

       (Mat 26:58 NRSV)  But Peter was following him at a distance, as far as 
       the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat with the 
       guards in order to see how this would end.

       (Mat 26:59 NRSV)  Now the chief priests and the whole council were 
       looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him 
       to death,





       (Mat 26:60 NRSV)  but they found none, though many false witnesses 
       came forward. At last two came forward

       (Mat 26:61 NRSV)  and said, "This fellow said, 'I am able to destroy 
       the temple of God and to build it in three days.'"

       (Mat 26:62 NRSV)  The high priest stood up and said, "Have you no 
       answer? What is it that they testify against you?"

       (Mat 26:63 NRSV)  But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to 
       him, "I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are 
       the Messiah, the Son of God."

       (Mat 26:64 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "You have said so. But I tell 
       you, From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand 
       of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven."

       (Mat 26:65 NRSV)  Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He 
       has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his 
       blasphemy.

       (Mat 26:66 NRSV)  What is your verdict?" They answered, "He deserves 
       death."

       (Mat 26:67 NRSV)  Then they spat in his face and struck him; and some 
       slapped him,

       (Mat 26:68 NRSV)  saying, "Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who is it that 
       struck you?"

       (Mat 26:69 NRSV)  Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A 
       servant-girl came to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the 
       Galilean."

       (Mat 26:70 NRSV)  But he denied it before all of them, saying, "I do 
       not know what you are talking about."

       (Mat 26:71 NRSV)  When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl 
       saw him, and she said to the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus of 
       Nazareth."

       (Mat 26:72 NRSV)  Again he denied it with an oath, "I do not know the 
       man."

       (Mat 26:73 NRSV)  After a little while the bystanders came up and said 
       to Peter, "Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays 
       you."

       (Mat 26:74 NRSV)  Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, "I do 
       not know the man!" At that moment the cock crowed.

       (Mat 26:75 NRSV)  Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: "Before 
       the cock crows, you will deny me three times." And he went out and 
       wept bitterly.

       (Mat 27:1 NRSV)  When morning came, all the chief priests and the 





       elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to 
       bring about his death.

       (Mat 27:2 NRSV)  They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to 
       Pilate the governor.

       (Mat 27:3 NRSV)  When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was 
       condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to 
       the chief priests and the elders.

       (Mat 27:4 NRSV)  He said, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." 
       But they said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself."

       (Mat 27:5 NRSV)  Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he 
       departed; and he went and hanged himself.

       (Mat 27:6 NRSV)  But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, 
       said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are 
       blood money."

       (Mat 27:7 NRSV)  After conferring together, they used them to buy the 
       potter's field as a place to bury foreigners.

       (Mat 27:8 NRSV)  For this reason that field has been called the Field 
       of Blood to this day.

       (Mat 27:9 NRSV)  Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the 
       prophet Jeremiah, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the 
       price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the 
       people of Israel had set a price,

       (Mat 27:10 NRSV)  and they gave them for the potter's field, as the 
       Lord commanded me."

       (Mat 27:11 NRSV)  Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the 
       governor asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You 
       say so."

       (Mat 27:12 NRSV)  But when he was accused by the chief priests and 
       elders, he did not answer.

       (Mat 27:13 NRSV)  Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many 
       accusations they make against you?"

       (Mat 27:14 NRSV)  But he gave him no answer, not even to a single 
       charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

       (Mat 27:15 NRSV)  Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to 
       release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted.

       (Mat 27:16 NRSV)  At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called 
       Jesus Barabbas.

       (Mat 27:17 NRSV)  So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, 
       "Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who 
       is called the Messiah?"






       (Mat 27:18 NRSV)  For he realized that it was out of jealousy that 
       they had handed him over.

       (Mat 27:19 NRSV)  While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife 
       sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for 
       today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him."

       (Mat 27:20 NRSV)  Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the 
       crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed.

       (Mat 27:21 NRSV)  The governor again said to them, "Which of the two 
       do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas."

       (Mat 27:22 NRSV)  Pilate said to them, "Then what should I do with 
       Jesus who is called the Messiah?" All of them said, "Let him be 
       crucified!"

       (Mat 27:23 NRSV)  Then he asked, "Why, what evil has he done?" But 
       they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified!"

       (Mat 27:24 NRSV)  So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but 
       rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his 
       hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; 
       see to it yourselves."

       (Mat 27:25 NRSV)  Then the people as a whole answered, "His blood be 
       on us and on our children!"

       (Mat 27:26 NRSV)  So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging 
       Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.

       (Mat 27:27 NRSV)  Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into 
       the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around 
       him.

       (Mat 27:28 NRSV)  They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,

       (Mat 27:29 NRSV)  and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they 
       put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before 
       him and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

       (Mat 27:30 NRSV)  They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him 
       on the head.

       (Mat 27:31 NRSV)  After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and 
       put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

       (Mat 27:32 NRSV)  As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene 
       named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross.

       (Mat 27:33 NRSV)  And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which 
       means Place of a Skull),

       (Mat 27:34 NRSV)  they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but 
       when he tasted it, he would not drink it.






       (Mat 27:35 NRSV)  And when they had crucified him, they divided his 
       clothes among themselves by casting lots;

       (Mat 27:36 NRSV)  then they sat down there and kept watch over him.

       (Mat 27:37 NRSV)  Over his head they put the charge against him, which 
       read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."

       (Mat 27:38 NRSV)  Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his 
       right and one on his left.

       (Mat 27:39 NRSV)  Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads

       (Mat 27:40 NRSV)  and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and 
       build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come 
       down from the cross."

       (Mat 27:41 NRSV)  In the same way the chief priests also, along with 
       the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying,

       (Mat 27:42 NRSV)  "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the 
       King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will 
       believe in him.

       (Mat 27:43 NRSV)  He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he 
       wants to; for he said, 'I am God's Son.'"

       (Mat 27:44 NRSV)  The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted 
       him in the same way.

       (Mat 27:45 NRSV)  From noon on, darkness came over the whole land 
       until three in the afternoon.

       (Mat 27:46 NRSV)  And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud 
       voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why 
       have you forsaken me?"

       (Mat 27:47 NRSV)  When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, 
       "This man is calling for Elijah."

       (Mat 27:48 NRSV)  At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it 
       with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink.

       (Mat 27:49 NRSV)  But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether 
       Elijah will come to save him."

       (Mat 27:50 NRSV)  Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and 
       breathed his last.

       (Mat 27:51 NRSV)  At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in 
       two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split.

       (Mat 27:52 NRSV)  The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the 
       saints who had fallen asleep were raised.





       (Mat 27:53 NRSV)  After his resurrection they came out of the tombs 
       and entered the holy city and appeared to many.

       (Mat 27:54 NRSV)  Now when the centurion and those with him, who were 
       keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they 
       were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!"

       (Mat 27:55 NRSV)  Many women were also there, looking on from a 
       distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for 
       him.

       (Mat 27:56 NRSV)  Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother 
       of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

       (Mat 27:57 NRSV)  When it was evening, there came a rich man from 
       Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus.

       (Mat 27:58 NRSV)  He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; 
       then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.

       (Mat 27:59 NRSV)  So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean 
       linen cloth

       (Mat 27:60 NRSV)  and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn 
       in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and 
       went away.

       (Mat 27:61 NRSV)  Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, 
       sitting opposite the tomb.

       (Mat 27:62 NRSV)  The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, 
       the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate

       (Mat 27:63 NRSV)  and said, "Sir, we remember what that impostor said 
       while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise again.'

       (Mat 27:64 NRSV)  Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until 
       the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and 
       tell the people, 'He has been raised from the dead,' and the last 
       deception would be worse than the first."

       (Mat 27:65 NRSV)  Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers; 
       go, make it as secure as you can."

       (Mat 27:66 NRSV)  So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure 
       by sealing the stone.

       (Mat 28:1 NRSV)  After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was 
       dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.

       (Mat 28:2 NRSV)  And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an 
       angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the 
       stone and sat on it.

       (Mat 28:3 NRSV)  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing 
       white as snow.






       (Mat 28:4 NRSV)  For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead 
       men.

       (Mat 28:5 NRSV)  But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I 
       know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.

       (Mat 28:6 NRSV)  He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. 
       Come, see the place where he lay.

       (Mat 28:7 NRSV)  Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been 
       raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; 
       there you will see him.' This is my message for you."

       (Mat 28:8 NRSV)  So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great 
       joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

       (Mat 28:9 NRSV)  Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And 
       they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.

       (Mat 28:10 NRSV)  Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and 
       tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

       (Mat 28:11 NRSV)  While they were going, some of the guard went into 
       the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened.

       (Mat 28:12 NRSV)  After the priests had assembled with the elders, 
       they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers,

       (Mat 28:13 NRSV)  telling them, "You must say, 'His disciples came by 
       night and stole him away while we were asleep.'

       (Mat 28:14 NRSV)  If this comes to the governor's ears, we will 
       satisfy him and keep you out of trouble."

       (Mat 28:15 NRSV)  So they took the money and did as they were 
       directed. And this story is still told among the Jews to this day.

       (Mat 28:16 NRSV)  Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the 
       mountain to which Jesus had directed them.

       (Mat 28:17 NRSV)  When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some 
       doubted.

       (Mat 28:18 NRSV)  And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in 
       heaven and on earth has been given to me.

       (Mat 28:19 NRSV)  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, 
       baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the 
       Holy Spirit,

       (Mat 28:20 NRSV)  and teaching them to obey everything that I have 
       commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the 
       age."

       (Mark 1:1 NRSV)  The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the 





       Son of God.

       (Mark 1:2 NRSV)  As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, "See, I am 
       sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way;

       (Mark 1:3 NRSV)  the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 
       'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'"

       (Mark 1:4 NRSV)  John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, 
       proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

       (Mark 1:5 NRSV)  And people from the whole Judean countryside and all 
       the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by 
       him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

       (Mark 1:6 NRSV)  Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a 
       leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

       (Mark 1:7 NRSV)  He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I 
       is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong 
       of his sandals.

       (Mark 1:8 NRSV)  I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize 
       you with the Holy Spirit."

       (Mark 1:9 NRSV)  In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and 
       was baptized by John in the Jordan.

       (Mark 1:10 NRSV)  And just as he was coming up out of the water, he 
       saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on 
       him.

       (Mark 1:11 NRSV)  And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the 
       Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

       (Mark 1:12 NRSV)  And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the 
       wilderness.

       (Mark 1:13 NRSV)  He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by 
       Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

       (Mark 1:14 NRSV)  Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, 
       proclaiming the good news of God,

       (Mark 1:15 NRSV)  and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom 
       of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news."

       (Mark 1:16 NRSV)  As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw 
       Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea--for they were 
       fishermen.

       (Mark 1:17 NRSV)  And Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I will make 
       you fish for people."

       (Mark 1:18 NRSV)  And immediately they left their nets and followed 
       him.






       (Mark 1:19 NRSV)  As he went a little farther, he saw James son of 
       Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets.

       (Mark 1:20 NRSV)  Immediately he called them; and they left their 
       father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

       (Mark 1:21 NRSV)  They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, 
       he entered the synagogue and taught.

       (Mark 1:22 NRSV)  They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught 
       them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

       (Mark 1:23 NRSV)  Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an 
       unclean spirit,

       (Mark 1:24 NRSV)  and he cried out, "What have you to do with us, 
       Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, 
       the Holy One of God."

       (Mark 1:25 NRSV)  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come 
       out of him!"

       (Mark 1:26 NRSV)  And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying 
       with a loud voice, came out of him.

       (Mark 1:27 NRSV)  They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one 
       another, "What is this? A new teaching--with authority! He commands 
       even the unclean spirits, and they obey him."

       (Mark 1:28 NRSV)  At once his fame began to spread throughout the 
       surrounding region of Galilee.

       (Mark 1:29 NRSV)  As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the 
       house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

       (Mark 1:30 NRSV)  Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, 
       and they told him about her at once.

       (Mark 1:31 NRSV)  He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. 
       Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

       (Mark 1:32 NRSV)  That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all 
       who were sick or possessed with demons.

       (Mark 1:33 NRSV)  And the whole city was gathered around the door.

       (Mark 1:34 NRSV)  And he cured many who were sick with various 
       diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons 
       to speak, because they knew him.

       (Mark 1:35 NRSV)  In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got 
       up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.

       (Mark 1:36 NRSV)  And Simon and his companions hunted for him.





       (Mark 1:37 NRSV)  When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone is 
       searching for you."

       (Mark 1:38 NRSV)  He answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, 
       so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came 
       out to do."

       (Mark 1:39 NRSV)  And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the 
       message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

       (Mark 1:40 NRSV)  A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he 
       said to him, "If you choose, you can make me clean."

       (Mark 1:41 NRSV)  Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and 
       touched him, and said to him, "I do choose. Be made clean!"

       (Mark 1:42 NRSV)  Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made 
       clean.

       (Mark 1:43 NRSV)  After sternly warning him he sent him away at once,

       (Mark 1:44 NRSV)  saying to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; 
       but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what 
       Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

       (Mark 1:45 NRSV)  But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and 
       to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town 
       openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from 
       every quarter.

       (Mark 2:1 NRSV)  When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was 
       reported that he was at home.

       (Mark 2:2 NRSV)  So many gathered around that there was no longer room 
       for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word 
       to them.

       (Mark 2:3 NRSV)  Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed 
       man, carried by four of them.

       (Mark 2:4 NRSV)  And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of 
       the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug 
       through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay.

       (Mark 2:5 NRSV)  When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 
       "Son, your sins are forgiven."

       (Mark 2:6 NRSV)  Now some of the scribes were sitting there, 
       questioning in their hearts,

       (Mark 2:7 NRSV)  "Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is 
       blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

       (Mark 2:8 NRSV)  At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were 
       discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, "Why 
       do you raise such questions in your hearts?






       (Mark 2:9 NRSV)  Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins 
       are forgiven,' or to say, 'Stand up and take your mat and walk'?

       (Mark 2:10 NRSV)  But so that you may know that the Son of Man has 
       authority on earth to forgive sins"--he said to the paralytic--

       (Mark 2:11 NRSV)  "I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to 
       your home."

       (Mark 2:12 NRSV)  And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and 
       went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and 
       glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

       (Mark 2:13 NRSV)  Jesus went out again beside the sea; the whole crowd 
       gathered around him, and he taught them.

       (Mark 2:14 NRSV)  As he was walking along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus 
       sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he got 
       up and followed him.

       (Mark 2:15 NRSV)  And as he sat at dinner in Levi's house, many tax 
       collectors and sinners were also sitting with Jesus and his 
       disciples--for there were many who followed him.

       (Mark 2:16 NRSV)  When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was 
       eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, 
       "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

       (Mark 2:17 NRSV)  When Jesus heard this, he said to them, "Those who 
       are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have 
       come to call not the righteous but sinners."

       (Mark 2:18 NRSV)  Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; 
       and people came and said to him, "Why do John's disciples and the 
       disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"

       (Mark 2:19 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot fast 
       while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the 
       bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

       (Mark 2:20 NRSV)  The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away 
       from them, and then they will fast on that day.

       (Mark 2:21 NRSV)  "No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old 
       cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, 
       and a worse tear is made.

       (Mark 2:22 NRSV)  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; 
       otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so 
       are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins."

       (Mark 2:23 NRSV)  One sabbath he was going through the grainfields; 
       and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of 
       grain.





       (Mark 2:24 NRSV)  The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing 
       what is not lawful on the sabbath?"

       (Mark 2:25 NRSV)  And he said to them, "Have you never read what David 
       did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food?

       (Mark 2:26 NRSV)  He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high 
       priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for 
       any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions."

       (Mark 2:27 NRSV)  Then he said to them, "The sabbath was made for 
       humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath;

       (Mark 2:28 NRSV)  so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath."

       (Mark 3:1 NRSV)  Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there 
       who had a withered hand.

       (Mark 3:2 NRSV)  They watched him to see whether he would cure him on 
       the sabbath, so that they might accuse him.

       (Mark 3:3 NRSV)  And he said to the man who had the withered hand, 
       "Come forward."

       (Mark 3:4 NRSV)  Then he said to them, "Is it lawful to do good or to 
       do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?" But they were 
       silent.

       (Mark 3:5 NRSV)  He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved 
       at their hardness of heart and said to the man, "Stretch out your 
       hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

       (Mark 3:6 NRSV)  The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with 
       the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

       (Mark 3:7 NRSV)  Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a 
       great multitude from Galilee followed him;

       (Mark 3:8 NRSV)  hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in 
       great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and 
       the region around Tyre and Sidon.

       (Mark 3:9 NRSV)  He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him 
       because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him;

       (Mark 3:10 NRSV)  for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases 
       pressed upon him to touch him.

       (Mark 3:11 NRSV)  Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down 
       before him and shouted, "You are the Son of God!"

       (Mark 3:12 NRSV)  But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.

       (Mark 3:13 NRSV)  He went up the mountain and called to him those whom 
       he wanted, and they came to him.





       (Mark 3:14 NRSV)  And he appointed twelve, whom he also named 
       apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message,

       (Mark 3:15 NRSV)  and to have authority to cast out demons.

       (Mark 3:16 NRSV)  So he appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave 
       the name Peter);

       (Mark 3:17 NRSV)  James son of Zebedee and John the brother of James 
       (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder);

       (Mark 3:18 NRSV)  and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and 
       Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and 
       Simon the Cananaean,

       (Mark 3:19 NRSV)  and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Then he went 
       home;

       (Mark 3:20 NRSV)  and the crowd came together again, so that they 
       could not even eat.

       (Mark 3:21 NRSV)  When his family heard it, they went out to restrain 
       him, for people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind."

       (Mark 3:22 NRSV)  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, 
       "He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out 
       demons."

       (Mark 3:23 NRSV)  And he called them to him, and spoke to them in 
       parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan?

       (Mark 3:24 NRSV)  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom 
       cannot stand.

       (Mark 3:25 NRSV)  And if a house is divided against itself, that house 
       will not be able to stand.

       (Mark 3:26 NRSV)  And if Satan has risen up against himself and is 
       divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come.

       (Mark 3:27 NRSV)  But no one can enter a strong man's house and 
       plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then 
       indeed the house can be plundered.

       (Mark 3:28 NRSV)  "Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their 
       sins and whatever blasphemies they utter;

       (Mark 3:29 NRSV)  but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can 
       never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"--

       (Mark 3:30 NRSV)  for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."

       (Mark 3:31 NRSV)  Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing 
       outside, they sent to him and called him.

       (Mark 3:32 NRSV)  A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to 





       him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking 
       for you."

       (Mark 3:33 NRSV)  And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?"

       (Mark 3:34 NRSV)  And looking at those who sat around him, he said, 
       "Here are my mother and my brothers!

       (Mark 3:35 NRSV)  Whoever does the will of God is my brother and 
       sister and mother."

       (Mark 4:1 NRSV)  Again he began to teach beside the sea. Such a very 
       large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the sea and 
       sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.

       (Mark 4:2 NRSV)  He began to teach them many things in parables, and 
       in his teaching he said to them:

       (Mark 4:3 NRSV)  "Listen! A sower went out to sow.

       (Mark 4:4 NRSV)  And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the 
       birds came and ate it up.

       (Mark 4:5 NRSV)  Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not 
       have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of 
       soil.

       (Mark 4:6 NRSV)  And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it 
       had no root, it withered away.

       (Mark 4:7 NRSV)  Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up 
       and choked it, and it yielded no grain.

       (Mark 4:8 NRSV)  Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth 
       grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a 
       hundredfold."

       (Mark 4:9 NRSV)  And he said, "Let anyone with ears to hear listen!"

       (Mark 4:10 NRSV)  When he was alone, those who were around him along 
       with the twelve asked him about the parables.

       (Mark 4:11 NRSV)  And he said to them, "To you has been given the 
       secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes 
       in parables;

       (Mark 4:12 NRSV)  in order that 'they may indeed look, but not 
       perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may 
       not turn again and be forgiven.'"

       (Mark 4:13 NRSV)  And he said to them, "Do you not understand this 
       parable? Then how will you understand all the parables?

       (Mark 4:14 NRSV)  The sower sows the word.

       (Mark 4:15 NRSV)  These are the ones on the path where the word is 





       sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word 
       that is sown in them.

       (Mark 4:16 NRSV)  And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when 
       they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy.

       (Mark 4:17 NRSV)  But they have no root, and endure only for a while; 
       then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, 
       immediately they fall away.

       (Mark 4:18 NRSV)  And others are those sown among the thorns: these 
       are the ones who hear the word,

       (Mark 4:19 NRSV)  but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, 
       and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it 
       yields nothing.

       (Mark 4:20 NRSV)  And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they 
       hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a 
       hundredfold."

       (Mark 4:21 NRSV)  He said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put 
       under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lampstand?

       (Mark 4:22 NRSV)  For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; 
       nor is anything secret, except to come to light.

       (Mark 4:23 NRSV)  Let anyone with ears to hear listen!"

       (Mark 4:24 NRSV)  And he said to them, "Pay attention to what you 
       hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more 
       will be given you.

       (Mark 4:25 NRSV)  For to those who have, more will be given; and from 
       those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away."

       (Mark 4:26 NRSV)  He also said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone 
       would scatter seed on the ground,

       (Mark 4:27 NRSV)  and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed 
       would sprout and grow, he does not know how.

       (Mark 4:28 NRSV)  The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then 
       the head, then the full grain in the head.

       (Mark 4:29 NRSV)  But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with 
       his sickle, because the harvest has come."

       (Mark 4:30 NRSV)  He also said, "With what can we compare the kingdom 
       of God, or what parable will we use for it?

       (Mark 4:31 NRSV)  It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the 
       ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth;

       (Mark 4:32 NRSV)  yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the 
       greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the 





       birds of the air can make nests in its shade."

       (Mark 4:33 NRSV)  With many such parables he spoke the word to them, 
       as they were able to hear it;

       (Mark 4:34 NRSV)  he did not speak to them except in parables, but he 
       explained everything in private to his disciples.

       (Mark 4:35 NRSV)  On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, 
       "Let us go across to the other side."

       (Mark 4:36 NRSV)  And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with 
       them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him.

       (Mark 4:37 NRSV)  A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the 
       boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.

       (Mark 4:38 NRSV)  But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and 
       they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we 
       are perishing?"

       (Mark 4:39 NRSV)  He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the 
       sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead 
       calm.

       (Mark 4:40 NRSV)  He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still 
       no faith?"

       (Mark 4:41 NRSV)  And they were filled with great awe and said to one 
       another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

       (Mark 5:1 NRSV)  They came to the other side of the sea, to the 
       country of the Gerasenes.

       (Mark 5:2 NRSV)  And when he had stepped out of the boat, immediately 
       a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him.

       (Mark 5:3 NRSV)  He lived among the tombs; and no one could restrain 
       him any more, even with a chain;

       (Mark 5:4 NRSV)  for he had often been restrained with shackles and 
       chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the shackles he broke in 
       pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him.

       (Mark 5:5 NRSV)  Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he 
       was always howling and bruising himself with stones.

       (Mark 5:6 NRSV)  When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed 
       down before him;

       (Mark 5:7 NRSV)  and he shouted at the top of his voice, "What have 
       you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by 
       God, do not torment me."

       (Mark 5:8 NRSV)  For he had said to him, "Come out of the man, you 
       unclean spirit!"






       (Mark 5:9 NRSV)  Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He 
       replied, "My name is Legion; for we are many."

       (Mark 5:10 NRSV)  He begged him earnestly not to send them out of the 
       country.

       (Mark 5:11 NRSV)  Now there on the hillside a great herd of swine was 
       feeding;

       (Mark 5:12 NRSV)  and the unclean spirits begged him, "Send us into 
       the swine; let us enter them."

       (Mark 5:13 NRSV)  So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits 
       came out and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two 
       thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned in 
       the sea.

       (Mark 5:14 NRSV)  The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and 
       in the country. Then people came to see what it was that had happened.

       (Mark 5:15 NRSV)  They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting 
       there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the 
       legion; and they were afraid.

       (Mark 5:16 NRSV)  Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac 
       and to the swine reported it.

       (Mark 5:17 NRSV)  Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their 
       neighborhood.

       (Mark 5:18 NRSV)  As he was getting into the boat, the man who had 
       been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him.

       (Mark 5:19 NRSV)  But Jesus refused, and said to him, "Go home to your 
       friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what 
       mercy he has shown you."

       (Mark 5:20 NRSV)  And he went away and began to proclaim in the 
       Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.

       (Mark 5:21 NRSV)  When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the 
       other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea.

       (Mark 5:22 NRSV)  Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named 
       Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet

       (Mark 5:23 NRSV)  and begged him repeatedly, "My little daughter is at 
       the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be 
       made well, and live."

       (Mark 5:24 NRSV)  So he went with him. And a large crowd followed him 
       and pressed in on him.

       (Mark 5:25 NRSV)  Now there was a woman who had been suffering from 
       hemorrhages for twelve years.






       (Mark 5:26 NRSV)  She had endured much under many physicians, and had 
       spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse.

       (Mark 5:27 NRSV)  She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in 
       the crowd and touched his cloak,

       (Mark 5:28 NRSV)  for she said, "If I but touch his clothes, I will be 
       made well."

       (Mark 5:29 NRSV)  Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in 
       her body that she was healed of her disease.

       (Mark 5:30 NRSV)  Immediately aware that power had gone forth from 
       him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my 
       clothes?"

       (Mark 5:31 NRSV)  And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd 
       pressing in on you; how can you say, 'Who touched me?'"

       (Mark 5:32 NRSV)  He looked all around to see who had done it.

       (Mark 5:33 NRSV)  But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, 
       came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the 
       whole truth.

       (Mark 5:34 NRSV)  He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you 
       well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."

       (Mark 5:35 NRSV)  While he was still speaking, some people came from 
       the leader's house to say, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the 
       teacher any further?"

       (Mark 5:36 NRSV)  But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the 
       leader of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe."

       (Mark 5:37 NRSV)  He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, 
       and John, the brother of James.

       (Mark 5:38 NRSV)  When they came to the house of the leader of the 
       synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.

       (Mark 5:39 NRSV)  When he had entered, he said to them, "Why do you 
       make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping."

       (Mark 5:40 NRSV)  And they laughed at him. Then he put them all 
       outside, and took the child's father and mother and those who were 
       with him, and went in where the child was.

       (Mark 5:41 NRSV)  He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha 
       cum," which means, "Little girl, get up!"

       (Mark 5:42 NRSV)  And immediately the girl got up and began to walk 
       about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with 
       amazement.





       (Mark 5:43 NRSV)  He strictly ordered them that no one should know 
       this, and told them to give her something to eat.

       (Mark 6:1 NRSV)  He left that place and came to his hometown, and his 
       disciples followed him.

       (Mark 6:2 NRSV)  On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, 
       and many who heard him were astounded. They said, "Where did this man 
       get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What 
       deeds of power are being done by his hands!

       (Mark 6:3 NRSV)  Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and 
       brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his 
       sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.

       (Mark 6:4 NRSV)  Then Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not without 
       honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their 
       own house."

       (Mark 6:5 NRSV)  And he could do no deed of power there, except that 
       he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them.

       (Mark 6:6 NRSV)  And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went 
       about among the villages teaching.

       (Mark 6:7 NRSV)  He called the twelve and began to send them out two 
       by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.

       (Mark 6:8 NRSV)  He ordered them to take nothing for their journey 
       except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts;

       (Mark 6:9 NRSV)  but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics.

       (Mark 6:10 NRSV)  He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay 
       there until you leave the place.

       (Mark 6:11 NRSV)  If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to 
       hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a 
       testimony against them."

       (Mark 6:12 NRSV)  So they went out and proclaimed that all should 
       repent.

       (Mark 6:13 NRSV)  They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil 
       many who were sick and cured them.

       (Mark 6:14 NRSV)  King Herod heard of it, for Jesus' name had become 
       known. Some were saying, "John the baptizer has been raised from the 
       dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him."

       (Mark 6:15 NRSV)  But others said, "It is Elijah." And others said, 
       "It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old."

       (Mark 6:16 NRSV)  But when Herod heard of it, he said, "John, whom I 
       beheaded, has been raised."





       (Mark 6:17 NRSV)  For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, 
       bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother 
       Philip's wife, because Herod had married her.

       (Mark 6:18 NRSV)  For John had been telling Herod, "It is not lawful 
       for you to have your brother's wife."

       (Mark 6:19 NRSV)  And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to 
       kill him. But she could not,

       (Mark 6:20 NRSV)  for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a 
       righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he 
       was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him.

       (Mark 6:21 NRSV)  But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday 
       gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of 
       Galilee.

       (Mark 6:22 NRSV)  When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she 
       pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, "Ask me 
       for whatever you wish, and I will give it."

       (Mark 6:23 NRSV)  And he solemnly swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, 
       I will give you, even half of my kingdom."

       (Mark 6:24 NRSV)  She went out and said to her mother, "What should I 
       ask for?" She replied, "The head of John the baptizer."

       (Mark 6:25 NRSV)  Immediately she rushed back to the king and 
       requested, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist 
       on a platter."

       (Mark 6:26 NRSV)  The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for 
       his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her.

       (Mark 6:27 NRSV)  Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard 
       with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the 
       prison,

       (Mark 6:28 NRSV)  brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the 
       girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother.

       (Mark 6:29 NRSV)  When his disciples heard about it, they came and 
       took his body, and laid it in a tomb.

       (Mark 6:30 NRSV)  The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all 
       that they had done and taught.

       (Mark 6:31 NRSV)  He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all 
       by yourselves and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and 
       they had no leisure even to eat.

       (Mark 6:32 NRSV)  And they went away in the boat to a deserted place 
       by themselves.

       (Mark 6:33 NRSV)  Now many saw them going and recognized them, and 





       they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of 
       them.

       (Mark 6:34 NRSV)  As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had 
       compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; 
       and he began to teach them many things.

       (Mark 6:35 NRSV)  When it grew late, his disciples came to him and 
       said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late;

       (Mark 6:36 NRSV)  send them away so that they may go into the 
       surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to 
       eat."

       (Mark 6:37 NRSV)  But he answered them, "You give them something to 
       eat." They said to him, "Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii 
       worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?"

       (Mark 6:38 NRSV)  And he said to them, "How many loaves have you? Go 
       and see." When they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish."

       (Mark 6:39 NRSV)  Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit 
       down in groups on the green grass.

       (Mark 6:40 NRSV)  So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of 
       fifties.

       (Mark 6:41 NRSV)  Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked 
       up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his 
       disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among 
       them all.

       (Mark 6:42 NRSV)  And all ate and were filled;

       (Mark 6:43 NRSV)  and they took up twelve baskets full of broken 
       pieces and of the fish.

       (Mark 6:44 NRSV)  Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five 
       thousand men.

       (Mark 6:45 NRSV)  Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat 
       and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed 
       the crowd.

       (Mark 6:46 NRSV)  After saying farewell to them, he went up on the 
       mountain to pray.

       (Mark 6:47 NRSV)  When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and 
       he was alone on the land.

       (Mark 6:48 NRSV)  When he saw that they were straining at the oars 
       against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, 
       walking on the sea. He intended to pass them by.

       (Mark 6:49 NRSV)  But when they saw him walking on the sea, they 
       thought it was a ghost and cried out;






       (Mark 6:50 NRSV)  for they all saw him and were terrified. But 
       immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be 
       afraid."

       (Mark 6:51 NRSV)  Then he got into the boat with them and the wind 
       ceased. And they were utterly astounded,

       (Mark 6:52 NRSV)  for they did not understand about the loaves, but 
       their hearts were hardened.

       (Mark 6:53 NRSV)  When they had crossed over, they came to land at 
       Gennesaret and moored the boat.

       (Mark 6:54 NRSV)  When they got out of the boat, people at once 
       recognized him,

       (Mark 6:55 NRSV)  and rushed about that whole region and began to 
       bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.

       (Mark 6:56 NRSV)  And wherever he went, into villages or cities or 
       farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that 
       they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it 
       were healed.

       (Mark 7:1 NRSV)  Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who 
       had come from Jerusalem gathered around him,

       (Mark 7:2 NRSV)  they noticed that some of his disciples were eating 
       with defiled hands, that is, without washing them.

       (Mark 7:3 NRSV)  (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat 
       unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition 
       of the elders;

       (Mark 7:4 NRSV)  and they do not eat anything from the market unless 
       they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they 
       observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.)

       (Mark 7:5 NRSV)  So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do 
       your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but 
       eat with defiled hands?"

       (Mark 7:6 NRSV)  He said to them, "Isaiah prophesied rightly about you 
       hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors me with their lips, 
       but their hearts are far from me;

       (Mark 7:7 NRSV)  in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts 
       as doctrines.'

       (Mark 7:8 NRSV)  You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human 
       tradition."

       (Mark 7:9 NRSV)  Then he said to them, "You have a fine way of 
       rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition!





       (Mark 7:10 NRSV)  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; 
       and, 'Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.'

       (Mark 7:11 NRSV)  But you say that if anyone tells father or mother, 
       'Whatever support you might have had from me is Corban' (that is, an 
       offering to God)--

       (Mark 7:12 NRSV)  then you no longer permit doing anything for a 
       father or mother,

       (Mark 7:13 NRSV)  thus making void the word of God through your 
       tradition that you have handed on. And you do many things like this."

       (Mark 7:14 NRSV)  Then he called the crowd again and said to them, 
       "Listen to me, all of you, and understand:

       (Mark 7:15 NRSV)  there is nothing outside a person that by going in 
       can defile, but the things that come out are what defile."

       (Mark 7:16 NRSV)  

       (Mark 7:17 NRSV)  When he had left the crowd and entered the house, 
       his disciples asked him about the parable.

       (Mark 7:18 NRSV)  He said to them, "Then do you also fail to 
       understand? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from 
       outside cannot defile,

       (Mark 7:19 NRSV)  since it enters, not the heart but the stomach, and 
       goes out into the sewer?" (Thus he declared all foods clean.)

       (Mark 7:20 NRSV)  And he said, "It is what comes out of a person that 
       defiles.

       (Mark 7:21 NRSV)  For it is from within, from the human heart, that 
       evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder,

       (Mark 7:22 NRSV)  adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, 
       licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly.

       (Mark 7:23 NRSV)  All these evil things come from within, and they 
       defile a person."

       (Mark 7:24 NRSV)  From there he set out and went away to the region of 
       Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. 
       Yet he could not escape notice,

       (Mark 7:25 NRSV)  but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean 
       spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his 
       feet.

       (Mark 7:26 NRSV)  Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician 
       origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

       (Mark 7:27 NRSV)  He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for 
       it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs."






       (Mark 7:28 NRSV)  But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the 
       table eat the children's crumbs."

       (Mark 7:29 NRSV)  Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may 
       go--the demon has left your daughter."

       (Mark 7:30 NRSV)  So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, 
       and the demon gone.

       (Mark 7:31 NRSV)  Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went 
       by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the 
       Decapolis.

       (Mark 7:32 NRSV)  They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment 
       in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him.

       (Mark 7:33 NRSV)  He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, 
       and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue.

       (Mark 7:34 NRSV)  Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to 
       him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."

       (Mark 7:35 NRSV)  And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was 
       released, and he spoke plainly.

       (Mark 7:36 NRSV)  Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more 
       he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.

       (Mark 7:37 NRSV)  They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has 
       done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to 
       speak."

       (Mark 8:1 NRSV)  In those days when there was again a great crowd 
       without anything to eat, he called his disciples and said to them,

       (Mark 8:2 NRSV)  "I have compassion for the crowd, because they have 
       been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat.

       (Mark 8:3 NRSV)  If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will 
       faint on the way--and some of them have come from a great distance."

       (Mark 8:4 NRSV)  His disciples replied, "How can one feed these people 
       with bread here in the desert?"

       (Mark 8:5 NRSV)  He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" They 
       said, "Seven."

       (Mark 8:6 NRSV)  Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground; 
       and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them 
       and gave them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed 
       them to the crowd.

       (Mark 8:7 NRSV)  They had also a few small fish; and after blessing 
       them, he ordered that these too should be distributed.





       (Mark 8:8 NRSV)  They ate and were filled; and they took up the broken 
       pieces left over, seven baskets full.

       (Mark 8:9 NRSV)  Now there were about four thousand people. And he 
       sent them away.

       (Mark 8:10 NRSV)  And immediately he got into the boat with his 
       disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

       (Mark 8:11 NRSV)  The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, 
       asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him.

       (Mark 8:12 NRSV)  And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, "Why 
       does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be 
       given to this generation."

       (Mark 8:13 NRSV)  And he left them, and getting into the boat again, 
       he went across to the other side.

       (Mark 8:14 NRSV)  Now the disciples had forgotten to bring any bread; 
       and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.

       (Mark 8:15 NRSV)  And he cautioned them, saying, "Watch out--beware of 
       the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod."

       (Mark 8:16 NRSV)  They said to one another, "It is because we have no 
       bread."

       (Mark 8:17 NRSV)  And becoming aware of it, Jesus said to them, "Why 
       are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or 
       understand? Are your hearts hardened?

       (Mark 8:18 NRSV)  Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, 
       and fail to hear? And do you not remember?

       (Mark 8:19 NRSV)  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, 
       how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?" They said to 
       him, "Twelve."

       (Mark 8:20 NRSV)  "And the seven for the four thousand, how many 
       baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?" And they said to him, 
       "Seven."

       (Mark 8:21 NRSV)  Then he said to them, "Do you not yet understand?"

       (Mark 8:22 NRSV)  They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind 
       man to him and begged him to touch him.

       (Mark 8:23 NRSV)  He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of 
       the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands 
       on him, he asked him, "Can you see anything?"

       (Mark 8:24 NRSV)  And the man looked up and said, "I can see people, 
       but they look like trees, walking."

       (Mark 8:25 NRSV)  Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he 





       looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything 
       clearly.

       (Mark 8:26 NRSV)  Then he sent him away to his home, saying, "Do not 
       even go into the village."

       (Mark 8:27 NRSV)  Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of 
       Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do 
       people say that I am?"

       (Mark 8:28 NRSV)  And they answered him, "John the Baptist; and 
       others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets."

       (Mark 8:29 NRSV)  He asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter 
       answered him, "You are the Messiah."

       (Mark 8:30 NRSV)  And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about 
       him.

       (Mark 8:31 NRSV)  Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must 
       undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief 
       priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise 
       again.

       (Mark 8:32 NRSV)  He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him 
       aside and began to rebuke him.

       (Mark 8:33 NRSV)  But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked 
       Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind 
       not on divine things but on human things."

       (Mark 8:34 NRSV)  He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to 
       them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves 
       and take up their cross and follow me.

       (Mark 8:35 NRSV)  For those who want to save their life will lose it, 
       and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the 
       gospel, will save it.

       (Mark 8:36 NRSV)  For what will it profit them to gain the whole world 
       and forfeit their life?

       (Mark 8:37 NRSV)  Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?

       (Mark 8:38 NRSV)  Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this 
       adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be 
       ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy 
       angels."

       (Mark 9:1 NRSV)  And he said to them, "Truly I tell you, there are 
       some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the 
       kingdom of God has come with power."

       (Mark 9:2 NRSV)  Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James 
       and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he 
       was transfigured before them,






       (Mark 9:3 NRSV)  and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one 
       on earth could bleach them.

       (Mark 9:4 NRSV)  And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who 
       were talking with Jesus.

       (Mark 9:5 NRSV)  Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us 
       to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, 
       and one for Elijah."

       (Mark 9:6 NRSV)  He did not know what to say, for they were terrified.

       (Mark 9:7 NRSV)  Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud 
       there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!"

       (Mark 9:8 NRSV)  Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one 
       with them any more, but only Jesus.

       (Mark 9:9 NRSV)  As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered 
       them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of 
       Man had risen from the dead.

       (Mark 9:10 NRSV)  So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning 
       what this rising from the dead could mean.

       (Mark 9:11 NRSV)  Then they asked him, "Why do the scribes say that 
       Elijah must come first?"

       (Mark 9:12 NRSV)  He said to them, "Elijah is indeed coming first to 
       restore all things. How then is it written about the Son of Man, that 
       he is to go through many sufferings and be treated with contempt?

       (Mark 9:13 NRSV)  But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to 
       him whatever they pleased, as it is written about him."

       (Mark 9:14 NRSV)  When they came to the disciples, they saw a great 
       crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them.

       (Mark 9:15 NRSV)  When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately 
       overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him.

       (Mark 9:16 NRSV)  He asked them, "What are you arguing about with 
       them?"

       (Mark 9:17 NRSV)  Someone from the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I 
       brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak;

       (Mark 9:18 NRSV)  and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and 
       he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your 
       disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so."

       (Mark 9:19 NRSV)  He answered them, "You faithless generation, how 
       much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with 
       you? Bring him to me."





       (Mark 9:20 NRSV)  And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw 
       him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and 
       rolled about, foaming at the mouth.

       (Mark 9:21 NRSV)  Jesus asked the father, "How long has this been 
       happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood.

       (Mark 9:22 NRSV)  It has often cast him into the fire and into the 
       water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity 
       on us and help us."

       (Mark 9:23 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "If you are able!--All things can 
       be done for the one who believes."

       (Mark 9:24 NRSV)  Immediately the father of the child cried out, "I 
       believe; help my unbelief!"

       (Mark 9:25 NRSV)  When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, 
       he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You spirit that keeps 
       this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, 
       and never enter him again!"

       (Mark 9:26 NRSV)  After crying out and convulsing him terribly, it 
       came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, 
       "He is dead."

       (Mark 9:27 NRSV)  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, 
       and he was able to stand.

       (Mark 9:28 NRSV)  When he had entered the house, his disciples asked 
       him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"

       (Mark 9:29 NRSV)  He said to them, "This kind can come out only 
       through prayer."

       (Mark 9:30 NRSV)  They went on from there and passed through Galilee. 
       He did not want anyone to know it;

       (Mark 9:31 NRSV)  for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, 
       "The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill 
       him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again."

       (Mark 9:32 NRSV)  But they did not understand what he was saying and 
       were afraid to ask him.

       (Mark 9:33 NRSV)  Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the 
       house he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the way?"

       (Mark 9:34 NRSV)  But they were silent, for on the way they had argued 
       with one another who was the greatest.

       (Mark 9:35 NRSV)  He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, 
       "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all."

       (Mark 9:36 NRSV)  Then he took a little child and put it among them; 
       and taking it in his arms, he said to them,






       (Mark 9:37 NRSV)  "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes 
       me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."

       (Mark 9:38 NRSV)  John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting 
       out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not 
       following us."

       (Mark 9:39 NRSV)  But Jesus said, "Do not stop him; for no one who 
       does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak 
       evil of me.

       (Mark 9:40 NRSV)  Whoever is not against us is for us.

       (Mark 9:41 NRSV)  For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of 
       water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means 
       lose the reward.

       (Mark 9:42 NRSV)  "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of 
       these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a 
       great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into 
       the sea.

       (Mark 9:43 NRSV)  If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it 
       is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to 
       go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.

       (Mark 9:44 NRSV)  

       (Mark 9:45 NRSV)  And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; 
       it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to 
       be thrown into hell.

       (Mark 9:46 NRSV)  

       (Mark 9:47 NRSV)  And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; 
       it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to 
       have two eyes and to be thrown into hell,

       (Mark 9:48 NRSV)  where their worm never dies, and the fire is never 
       quenched.

       (Mark 9:49 NRSV)  "For everyone will be salted with fire.

       (Mark 9:50 NRSV)  Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, 
       how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with 
       one another."

       (Mark 10:1 NRSV)  He left that place and went to the region of Judea 
       and beyond the Jordan. And crowds again gathered around him; and, as 
       was his custom, he again taught them.

       (Mark 10:2 NRSV)  Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, "Is 
       it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"

       (Mark 10:3 NRSV)  He answered them, "What did Moses command you?"






       (Mark 10:4 NRSV)  They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a 
       certificate of dismissal and to divorce her."

       (Mark 10:5 NRSV)  But Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of 
       heart he wrote this commandment for you.

       (Mark 10:6 NRSV)  But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them 
       male and female.'

       (Mark 10:7 NRSV)  'For this reason a man shall leave his father and 
       mother and be joined to his wife,

       (Mark 10:8 NRSV)  and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no 
       longer two, but one flesh.

       (Mark 10:9 NRSV)  Therefore what God has joined together, let no one 
       separate."

       (Mark 10:10 NRSV)  Then in the house the disciples asked him again 
       about this matter.

       (Mark 10:11 NRSV)  He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and 
       marries another commits adultery against her;

       (Mark 10:12 NRSV)  and if she divorces her husband and marries 
       another, she commits adultery."

       (Mark 10:13 NRSV)  People were bringing little children to him in 
       order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to 
       them.

       (Mark 10:14 NRSV)  But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said 
       to them, "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it 
       is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.

       (Mark 10:15 NRSV)  Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the 
       kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it."

       (Mark 10:16 NRSV)  And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on 
       them, and blessed them.

       (Mark 10:17 NRSV)  As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up 
       and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to 
       inherit eternal life?"

       (Mark 10:18 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one 
       is good but God alone.

       (Mark 10:19 NRSV)  You know the commandments: 'You shall not murder; 
       You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear 
       false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.'"

       (Mark 10:20 NRSV)  He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these 
       since my youth."





       (Mark 10:21 NRSV)  Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You 
       lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, 
       and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."

       (Mark 10:22 NRSV)  When he heard this, he was shocked and went away 
       grieving, for he had many possessions.

       (Mark 10:23 NRSV)  Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, 
       "How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of 
       God!"

       (Mark 10:24 NRSV)  And the disciples were perplexed at these words. 
       But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the 
       kingdom of God!

       (Mark 10:25 NRSV)  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a 
       needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

       (Mark 10:26 NRSV)  They were greatly astounded and said to one 
       another, "Then who can be saved?"

       (Mark 10:27 NRSV)  Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is 
       impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible."

       (Mark 10:28 NRSV)  Peter began to say to him, "Look, we have left 
       everything and followed you."

       (Mark 10:29 NRSV)  Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who 
       has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children 
       or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news,

       (Mark 10:30 NRSV)  who will not receive a hundredfold now in this 
       age--houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields 
       with persecutions--and in the age to come eternal life.

       (Mark 10:31 NRSV)  But many who are first will be last, and the last 
       will be first."

       (Mark 10:32 NRSV)  They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and 
       Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who 
       followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell 
       them what was to happen to him,

       (Mark 10:33 NRSV)  saying, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the 
       Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, 
       and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to 
       the Gentiles;

       (Mark 10:34 NRSV)  they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog 
       him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again."

       (Mark 10:35 NRSV)  James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward 
       to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we 
       ask of you."

       (Mark 10:36 NRSV)  And he said to them, "What is it you want me to do 





       for you?"

       (Mark 10:37 NRSV)  And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your 
       right hand and one at your left, in your glory."

       (Mark 10:38 NRSV)  But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you 
       are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized 
       with the baptism that I am baptized with?"

       (Mark 10:39 NRSV)  They replied, "We are able." Then Jesus said to 
       them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with 
       which I am baptized, you will be baptized;

       (Mark 10:40 NRSV)  but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not 
       mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared."

       (Mark 10:41 NRSV)  When the ten heard this, they began to be angry 
       with James and John.

       (Mark 10:42 NRSV)  So Jesus called them and said to them, "You know 
       that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord 
       it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.

       (Mark 10:43 NRSV)  But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to 
       become great among you must be your servant,

       (Mark 10:44 NRSV)  and whoever wishes to be first among you must be 
       slave of all.

       (Mark 10:45 NRSV)  For the Son of Man came not to be served but to 
       serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."

       (Mark 10:46 NRSV)  They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a 
       large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind 
       beggar, was sitting by the roadside.

       (Mark 10:47 NRSV)  When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he 
       began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

       (Mark 10:48 NRSV)  Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried 
       out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

       (Mark 10:49 NRSV)  Jesus stood still and said, "Call him here." And 
       they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; get up, he is 
       calling you."

       (Mark 10:50 NRSV)  So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to 
       Jesus.

       (Mark 10:51 NRSV)  Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do 
       for you?" The blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again."

       (Mark 10:52 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you 
       well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

       (Mark 11:1 NRSV)  When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage 





       and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples

       (Mark 11:2 NRSV)  and said to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, 
       and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that 
       has never been ridden; untie it and bring it.

       (Mark 11:3 NRSV)  If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' 
       just say this, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here 
       immediately.'"

       (Mark 11:4 NRSV)  They went away and found a colt tied near a door, 
       outside in the street. As they were untying it,

       (Mark 11:5 NRSV)  some of the bystanders said to them, "What are you 
       doing, untying the colt?"

       (Mark 11:6 NRSV)  They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed 
       them to take it.

       (Mark 11:7 NRSV)  Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their 
       cloaks on it; and he sat on it.

       (Mark 11:8 NRSV)  Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and 
       others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields.

       (Mark 11:9 NRSV)  Then those who went ahead and those who followed 
       were shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of 
       the Lord!

       (Mark 11:10 NRSV)  Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor 
       David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!"

       (Mark 11:11 NRSV)  Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; 
       and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, 
       he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

       (Mark 11:12 NRSV)  On the following day, when they came from Bethany, 
       he was hungry.

       (Mark 11:13 NRSV)  Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went 
       to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to 
       it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

       (Mark 11:14 NRSV)  He said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you 
       again." And his disciples heard it.

       (Mark 11:15 NRSV)  Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the 
       temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who 
       were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money 
       changers and the seats of those who sold doves;

       (Mark 11:16 NRSV)  and he would not allow anyone to carry anything 
       through the temple.

       (Mark 11:17 NRSV)  He was teaching and saying, "Is it not written, 'My 
       house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you 





       have made it a den of robbers."

       (Mark 11:18 NRSV)  And when the chief priests and the scribes heard 
       it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of 
       him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching.

       (Mark 11:19 NRSV)  And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples went 
       out of the city.

       (Mark 11:20 NRSV)  In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig 
       tree withered away to its roots.

       (Mark 11:21 NRSV)  Then Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, 
       look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered."

       (Mark 11:22 NRSV)  Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God.

       (Mark 11:23 NRSV)  Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, 'Be 
       taken up and thrown into the sea,' and if you do not doubt in your 
       heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be 
       done for you.

       (Mark 11:24 NRSV)  So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, 
       believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

       (Mark 11:25 NRSV)  "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have 
       anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also 
       forgive you your trespasses."

       (Mark 11:26 NRSV)  

       (Mark 11:27 NRSV)  Again they came to Jerusalem. As he was walking in 
       the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him

       (Mark 11:28 NRSV)  and said, "By what authority are you doing these 
       things? Who gave you this authority to do them?"

       (Mark 11:29 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question; 
       answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

       (Mark 11:30 NRSV)  Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it 
       of human origin? Answer me."

       (Mark 11:31 NRSV)  They argued with one another, "If we say, 'From 
       heaven,' he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'

       (Mark 11:32 NRSV)  But shall we say, 'Of human origin'?"--they were 
       afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet.

       (Mark 11:33 NRSV)  So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus 
       said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing 
       these things."

       (Mark 12:1 NRSV)  Then he began to speak to them in parables. "A man 
       planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine 
       press, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went 





       to another country.

       (Mark 12:2 NRSV)  When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants 
       to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard.

       (Mark 12:3 NRSV)  But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away 
       empty-handed.

       (Mark 12:4 NRSV)  And again he sent another slave to them; this one 
       they beat over the head and insulted.

       (Mark 12:5 NRSV)  Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And 
       so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed.

       (Mark 12:6 NRSV)  He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he 
       sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'

       (Mark 12:7 NRSV)  But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the 
       heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'

       (Mark 12:8 NRSV)  So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of 
       the vineyard.

       (Mark 12:9 NRSV)  What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will 
       come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.

       (Mark 12:10 NRSV)  Have you not read this scripture: 'The stone that 
       the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;

       (Mark 12:11 NRSV)  this was the Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our 
       eyes'?"

       (Mark 12:12 NRSV)  When they realized that he had told this parable 
       against them, they wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowd. So 
       they left him and went away.

       (Mark 12:13 NRSV)  Then they sent to him some Pharisees and some 
       Herodians to trap him in what he said.

       (Mark 12:14 NRSV)  And they came and said to him, "Teacher, we know 
       that you are sincere, and show deference to no one; for you do not 
       regard people with partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance 
       with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?

       (Mark 12:15 NRSV)  Should we pay them, or should we not?" But knowing 
       their hypocrisy, he said to them, "Why are you putting me to the test? 
       Bring me a denarius and let me see it."

       (Mark 12:16 NRSV)  And they brought one. Then he said to them, "Whose 
       head is this, and whose title?" They answered, "The emperor's."

       (Mark 12:17 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "Give to the emperor the things 
       that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." And 
       they were utterly amazed at him.

       (Mark 12:18 NRSV)  Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, 





       came to him and asked him a question, saying,

       (Mark 12:19 NRSV)  "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that 'if a man's 
       brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, the man shall marry the 
       widow and raise up children for his brother.'

       (Mark 12:20 NRSV)  There were seven brothers; the first married and, 
       when he died, left no children;

       (Mark 12:21 NRSV)  and the second married her and died, leaving no 
       children; and the third likewise;

       (Mark 12:22 NRSV)  none of the seven left children. Last of all the 
       woman herself died.

       (Mark 12:23 NRSV)  In the resurrection whose wife will she be? For the 
       seven had married her."

       (Mark 12:24 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "Is not this the reason you are 
       wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God?

       (Mark 12:25 NRSV)  For when they rise from the dead, they neither 
       marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

       (Mark 12:26 NRSV)  And as for the dead being raised, have you not read 
       in the book of Moses, in the story about the bush, how God said to 
       him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of 
       Jacob'?

       (Mark 12:27 NRSV)  He is God not of the dead, but of the living; you 
       are quite wrong."

       (Mark 12:28 NRSV)  One of the scribes came near and heard them 
       disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he 
       asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?"

       (Mark 12:29 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: the 
       Lord our God, the Lord is one;

       (Mark 12:30 NRSV)  you shall love the Lord your God with all your 
       heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all 
       your strength.'

       (Mark 12:31 NRSV)  The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor 
       as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

       (Mark 12:32 NRSV)  Then the scribe said to him, "You are right, 
       Teacher; you have truly said that 'he is one, and besides him there is 
       no other';

       (Mark 12:33 NRSV)  and 'to love him with all the heart, and with all 
       the understanding, and with all the strength,' and 'to love one's 
       neighbor as oneself,'--this is much more important than all whole 
       burnt offerings and sacrifices."

       (Mark 12:34 NRSV)  When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to 





       him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that no one 
       dared to ask him any question.

       (Mark 12:35 NRSV)  While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, 
       "How can the scribes say that the Messiah is the son of David?

       (Mark 12:36 NRSV)  David himself, by the Holy Spirit, declared, 'The 
       Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies 
       under your feet."'

       (Mark 12:37 NRSV)  David himself calls him Lord; so how can he be his 
       son?" And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.

       (Mark 12:38 NRSV)  As he taught, he said, "Beware of the scribes, who 
       like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in 
       the marketplaces,

       (Mark 12:39 NRSV)  and to have the best seats in the synagogues and 
       places of honor at banquets!

       (Mark 12:40 NRSV)  They devour widows' houses and for the sake of 
       appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater 
       condemnation."

       (Mark 12:41 NRSV)  He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the 
       crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large 
       sums.

       (Mark 12:42 NRSV)  A poor widow came and put in two small copper 
       coins, which are worth a penny.

       (Mark 12:43 NRSV)  Then he called his disciples and said to them, 
       "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who 
       are contributing to the treasury.

       (Mark 12:44 NRSV)  For all of them have contributed out of their 
       abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, 
       all she had to live on."

       (Mark 13:1 NRSV)  As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples 
       said to him, "Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large 
       buildings!"

       (Mark 13:2 NRSV)  Then Jesus asked him, "Do you see these great 
       buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be 
       thrown down."

       (Mark 13:3 NRSV)  When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite 
       the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately,

       (Mark 13:4 NRSV)  "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the 
       sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?"

       (Mark 13:5 NRSV)  Then Jesus began to say to them, "Beware that no one 
       leads you astray.





       (Mark 13:6 NRSV)  Many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and 
       they will lead many astray.

       (Mark 13:7 NRSV)  When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be 
       alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come.

       (Mark 13:8 NRSV)  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom 
       against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there 
       will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

       (Mark 13:9 NRSV)  "As for yourselves, beware; for they will hand you 
       over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will 
       stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to 
       them.

       (Mark 13:10 NRSV)  And the good news must first be proclaimed to all 
       nations.

       (Mark 13:11 NRSV)  When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do 
       not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is 
       given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy 
       Spirit.

       (Mark 13:12 NRSV)  Brother will betray brother to death, and a father 
       his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to 
       death;

       (Mark 13:13 NRSV)  and you will be hated by all because of my name. 
       But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

       (Mark 13:14 NRSV)  "But when you see the desolating sacrilege set up 
       where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then those in 
       Judea must flee to the mountains;

       (Mark 13:15 NRSV)  the one on the housetop must not go down or enter 
       the house to take anything away;

       (Mark 13:16 NRSV)  the one in the field must not turn back to get a 
       coat.

       (Mark 13:17 NRSV)  Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are 
       nursing infants in those days!

       (Mark 13:18 NRSV)  Pray that it may not be in winter.

       (Mark 13:19 NRSV)  For in those days there will be suffering, such as 
       has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until 
       now, no, and never will be.

       (Mark 13:20 NRSV)  And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no 
       one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he 
       has cut short those days.

       (Mark 13:21 NRSV)  And if anyone says to you at that time, 'Look! Here 
       is the Messiah!' or 'Look! There he is!'--do not believe it.





       (Mark 13:22 NRSV)  False messiahs and false prophets will appear and 
       produce signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, the elect.

       (Mark 13:23 NRSV)  But be alert; I have already told you everything.

       (Mark 13:24 NRSV)  "But in those days, after that suffering, the sun 
       will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,

       (Mark 13:25 NRSV)  and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the 
       powers in the heavens will be shaken.

       (Mark 13:26 NRSV)  Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in 
       clouds' with great power and glory.

       (Mark 13:27 NRSV)  Then he will send out the angels, and gather his 
       elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of 
       heaven.

       (Mark 13:28 NRSV)  "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its 
       branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer 
       is near.

       (Mark 13:29 NRSV)  So also, when you see these things taking place, 
       you know that he is near, at the very gates.

       (Mark 13:30 NRSV)  Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass 
       away until all these things have taken place.

       (Mark 13:31 NRSV)  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will 
       not pass away.

       (Mark 13:32 NRSV)  "But about that day or hour no one knows, neither 
       the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

       (Mark 13:33 NRSV)  Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the 
       time will come.

       (Mark 13:34 NRSV)  It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves 
       home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands 
       the doorkeeper to be on the watch.

       (Mark 13:35 NRSV)  Therefore, keep awake--for you do not know when the 
       master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at 
       cockcrow, or at dawn,

       (Mark 13:36 NRSV)  or else he may find you asleep when he comes 
       suddenly.

       (Mark 13:37 NRSV)  And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake."

       (Mark 14:1 NRSV)  It was two days before the Passover and the festival 
       of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking 
       for a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him;

       (Mark 14:2 NRSV)  for they said, "Not during the festival, or there 
       may be a riot among the people."






       (Mark 14:3 NRSV)  While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the 
       leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of 
       very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured 
       the ointment on his head.

       (Mark 14:4 NRSV)  But some were there who said to one another in 
       anger, "Why was the ointment wasted in this way?

       (Mark 14:5 NRSV)  For this ointment could have been sold for more than 
       three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor." And they 
       scolded her.

       (Mark 14:6 NRSV)  But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why do you trouble 
       her? She has performed a good service for me.

       (Mark 14:7 NRSV)  For you always have the poor with you, and you can 
       show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have 
       me.

       (Mark 14:8 NRSV)  She has done what she could; she has anointed my 
       body beforehand for its burial.

       (Mark 14:9 NRSV)  Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is 
       proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in 
       remembrance of her."

       (Mark 14:10 NRSV)  Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, 
       went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them.

       (Mark 14:11 NRSV)  When they heard it, they were greatly pleased, and 
       promised to give him money. So he began to look for an opportunity to 
       betray him.

       (Mark 14:12 NRSV)  On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the 
       Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, "Where do you 
       want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?"

       (Mark 14:13 NRSV)  So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 
       "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; 
       follow him,

       (Mark 14:14 NRSV)  and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the 
       house, 'The Teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the 
       Passover with my disciples?'

       (Mark 14:15 NRSV)  He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished 
       and ready. Make preparations for us there."

       (Mark 14:16 NRSV)  So the disciples set out and went to the city, and 
       found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover 
       meal.

       (Mark 14:17 NRSV)  When it was evening, he came with the twelve.

       (Mark 14:18 NRSV)  And when they had taken their places and were 





       eating, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me, one 
       who is eating with me."

       (Mark 14:19 NRSV)  They began to be distressed and to say to him one 
       after another, "Surely, not I?"

       (Mark 14:20 NRSV)  He said to them, "It is one of the twelve, one who 
       is dipping bread into the bowl with me.

       (Mark 14:21 NRSV)  For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, 
       but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have 
       been better for that one not to have been born."

       (Mark 14:22 NRSV)  While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, 
       and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, "Take; 
       this is my body."

       (Mark 14:23 NRSV)  Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave 
       it to them, and all of them drank from it.

       (Mark 14:24 NRSV)  He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, 
       which is poured out for many.

       (Mark 14:25 NRSV)  Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the 
       fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of 
       God."

       (Mark 14:26 NRSV)  When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the 
       Mount of Olives.

       (Mark 14:27 NRSV)  And Jesus said to them, "You will all become 
       deserters; for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the 
       sheep will be scattered.'

       (Mark 14:28 NRSV)  But after I am raised up, I will go before you to 
       Galilee."

       (Mark 14:29 NRSV)  Peter said to him, "Even though all become 
       deserters, I will not."

       (Mark 14:30 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, this day, 
       this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three 
       times."

       (Mark 14:31 NRSV)  But he said vehemently, "Even though I must die 
       with you, I will not deny you." And all of them said the same.

       (Mark 14:32 NRSV)  They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said 
       to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray."

       (Mark 14:33 NRSV)  He took with him Peter and James and John, and 
       began to be distressed and agitated.

       (Mark 14:34 NRSV)  And said to them, "I am deeply grieved, even to 
       death; remain here, and keep awake."





       (Mark 14:35 NRSV)  And going a little farther, he threw himself on the 
       ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from 
       him.

       (Mark 14:36 NRSV)  He said, "Abba, Father, for you all things are 
       possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you 
       want."

       (Mark 14:37 NRSV)  He came and found them sleeping; and he said to 
       Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour?

       (Mark 14:38 NRSV)  Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the 
       time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

       (Mark 14:39 NRSV)  And again he went away and prayed, saying the same 
       words.

       (Mark 14:40 NRSV)  And once more he came and found them sleeping, for 
       their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to say to him.

       (Mark 14:41 NRSV)  He came a third time and said to them, "Are you 
       still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the 
       Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

       (Mark 14:42 NRSV)  Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at 
       hand."

       (Mark 14:43 NRSV)  Immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas, 
       one of the twelve, arrived; and with him there was a crowd with swords 
       and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.

       (Mark 14:44 NRSV)  Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, 
       "The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under 
       guard."

       (Mark 14:45 NRSV)  So when he came, he went up to him at once and 
       said, "Rabbi!" and kissed him.

       (Mark 14:46 NRSV)  Then they laid hands on him and arrested him.

       (Mark 14:47 NRSV)  But one of those who stood near drew his sword and 
       struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

       (Mark 14:48 NRSV)  Then Jesus said to them, "Have you come out with 
       swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit?

       (Mark 14:49 NRSV)  Day after day I was with you in the temple 
       teaching, and you did not arrest me. But let the scriptures be 
       fulfilled."

       (Mark 14:50 NRSV)  All of them deserted him and fled.

       (Mark 14:51 NRSV)  A certain young man was following him, wearing 
       nothing but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him,

       (Mark 14:52 NRSV)  but he left the linen cloth and ran off naked.






       (Mark 14:53 NRSV)  They took Jesus to the high priest; and all the 
       chief priests, the elders, and the scribes were assembled.

       (Mark 14:54 NRSV)  Peter had followed him at a distance, right into 
       the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the guards, 
       warming himself at the fire.

       (Mark 14:55 NRSV)  Now the chief priests and the whole council were 
       looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they 
       found none.

       (Mark 14:56 NRSV)  For many gave false testimony against him, and 
       their testimony did not agree.

       (Mark 14:57 NRSV)  Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, 
       saying,

       (Mark 14:58 NRSV)  "We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple that 
       is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made 
       with hands.'"

       (Mark 14:59 NRSV)  But even on this point their testimony did not 
       agree.

       (Mark 14:60 NRSV)  Then the high priest stood up before them and asked 
       Jesus, "Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?"

       (Mark 14:61 NRSV)  But he was silent and did not answer. Again the 
       high priest asked him, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed 
       One?"

       (Mark 14:62 NRSV)  Jesus said, "I am; and 'you will see the Son of Man 
       seated at the right hand of the Power,' and 'coming with the clouds of 
       heaven.'"

       (Mark 14:63 NRSV)  Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, 
       "Why do we still need witnesses?

       (Mark 14:64 NRSV)  You have heard his blasphemy! What is your 
       decision?" All of them condemned him as deserving death.

       (Mark 14:65 NRSV)  Some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to 
       strike him, saying to him, "Prophesy!" The guards also took him over 
       and beat him.

       (Mark 14:66 NRSV)  While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the 
       servant-girls of the high priest came by.

       (Mark 14:67 NRSV)  When she saw Peter warming himself, she stared at 
       him and said, "You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth."

       (Mark 14:68 NRSV)  But he denied it, saying, "I do not know or 
       understand what you are talking about." And he went out into the 
       forecourt. Then the cock crowed.





       (Mark 14:69 NRSV)  And the servant-girl, on seeing him, began again to 
       say to the bystanders, "This man is one of them."

       (Mark 14:70 NRSV)  But again he denied it. Then after a little while 
       the bystanders again said to Peter, "Certainly you are one of them; 
       for you are a Galilean."

       (Mark 14:71 NRSV)  But he began to curse, and he swore an oath, "I do 
       not know this man you are talking about."

       (Mark 14:72 NRSV)  At that moment the cock crowed for the second time. 
       Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, "Before the cock 
       crows twice, you will deny me three times." And he broke down and 
       wept.

       (Mark 15:1 NRSV)  As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a 
       consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They 
       bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.

       (Mark 15:2 NRSV)  Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" He 
       answered him, "You say so."

       (Mark 15:3 NRSV)  Then the chief priests accused him of many things.

       (Mark 15:4 NRSV)  Pilate asked him again, "Have you no answer? See how 
       many charges they bring against you."

       (Mark 15:5 NRSV)  But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was 
       amazed.

       (Mark 15:6 NRSV)  Now at the festival he used to release a prisoner 
       for them, anyone for whom they asked.

       (Mark 15:7 NRSV)  Now a man called Barabbas was in prison with the 
       rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection.

       (Mark 15:8 NRSV)  So the crowd came and began to ask Pilate to do for 
       them according to his custom.

       (Mark 15:9 NRSV)  Then he answered them, "Do you want me to release 
       for you the King of the Jews?"

       (Mark 15:10 NRSV)  For he realized that it was out of jealousy that 
       the chief priests had handed him over.

       (Mark 15:11 NRSV)  But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have 
       him release Barabbas for them instead.

       (Mark 15:12 NRSV)  Pilate spoke to them again, "Then what do you wish 
       me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?"

       (Mark 15:13 NRSV)  They shouted back, "Crucify him!"

       (Mark 15:14 NRSV)  Pilate asked them, "Why, what evil has he done?" 
       But they shouted all the more, "Crucify him!"





       (Mark 15:15 NRSV)  So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released 
       Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be 
       crucified.

       (Mark 15:16 NRSV)  Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the 
       palace (that is, the governor's headquarters); and they called 
       together the whole cohort.

       (Mark 15:17 NRSV)  And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after 
       twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him.

       (Mark 15:18 NRSV)  And they began saluting him, "Hail, King of the 
       Jews!"

       (Mark 15:19 NRSV)  They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, 
       and knelt down in homage to him.

       (Mark 15:20 NRSV)  After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple 
       cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify 
       him.

       (Mark 15:21 NRSV)  They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from 
       the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of 
       Alexander and Rufus.

       (Mark 15:22 NRSV)  Then they brought Jesus to the place called 
       Golgotha (which means the place of a skull).

       (Mark 15:23 NRSV)  And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he 
       did not take it.

       (Mark 15:24 NRSV)  And they crucified him, and divided his clothes 
       among them, casting lots to decide what each should take.

       (Mark 15:25 NRSV)  It was nine o'clock in the morning when they 
       crucified him.

       (Mark 15:26 NRSV)  The inscription of the charge against him read, 
       "The King of the Jews."

       (Mark 15:27 NRSV)  And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his 
       right and one on his left.

       (Mark 15:28 NRSV)  

       (Mark 15:29 NRSV)  Those who passed by derided him, shaking their 
       heads and saying, "Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it 
       in three days,

       (Mark 15:30 NRSV)  save yourself, and come down from the cross!"

       (Mark 15:31 NRSV)  In the same way the chief priests, along with the 
       scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, "He saved 
       others; he cannot save himself.

       (Mark 15:32 NRSV)  Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from 





       the cross now, so that we may see and believe." Those who were 
       crucified with him also taunted him.

       (Mark 15:33 NRSV)  When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land 
       until three in the afternoon.

       (Mark 15:34 NRSV)  At three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, 
       "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have 
       you forsaken me?"

       (Mark 15:35 NRSV)  When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, 
       "Listen, he is calling for Elijah."

       (Mark 15:36 NRSV)  And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, 
       put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us 
       see whether Elijah will come to take him down."

       (Mark 15:37 NRSV)  Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.

       (Mark 15:38 NRSV)  And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from 
       top to bottom.

       (Mark 15:39 NRSV)  Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw 
       that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was 
       God's Son!"

       (Mark 15:40 NRSV)  There were also women looking on from a distance; 
       among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the 
       younger and of Joses, and Salome.

       (Mark 15:41 NRSV)  These used to follow him and provided for him when 
       he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up 
       with him to Jerusalem.

       (Mark 15:42 NRSV)  When evening had come, and since it was the day of 
       Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,

       (Mark 15:43 NRSV)  Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the 
       council, who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of 
       God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

       (Mark 15:44 NRSV)  Then Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and 
       summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead for 
       some time.

       (Mark 15:45 NRSV)  When he learned from the centurion that he was 
       dead, he granted the body to Joseph.

       (Mark 15:46 NRSV)  Then Joseph bought a linen cloth, and taking down 
       the body, wrapped it in the linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb that 
       had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the door 
       of the tomb.

       (Mark 15:47 NRSV)  Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw 
       where the body was laid.





       (Mark 16:1 NRSV)  When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary 
       the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go 
       and anoint him.

       (Mark 16:2 NRSV)  And very early on the first day of the week, when 
       the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.

       (Mark 16:3 NRSV)  They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll 
       away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?"

       (Mark 16:4 NRSV)  When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which 
       was very large, had already been rolled back.

       (Mark 16:5 NRSV)  As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, 
       dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were 
       alarmed.

       (Mark 16:6 NRSV)  But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are 
       looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; 
       he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him.

       (Mark 16:7 NRSV)  But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is 
       going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told 
       you."

       (Mark 16:8 NRSV)  So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror 
       and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for 
       they were afraid.

       (Mark 16:9 NRSV)  Now after he rose early on the first day of the 
       week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out 
       seven demons.

       (Mark 16:10 NRSV)  She went out and told those who had been with him, 
       while they were mourning and weeping.

       (Mark 16:11 NRSV)  But when they heard that he was alive and had been 
       seen by her, they would not believe it.

       (Mark 16:12 NRSV)  After this he appeared in another form to two of 
       them, as they were walking into the country.

       (Mark 16:13 NRSV)  And they went back and told the rest, but they did 
       not believe them.

       (Mark 16:14 NRSV)  Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they 
       were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of 
       faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw 
       him after he had risen.

       (Mark 16:15 NRSV)  And he said to them, "Go into all the world and 
       proclaim the good news to the whole creation.

       (Mark 16:16 NRSV)  The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; 
       but the one who does not believe will be condemned.





       (Mark 16:17 NRSV)  And these signs will accompany those who believe: 
       by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new 
       tongues;

       (Mark 16:18 NRSV)  they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if 
       they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay 
       their hands on the sick, and they will recover."

       (Mark 16:19 NRSV)  So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to 
       them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

       (Mark 16:20 NRSV)  And they went out and proclaimed the good news 
       everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message 
       by the signs that accompanied it.

       (Luke 1:1 NRSV)  Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly 
       account of the events that have been fulfilled among us,

       (Luke 1:2 NRSV)  just as they were handed on to us by those who from 
       the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word,

       (Luke 1:3 NRSV)  I too decided, after investigating everything 
       carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, 
       most excellent Theophilus,

       (Luke 1:4 NRSV)  so that you may know the truth concerning the things 
       about which you have been instructed.

       (Luke 1:5 NRSV)  In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a 
       priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. 
       His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

       (Luke 1:6 NRSV)  Both of them were righteous before God, living 
       blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the 
       Lord.

       (Luke 1:7 NRSV)  But they had no children, because Elizabeth was 
       barren, and both were getting on in years.

       (Luke 1:8 NRSV)  Once when he was serving as priest before God and his 
       section was on duty,

       (Luke 1:9 NRSV)  he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the 
       priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense.

       (Luke 1:10 NRSV)  Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole 
       assembly of the people was praying outside.

       (Luke 1:11 NRSV)  Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, 
       standing at the right side of the altar of incense.

       (Luke 1:12 NRSV)  When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear 
       overwhelmed him.

       (Luke 1:13 NRSV)  But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, 
       Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will 





       bear you a son, and you will name him John.

       (Luke 1:14 NRSV)  You will have joy and gladness, and many will 
       rejoice at his birth,

       (Luke 1:15 NRSV)  for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He 
       must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will 
       be filled with the Holy Spirit.

       (Luke 1:16 NRSV)  He will turn many of the people of Israel to the 
       Lord their God.

       (Luke 1:17 NRSV)  With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go 
       before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the 
       disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people 
       prepared for the Lord."

       (Luke 1:18 NRSV)  Zechariah said to the angel, "How will I know that 
       this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years."

       (Luke 1:19 NRSV)  The angel replied, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the 
       presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you 
       this good news.

       (Luke 1:20 NRSV)  But now, because you did not believe my words, which 
       will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to 
       speak, until the day these things occur."

       (Luke 1:21 NRSV)  Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and 
       wondered at his delay in the sanctuary.

       (Luke 1:22 NRSV)  When he did come out, he could not speak to them, 
       and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept 
       motioning to them and remained unable to speak.

       (Luke 1:23 NRSV)  When his time of service was ended, he went to his 
       home.

       (Luke 1:24 NRSV)  After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and 
       for five months she remained in seclusion. She said,

       (Luke 1:25 NRSV)  "This is what the Lord has done for me when he 
       looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among 
       my people."

       (Luke 1:26 NRSV)  In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God 
       to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,

       (Luke 1:27 NRSV)  to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, 
       of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.

       (Luke 1:28 NRSV)  And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored 
       one! The Lord is with you."

       (Luke 1:29 NRSV)  But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered 
       what sort of greeting this might be.






       (Luke 1:30 NRSV)  The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for 
       you have found favor with God.

       (Luke 1:31 NRSV)  And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a 
       son, and you will name him Jesus.

       (Luke 1:32 NRSV)  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the 
       Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his 
       ancestor David.

       (Luke 1:33 NRSV)  He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and 
       of his kingdom there will be no end."

       (Luke 1:34 NRSV)  Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am 
       a virgin?"

       (Luke 1:35 NRSV)  The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come 
       upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; 
       therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of 
       God.

       (Luke 1:36 NRSV)  And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has 
       also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said 
       to be barren.

       (Luke 1:37 NRSV)  For nothing will be impossible with God."

       (Luke 1:38 NRSV)  Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; 
       let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed 
       from her.

       (Luke 1:39 NRSV)  In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a 
       Judean town in the hill country,

       (Luke 1:40 NRSV)  where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted 
       Elizabeth.

       (Luke 1:41 NRSV)  When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child 
       leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit

       (Luke 1:42 NRSV)  and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you 
       among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

       (Luke 1:43 NRSV)  And why has this happened to me, that the mother of 
       my Lord comes to me?

       (Luke 1:44 NRSV)  For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, 
       the child in my womb leaped for joy.

       (Luke 1:45 NRSV)  And blessed is she who believed that there would be 
       a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."

       (Luke 1:46 NRSV)  And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord,

       (Luke 1:47 NRSV)  and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,






       (Luke 1:48 NRSV)  for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his 
       servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

       (Luke 1:49 NRSV)  for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and 
       holy is his name.

       (Luke 1:50 NRSV)  His mercy is for those who fear him from generation 
       to generation.

       (Luke 1:51 NRSV)  He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered 
       the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

       (Luke 1:52 NRSV)  He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, 
       and lifted up the lowly;

       (Luke 1:53 NRSV)  he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent 
       the rich away empty.

       (Luke 1:54 NRSV)  He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of 
       his mercy,

       (Luke 1:55 NRSV)  according to the promise he made to our ancestors, 
       to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

       (Luke 1:56 NRSV)  And Mary remained with her about three months and 
       then returned to her home.

       (Luke 1:57 NRSV)  Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and 
       she bore a son.

       (Luke 1:58 NRSV)  Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had 
       shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.

       (Luke 1:59 NRSV)  On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, 
       and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father.

       (Luke 1:60 NRSV)  But his mother said, "No; he is to be called John."

       (Luke 1:61 NRSV)  They said to her, "None of your relatives has this 
       name."

       (Luke 1:62 NRSV)  Then they began motioning to his father to find out 
       what name he wanted to give him.

       (Luke 1:63 NRSV)  He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name 
       is John." And all of them were amazed.

       (Luke 1:64 NRSV)  Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue 
       freed, and he began to speak, praising God.

       (Luke 1:65 NRSV)  Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these 
       things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea.

       (Luke 1:66 NRSV)  All who heard them pondered them and said, "What 
       then will this child become?" For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was 





       with him.

       (Luke 1:67 NRSV)  Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy 
       Spirit and spoke this prophecy:

       (Luke 1:68 NRSV)  "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has 
       looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.

       (Luke 1:69 NRSV)  He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house 
       of his servant David,

       (Luke 1:70 NRSV)  as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets 
       from of old,

       (Luke 1:71 NRSV)  that we would be saved from our enemies and from the 
       hand of all who hate us.

       (Luke 1:72 NRSV)  Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our 
       ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant,

       (Luke 1:73 NRSV)  the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to 
       grant us

       (Luke 1:74 NRSV)  that we, being rescued from the hands of our 
       enemies, might serve him without fear,

       (Luke 1:75 NRSV)  in holiness and righteousness before him all our 
       days.

       (Luke 1:76 NRSV)  And you, child, will be called the prophet of the 
       Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

       (Luke 1:77 NRSV)  to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the 
       forgiveness of their sins.

       (Luke 1:78 NRSV)  By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on 
       high will break upon us,

       (Luke 1:79 NRSV)  to give light to those who sit in darkness and in 
       the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

       (Luke 1:80 NRSV)  The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he 
       was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.

       (Luke 2:1 NRSV)  In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus 
       that all the world should be registered.

       (Luke 2:2 NRSV)  This was the first registration and was taken while 
       Quirinius was governor of Syria.

       (Luke 2:3 NRSV)  All went to their own towns to be registered.

       (Luke 2:4 NRSV)  Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee 
       to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was 
       descended from the house and family of David.





       (Luke 2:5 NRSV)  He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was 
       engaged and who was expecting a child.

       (Luke 2:6 NRSV)  While they were there, the time came for her to 
       deliver her child.

       (Luke 2:7 NRSV)  And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped 
       him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no 
       place for them in the inn.

       (Luke 2:8 NRSV)  In that region there were shepherds living in the 
       fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

       (Luke 2:9 NRSV)  Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the 
       glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

       (Luke 2:10 NRSV)  But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for 
       see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:

       (Luke 2:11 NRSV)  to you is born this day in the city of David a 
       Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.

       (Luke 2:12 NRSV)  This will be a sign for you: you will find a child 
       wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger."

       (Luke 2:13 NRSV)  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of 
       the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

       (Luke 2:14 NRSV)  "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth 
       peace among those whom he favors!"

       (Luke 2:15 NRSV)  When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, 
       the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see 
       this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."

       (Luke 2:16 NRSV)  So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, 
       and the child lying in the manger.

       (Luke 2:17 NRSV)  When they saw this, they made known what had been 
       told them about this child;

       (Luke 2:18 NRSV)  and all who heard it were amazed at what the 
       shepherds told them.

       (Luke 2:19 NRSV)  But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them 
       in her heart.

       (Luke 2:20 NRSV)  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God 
       for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

       (Luke 2:21 NRSV)  After eight days had passed, it was time to 
       circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the 
       angel before he was conceived in the womb.

       (Luke 2:22 NRSV)  When the time came for their purification according 
       to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him 





       to the Lord

       (Luke 2:23 NRSV)  (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every 
       firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord"),

       (Luke 2:24 NRSV)  and they offered a sacrifice according to what is 
       stated in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves or two young 
       pigeons."

       (Luke 2:25 NRSV)  Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was 
       Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the 
       consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him.

       (Luke 2:26 NRSV)  It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that 
       he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah.

       (Luke 2:27 NRSV)  Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; 
       and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what 
       was customary under the law,

       (Luke 2:28 NRSV)  Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,

       (Luke 2:29 NRSV)  "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in 
       peace, according to your word;

       (Luke 2:30 NRSV)  for my eyes have seen your salvation,

       (Luke 2:31 NRSV)  which you have prepared in the presence of all 
       peoples,

       (Luke 2:32 NRSV)  a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory 
       to your people Israel."

       (Luke 2:33 NRSV)  And the child's father and mother were amazed at 
       what was being said about him.

       (Luke 2:34 NRSV)  Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother 
       Mary, "This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many 
       in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed

       (Luke 2:35 NRSV)  so that the inner thoughts of many will be 
       revealed--and a sword will pierce your own soul too."

       (Luke 2:36 NRSV)  There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of 
       Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived 
       with her husband seven years after her marriage,

       (Luke 2:37 NRSV)  then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never 
       left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and 
       day.

       (Luke 2:38 NRSV)  At that moment she came, and began to praise God and 
       to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of 
       Jerusalem.

       (Luke 2:39 NRSV)  When they had finished everything required by the 





       law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of 
       Nazareth.

       (Luke 2:40 NRSV)  The child grew and became strong, filled with 
       wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

       (Luke 2:41 NRSV)  Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the 
       festival of the Passover.

       (Luke 2:42 NRSV)  And when he was twelve years old, they went up as 
       usual for the festival.

       (Luke 2:43 NRSV)  When the festival was ended and they started to 
       return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did 
       not know it.

       (Luke 2:44 NRSV)  Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they 
       went a day's journey. Then they started to look for him among their 
       relatives and friends.

       (Luke 2:45 NRSV)  When they did not find him, they returned to 
       Jerusalem to search for him.

       (Luke 2:46 NRSV)  After three days they found him in the temple, 
       sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them 
       questions.

       (Luke 2:47 NRSV)  And all who heard him were amazed at his 
       understanding and his answers.

       (Luke 2:48 NRSV)  When his parents saw him they were astonished; and 
       his mother said to him, "Child, why have you treated us like this? 
       Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety."

       (Luke 2:49 NRSV)  He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did 
       you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"

       (Luke 2:50 NRSV)  But they did not understand what he said to them.

       (Luke 2:51 NRSV)  Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, 
       and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her 
       heart.

       (Luke 2:52 NRSV)  And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in 
       divine and human favor.

       (Luke 3:1 NRSV)  In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor 
       Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was 
       ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of 
       Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene,

       (Luke 3:2 NRSV)  during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the 
       word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

       (Luke 3:3 NRSV)  He went into all the region around the Jordan, 
       proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,






       (Luke 3:4 NRSV)  as it is written in the book of the words of the 
       prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 
       'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

       (Luke 3:5 NRSV)  Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and 
       hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and 
       the rough ways made smooth;

       (Luke 3:6 NRSV)  and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

       (Luke 3:7 NRSV)  John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized 
       by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to 
       come?

       (Luke 3:8 NRSV)  Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say 
       to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God 
       is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.

       (Luke 3:9 NRSV)  Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; 
       every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and 
       thrown into the fire."

       (Luke 3:10 NRSV)  And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?"

       (Luke 3:11 NRSV)  In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats 
       must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do 
       likewise."

       (Luke 3:12 NRSV)  Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they 
       asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?"

       (Luke 3:13 NRSV)  He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount 
       prescribed for you."

       (Luke 3:14 NRSV)  Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we 
       do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or 
       false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."

       (Luke 3:15 NRSV)  As the people were filled with expectation, and all 
       were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be 
       the Messiah,

       (Luke 3:16 NRSV)  John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you 
       with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not 
       worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the 
       Holy Spirit and fire.

       (Luke 3:17 NRSV)  His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his 
       threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the 
       chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

       (Luke 3:18 NRSV)  So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the 
       good news to the people.

       (Luke 3:19 NRSV)  But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him 





       because of Herodias, his brother's wife, and because of all the evil 
       things that Herod had done,

       (Luke 3:20 NRSV)  added to them all by shutting up John in prison.

       (Luke 3:21 NRSV)  Now when all the people were baptized, and when 
       Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened,

       (Luke 3:22 NRSV)  and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily 
       form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the 
       Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

       (Luke 3:23 NRSV)  Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his 
       work. He was the son (as was thought) of Joseph son of Heli,

       (Luke 3:24 NRSV)  son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Melchi, son of 
       Jannai, son of Joseph,

       (Luke 3:25 NRSV)  son of Mattathias, son of Amos, son of Nahum, son of 
       Esli, son of Naggai,

       (Luke 3:26 NRSV)  son of Maath, son of Mattathias, son of Semein, son 
       of Josech, son of Joda,

       (Luke 3:27 NRSV)  son of Joanan, son of Rhesa, son of Zerubbabel, son 
       of Shealtiel, son of Neri,

       (Luke 3:28 NRSV)  son of Melchi, son of Addi, son of Cosam, son of 
       Elmadam, son of Er,

       (Luke 3:29 NRSV)  son of Joshua, son of Eliezer, son of Jorim, son of 
       Matthat, son of Levi,

       (Luke 3:30 NRSV)  son of Simeon, son of Judah, son of Joseph, son of 
       Jonam, son of Eliakim,

       (Luke 3:31 NRSV)  son of Melea, son of Menna, son of Mattatha, son of 
       Nathan, son of David,

       (Luke 3:32 NRSV)  son of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Boaz, son of Sala, 
       son of Nahshon,

       (Luke 3:33 NRSV)  son of Amminadab, son of Admin, son of Arni, son of 
       Hezron, son of Perez, son of Judah,

       (Luke 3:34 NRSV)  son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of 
       Terah, son of Nahor,

       (Luke 3:35 NRSV)  son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, 
       son of Shelah,

       (Luke 3:36 NRSV)  son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of 
       Noah, son of Lamech,

       (Luke 3:37 NRSV)  son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son 
       of Mahalaleel, son of Cainan,






       (Luke 3:38 NRSV)  son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God.

       (Luke 4:1 NRSV)  Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the 
       Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,

       (Luke 4:2 NRSV)  where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He 
       ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was 
       famished.

       (Luke 4:3 NRSV)  The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, 
       command this stone to become a loaf of bread."

       (Luke 4:4 NRSV)  Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not 
       live by bread alone.'"

       (Luke 4:5 NRSV)  Then the devil led him up and showed him in an 
       instant all the kingdoms of the world.

       (Luke 4:6 NRSV)  And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their 
       glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I 
       give it to anyone I please.

       (Luke 4:7 NRSV)  If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours."

       (Luke 4:8 NRSV)  Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Worship the Lord 
       your God, and serve only him.'"

       (Luke 4:9 NRSV)  Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him 
       on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of 
       God, throw yourself down from here,

       (Luke 4:10 NRSV)  for it is written, 'He will command his angels 
       concerning you, to protect you,'

       (Luke 4:11 NRSV)  and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that 
       you will not dash your foot against a stone.'"

       (Luke 4:12 NRSV)  Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'Do not put the 
       Lord your God to the test.'"

       (Luke 4:13 NRSV)  When the devil had finished every test, he departed 
       from him until an opportune time.

       (Luke 4:14 NRSV)  Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, 
       returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the 
       surrounding country.

       (Luke 4:15 NRSV)  He began to teach in their synagogues and was 
       praised by everyone.

       (Luke 4:16 NRSV)  When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought 
       up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He 
       stood up to read,

       (Luke 4:17 NRSV)  and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to 





       him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

       (Luke 4:18 NRSV)  "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has 
       anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim 
       release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the 
       oppressed go free,

       (Luke 4:19 NRSV)  to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

       (Luke 4:20 NRSV)  And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the 
       attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed 
       on him.

       (Luke 4:21 NRSV)  Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture 
       has been fulfilled in your hearing."

       (Luke 4:22 NRSV)  All spoke well of him and were amazed at the 
       gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, "Is not this 
       Joseph's son?"

       (Luke 4:23 NRSV)  He said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me 
       this proverb, 'Doctor, cure yourself!' And you will say, 'Do here also 
       in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.'"

       (Luke 4:24 NRSV)  And he said, "Truly I tell you, no prophet is 
       accepted in the prophet's hometown.

       (Luke 4:25 NRSV)  But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel 
       in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six 
       months, and there was a severe famine over all the land;

       (Luke 4:26 NRSV)  yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a 
       widow at Zarephath in Sidon.

       (Luke 4:27 NRSV)  There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of 
       the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the 
       Syrian."

       (Luke 4:28 NRSV)  When they heard this, all in the synagogue were 
       filled with rage.

       (Luke 4:29 NRSV)  They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him 
       to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they 
       might hurl him off the cliff.

       (Luke 4:30 NRSV)  But he passed through the midst of them and went on 
       his way.

       (Luke 4:31 NRSV)  He went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and 
       was teaching them on the sabbath.

       (Luke 4:32 NRSV)  They were astounded at his teaching, because he 
       spoke with authority.

       (Luke 4:33 NRSV)  In the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit 
       of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice,






       (Luke 4:34 NRSV)  "Let us alone! What have you to do with us, Jesus of 
       Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy 
       One of God."

       (Luke 4:35 NRSV)  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come 
       out of him!" When the demon had thrown him down before them, he came 
       out of him without having done him any harm.

       (Luke 4:36 NRSV)  They were all amazed and kept saying to one another, 
       "What kind of utterance is this? For with authority and power he 
       commands the unclean spirits, and out they come!"

       (Luke 4:37 NRSV)  And a report about him began to reach every place in 
       the region.

       (Luke 4:38 NRSV)  After leaving the synagogue he entered Simon's 
       house. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and 
       they asked him about her.

       (Luke 4:39 NRSV)  Then he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it 
       left her. Immediately she got up and began to serve them.

       (Luke 4:40 NRSV)  As the sun was setting, all those who had any who 
       were sick with various kinds of diseases brought them to him; and he 
       laid his hands on each of them and cured them.

       (Luke 4:41 NRSV)  Demons also came out of many, shouting, "You are the 
       Son of God!" But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, 
       because they knew that he was the Messiah.

       (Luke 4:42 NRSV)  At daybreak he departed and went into a deserted 
       place. And the crowds were looking for him; and when they reached him, 
       they wanted to prevent him from leaving them.

       (Luke 4:43 NRSV)  But he said to them, "I must proclaim the good news 
       of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for 
       this purpose."

       (Luke 4:44 NRSV)  So he continued proclaiming the message in the 
       synagogues of Judea.

       (Luke 5:1 NRSV)  Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of 
       Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of 
       God,

       (Luke 5:2 NRSV)  he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the 
       fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.

       (Luke 5:3 NRSV)  He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to 
       Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he 
       sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.

       (Luke 5:4 NRSV)  When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put 
       out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch."





       (Luke 5:5 NRSV)  Simon answered, "Master, we have worked all night 
       long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the 
       nets."

       (Luke 5:6 NRSV)  When they had done this, they caught so many fish 
       that their nets were beginning to break.

       (Luke 5:7 NRSV)  So they signaled their partners in the other boat to 
       come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they 
       began to sink.

       (Luke 5:8 NRSV)  But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' 
       knees, saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!"

       (Luke 5:9 NRSV)  For he and all who were with him were amazed at the 
       catch of fish that they had taken;

       (Luke 5:10 NRSV)  and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, 
       who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be 
       afraid; from now on you will be catching people."

       (Luke 5:11 NRSV)  When they had brought their boats to shore, they 
       left everything and followed him.

       (Luke 5:12 NRSV)  Once, when he was in one of the cities, there was a 
       man covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to 
       the ground and begged him, "Lord, if you choose, you can make me 
       clean."

       (Luke 5:13 NRSV)  Then Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and 
       said, "I do choose. Be made clean." Immediately the leprosy left him.

       (Luke 5:14 NRSV)  And he ordered him to tell no one. "Go," he said, 
       "and show yourself to the priest, and, as Moses commanded, make an 
       offering for your cleansing, for a testimony to them."

       (Luke 5:15 NRSV)  But now more than ever the word about Jesus spread 
       abroad; many crowds would gather to hear him and to be cured of their 
       diseases.

       (Luke 5:16 NRSV)  But he would withdraw to deserted places and pray.

       (Luke 5:17 NRSV)  One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and 
       teachers of the law were sitting near by (they had come from every 
       village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the 
       Lord was with him to heal.

       (Luke 5:18 NRSV)  Just then some men came, carrying a paralyzed man on 
       a bed. They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus;

       (Luke 5:19 NRSV)  but finding no way to bring him in because of the 
       crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through 
       the tiles into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus.

       (Luke 5:20 NRSV)  When he saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins 
       are forgiven you."






       (Luke 5:21 NRSV)  Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to 
       question, "Who is this who is speaking blasphemies? Who can forgive 
       sins but God alone?"

       (Luke 5:22 NRSV)  When Jesus perceived their questionings, he answered 
       them, "Why do you raise such questions in your hearts?

       (Luke 5:23 NRSV)  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven 
       you,' or to say, 'Stand up and walk'?

       (Luke 5:24 NRSV)  But so that you may know that the Son of Man has 
       authority on earth to forgive sins"--he said to the one who was 
       paralyzed--" I say to you, stand up and take your bed and go to your 
       home."

       (Luke 5:25 NRSV)  Immediately he stood up before them, took what he 
       had been lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God.

       (Luke 5:26 NRSV)  Amazement seized all of them, and they glorified God 
       and were filled with awe, saying, "We have seen strange things today."

       (Luke 5:27 NRSV)  After this he went out and saw a tax collector named 
       Levi, sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, "Follow me."

       (Luke 5:28 NRSV)  And he got up, left everything, and followed him.

       (Luke 5:29 NRSV)  Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house; 
       and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others sitting at 
       the table with them.

       (Luke 5:30 NRSV)  The Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to 
       his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors 
       and sinners?"

       (Luke 5:31 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "Those who are well have no need of 
       a physician, but those who are sick;

       (Luke 5:32 NRSV)  I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to 
       repentance."

       (Luke 5:33 NRSV)  Then they said to him, "John's disciples, like the 
       disciples of the Pharisees, frequently fast and pray, but your 
       disciples eat and drink.

       (Luke 5:34 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "You cannot make wedding guests 
       fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you?

       (Luke 5:35 NRSV)  The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken 
       away from them, and then they will fast in those days."

       (Luke 5:36 NRSV)  He also told them a parable: "No one tears a piece 
       from a new garment and sews it on an old garment; otherwise the new 
       will be torn, and the piece from the new will not match the old.

       (Luke 5:37 NRSV)  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; 





       otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and 
       the skins will be destroyed.

       (Luke 5:38 NRSV)  But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.

       (Luke 5:39 NRSV)  And no one after drinking old wine desires new wine, 
       but says, 'The old is good.'"

       (Luke 6:1 NRSV)  One sabbath while Jesus was going through the 
       grainfields, his disciples plucked some heads of grain, rubbed them in 
       their hands, and ate them.

       (Luke 6:2 NRSV)  But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing 
       what is not lawful on the sabbath?"

       (Luke 6:3 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "Have you not read what David did 
       when he and his companions were hungry?

       (Luke 6:4 NRSV)  He entered the house of God and took and ate the 
       bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests 
       to eat, and gave some to his companions?"

       (Luke 6:5 NRSV)  Then he said to them, "The Son of Man is lord of the 
       sabbath."

       (Luke 6:6 NRSV)  On another sabbath he entered the synagogue and 
       taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.

       (Luke 6:7 NRSV)  The scribes and the Pharisees watched him to see 
       whether he would cure on the sabbath, so that they might find an 
       accusation against him.

       (Luke 6:8 NRSV)  Even though he knew what they were thinking, he said 
       to the man who had the withered hand, "Come and stand here." He got up 
       and stood there.

       (Luke 6:9 NRSV)  Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to 
       do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?"

       (Luke 6:10 NRSV)  After looking around at all of them, he said to him, 
       "Stretch out your hand." He did so, and his hand was restored.

       (Luke 6:11 NRSV)  But they were filled with fury and discussed with 
       one another what they might do to Jesus.

       (Luke 6:12 NRSV)  Now during those days he went out to the mountain to 
       pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God.

       (Luke 6:13 NRSV)  And when day came, he called his disciples and chose 
       twelve of them, whom he also named apostles:

       (Luke 6:14 NRSV)  Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, 
       and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew,

       (Luke 6:15 NRSV)  and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, 
       and Simon, who was called the Zealot,






       (Luke 6:16 NRSV)  and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who 
       became a traitor.

       (Luke 6:17 NRSV)  He came down with them and stood on a level place, 
       with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people 
       from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon.

       (Luke 6:18 NRSV)  They had come to hear him and to be healed of their 
       diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.

       (Luke 6:19 NRSV)  And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for 
       power came out from him and healed all of them.

       (Luke 6:20 NRSV)  Then he looked up at his disciples and said: 
       "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

       (Luke 6:21 NRSV)  "Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be 
       filled. "Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

       (Luke 6:22 NRSV)  "Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they 
       exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man.

       (Luke 6:23 NRSV)  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely 
       your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did 
       to the prophets.

       (Luke 6:24 NRSV)  "But woe to you who are rich, for you have received 
       your consolation.

       (Luke 6:25 NRSV)  "Woe to you who are full now, for you will be 
       hungry. "Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.

       (Luke 6:26 NRSV)  "Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is 
       what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

       (Luke 6:27 NRSV)  "But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do 
       good to those who hate you,

       (Luke 6:28 NRSV)  bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse 
       you.

       (Luke 6:29 NRSV)  If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other 
       also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even 
       your shirt.

       (Luke 6:30 NRSV)  Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone 
       takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.

       (Luke 6:31 NRSV)  Do to others as you would have them do to you.

       (Luke 6:32 NRSV)  "If you love those who love you, what credit is that 
       to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

       (Luke 6:33 NRSV)  If you do good to those who do good to you, what 
       credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.






       (Luke 6:34 NRSV)  If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, 
       what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive 
       as much again.

       (Luke 6:35 NRSV)  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting 
       nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children 
       of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

       (Luke 6:36 NRSV)  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

       (Luke 6:37 NRSV)  "Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not 
       condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be 
       forgiven;

       (Luke 6:38 NRSV)  give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, 
       pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your 
       lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back."

       (Luke 6:39 NRSV)  He also told them a parable: "Can a blind person 
       guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?

       (Luke 6:40 NRSV)  A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone 
       who is fully qualified will be like the teacher.

       (Luke 6:41 NRSV)  Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but 
       do not notice the log in your own eye?

       (Luke 6:42 NRSV)  Or how can you say to your neighbor, 'Friend, let me 
       take out the speck in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log 
       in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own 
       eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your 
       neighbor's eye.

       (Luke 6:43 NRSV)  "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad 
       tree bear good fruit;

       (Luke 6:44 NRSV)  for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are 
       not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.

       (Luke 6:45 NRSV)  The good person out of the good treasure of the 
       heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces 
       evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth 
       speaks.

       (Luke 6:46 NRSV)  "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what 
       I tell you?

       (Luke 6:47 NRSV)  I will show you what someone is like who comes to 
       me, hears my words, and acts on them.

       (Luke 6:48 NRSV)  That one is like a man building a house, who dug 
       deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river 
       burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been 
       well built.





       (Luke 6:49 NRSV)  But the one who hears and does not act is like a man 
       who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river 
       burst against it, immediately it fell, and great was the ruin of that 
       house."

       (Luke 7:1 NRSV)  After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the 
       hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.

       (Luke 7:2 NRSV)  A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly, 
       and who was ill and close to death.

       (Luke 7:3 NRSV)  When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders 
       to him, asking him to come and heal his slave.

       (Luke 7:4 NRSV)  When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him 
       earnestly, saying, "He is worthy of having you do this for him,

       (Luke 7:5 NRSV)  for he loves our people, and it is he who built our 
       synagogue for us."

       (Luke 7:6 NRSV)  And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far 
       from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, "Lord, do 
       not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my 
       roof;

       (Luke 7:7 NRSV)  therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only 
       speak the word, and let my servant be healed.

       (Luke 7:8 NRSV)  For I also am a man set under authority, with 
       soldiers under me; and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to 
       another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and the 
       slave does it."

       (Luke 7:9 NRSV)  When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and 
       turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, "I tell you, not even 
       in Israel have I found such faith."

       (Luke 7:10 NRSV)  When those who had been sent returned to the house, 
       they found the slave in good health.

       (Luke 7:11 NRSV)  Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and 
       his disciples and a large crowd went with him.

       (Luke 7:12 NRSV)  As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had 
       died was being carried out. He was his mother's only son, and she was 
       a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town.

       (Luke 7:13 NRSV)  When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and 
       said to her, "Do not weep."

       (Luke 7:14 NRSV)  Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the 
       bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, rise!"

       (Luke 7:15 NRSV)  The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus 
       gave him to his mother.





       (Luke 7:16 NRSV)  Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, 
       saying, "A great prophet has risen among us!" and "God has looked 
       favorably on his people!"

       (Luke 7:17 NRSV)  This word about him spread throughout Judea and all 
       the surrounding country.

       (Luke 7:18 NRSV)  The disciples of John reported all these things to 
       him. So John summoned two of his disciples

       (Luke 7:19 NRSV)  and sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one 
       who is to come, or are we to wait for another?"

       (Luke 7:20 NRSV)  When the men had come to him, they said, "John the 
       Baptist has sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who is to come, or 
       are we to wait for another?'"

       (Luke 7:21 NRSV)  Jesus had just then cured many people of diseases, 
       plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind.

       (Luke 7:22 NRSV)  And he answered them, "Go and tell John what you 
       have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the 
       lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have 
       good news brought to them.

       (Luke 7:23 NRSV)  And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me."

       (Luke 7:24 NRSV)  When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to 
       speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the 
       wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind?

       (Luke 7:25 NRSV)  What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in 
       soft robes? Look, those who put on fine clothing and live in luxury 
       are in royal palaces.

       (Luke 7:26 NRSV)  What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I 
       tell you, and more than a prophet.

       (Luke 7:27 NRSV)  This is the one about whom it is written, 'See, I am 
       sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before 
       you.'

       (Luke 7:28 NRSV)  I tell you, among those born of women no one is 
       greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than 
       he."

       (Luke 7:29 NRSV)  (And all the people who heard this, including the 
       tax collectors, acknowledged the justice of God, because they had been 
       baptized with John's baptism.

       (Luke 7:30 NRSV)  But by refusing to be baptized by him, the Pharisees 
       and the lawyers rejected God's purpose for themselves.)

       (Luke 7:31 NRSV)  "To what then will I compare the people of this 
       generation, and what are they like?





       (Luke 7:32 NRSV)  They are like children sitting in the marketplace 
       and calling to one another, 'We played the flute for you, and you did 
       not dance; we wailed, and you did not weep.'

       (Luke 7:33 NRSV)  For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and 
       drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon';

       (Luke 7:34 NRSV)  the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you 
       say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and 
       sinners!'

       (Luke 7:35 NRSV)  Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her 
       children."

       (Luke 7:36 NRSV)  One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, 
       and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table.

       (Luke 7:37 NRSV)  And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having 
       learned that he was eating in the Pharisee's house, brought an 
       alabaster jar of ointment.

       (Luke 7:38 NRSV)  She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began 
       to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then 
       she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment.

       (Luke 7:39 NRSV)  Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he 
       said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who 
       and what kind of woman this is who is touching him--that she is a 
       sinner."

       (Luke 7:40 NRSV)  Jesus spoke up and said to him, "Simon, I have 
       something to say to you." "Teacher," he replied, "Speak."

       (Luke 7:41 NRSV)  "A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five 
       hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

       (Luke 7:42 NRSV)  When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for 
       both of them. Now which of them will love him more?"

       (Luke 7:43 NRSV)  Simon answered, "I suppose the one for whom he 
       canceled the greater debt." And Jesus said to him, "You have judged 
       rightly."

       (Luke 7:44 NRSV)  Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, "Do 
       you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my 
       feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with 
       her hair.

       (Luke 7:45 NRSV)  You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she 
       has not stopped kissing my feet.

       (Luke 7:46 NRSV)  You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has 
       anointed my feet with ointment.

       (Luke 7:47 NRSV)  Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, 
       have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to 





       whom little is forgiven, loves little."

       (Luke 7:48 NRSV)  Then he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

       (Luke 7:49 NRSV)  But those who were at the table with him began to 
       say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

       (Luke 7:50 NRSV)  And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; 
       go in peace."

       (Luke 8:1 NRSV)  Soon afterwards he went on through cities and 
       villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of 
       God. The twelve were with him,

       (Luke 8:2 NRSV)  as well as some women who had been cured of evil 
       spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven 
       demons had gone out,

       (Luke 8:3 NRSV)  and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and 
       Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their 
       resources.

       (Luke 8:4 NRSV)  When a great crowd gathered and people from town 
       after town came to him, he said in a parable:

       (Luke 8:5 NRSV)  "A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, 
       some fell on the path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air 
       ate it up.

       (Luke 8:6 NRSV)  Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered 
       for lack of moisture.

       (Luke 8:7 NRSV)  Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it 
       and choked it.

       (Luke 8:8 NRSV)  Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it 
       produced a hundredfold." As he said this, he called out, "Let anyone 
       with ears to hear listen!"

       (Luke 8:9 NRSV)  Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant.

       (Luke 8:10 NRSV)  He said, "To you it has been given to know the 
       secrets of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak in parables, so 
       that 'looking they may not perceive, and listening they may not 
       understand.'

       (Luke 8:11 NRSV)  "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of 
       God.

       (Luke 8:12 NRSV)  The ones on the path are those who have heard; then 
       the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that 
       they may not believe and be saved.

       (Luke 8:13 NRSV)  The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear 
       the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe 
       only for a while and in a time of testing fall away.






       (Luke 8:14 NRSV)  As for what fell among the thorns, these are the 
       ones who hear; but as they go on their way, they are choked by the 
       cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not 
       mature.

       (Luke 8:15 NRSV)  But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones 
       who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good 
       heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.

       (Luke 8:16 NRSV)  "No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, 
       or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand, so that those who 
       enter may see the light.

       (Luke 8:17 NRSV)  For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, 
       nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light.

       (Luke 8:18 NRSV)  Then pay attention to how you listen; for to those 
       who have, more will be given; and from those who do not have, even 
       what they seem to have will be taken away."

       (Luke 8:19 NRSV)  Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but 
       they could not reach him because of the crowd.

       (Luke 8:20 NRSV)  And he was told, "Your mother and your brothers are 
       standing outside, wanting to see you."

       (Luke 8:21 NRSV)  But he said to them, "My mother and my brothers are 
       those who hear the word of God and do it."

       (Luke 8:22 NRSV)  One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and 
       he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side of the lake." So 
       they put out,

       (Luke 8:23 NRSV)  and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A 
       windstorm swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, 
       and they were in danger.

       (Luke 8:24 NRSV)  They went to him and woke him up, shouting, "Master, 
       Master, we are perishing!" And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the 
       raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm.

       (Luke 8:25 NRSV)  He said to them, "Where is your faith?" They were 
       afraid and amazed, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that he 
       commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?"

       (Luke 8:26 NRSV)  Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, 
       which is opposite Galilee.

       (Luke 8:27 NRSV)  As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had 
       demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not 
       live in a house but in the tombs.

       (Luke 8:28 NRSV)  When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and 
       shouted at the top of his voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, 
       Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me"--






       (Luke 8:29 NRSV)  for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come 
       out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under 
       guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds 
       and be driven by the demon into the wilds.)

       (Luke 8:30 NRSV)  Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" He said, 
       "Legion"; for many demons had entered him.

       (Luke 8:31 NRSV)  They begged him not to order them to go back into 
       the abyss.

       (Luke 8:32 NRSV)  Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was 
       feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he 
       gave them permission.

       (Luke 8:33 NRSV)  Then the demons came out of the man and entered the 
       swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was 
       drowned.

       (Luke 8:34 NRSV)  When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran 
       off and told it in the city and in the country.

       (Luke 8:35 NRSV)  Then people came out to see what had happened, and 
       when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had 
       gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And 
       they were afraid.

       (Luke 8:36 NRSV)  Those who had seen it told them how the one who had 
       been possessed by demons had been healed.

       (Luke 8:37 NRSV)  Then all the people of the surrounding country of 
       the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with 
       great fear. So he got into the boat and returned.

       (Luke 8:38 NRSV)  The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he 
       might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying,

       (Luke 8:39 NRSV)  "Return to your home, and declare how much God has 
       done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how 
       much Jesus had done for him.

       (Luke 8:40 NRSV)  Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for 
       they were all waiting for him.

       (Luke 8:41 NRSV)  Just then there came a man named Jairus, a leader of 
       the synagogue. He fell at Jesus' feet and begged him to come to his 
       house,

       (Luke 8:42 NRSV)  for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, 
       who was dying. As he went, the crowds pressed in on him.

       (Luke 8:43 NRSV)  Now there was a woman who had been suffering from 
       hemorrhages for twelve years; and though she had spent all she had on 
       physicians, no one could cure her.





       (Luke 8:44 NRSV)  She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his 
       clothes, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped.

       (Luke 8:45 NRSV)  Then Jesus asked, "Who touched me?" When all denied 
       it, Peter said, "Master, the crowds surround you and press in on you."

       (Luke 8:46 NRSV)  But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; for I noticed 
       that power had gone out from me."

       (Luke 8:47 NRSV)  When the woman saw that she could not remain hidden, 
       she came trembling; and falling down before him, she declared in the 
       presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had 
       been immediately healed.

       (Luke 8:48 NRSV)  He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you 
       well; go in peace."

       (Luke 8:49 NRSV)  While he was still speaking, someone came from the 
       leader's house to say, "Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the 
       teacher any longer."

       (Luke 8:50 NRSV)  When Jesus heard this, he replied, "Do not fear. 
       Only believe, and she will be saved."

       (Luke 8:51 NRSV)  When he came to the house, he did not allow anyone 
       to enter with him, except Peter, John, and James, and the child's 
       father and mother.

       (Luke 8:52 NRSV)  They were all weeping and wailing for her; but he 
       said, "Do not weep; for she is not dead but sleeping."

       (Luke 8:53 NRSV)  And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.

       (Luke 8:54 NRSV)  But he took her by the hand and called out, "Child, 
       get up!"

       (Luke 8:55 NRSV)  Her spirit returned, and she got up at once. Then he 
       directed them to give her something to eat.

       (Luke 8:56 NRSV)  Her parents were astounded; but he ordered them to 
       tell no one what had happened.

       (Luke 9:1 NRSV)  Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them 
       power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,

       (Luke 9:2 NRSV)  and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God 
       and to heal.

       (Luke 9:3 NRSV)  He said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, no 
       staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money--not even an extra tunic.

       (Luke 9:4 NRSV)  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from 
       there.

       (Luke 9:5 NRSV)  Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving 
       that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them."






       (Luke 9:6 NRSV)  They departed and went through the villages, bringing 
       the good news and curing diseases everywhere.

       (Luke 9:7 NRSV)  Now Herod the ruler heard about all that had taken 
       place, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had 
       been raised from the dead,

       (Luke 9:8 NRSV)  by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that 
       one of the ancient prophets had arisen.

       (Luke 9:9 NRSV)  Herod said, "John I beheaded; but who is this about 
       whom I hear such things?" And he tried to see him.

       (Luke 9:10 NRSV)  On their return the apostles told Jesus all they had 
       done. He took them with him and withdrew privately to a city called 
       Bethsaida.

       (Luke 9:11 NRSV)  When the crowds found out about it, they followed 
       him; and he welcomed them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, 
       and healed those who needed to be cured.

       (Luke 9:12 NRSV)  The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came 
       to him and said, "Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the 
       surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for 
       we are here in a deserted place."

       (Luke 9:13 NRSV)  But he said to them, "You give them something to 
       eat." They said, "We have no more than five loaves and two 
       fish--unless we are to go and buy food for all these people."

       (Luke 9:14 NRSV)  For there were about five thousand men. And he said 
       to his disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each."

       (Luke 9:15 NRSV)  They did so and made them all sit down.

       (Luke 9:16 NRSV)  And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he 
       looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the 
       disciples to set before the crowd.

       (Luke 9:17 NRSV)  And all ate and were filled. What was left over was 
       gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

       (Luke 9:18 NRSV)  Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the 
       disciples near him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"

       (Luke 9:19 NRSV)  They answered, "John the Baptist; but others, 
       Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has 
       arisen."

       (Luke 9:20 NRSV)  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 
       Peter answered, "The Messiah of God."

       (Luke 9:21 NRSV)  He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell 
       anyone,





       (Luke 9:22 NRSV)  saying, "The Son of Man must undergo great 
       suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, 
       and be killed, and on the third day be raised."

       (Luke 9:23 NRSV)  Then he said to them all, "If any want to become my 
       followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and 
       follow me.

       (Luke 9:24 NRSV)  For those who want to save their life will lose it, 
       and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.

       (Luke 9:25 NRSV)  What does it profit them if they gain the whole 
       world, but lose or forfeit themselves?

       (Luke 9:26 NRSV)  Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them 
       the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the 
       glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

       (Luke 9:27 NRSV)  But truly I tell you, there are some standing here 
       who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."

       (Luke 9:28 NRSV)  Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took 
       with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to 
       pray.

       (Luke 9:29 NRSV)  And while he was praying, the appearance of his face 
       changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.

       (Luke 9:30 NRSV)  Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking 
       to him.

       (Luke 9:31 NRSV)  They appeared in glory and were speaking of his 
       departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

       (Luke 9:32 NRSV)  Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with 
       sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two 
       men who stood with him.

       (Luke 9:33 NRSV)  Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, 
       "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, 
       one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"--not knowing what he 
       said.

       (Luke 9:34 NRSV)  While he was saying this, a cloud came and 
       overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud.

       (Luke 9:35 NRSV)  Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is 
       my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!"

       (Luke 9:36 NRSV)  When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. 
       And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things 
       they had seen.

       (Luke 9:37 NRSV)  On the next day, when they had come down from the 
       mountain, a great crowd met him.





       (Luke 9:38 NRSV)  Just then a man from the crowd shouted, "Teacher, I 
       beg you to look at my son; he is my only child.

       (Luke 9:39 NRSV)  Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he 
       shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him 
       and will scarcely leave him.

       (Luke 9:40 NRSV)  I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they 
       could not."

       (Luke 9:41 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "You faithless and perverse 
       generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? 
       Bring your son here."

       (Luke 9:42 NRSV)  While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the 
       ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed 
       the boy, and gave him back to his father.

       (Luke 9:43 NRSV)  And all were astounded at the greatness of God. 
       While everyone was amazed at all that he was doing, he said to his 
       disciples,

       (Luke 9:44 NRSV)  "Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man 
       is going to be betrayed into human hands."

       (Luke 9:45 NRSV)  But they did not understand this saying; its meaning 
       was concealed from them, so that they could not perceive it. And they 
       were afraid to ask him about this saying.

       (Luke 9:46 NRSV)  An argument arose among them as to which one of them 
       was the greatest.

       (Luke 9:47 NRSV)  But Jesus, aware of their inner thoughts, took a 
       little child and put it by his side,

       (Luke 9:48 NRSV)  and said to them, "Whoever welcomes this child in my 
       name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent 
       me; for the least among all of you is the greatest."

       (Luke 9:49 NRSV)  John answered, "Master, we saw someone casting out 
       demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not 
       follow with us."

       (Luke 9:50 NRSV)  But Jesus said to him, "Do not stop him; for whoever 
       is not against you is for you."

       (Luke 9:51 NRSV)  When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he 
       set his face to go to Jerusalem.

       (Luke 9:52 NRSV)  And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way 
       they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him;

       (Luke 9:53 NRSV)  but they did not receive him, because his face was 
       set toward Jerusalem.

       (Luke 9:54 NRSV)  When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, 





       "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and 
       consume them?"

       (Luke 9:55 NRSV)  But he turned and rebuked them.

       (Luke 9:56 NRSV)  Then they went on to another village.

       (Luke 9:57 NRSV)  As they were going along the road, someone said to 
       him, "I will follow you wherever you go."

       (Luke 9:58 NRSV)  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds 
       of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his 
       head."

       (Luke 9:59 NRSV)  To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, 
       first let me go and bury my father."

       (Luke 9:60 NRSV)  But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own 
       dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

       (Luke 9:61 NRSV)  Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me 
       first say farewell to those at my home."

       (Luke 9:62 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the 
       plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

       (Luke 10:1 NRSV)  After this the Lord appointed seventy others and 
       sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he 
       himself intended to go.

       (Luke 10:2 NRSV)  He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the 
       laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out 
       laborers into his harvest.

       (Luke 10:3 NRSV)  Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs 
       into the midst of wolves.

       (Luke 10:4 NRSV)  Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one 
       on the road.

       (Luke 10:5 NRSV)  Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this 
       house!'

       (Luke 10:6 NRSV)  And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your 
       peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.

       (Luke 10:7 NRSV)  Remain in the same house, eating and drinking 
       whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not 
       move about from house to house.

       (Luke 10:8 NRSV)  Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome 
       you, eat what is set before you;

       (Luke 10:9 NRSV)  cure the sick who are there, and say to them, 'The 
       kingdom of God has come near to you.'





       (Luke 10:10 NRSV)  But whenever you enter a town and they do not 
       welcome you, go out into its streets and say,

       (Luke 10:11 NRSV)  'Even the dust of your town that clings to our 
       feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom 
       of God has come near.'

       (Luke 10:12 NRSV)  I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable 
       for Sodom than for that town.

       (Luke 10:13 NRSV)  "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For 
       if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, 
       they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

       (Luke 10:14 NRSV)  But at the judgment it will be more tolerable for 
       Tyre and Sidon than for you.

       (Luke 10:15 NRSV)  And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? 
       No, you will be brought down to Hades.

       (Luke 10:16 NRSV)  "Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever 
       rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who 
       sent me."

       (Luke 10:17 NRSV)  The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, in 
       your name even the demons submit to us!"

       (Luke 10:18 NRSV)  He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven 
       like a flash of lightning.

       (Luke 10:19 NRSV)  See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes 
       and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will 
       hurt you.

       (Luke 10:20 NRSV)  Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the 
       spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in 
       heaven."

       (Luke 10:21 NRSV)  At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit 
       and said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you 
       have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have 
       revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious 
       will.

       (Luke 10:22 NRSV)  All things have been handed over to me by my 
       Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the 
       Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal 
       him."

       (Luke 10:23 NRSV)  Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them 
       privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!

       (Luke 10:24 NRSV)  For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired 
       to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, 
       but did not hear it."





       (Luke 10:25 NRSV)  Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. 
       "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

       (Luke 10:26 NRSV)  He said to him, "What is written in the law? What 
       do you read there?"

       (Luke 10:27 NRSV)  He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with 
       all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, 
       and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."

       (Luke 10:28 NRSV)  And he said to him, "You have given the right 
       answer; do this, and you will live."

       (Luke 10:29 NRSV)  But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, 
       "And who is my neighbor?"

       (Luke 10:30 NRSV)  Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem 
       to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat 
       him, and went away, leaving him half dead.

       (Luke 10:31 NRSV)  Now by chance a priest was going down that road; 
       and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

       (Luke 10:32 NRSV)  So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and 
       saw him, passed by on the other side.

       (Luke 10:33 NRSV)  But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and 
       when he saw him, he was moved with pity.

       (Luke 10:34 NRSV)  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having 
       poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, 
       brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

       (Luke 10:35 NRSV)  The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to 
       the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I 
       will repay you whatever more you spend.'

       (Luke 10:36 NRSV)  Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor 
       to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?"

       (Luke 10:37 NRSV)  He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said 
       to him, "Go and do likewise."

       (Luke 10:38 NRSV)  Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain 
       village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.

       (Luke 10:39 NRSV)  She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's 
       feet and listened to what he was saying.

       (Luke 10:40 NRSV)  But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she 
       came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left 
       me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me."

       (Luke 10:41 NRSV)  But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are 
       worried and distracted by many things;





       (Luke 10:42 NRSV)  there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen 
       the better part, which will not be taken away from her."

       (Luke 11:1 NRSV)  He was praying in a certain place, and after he had 
       finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, 
       as John taught his disciples."

       (Luke 11:2 NRSV)  He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, 
       hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.

       (Luke 11:3 NRSV)  Give us each day our daily bread.

       (Luke 11:4 NRSV)  And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive 
       everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial."

       (Luke 11:5 NRSV)  And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a 
       friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me 
       three loaves of bread;

       (Luke 11:6 NRSV)  for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing 
       to set before him.'

       (Luke 11:7 NRSV)  And he answers from within, 'Do not bother me; the 
       door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I 
       cannot get up and give you anything.'

       (Luke 11:8 NRSV)  I tell you, even though he will not get up and give 
       him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his 
       persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

       (Luke 11:9 NRSV)  "So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; 
       search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.

       (Luke 11:10 NRSV)  For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who 
       searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

       (Luke 11:11 NRSV)  Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks 
       for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish?

       (Luke 11:12 NRSV)  Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a 
       scorpion?

       (Luke 11:13 NRSV)  If you then, who are evil, know how to give good 
       gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give 
       the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

       (Luke 11:14 NRSV)  Now he was casting out a demon that was mute; when 
       the demon had gone out, the one who had been mute spoke, and the 
       crowds were amazed.

       (Luke 11:15 NRSV)  But some of them said, "He casts out demons by 
       Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons."

       (Luke 11:16 NRSV)  Others, to test him, kept demanding from him a sign 
       from heaven.





       (Luke 11:17 NRSV)  But he knew what they were thinking and said to 
       them, "Every kingdom divided against itself becomes a desert, and 
       house falls on house.

       (Luke 11:18 NRSV)  If Satan also is divided against himself, how will 
       his kingdom stand? --for you say that I cast out the demons by 
       Beelzebul.

       (Luke 11:19 NRSV)  Now if I cast out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom 
       do your exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

       (Luke 11:20 NRSV)  But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out 
       the demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

       (Luke 11:21 NRSV)  When a strong man, fully armed, guards his castle, 
       his property is safe.

       (Luke 11:22 NRSV)  But when one stronger than he attacks him and 
       overpowers him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and 
       divides his plunder.

       (Luke 11:23 NRSV)  Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever 
       does not gather with me scatters.

       (Luke 11:24 NRSV)  "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, 
       it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but 
       not finding any, it says, 'I will return to my house from which I 
       came.'

       (Luke 11:25 NRSV)  When it comes, it finds it swept and put in order.

       (Luke 11:26 NRSV)  Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more 
       evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of 
       that person is worse than the first."

       (Luke 11:27 NRSV)  While he was saying this, a woman in the crowd 
       raised her voice and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore you 
       and the breasts that nursed you!"

       (Luke 11:28 NRSV)  But he said, "Blessed rather are those who hear the 
       word of God and obey it!"

       (Luke 11:29 NRSV)  When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, 
       "This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no 
       sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.

       (Luke 11:30 NRSV)  For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of 
       Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation.

       (Luke 11:31 NRSV)  The queen of the South will rise at the judgment 
       with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came 
       from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and 
       see, something greater than Solomon is here!

       (Luke 11:32 NRSV)  The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment 
       with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the 





       proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!

       (Luke 11:33 NRSV)  "No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar, 
       but on the lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.

       (Luke 11:34 NRSV)  Your eye is the lamp of your body. If your eye is 
       healthy, your whole body is full of light; but if it is not healthy, 
       your body is full of darkness.

       (Luke 11:35 NRSV)  Therefore consider whether the light in you is not 
       darkness.

       (Luke 11:36 NRSV)  If then your whole body is full of light, with no 
       part of it in darkness, it will be as full of light as when a lamp 
       gives you light with its rays."

       (Luke 11:37 NRSV)  While he was speaking, a Pharisee invited him to 
       dine with him; so he went in and took his place at the table.

       (Luke 11:38 NRSV)  The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not 
       first wash before dinner.

       (Luke 11:39 NRSV)  Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees clean 
       the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of 
       greed and wickedness.

       (Luke 11:40 NRSV)  You fools! Did not the one who made the outside 
       make the inside also?

       (Luke 11:41 NRSV)  So give for alms those things that are within; and 
       see, everything will be clean for you.

       (Luke 11:42 NRSV)  "But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and 
       rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God; 
       it is these you ought to have practiced, without neglecting the 
       others.

       (Luke 11:43 NRSV)  Woe to you Pharisees! For you love to have the seat 
       of honor in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the 
       marketplaces.

       (Luke 11:44 NRSV)  Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and 
       people walk over them without realizing it."

       (Luke 11:45 NRSV)  One of the lawyers answered him, "Teacher, when you 
       say these things, you insult us too."

       (Luke 11:46 NRSV)  And he said, "Woe also to you lawyers! For you load 
       people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a 
       finger to ease them.

       (Luke 11:47 NRSV)  Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets 
       whom your ancestors killed.

       (Luke 11:48 NRSV)  So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of 
       your ancestors; for they killed them, and you build their tombs.






       (Luke 11:49 NRSV)  Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, 'I will send 
       them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and 
       persecute,'

       (Luke 11:50 NRSV)  so that this generation may be charged with the 
       blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world,

       (Luke 11:51 NRSV)  from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, 
       who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it 
       will be charged against this generation.

       (Luke 11:52 NRSV)  Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key 
       of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who 
       were entering."

       (Luke 11:53 NRSV)  When he went outside, the scribes and the Pharisees 
       began to be very hostile toward him and to cross-examine him about 
       many things,

       (Luke 11:54 NRSV)  lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he 
       might say.

       (Luke 12:1 NRSV)  Meanwhile, when the crowd gathered by the thousands, 
       so that they trampled on one another, he began to speak first to his 
       disciples, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their 
       hypocrisy.

       (Luke 12:2 NRSV)  Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, 
       and nothing secret that will not become known.

       (Luke 12:3 NRSV)  Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be 
       heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors 
       will be proclaimed from the housetops.

       (Luke 12:4 NRSV)  "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill 
       the body, and after that can do nothing more.

       (Luke 12:5 NRSV)  But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, 
       after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, 
       fear him!

       (Luke 12:6 NRSV)  Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not 
       one of them is forgotten in God's sight.

       (Luke 12:7 NRSV)  But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do 
       not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

       (Luke 12:8 NRSV)  "And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before 
       others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God;

       (Luke 12:9 NRSV)  but whoever denies me before others will be denied 
       before the angels of God.

       (Luke 12:10 NRSV)  And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of 
       Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit 





       will not be forgiven.

       (Luke 12:11 NRSV)  When they bring you before the synagogues, the 
       rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you are to defend 
       yourselves or what you are to say;

       (Luke 12:12 NRSV)  for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very 
       hour what you ought to say."

       (Luke 12:13 NRSV)  Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my 
       brother to divide the family inheritance with me."

       (Luke 12:14 NRSV)  But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a 
       judge or arbitrator over you?"

       (Luke 12:15 NRSV)  And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard 
       against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the 
       abundance of possessions."

       (Luke 12:16 NRSV)  Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich 
       man produced abundantly.

       (Luke 12:17 NRSV)  And he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I 
       have no place to store my crops?'

       (Luke 12:18 NRSV)  Then he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my 
       barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and 
       my goods.

       (Luke 12:19 NRSV)  And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample 
       goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.'

       (Luke 12:20 NRSV)  But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night 
       your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, 
       whose will they be?'

       (Luke 12:21 NRSV)  So it is with those who store up treasures for 
       themselves but are not rich toward God."

       (Luke 12:22 NRSV)  He said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do 
       not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what 
       you will wear.

       (Luke 12:23 NRSV)  For life is more than food, and the body more than 
       clothing.

       (Luke 12:24 NRSV)  Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, 
       they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how 
       much more value are you than the birds!

       (Luke 12:25 NRSV)  And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to 
       your span of life?

       (Luke 12:26 NRSV)  If then you are not able to do so small a thing as 
       that, why do you worry about the rest?





       (Luke 12:27 NRSV)  Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither 
       toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not 
       clothed like one of these.

       (Luke 12:28 NRSV)  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which 
       is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more 
       will he clothe you--you of little faith!

       (Luke 12:29 NRSV)  And do not keep striving for what you are to eat 
       and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying.

       (Luke 12:30 NRSV)  For it is the nations of the world that strive 
       after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.

       (Luke 12:31 NRSV)  Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things 
       will be given to you as well.

       (Luke 12:32 NRSV)  "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your 
       Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

       (Luke 12:33 NRSV)  Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses 
       for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, 
       where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.

       (Luke 12:34 NRSV)  For where your treasure is, there your heart will 
       be also.

       (Luke 12:35 NRSV)  "Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit;

       (Luke 12:36 NRSV)  be like those who are waiting for their master to 
       return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for 
       him as soon as he comes and knocks.

       (Luke 12:37 NRSV)  Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds 
       alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and 
       have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them.

       (Luke 12:38 NRSV)  If he comes during the middle of the night, or near 
       dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

       (Luke 12:39 NRSV)  "But know this: if the owner of the house had known 
       at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be 
       broken into.

       (Luke 12:40 NRSV)  You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is 
       coming at an unexpected hour."

       (Luke 12:41 NRSV)  Peter said, "Lord, are you telling this parable for 
       us or for everyone?"

       (Luke 12:42 NRSV)  And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and 
       prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to 
       give them their allowance of food at the proper time?

       (Luke 12:43 NRSV)  Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at 
       work when he arrives.






       (Luke 12:44 NRSV)  Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of 
       all his possessions.

       (Luke 12:45 NRSV)  But if that slave says to himself, 'My master is 
       delayed in coming,' and if he begins to beat the other slaves, men and 
       women, and to eat and drink and get drunk,

       (Luke 12:46 NRSV)  the master of that slave will come on a day when he 
       does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut 
       him in pieces, and put him with the unfaithful.

       (Luke 12:47 NRSV)  That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did 
       not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe 
       beating.

       (Luke 12:48 NRSV)  But the one who did not know and did what deserved 
       a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has 
       been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has 
       been entrusted, even more will be demanded.

       (Luke 12:49 NRSV)  "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish 
       it were already kindled!

       (Luke 12:50 NRSV)  I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and 
       what stress I am under until it is completed!

       (Luke 12:51 NRSV)  Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the 
       earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!

       (Luke 12:52 NRSV)  From now on five in one household will be divided, 
       three against two and two against three;

       (Luke 12:53 NRSV)  they will be divided: father against son and son 
       against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, 
       mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against 
       mother-in-law."

       (Luke 12:54 NRSV)  He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud 
       rising in the west, you immediately say, 'It is going to rain'; and so 
       it happens.

       (Luke 12:55 NRSV)  And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, 
       'There will be scorching heat'; and it happens.

       (Luke 12:56 NRSV)  You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the 
       appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret 
       the present time?

       (Luke 12:57 NRSV)  "And why do you not judge for yourselves what is 
       right?

       (Luke 12:58 NRSV)  Thus, when you go with your accuser before a 
       magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle the case, or you may 
       be dragged before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the 
       officer, and the officer throw you in prison.






       (Luke 12:59 NRSV)  I tell you, you will never get out until you have 
       paid the very last penny."

       (Luke 13:1 NRSV)  At that very time there were some present who told 
       him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their 
       sacrifices.

       (Luke 13:2 NRSV)  He asked them, "Do you think that because these 
       Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other 
       Galileans?

       (Luke 13:3 NRSV)  No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all 
       perish as they did.

       (Luke 13:4 NRSV)  Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of 
       Siloam fell on them--do you think that they were worse offenders than 
       all the others living in Jerusalem?

       (Luke 13:5 NRSV)  No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all 
       perish just as they did."

       (Luke 13:6 NRSV)  Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree 
       planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found 
       none.

       (Luke 13:7 NRSV)  So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three 
       years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find 
       none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?'

       (Luke 13:8 NRSV)  He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, 
       until I dig around it and put manure on it.

       (Luke 13:9 NRSV)  If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if 
       not, you can cut it down.'"

       (Luke 13:10 NRSV)  Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the 
       sabbath.

       (Luke 13:11 NRSV)  And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit 
       that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was 
       quite unable to stand up straight.

       (Luke 13:12 NRSV)  When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, 
       "Woman, you are set free from your ailment."

       (Luke 13:13 NRSV)  When he laid his hands on her, immediately she 
       stood up straight and began praising God.

       (Luke 13:14 NRSV)  But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because 
       Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, "There are 
       six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be 
       cured, and not on the sabbath day."

       (Luke 13:15 NRSV)  But the Lord answered him and said, "You 
       hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his 





       donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water?

       (Luke 13:16 NRSV)  And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham 
       whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this 
       bondage on the sabbath day?"

       (Luke 13:17 NRSV)  When he said this, all his opponents were put to 
       shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things 
       that he was doing.

       (Luke 13:18 NRSV)  He said therefore, "What is the kingdom of God 
       like? And to what should I compare it?

       (Luke 13:19 NRSV)  It is like a mustard seed that someone took and 
       sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the 
       air made nests in its branches."

       (Luke 13:20 NRSV)  And again he said, "To what should I compare the 
       kingdom of God?

       (Luke 13:21 NRSV)  It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in 
       with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened."

       (Luke 13:22 NRSV)  Jesus went through one town and village after 
       another, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem.

       (Luke 13:23 NRSV)  Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few be 
       saved?" He said to them,

       (Luke 13:24 NRSV)  "Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, 
       I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.

       (Luke 13:25 NRSV)  When once the owner of the house has got up and 
       shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the 
       door, saying, 'Lord, open to us,' then in reply he will say to you, 'I 
       do not know where you come from.'

       (Luke 13:26 NRSV)  Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank with 
       you, and you taught in our streets.'

       (Luke 13:27 NRSV)  But he will say, 'I do not know where you come 
       from; go away from me, all you evildoers!'

       (Luke 13:28 NRSV)  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when 
       you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the 
       kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out.

       (Luke 13:29 NRSV)  Then people will come from east and west, from 
       north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God.

       (Luke 13:30 NRSV)  Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some 
       are first who will be last."

       (Luke 13:31 NRSV)  At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to 
       him, "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you."





       (Luke 13:32 NRSV)  He said to them, "Go and tell that fox for me, 
       'Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and 
       tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work.

       (Luke 13:33 NRSV)  Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on 
       my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of 
       Jerusalem.'

       (Luke 13:34 NRSV)  Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the 
       prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired 
       to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her 
       wings, and you were not willing!

       (Luke 13:35 NRSV)  See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you 
       will not see me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is the one 
       who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

       (Luke 14:1 NRSV)  On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of 
       a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were 
       watching him closely.

       (Luke 14:2 NRSV)  Just then, in front of him, there was a man who had 
       dropsy.

       (Luke 14:3 NRSV)  And Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees, "Is it 
       lawful to cure people on the sabbath, or not?"

       (Luke 14:4 NRSV)  But they were silent. So Jesus took him and healed 
       him, and sent him away.

       (Luke 14:5 NRSV)  Then he said to them, "If one of you has a child or 
       an ox that has fallen into a well, will you not immediately pull it 
       out on a sabbath day?"

       (Luke 14:6 NRSV)  And they could not reply to this.

       (Luke 14:7 NRSV)  When he noticed how the guests chose the places of 
       honor, he told them a parable.

       (Luke 14:8 NRSV)  "When you are invited by someone to a wedding 
       banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more 
       distinguished than you has been invited by your host;

       (Luke 14:9 NRSV)  and the host who invited both of you may come and 
       say to you, 'Give this person your place,' and then in disgrace you 
       would start to take the lowest place.

       (Luke 14:10 NRSV)  But when you are invited, go and sit down at the 
       lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, 
       'Friend, move up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of 
       all who sit at the table with you.

       (Luke 14:11 NRSV)  For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and 
       those who humble themselves will be exalted."

       (Luke 14:12 NRSV)  He said also to the one who had invited him, "When 





       you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your 
       brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite 
       you in return, and you would be repaid.

       (Luke 14:13 NRSV)  But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the 
       crippled, the lame, and the blind.

       (Luke 14:14 NRSV)  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay 
       you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

       (Luke 14:15 NRSV)  One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to 
       him, "Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!"

       (Luke 14:16 NRSV)  Then Jesus said to him, "Someone gave a great 
       dinner and invited many.

       (Luke 14:17 NRSV)  At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say 
       to those who had been invited, 'Come; for everything is ready now.'

       (Luke 14:18 NRSV)  But they all alike began to make excuses. The first 
       said to him, 'I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see 
       it; please accept my regrets.'

       (Luke 14:19 NRSV)  Another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and 
       I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.'

       (Luke 14:20 NRSV)  Another said, 'I have just been married, and 
       therefore I cannot come.'

       (Luke 14:21 NRSV)  So the slave returned and reported this to his 
       master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his 
       slave, 'Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and 
       bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.'

       (Luke 14:22 NRSV)  And the slave said, 'Sir, what you ordered has been 
       done, and there is still room."

       (Luke 14:23 NRSV)  Then the master said to the slave, 'Go out into the 
       roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be 
       filled.

       (Luke 14:24 NRSV)  For I tell you, none of those who were invited will 
       taste my dinner.'"

       (Luke 14:25 NRSV)  Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he 
       turned and said to them,

       (Luke 14:26 NRSV)  "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and 
       mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life 
       itself, cannot be my disciple.

       (Luke 14:27 NRSV)  Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me 
       cannot be my disciple.

       (Luke 14:28 NRSV)  For which of you, intending to build a tower, does 
       not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough 





       to complete it?

       (Luke 14:29 NRSV)  Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not 
       able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him,

       (Luke 14:30 NRSV)  saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not 
       able to finish.'

       (Luke 14:31 NRSV)  Or what king, going out to wage war against another 
       king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten 
       thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand?

       (Luke 14:32 NRSV)  If he cannot, then, while the other is still far 
       away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace.

       (Luke 14:33 NRSV)  So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if 
       you do not give up all your possessions.

       (Luke 14:34 NRSV)  "Salt is good; but if salt has lost its taste, how 
       can its saltiness be restored?

       (Luke 14:35 NRSV)  It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure 
       pile; they throw it away. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!"

       (Luke 15:1 NRSV)  Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming 
       near to listen to him.

       (Luke 15:2 NRSV)  And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and 
       saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."

       (Luke 15:3 NRSV)  So he told them this parable:

       (Luke 15:4 NRSV)  "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing 
       one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go 
       after the one that is lost until he finds it?

       (Luke 15:5 NRSV)  When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders 
       and rejoices.

       (Luke 15:6 NRSV)  And when he comes home, he calls together his 
       friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have 
       found my sheep that was lost.'

       (Luke 15:7 NRSV)  Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in 
       heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous 
       persons who need no repentance.

       (Luke 15:8 NRSV)  "Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses 
       one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search 
       carefully until she finds it?

       (Luke 15:9 NRSV)  When she has found it, she calls together her 
       friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the 
       coin that I had lost.'

       (Luke 15:10 NRSV)  Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence 





       of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

       (Luke 15:11 NRSV)  Then Jesus said, "There was a man who had two sons.

       (Luke 15:12 NRSV)  The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, 
       give me the share of the property that will belong to me.' So he 
       divided his property between them.

       (Luke 15:13 NRSV)  A few days later the younger son gathered all he 
       had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his 
       property in dissolute living.

       (Luke 15:14 NRSV)  When he had spent everything, a severe famine took 
       place throughout that country, and he began to be in need.

       (Luke 15:15 NRSV)  So he went and hired himself out to one of the 
       citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs.

       (Luke 15:16 NRSV)  He would gladly have filled himself with the pods 
       that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything.

       (Luke 15:17 NRSV)  But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of 
       my father's hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am 
       dying of hunger!

       (Luke 15:18 NRSV)  I will get up and go to my father, and I will say 
       to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you;

       (Luke 15:19 NRSV)  I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat 
       me like one of your hired hands."'

       (Luke 15:20 NRSV)  So he set off and went to his father. But while he 
       was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; 
       he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.

       (Luke 15:21 NRSV)  Then the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned 
       against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your 
       son.'

       (Luke 15:22 NRSV)  But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly, bring 
       out a robe--the best one--and put it on him; put a ring on his finger 
       and sandals on his feet.

       (Luke 15:23 NRSV)  And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat 
       and celebrate;

       (Luke 15:24 NRSV)  for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; 
       he was lost and is found!' And they began to celebrate.

       (Luke 15:25 NRSV)  "Now his elder son was in the field; and when he 
       came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.

       (Luke 15:26 NRSV)  He called one of the slaves and asked what was 
       going on.

       (Luke 15:27 NRSV)  He replied, 'Your brother has come, and your father 





       has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and 
       sound.'

       (Luke 15:28 NRSV)  Then he became angry and refused to go in. His 
       father came out and began to plead with him.

       (Luke 15:29 NRSV)  But he answered his father, 'Listen! For all these 
       years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never 
       disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat 
       so that I might celebrate with my friends.

       (Luke 15:30 NRSV)  But when this son of yours came back, who has 
       devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf 
       for him!'

       (Luke 15:31 NRSV)  Then the father said to him, 'Son, you are always 
       with me, and all that is mine is yours.

       (Luke 15:32 NRSV)  But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this 
       brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has 
       been found.'"

       (Luke 16:1 NRSV)  Then Jesus said to the disciples, "There was a rich 
       man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man 
       was squandering his property.

       (Luke 16:2 NRSV)  So he summoned him and said to him, 'What is this 
       that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, 
       because you cannot be my manager any longer.'

       (Luke 16:3 NRSV)  Then the manager said to himself, 'What will I do, 
       now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not 
       strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.

       (Luke 16:4 NRSV)  I have decided what to do so that, when I am 
       dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.'

       (Luke 16:5 NRSV)  So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he 
       asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'

       (Luke 16:6 NRSV)  He answered, 'A hundred jugs of olive oil.' He said 
       to him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.'

       (Luke 16:7 NRSV)  Then he asked another, 'And how much do you owe?' He 
       replied, 'A hundred containers of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your 
       bill and make it eighty.'

       (Luke 16:8 NRSV)  And his master commended the dishonest manager 
       because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more 
       shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of 
       light.

       (Luke 16:9 NRSV)  And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means 
       of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into 
       the eternal homes.





       (Luke 16:10 NRSV)  "Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful 
       also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest 
       also in much.

       (Luke 16:11 NRSV)  If then you have not been faithful with the 
       dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?

       (Luke 16:12 NRSV)  And if you have not been faithful with what belongs 
       to another, who will give you what is your own?

       (Luke 16:13 NRSV)  No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will 
       either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and 
       despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."

       (Luke 16:14 NRSV)  The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all 
       this, and they ridiculed him.

       (Luke 16:15 NRSV)  So he said to them, "You are those who justify 
       yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what 
       is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.

       (Luke 16:16 NRSV)  "The law and the prophets were in effect until John 
       came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, 
       and everyone tries to enter it by force.

       (Luke 16:17 NRSV)  But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, 
       than for one stroke of a letter in the law to be dropped.

       (Luke 16:18 NRSV)  "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another 
       commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman divorced from her 
       husband commits adultery.

       (Luke 16:19 NRSV)  "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and 
       fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.

       (Luke 16:20 NRSV)  And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, 
       covered with sores,

       (Luke 16:21 NRSV)  who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell 
       from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his 
       sores.

       (Luke 16:22 NRSV)  The poor man died and was carried away by the 
       angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.

       (Luke 16:23 NRSV)  In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked 
       up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.

       (Luke 16:24 NRSV)  He called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, 
       and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my 
       tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.'

       (Luke 16:25 NRSV)  But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your 
       lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner 
       evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.





       (Luke 16:26 NRSV)  Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm 
       has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you 
       cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.'

       (Luke 16:27 NRSV)  He said, 'Then, father, I beg you to send him to my 
       father's house--

       (Luke 16:28 NRSV)  for I have five brothers--that he may warn them, so 
       that they will not also come into this place of torment.'

       (Luke 16:29 NRSV)  Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets; 
       they should listen to them.'

       (Luke 16:30 NRSV)  He said, 'No, father Abraham; but if someone goes 
       to them from the dead, they will repent.'

       (Luke 16:31 NRSV)  He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and 
       the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises 
       from the dead.'"

       (Luke 17:1 NRSV)  Jesus said to his disciples, "Occasions for 
       stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come!

       (Luke 17:2 NRSV)  It would be better for you if a millstone were hung 
       around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to 
       cause one of these little ones to stumble.

       (Luke 17:3 NRSV)  Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must 
       rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive.

       (Luke 17:4 NRSV)  And if the same person sins against you seven times 
       a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, 'I repent,' you 
       must forgive."

       (Luke 17:5 NRSV)  The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"

       (Luke 17:6 NRSV)  The Lord replied, "If you had faith the size of a 
       mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and 
       planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

       (Luke 17:7 NRSV)  "Who among you would say to your slave who has just 
       come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here at once 
       and take your place at the table'?

       (Luke 17:8 NRSV)  Would you not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for 
       me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you 
       may eat and drink'?

       (Luke 17:9 NRSV)  Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded?

       (Luke 17:10 NRSV)  So you also, when you have done all that you were 
       ordered to do, say, 'We are worthless slaves; we have done only what 
       we ought to have done!'"

       (Luke 17:11 NRSV)  On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the 
       region between Samaria and Galilee.






       (Luke 17:12 NRSV)  As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. 
       Keeping their distance,

       (Luke 17:13 NRSV)  they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy 
       on us!"

       (Luke 17:14 NRSV)  When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show 
       yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean.

       (Luke 17:15 NRSV)  Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, 
       turned back, praising God with a loud voice.

       (Luke 17:16 NRSV)  He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked 
       him. And he was a Samaritan.

       (Luke 17:17 NRSV)  Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the 
       other nine, where are they?

       (Luke 17:18 NRSV)  Was none of them found to return and give praise to 
       God except this foreigner?"

       (Luke 17:19 NRSV)  Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; 
       your faith has made you well."

       (Luke 17:20 NRSV)  Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the 
       kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, "The kingdom of God is not 
       coming with things that can be observed;

       (Luke 17:21 NRSV)  nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There it 
       is!' For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you."

       (Luke 17:22 NRSV)  Then he said to the disciples, "The days are coming 
       when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you 
       will not see it.

       (Luke 17:23 NRSV)  They will say to you, 'Look there!' or 'Look here!' 
       Do not go, do not set off in pursuit.

       (Luke 17:24 NRSV)  For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky 
       from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.

       (Luke 17:25 NRSV)  But first he must endure much suffering and be 
       rejected by this generation.

       (Luke 17:26 NRSV)  Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will 
       be in the days of the Son of Man.

       (Luke 17:27 NRSV)  They were eating and drinking, and marrying and 
       being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the 
       flood came and destroyed all of them.

       (Luke 17:28 NRSV)  Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot: they 
       were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building,

       (Luke 17:29 NRSV)  but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire 





       and sulfur from heaven and destroyed all of them

       (Luke 17:30 NRSV)  --it will be like that on the day that the Son of 
       Man is revealed.

       (Luke 17:31 NRSV)  On that day, anyone on the housetop who has 
       belongings in the house must not come down to take them away; and 
       likewise anyone in the field must not turn back.

       (Luke 17:32 NRSV)  Remember Lot's wife.

       (Luke 17:33 NRSV)  Those who try to make their life secure will lose 
       it, but those who lose their life will keep it.

       (Luke 17:34 NRSV)  I tell you, on that night there will be two in one 
       bed; one will be taken and the other left.

       (Luke 17:35 NRSV)  There will be two women grinding meal together; one 
       will be taken and the other left."

       (Luke 17:36 NRSV)  

       (Luke 17:37 NRSV)  Then they asked him, "Where, Lord?" He said to 
       them, "Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather."

       (Luke 18:1 NRSV)  Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to 
       pray always and not to lose heart.

       (Luke 18:2 NRSV)  He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who 
       neither feared God nor had respect for people.

       (Luke 18:3 NRSV)  In that city there was a widow who kept coming to 
       him and saying, 'Grant me justice against my opponent.'

       (Luke 18:4 NRSV)  For a while he refused; but later he said to 
       himself, 'Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone,

       (Luke 18:5 NRSV)  yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will 
       grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually 
       coming.'"

       (Luke 18:6 NRSV)  And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge 
       says.

       (Luke 18:7 NRSV)  And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones 
       who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them?

       (Luke 18:8 NRSV)  I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. 
       And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

       (Luke 18:9 NRSV)  He also told this parable to some who trusted in 
       themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt:

       (Luke 18:10 NRSV)  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a 
       Pharisee and the other a tax collector.





       (Luke 18:11 NRSV)  The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying 
       thus, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, 
       rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

       (Luke 18:12 NRSV)  I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my 
       income.'

       (Luke 18:13 NRSV)  But the tax collector, standing far off, would not 
       even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, 
       be merciful to me, a sinner!'

       (Luke 18:14 NRSV)  I tell you, this man went down to his home 
       justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be 
       humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."

       (Luke 18:15 NRSV)  People were bringing even infants to him that he 
       might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they sternly ordered 
       them not to do it.

       (Luke 18:16 NRSV)  But Jesus called for them and said, "Let the little 
       children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these 
       that the kingdom of God belongs.

       (Luke 18:17 NRSV)  Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the 
       kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it."

       (Luke 18:18 NRSV)  A certain ruler asked him, "Good Teacher, what must 
       I do to inherit eternal life?"

       (Luke 18:19 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one 
       is good but God alone.

       (Luke 18:20 NRSV)  You know the commandments: 'You shall not commit 
       adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not 
       bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.'"

       (Luke 18:21 NRSV)  He replied, "I have kept all these since my youth."

       (Luke 18:22 NRSV)  When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "There is 
       still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the 
       money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, 
       follow me."

       (Luke 18:23 NRSV)  But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was 
       very rich.

       (Luke 18:24 NRSV)  Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for 
       those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!

       (Luke 18:25 NRSV)  Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the 
       eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of 
       God."

       (Luke 18:26 NRSV)  Those who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?"

       (Luke 18:27 NRSV)  He replied, "What is impossible for mortals is 





       possible for God."

       (Luke 18:28 NRSV)  Then Peter said, "Look, we have left our homes and 
       followed you."

       (Luke 18:29 NRSV)  And he said to them, "Truly I tell you, there is no 
       one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for 
       the sake of the kingdom of God,

       (Luke 18:30 NRSV)  who will not get back very much more in this age, 
       and in the age to come eternal life."

       (Luke 18:31 NRSV)  Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, 
       "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written 
       about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.

       (Luke 18:32 NRSV)  For he will be handed over to the Gentiles; and he 
       will be mocked and insulted and spat upon.

       (Luke 18:33 NRSV)  After they have flogged him, they will kill him, 
       and on the third day he will rise again."

       (Luke 18:34 NRSV)  But they understood nothing about all these things; 
       in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp 
       what was said.

       (Luke 18:35 NRSV)  As he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting 
       by the roadside begging.

       (Luke 18:36 NRSV)  When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was 
       happening.

       (Luke 18:37 NRSV)  They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."

       (Luke 18:38 NRSV)  Then he shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy 
       on me!"

       (Luke 18:39 NRSV)  Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be 
       quiet; but he shouted even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on 
       me!"

       (Luke 18:40 NRSV)  Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought 
       to him; and when he came near, he asked him,

       (Luke 18:41 NRSV)  "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, 
       "Lord, let me see again."

       (Luke 18:42 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith 
       has saved you."

       (Luke 18:43 NRSV)  Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, 
       glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God.

       (Luke 19:1 NRSV)  He entered Jericho and was passing through it.

       (Luke 19:2 NRSV)  A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax 





       collector and was rich.

       (Luke 19:3 NRSV)  He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account 
       of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature.

       (Luke 19:4 NRSV)  So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see 
       him, because he was going to pass that way.

       (Luke 19:5 NRSV)  When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said 
       to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house 
       today."

       (Luke 19:6 NRSV)  So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him.

       (Luke 19:7 NRSV)  All who saw it began to grumble and said, "He has 
       gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner."

       (Luke 19:8 NRSV)  Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Look, 
       half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have 
       defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much."

       (Luke 19:9 NRSV)  Then Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to 
       this house, because he too is a son of Abraham.

       (Luke 19:10 NRSV)  For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the 
       lost."

       (Luke 19:11 NRSV)  As they were listening to this, he went on to tell 
       a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and because they supposed 
       that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.

       (Luke 19:12 NRSV)  So he said, "A nobleman went to a distant country 
       to get royal power for himself and then return.

       (Luke 19:13 NRSV)  He summoned ten of his slaves, and gave them ten 
       pounds, and said to them, 'Do business with these until I come back.'

       (Luke 19:14 NRSV)  But the citizens of his country hated him and sent 
       a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to rule over 
       us.'

       (Luke 19:15 NRSV)  When he returned, having received royal power, he 
       ordered these slaves, to whom he had given the money, to be summoned 
       so that he might find out what they had gained by trading.

       (Luke 19:16 NRSV)  The first came forward and said, 'Lord, your pound 
       has made ten more pounds.'

       (Luke 19:17 NRSV)  He said to him, 'Well done, good slave! Because you 
       have been trustworthy in a very small thing, take charge of ten 
       cities.'

       (Luke 19:18 NRSV)  Then the second came, saying, 'Lord, your pound has 
       made five pounds.'

       (Luke 19:19 NRSV)  He said to him, 'And you, rule over five cities.'






       (Luke 19:20 NRSV)  Then the other came, saying, 'Lord, here is your 
       pound. I wrapped it up in a piece of cloth,

       (Luke 19:21 NRSV)  for I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh 
       man; you take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not 
       sow.'

       (Luke 19:22 NRSV)  He said to him, 'I will judge you by your own 
       words, you wicked slave! You knew, did you, that I was a harsh man, 
       taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow?

       (Luke 19:23 NRSV)  Why then did you not put my money into the bank? 
       Then when I returned, I could have collected it with interest.'

       (Luke 19:24 NRSV)  He said to the bystanders, 'Take the pound from him 
       and give it to the one who has ten pounds.'

       (Luke 19:25 NRSV)  (And they said to him, 'Lord, he has ten pounds!')

       (Luke 19:26 NRSV)  'I tell you, to all those who have, more will be 
       given; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be 
       taken away.

       (Luke 19:27 NRSV)  But as for these enemies of mine who did not want 
       me to be king over them--bring them here and slaughter them in my 
       presence.'"

       (Luke 19:28 NRSV)  After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up 
       to Jerusalem.

       (Luke 19:29 NRSV)  When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the 
       place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples,

       (Luke 19:30 NRSV)  saying, "Go into the village ahead of you, and as 
       you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been 
       ridden. Untie it and bring it here.

       (Luke 19:31 NRSV)  If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' just 
       say this, 'The Lord needs it.'"

       (Luke 19:32 NRSV)  So those who were sent departed and found it as he 
       had told them.

       (Luke 19:33 NRSV)  As they were untying the colt, its owners asked 
       them, "Why are you untying the colt?"

       (Luke 19:34 NRSV)  They said, "The Lord needs it."

       (Luke 19:35 NRSV)  Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing 
       their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.

       (Luke 19:36 NRSV)  As he rode along, people kept spreading their 
       cloaks on the road.

       (Luke 19:37 NRSV)  As he was now approaching the path down from the 





       Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise 
       God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they 
       had seen,

       (Luke 19:38 NRSV)  saying, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name 
       of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!"

       (Luke 19:39 NRSV)  Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, 
       "Teacher, order your disciples to stop."

       (Luke 19:40 NRSV)  He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the 
       stones would shout out."

       (Luke 19:41 NRSV)  As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it,

       (Luke 19:42 NRSV)  saying, "If you, even you, had only recognized on 
       this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from 
       your eyes.

       (Luke 19:43 NRSV)  Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your 
       enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you 
       in on every side.

       (Luke 19:44 NRSV)  They will crush you to the ground, you and your 
       children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon 
       another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation 
       from God."

       (Luke 19:45 NRSV)  Then he entered the temple and began to drive out 
       those who were selling things there;

       (Luke 19:46 NRSV)  and he said, "It is written, 'My house shall be a 
       house of prayer'; but you have made it a den of robbers."

       (Luke 19:47 NRSV)  Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief 
       priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a 
       way to kill him;

       (Luke 19:48 NRSV)  but they did not find anything they could do, for 
       all the people were spellbound by what they heard.

       (Luke 20:1 NRSV)  One day, as he was teaching the people in the temple 
       and telling the good news, the chief priests and the scribes came with 
       the elders

       (Luke 20:2 NRSV)  and said to him, "Tell us, by what authority are you 
       doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?"

       (Luke 20:3 NRSV)  He answered them, "I will also ask you a question, 
       and you tell me:

       (Luke 20:4 NRSV)  Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it 
       of human origin?"

       (Luke 20:5 NRSV)  They discussed it with one another, saying, "If we 
       say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why did you not believe him?'






       (Luke 20:6 NRSV)  But if we say, 'Of human origin,' all the people 
       will stone us; for they are convinced that John was a prophet."

       (Luke 20:7 NRSV)  So they answered that they did not know where it 
       came from.

       (Luke 20:8 NRSV)  Then Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by 
       what authority I am doing these things."

       (Luke 20:9 NRSV)  He began to tell the people this parable: "A man 
       planted a vineyard, and leased it to tenants, and went to another 
       country for a long time.

       (Luke 20:10 NRSV)  When the season came, he sent a slave to the 
       tenants in order that they might give him his share of the produce of 
       the vineyard; but the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

       (Luke 20:11 NRSV)  Next he sent another slave; that one also they beat 
       and insulted and sent away empty-handed.

       (Luke 20:12 NRSV)  And he sent still a third; this one also they 
       wounded and threw out.

       (Luke 20:13 NRSV)  Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I 
       do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.'

       (Luke 20:14 NRSV)  But when the tenants saw him, they discussed it 
       among themselves and said, 'This is the heir; let us kill him so that 
       the inheritance may be ours.'

       (Luke 20:15 NRSV)  So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed 
       him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

       (Luke 20:16 NRSV)  He will come and destroy those tenants and give the 
       vineyard to others." When they heard this, they said, "Heaven forbid!"

       (Luke 20:17 NRSV)  But he looked at them and said, "What then does 
       this text mean: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the 
       cornerstone'?

       (Luke 20:18 NRSV)  Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to 
       pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls."

       (Luke 20:19 NRSV)  When the scribes and chief priests realized that he 
       had told this parable against them, they wanted to lay hands on him at 
       that very hour, but they feared the people.

       (Luke 20:20 NRSV)  So they watched him and sent spies who pretended to 
       be honest, in order to trap him by what he said, so as to hand him 
       over to the jurisdiction and authority of the governor.

       (Luke 20:21 NRSV)  So they asked him, "Teacher, we know that you are 
       right in what you say and teach, and you show deference to no one, but 
       teach the way of God in accordance with truth.





       (Luke 20:22 NRSV)  Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to the emperor, or 
       not?"

       (Luke 20:23 NRSV)  But he perceived their craftiness and said to them,

       (Luke 20:24 NRSV)  "Show me a denarius. Whose head and whose title 
       does it bear?" They said, "The emperor's."

       (Luke 20:25 NRSV)  He said to them, "Then give to the emperor the 
       things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's."

       (Luke 20:26 NRSV)  And they were not able in the presence of the 
       people to trap him by what he said; and being amazed by his answer, 
       they became silent.

       (Luke 20:27 NRSV)  Some Sadducees, those who say there is no 
       resurrection, came to him

       (Luke 20:28 NRSV)  and asked him a question, "Teacher, Moses wrote for 
       us that if a man's brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the 
       man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.

       (Luke 20:29 NRSV)  Now there were seven brothers; the first married, 
       and died childless;

       (Luke 20:30 NRSV)  then the second

       (Luke 20:31 NRSV)  and the third married her, and so in the same way 
       all seven died childless.

       (Luke 20:32 NRSV)  Finally the woman also died.

       (Luke 20:33 NRSV)  In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the 
       woman be? For the seven had married her."

       (Luke 20:34 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "Those who belong to this age 
       marry and are given in marriage;

       (Luke 20:35 NRSV)  but those who are considered worthy of a place in 
       that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are 
       given in marriage.

       (Luke 20:36 NRSV)  Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are 
       like angels and are children of God, being children of the 
       resurrection.

       (Luke 20:37 NRSV)  And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself 
       showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as 
       the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

       (Luke 20:38 NRSV)  Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; 
       for to him all of them are alive."

       (Luke 20:39 NRSV)  Then some of the scribes answered, "Teacher, you 
       have spoken well."





       (Luke 20:40 NRSV)  For they no longer dared to ask him another 
       question.

       (Luke 20:41 NRSV)  Then he said to them, "How can they say that the 
       Messiah is David's son?

       (Luke 20:42 NRSV)  For David himself says in the book of Psalms, 'The 
       Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand,

       (Luke 20:43 NRSV)  until I make your enemies your footstool."'

       (Luke 20:44 NRSV)  David thus calls him Lord; so how can he be his 
       son?"

       (Luke 20:45 NRSV)  In the hearing of all the people he said to the 
       disciples,

       (Luke 20:46 NRSV)  "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in 
       long robes, and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 
       and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at 
       banquets.

       (Luke 20:47 NRSV)  They devour widows' houses and for the sake of 
       appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater 
       condemnation."

       (Luke 21:1 NRSV)  He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts 
       into the treasury;

       (Luke 21:2 NRSV)  he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper 
       coins.

       (Luke 21:3 NRSV)  He said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put 
       in more than all of them;

       (Luke 21:4 NRSV)  for all of them have contributed out of their 
       abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live 
       on."

       (Luke 21:5 NRSV)  When some were speaking about the temple, how it was 
       adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said,

       (Luke 21:6 NRSV)  "As for these things that you see, the days will 
       come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown 
       down."

       (Luke 21:7 NRSV)  They asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and 
       what will be the sign that this is about to take place?"

       (Luke 21:8 NRSV)  And he said, "Beware that you are not led astray; 
       for many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and, 'The time is 
       near!' Do not go after them.

       (Luke 21:9 NRSV)  "When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be 
       terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will 
       not follow immediately."






       (Luke 21:10 NRSV)  Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against 
       nation, and kingdom against kingdom;

       (Luke 21:11 NRSV)  there will be great earthquakes, and in various 
       places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and 
       great signs from heaven.

       (Luke 21:12 NRSV)  "But before all this occurs, they will arrest you 
       and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, 
       and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name.

       (Luke 21:13 NRSV)  This will give you an opportunity to testify.

       (Luke 21:14 NRSV)  So make up your minds not to prepare your defense 
       in advance;

       (Luke 21:15 NRSV)  for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of 
       your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.

       (Luke 21:16 NRSV)  You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, 
       by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.

       (Luke 21:17 NRSV)  You will be hated by all because of my name.

       (Luke 21:18 NRSV)  But not a hair of your head will perish.

       (Luke 21:19 NRSV)  By your endurance you will gain your souls.

       (Luke 21:20 NRSV)  "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then 
       know that its desolation has come near.

       (Luke 21:21 NRSV)  Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains, and 
       those inside the city must leave it, and those out in the country must 
       not enter it;

       (Luke 21:22 NRSV)  for these are days of vengeance, as a fulfillment 
       of all that is written.

       (Luke 21:23 NRSV)  Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are 
       nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress on the 
       earth and wrath against this people;

       (Luke 21:24 NRSV)  they will fall by the edge of the sword and be 
       taken away as captives among all nations; and Jerusalem will be 
       trampled on by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are 
       fulfilled.

       (Luke 21:25 NRSV)  "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the 
       stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring 
       of the sea and the waves.

       (Luke 21:26 NRSV)  People will faint from fear and foreboding of what 
       is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be 
       shaken.





       (Luke 21:27 NRSV)  Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a 
       cloud' with power and great glory.

       (Luke 21:28 NRSV)  Now when these things begin to take place, stand up 
       and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

       (Luke 21:29 NRSV)  Then he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree 
       and all the trees;

       (Luke 21:30 NRSV)  as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for 
       yourselves and know that summer is already near.

       (Luke 21:31 NRSV)  So also, when you see these things taking place, 
       you know that the kingdom of God is near.

       (Luke 21:32 NRSV)  Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass 
       away until all things have taken place.

       (Luke 21:33 NRSV)  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will 
       not pass away.

       (Luke 21:34 NRSV)  "Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed 
       down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, 
       and that day catch you unexpectedly,

       (Luke 21:35 NRSV)  like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on 
       the face of the whole earth.

       (Luke 21:36 NRSV)  Be alert at all times, praying that you may have 
       the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to 
       stand before the Son of Man."

       (Luke 21:37 NRSV)  Every day he was teaching in the temple, and at 
       night he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives, as 
       it was called.

       (Luke 21:38 NRSV)  And all the people would get up early in the 
       morning to listen to him in the temple.

       (Luke 22:1 NRSV)  Now the festival of Unleavened Bread, which is 
       called the Passover, was near.

       (Luke 22:2 NRSV)  The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a 
       way to put Jesus to death, for they were afraid of the people.

       (Luke 22:3 NRSV)  Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who 
       was one of the twelve;

       (Luke 22:4 NRSV)  he went away and conferred with the chief priests 
       and officers of the temple police about how he might betray him to 
       them.

       (Luke 22:5 NRSV)  They were greatly pleased and agreed to give him 
       money.

       (Luke 22:6 NRSV)  So he consented and began to look for an opportunity 





       to betray him to them when no crowd was present.

       (Luke 22:7 NRSV)  Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the 
       Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.

       (Luke 22:8 NRSV)  So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and 
       prepare the Passover meal for us that we may eat it."

       (Luke 22:9 NRSV)  They asked him, "Where do you want us to make 
       preparations for it?"

       (Luke 22:10 NRSV)  "Listen," he said to them, "when you have entered 
       the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him into 
       the house he enters

       (Luke 22:11 NRSV)  and say to the owner of the house, 'The teacher 
       asks you, "Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with 
       my disciples?"'

       (Luke 22:12 NRSV)  He will show you a large room upstairs, already 
       furnished. Make preparations for us there."

       (Luke 22:13 NRSV)  So they went and found everything as he had told 
       them; and they prepared the Passover meal.

       (Luke 22:14 NRSV)  When the hour came, he took his place at the table, 
       and the apostles with him.

       (Luke 22:15 NRSV)  He said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat 
       this Passover with you before I suffer;

       (Luke 22:16 NRSV)  for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is 
       fulfilled in the kingdom of God."

       (Luke 22:17 NRSV)  Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he 
       said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves;

       (Luke 22:18 NRSV)  for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of 
       the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."

       (Luke 22:19 NRSV)  Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given 
       thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, 
       which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

       (Luke 22:20 NRSV)  And he did the same with the cup after supper, 
       saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my 
       blood.

       (Luke 22:21 NRSV)  But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his 
       hand is on the table.

       (Luke 22:22 NRSV)  For the Son of Man is going as it has been 
       determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!"

       (Luke 22:23 NRSV)  Then they began to ask one another, which one of 
       them it could be who would do this.






       (Luke 22:24 NRSV)  A dispute also arose among them as to which one of 
       them was to be regarded as the greatest.

       (Luke 22:25 NRSV)  But he said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles 
       lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called 
       benefactors.

       (Luke 22:26 NRSV)  But not so with you; rather the greatest among you 
       must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves.

       (Luke 22:27 NRSV)  For who is greater, the one who is at the table or 
       the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you 
       as one who serves.

       (Luke 22:28 NRSV)  "You are those who have stood by me in my trials;

       (Luke 22:29 NRSV)  and I confer on you, just as my Father has 
       conferred on me, a kingdom,

       (Luke 22:30 NRSV)  so that you may eat and drink at my table in my 
       kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of 
       Israel.

       (Luke 22:31 NRSV)  "Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift 
       all of you like wheat,

       (Luke 22:32 NRSV)  but I have prayed for you that your own faith may 
       not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your 
       brothers."

       (Luke 22:33 NRSV)  And he said to him, "Lord, I am ready to go with 
       you to prison and to death!"

       (Luke 22:34 NRSV)  Jesus said, "I tell you, Peter, the cock will not 
       crow this day, until you have denied three times that you know me."

       (Luke 22:35 NRSV)  He said to them, "When I sent you out without a 
       purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?" They said, "No, not a 
       thing."

       (Luke 22:36 NRSV)  He said to them, "But now, the one who has a purse 
       must take it, and likewise a bag. And the one who has no sword must 
       sell his cloak and buy one.

       (Luke 22:37 NRSV)  For I tell you, this scripture must be fulfilled in 
       me, 'And he was counted among the lawless'; and indeed what is written 
       about me is being fulfilled."

       (Luke 22:38 NRSV)  They said, "Lord, look, here are two swords." He 
       replied, "It is enough."

       (Luke 22:39 NRSV)  He came out and went, as was his custom, to the 
       Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him.

       (Luke 22:40 NRSV)  When he reached the place, he said to them, "Pray 





       that you may not come into the time of trial."

       (Luke 22:41 NRSV)  Then he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, 
       knelt down, and prayed,

       (Luke 22:42 NRSV)  "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from 
       me; yet, not my will but yours be done."

       (Luke 22:43 NRSV)  Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave 
       him strength.

       (Luke 22:44 NRSV)  In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his 
       sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.

       (Luke 22:45 NRSV)  When he got up from prayer, he came to the 
       disciples and found them sleeping because of grief,

       (Luke 22:46 NRSV)  and he said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Get up 
       and pray that you may not come into the time of trial."

       (Luke 22:47 NRSV)  While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd came, 
       and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He 
       approached Jesus to kiss him;

       (Luke 22:48 NRSV)  but Jesus said to him, "Judas, is it with a kiss 
       that you are betraying the Son of Man?"

       (Luke 22:49 NRSV)  When those who were around him saw what was coming, 
       they asked, "Lord, should we strike with the sword?"

       (Luke 22:50 NRSV)  Then one of them struck the slave of the high 
       priest and cut off his right ear.

       (Luke 22:51 NRSV)  But Jesus said, "No more of this!" And he touched 
       his ear and healed him.

       (Luke 22:52 NRSV)  Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers 
       of the temple police, and the elders who had come for him, "Have you 
       come out with swords and clubs as if I were a bandit?

       (Luke 22:53 NRSV)  When I was with you day after day in the temple, 
       you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of 
       darkness!"

       (Luke 22:54 NRSV)  Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him 
       into the high priest's house. But Peter was following at a distance.

       (Luke 22:55 NRSV)  When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the 
       courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.

       (Luke 22:56 NRSV)  Then a servant-girl, seeing him in the firelight, 
       stared at him and said, "This man also was with him."

       (Luke 22:57 NRSV)  But he denied it, saying, "Woman, I do not know 
       him."





       (Luke 22:58 NRSV)  A little later someone else, on seeing him, said, 
       "You also are one of them." But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"

       (Luke 22:59 NRSV)  Then about an hour later still another kept 
       insisting, "Surely this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean."

       (Luke 22:60 NRSV)  But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are 
       talking about!" At that moment, while he was still speaking, the cock 
       crowed.

       (Luke 22:61 NRSV)  The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter 
       remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, "Before the 
       cock crows today, you will deny me three times."

       (Luke 22:62 NRSV)  And he went out and wept bitterly.

       (Luke 22:63 NRSV)  Now the men who were holding Jesus began to mock 
       him and beat him;

       (Luke 22:64 NRSV)  they also blindfolded him and kept asking him, 
       "Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?"

       (Luke 22:65 NRSV)  They kept heaping many other insults on him.

       (Luke 22:66 NRSV)  When day came, the assembly of the elders of the 
       people, both chief priests and scribes, gathered together, and they 
       brought him to their council.

       (Luke 22:67 NRSV)  They said, "If you are the Messiah, tell us." He 
       replied, "If I tell you, you will not believe;

       (Luke 22:68 NRSV)  and if I question you, you will not answer.

       (Luke 22:69 NRSV)  But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at 
       the right hand of the power of God."

       (Luke 22:70 NRSV)  All of them asked, "Are you, then, the Son of God?" 
       He said to them, "You say that I am."

       (Luke 22:71 NRSV)  Then they said, "What further testimony do we need? 
       We have heard it ourselves from his own lips!"

       (Luke 23:1 NRSV)  Then the assembly rose as a body and brought Jesus 
       before Pilate.

       (Luke 23:2 NRSV)  They began to accuse him, saying, "We found this man 
       perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and 
       saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king."

       (Luke 23:3 NRSV)  Then Pilate asked him, "Are you the king of the 
       Jews?" He answered, "You say so."

       (Luke 23:4 NRSV)  Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the 
       crowds, "I find no basis for an accusation against this man."

       (Luke 23:5 NRSV)  But they were insistent and said, "He stirs up the 





       people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began 
       even to this place."

       (Luke 23:6 NRSV)  When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was 
       a Galilean.

       (Luke 23:7 NRSV)  And when he learned that he was under Herod's 
       jurisdiction, he sent him off to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem 
       at that time.

       (Luke 23:8 NRSV)  When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had 
       been wanting to see him for a long time, because he had heard about 
       him and was hoping to see him perform some sign.

       (Luke 23:9 NRSV)  He questioned him at some length, but Jesus gave him 
       no answer.

       (Luke 23:10 NRSV)  The chief priests and the scribes stood by, 
       vehemently accusing him.

       (Luke 23:11 NRSV)  Even Herod with his soldiers treated him with 
       contempt and mocked him; then he put an elegant robe on him, and sent 
       him back to Pilate.

       (Luke 23:12 NRSV)  That same day Herod and Pilate became friends with 
       each other; before this they had been enemies.

       (Luke 23:13 NRSV)  Pilate then called together the chief priests, the 
       leaders, and the people,

       (Luke 23:14 NRSV)  and said to them, "You brought me this man as one 
       who was perverting the people; and here I have examined him in your 
       presence and have not found this man guilty of any of your charges 
       against him.

       (Luke 23:15 NRSV)  Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. 
       Indeed, he has done nothing to deserve death.

       (Luke 23:16 NRSV)  I will therefore have him flogged and release him."

       (Luke 23:17 NRSV)  

       (Luke 23:18 NRSV)  Then they all shouted out together, "Away with this 
       fellow! Release Barabbas for us!"

       (Luke 23:19 NRSV)  (This was a man who had been put in prison for an 
       insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder.)

       (Luke 23:20 NRSV)  Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them 
       again;

       (Luke 23:21 NRSV)  but they kept shouting, "Crucify, crucify him!"

       (Luke 23:22 NRSV)  A third time he said to them, "Why, what evil has 
       he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I 
       will therefore have him flogged and then release him."






       (Luke 23:23 NRSV)  But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts 
       that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed.

       (Luke 23:24 NRSV)  So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should 
       be granted.

       (Luke 23:25 NRSV)  He released the man they asked for, the one who had 
       been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus 
       over as they wished.

       (Luke 23:26 NRSV)  As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of 
       Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on 
       him, and made him carry it behind Jesus.

       (Luke 23:27 NRSV)  A great number of the people followed him, and 
       among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for 
       him.

       (Luke 23:28 NRSV)  But Jesus turned to them and said, "Daughters of 
       Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your 
       children.

       (Luke 23:29 NRSV)  For the days are surely coming when they will say, 
       'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the 
       breasts that never nursed.'

       (Luke 23:30 NRSV)  Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall 
       on us'; and to the hills, 'Cover us.'

       (Luke 23:31 NRSV)  For if they do this when the wood is green, what 
       will happen when it is dry?"

       (Luke 23:32 NRSV)  Two others also, who were criminals, were led away 
       to be put to death with him.

       (Luke 23:33 NRSV)  When they came to the place that is called The 
       Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right 
       and one on his left.

       (Luke 23:34 NRSV)  Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they do 
       not know what they are doing." And they cast lots to divide his 
       clothing.

       (Luke 23:35 NRSV)  And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders 
       scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself if he 
       is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!"

       (Luke 23:36 NRSV)  The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and 
       offering him sour wine,

       (Luke 23:37 NRSV)  and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save 
       yourself!"

       (Luke 23:38 NRSV)  There was also an inscription over him, "This is 
       the King of the Jews."






       (Luke 23:39 NRSV)  One of the criminals who were hanged there kept 
       deriding him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and 
       us!"

       (Luke 23:40 NRSV)  But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear 
       God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

       (Luke 23:41 NRSV)  And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we 
       are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done 
       nothing wrong."

       (Luke 23:42 NRSV)  Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come 
       into your kingdom."

       (Luke 23:43 NRSV)  He replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be 
       with me in Paradise."

       (Luke 23:44 NRSV)  It was now about noon, and darkness came over the 
       whole land until three in the afternoon,

       (Luke 23:45 NRSV)  while the sun's light failed; and the curtain of 
       the temple was torn in two.

       (Luke 23:46 NRSV)  Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, 
       "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Having said this, he 
       breathed his last.

       (Luke 23:47 NRSV)  When the centurion saw what had taken place, he 
       praised God and said, "Certainly this man was innocent."

       (Luke 23:48 NRSV)  And when all the crowds who had gathered there for 
       this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating 
       their breasts.

       (Luke 23:49 NRSV)  But all his acquaintances, including the women who 
       had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these 
       things.

       (Luke 23:50 NRSV)  Now there was a good and righteous man named 
       Joseph, who, though a member of the council,

       (Luke 23:51 NRSV)  had not agreed to their plan and action. He came 
       from the Jewish town of Arimathea, and he was waiting expectantly for 
       the kingdom of God.

       (Luke 23:52 NRSV)  This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of 
       Jesus.

       (Luke 23:53 NRSV)  Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, 
       and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid.

       (Luke 23:54 NRSV)  It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was 
       beginning.

       (Luke 23:55 NRSV)  The women who had come with him from Galilee 





       followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid.

       (Luke 23:56 NRSV)  Then they returned, and prepared spices and 
       ointments. On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

       (Luke 24:1 NRSV)  But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, 
       they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared.

       (Luke 24:2 NRSV)  They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,

       (Luke 24:3 NRSV)  but when they went in, they did not find the body.

       (Luke 24:4 NRSV)  While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two 
       men in dazzling clothes stood beside them.

       (Luke 24:5 NRSV)  The women were terrified and bowed their faces to 
       the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living 
       among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.

       (Luke 24:6 NRSV)  Remember how he told you, while he was still in 
       Galilee,

       (Luke 24:7 NRSV)  that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, 
       and be crucified, and on the third day rise again."

       (Luke 24:8 NRSV)  Then they remembered his words,

       (Luke 24:9 NRSV)  and returning from the tomb, they told all this to 
       the eleven and to all the rest.

       (Luke 24:10 NRSV)  Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother 
       of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles.

       (Luke 24:11 NRSV)  But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and 
       they did not believe them.

       (Luke 24:12 NRSV)  But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and 
       looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, 
       amazed at what had happened.

       (Luke 24:13 NRSV)  Now on that same day two of them were going to a 
       village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,

       (Luke 24:14 NRSV)  and talking with each other about all these things 
       that had happened.

       (Luke 24:15 NRSV)  While they were talking and discussing, Jesus 
       himself came near and went with them,

       (Luke 24:16 NRSV)  but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.

       (Luke 24:17 NRSV)  And he said to them, "What are you discussing with 
       each other while you walk along?" They stood still, looking sad.

       (Luke 24:18 NRSV)  Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered 
       him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the 





       things that have taken place there in these days?"

       (Luke 24:19 NRSV)  He asked them, "What things?" They replied, "The 
       things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and 
       word before God and all the people,

       (Luke 24:20 NRSV)  and how our chief priests and leaders handed him 
       over to be condemned to death and crucified him.

       (Luke 24:21 NRSV)  But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem 
       Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these 
       things took place.

       (Luke 24:22 NRSV)  Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. 
       They were at the tomb early this morning,

       (Luke 24:23 NRSV)  and when they did not find his body there, they 
       came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who 
       said that he was alive.

       (Luke 24:24 NRSV)  Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and 
       found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him."

       (Luke 24:25 NRSV)  Then he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and 
       how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!

       (Luke 24:26 NRSV)  Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer 
       these things and then enter into his glory?"

       (Luke 24:27 NRSV)  Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he 
       interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

       (Luke 24:28 NRSV)  As they came near the village to which they were 
       going, he walked ahead as if he were going on.

       (Luke 24:29 NRSV)  But they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, 
       because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over." So he 
       went in to stay with them.

       (Luke 24:30 NRSV)  When he was at the table with them, he took bread, 
       blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.

       (Luke 24:31 NRSV)  Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized 
       him; and he vanished from their sight.

       (Luke 24:32 NRSV)  They said to each other, "Were not our hearts 
       burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was 
       opening the scriptures to us?"

       (Luke 24:33 NRSV)  That same hour they got up and returned to 
       Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered 
       together.

       (Luke 24:34 NRSV)  They were saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and 
       he has appeared to Simon!"





       (Luke 24:35 NRSV)  Then they told what had happened on the road, and 
       how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

       (Luke 24:36 NRSV)  While they were talking about this, Jesus himself 
       stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."

       (Luke 24:37 NRSV)  They were startled and terrified, and thought that 
       they were seeing a ghost.

       (Luke 24:38 NRSV)  He said to them, "Why are you frightened, and why 
       do doubts arise in your hearts?

       (Luke 24:39 NRSV)  Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I 
       myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as 
       you see that I have."

       (Luke 24:40 NRSV)  And when he had said this, he showed them his hands 
       and his feet.

       (Luke 24:41 NRSV)  While in their joy they were disbelieving and still 
       wondering, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?"

       (Luke 24:42 NRSV)  They gave him a piece of broiled fish,

       (Luke 24:43 NRSV)  and he took it and ate in their presence.

       (Luke 24:44 NRSV)  Then he said to them, "These are my words that I 
       spoke to you while I was still with you--that everything written about 
       me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be 
       fulfilled."

       (Luke 24:45 NRSV)  Then he opened their minds to understand the 
       scriptures,

       (Luke 24:46 NRSV)  and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the 
       Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day,

       (Luke 24:47 NRSV)  and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to 
       be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

       (Luke 24:48 NRSV)  You are witnesses of these things.

       (Luke 24:49 NRSV)  And see, I am sending upon you what my Father 
       promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with 
       power from on high."

       (Luke 24:50 NRSV)  Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, 
       lifting up his hands, he blessed them.

       (Luke 24:51 NRSV)  While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them 
       and was carried up into heaven.

       (Luke 24:52 NRSV)  And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem 
       with great joy;

       (Luke 24:53 NRSV)  and they were continually in the temple blessing 





       God.

       (John 1:1 NRSV)  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with 
       God, and the Word was God.

       (John 1:2 NRSV)  He was in the beginning with God.

       (John 1:3 NRSV)  All things came into being through him, and without 
       him not one thing came into being. What has come into being

       (John 1:4 NRSV)  in him was life, and the life was the light of all 
       people.

       (John 1:5 NRSV)  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness 
       did not overcome it.

       (John 1:6 NRSV)  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

       (John 1:7 NRSV)  He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that 
       all might believe through him.

       (John 1:8 NRSV)  He himself was not the light, but he came to testify 
       to the light.

       (John 1:9 NRSV)  The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming 
       into the world.

       (John 1:10 NRSV)  He was in the world, and the world came into being 
       through him; yet the world did not know him.

       (John 1:11 NRSV)  He came to what was his own, and his own people did 
       not accept him.

       (John 1:12 NRSV)  But to all who received him, who believed in his 
       name, he gave power to become children of God,

       (John 1:13 NRSV)  who were born, not of blood or of the will of the 
       flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

       (John 1:14 NRSV)  And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we 
       have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of 
       grace and truth.

       (John 1:15 NRSV)  (John testified to him and cried out, "This was he 
       of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he 
       was before me.'")

       (John 1:16 NRSV)  From his fullness we have all received, grace upon 
       grace.

       (John 1:17 NRSV)  The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and 
       truth came through Jesus Christ.

       (John 1:18 NRSV)  No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, 
       who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.





       (John 1:19 NRSV)  This is the testimony given by John when the Jews 
       sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"

       (John 1:20 NRSV)  He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, "I 
       am not the Messiah."

       (John 1:21 NRSV)  And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He 
       said, "I am not." "Are you the prophet?" He answered, "No."

       (John 1:22 NRSV)  Then they said to him, "Who are you? Let us have an 
       answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

       (John 1:23 NRSV)  He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the 
       wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,'" as the prophet 
       Isaiah said.

       (John 1:24 NRSV)  Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.

       (John 1:25 NRSV)  They asked him, "Why then are you baptizing if you 
       are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?"

       (John 1:26 NRSV)  John answered them, "I baptize with water. Among you 
       stands one whom you do not know,

       (John 1:27 NRSV)  the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to 
       untie the thong of his sandal."

       (John 1:28 NRSV)  This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where 
       John was baptizing.

       (John 1:29 NRSV)  The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and 
       declared, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the 
       world!

       (John 1:30 NRSV)  This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who 
       ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'

       (John 1:31 NRSV)  I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with 
       water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel."

       (John 1:32 NRSV)  And John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending 
       from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.

       (John 1:33 NRSV)  I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me 
       to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit 
       descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'

       (John 1:34 NRSV)  And I myself have seen and have testified that this 
       is the Son of God."

       (John 1:35 NRSV)  The next day John again was standing with two of his 
       disciples,

       (John 1:36 NRSV)  and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, 
       "Look, here is the Lamb of God!"





       (John 1:37 NRSV)  The two disciples heard him say this, and they 
       followed Jesus.

       (John 1:38 NRSV)  When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to 
       them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which 
       translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?"

       (John 1:39 NRSV)  He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw 
       where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was 
       about four o'clock in the afternoon.

       (John 1:40 NRSV)  One of the two who heard John speak and followed him 
       was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

       (John 1:41 NRSV)  He first found his brother Simon and said to him, 
       "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed).

       (John 1:42 NRSV)  He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and 
       said, "You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas" (which 
       is translated Peter).

       (John 1:43 NRSV)  The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He 
       found Philip and said to him, "Follow me."

       (John 1:44 NRSV)  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew 
       and Peter.

       (John 1:45 NRSV)  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have 
       found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, 
       Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth."

       (John 1:46 NRSV)  Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out 
       of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."

       (John 1:47 NRSV)  When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said 
       of him, "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!"

       (John 1:48 NRSV)  Nathanael asked him, "Where did you get to know me?" 
       Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called 
       you."

       (John 1:49 NRSV)  Nathanael replied, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! 
       You are the King of Israel!"

       (John 1:50 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "Do you believe because I told you 
       that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than 
       these."

       (John 1:51 NRSV)  And he said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, you 
       will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending 
       upon the Son of Man."

       (John 2:1 NRSV)  On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of 
       Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.

       (John 2:2 NRSV)  Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the 





       wedding.

       (John 2:3 NRSV)  When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to 
       him, "They have no wine."

       (John 2:4 NRSV)  And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that 
       to you and to me? My hour has not yet come."

       (John 2:5 NRSV)  His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he 
       tells you."

       (John 2:6 NRSV)  Now standing there were six stone water jars for the 
       Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.

       (John 2:7 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And 
       they filled them up to the brim.

       (John 2:8 NRSV)  He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to 
       the chief steward." So they took it.

       (John 2:9 NRSV)  When the steward tasted the water that had become 
       wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had 
       drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom

       (John 2:10 NRSV)  and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine 
       first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. 
       But you have kept the good wine until now."

       (John 2:11 NRSV)  Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of 
       Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

       (John 2:12 NRSV)  After this he went down to Capernaum with his 
       mother, his brothers, and his disciples; and they remained there a few 
       days.

       (John 2:13 NRSV)  The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up 
       to Jerusalem.

       (John 2:14 NRSV)  In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, 
       and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.

       (John 2:15 NRSV)  Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of 
       the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the 
       coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.

       (John 2:16 NRSV)  He told those who were selling the doves, "Take 
       these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a 
       marketplace!"

       (John 2:17 NRSV)  His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal 
       for your house will consume me."

       (John 2:18 NRSV)  The Jews then said to him, "What sign can you show 
       us for doing this?"

       (John 2:19 NRSV)  Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in 





       three days I will raise it up."

       (John 2:20 NRSV)  The Jews then said, "This temple has been under 
       construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three 
       days?"

       (John 2:21 NRSV)  But he was speaking of the temple of his body.

       (John 2:22 NRSV)  After he was raised from the dead, his disciples 
       remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and 
       the word that Jesus had spoken.

       (John 2:23 NRSV)  When he was in Jerusalem during the Passover 
       festival, many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he 
       was doing.

       (John 2:24 NRSV)  But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to 
       them, because he knew all people

       (John 2:25 NRSV)  and needed no one to testify about anyone; for he 
       himself knew what was in everyone.

       (John 3:1 NRSV)  Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of 
       the Jews.

       (John 3:2 NRSV)  He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we 
       know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do 
       these signs that you do apart from the presence of God."

       (John 3:3 NRSV)  Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one 
       can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."

       (John 3:4 NRSV)  Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after 
       having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb 
       and be born?"

       (John 3:5 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can 
       enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.

       (John 3:6 NRSV)  What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born 
       of the Spirit is spirit.

       (John 3:7 NRSV)  Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be 
       born from above.'

       (John 3:8 NRSV)  The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the 
       sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. 
       So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

       (John 3:9 NRSV)  Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?"

       (John 3:10 NRSV)  Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, 
       and yet you do not understand these things?

       (John 3:11 NRSV)  "Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know 
       and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our 





       testimony.

       (John 3:12 NRSV)  If I have told you about earthly things and you do 
       not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?

       (John 3:13 NRSV)  No one has ascended into heaven except the one who 
       descended from heaven, the Son of Man.

       (John 3:14 NRSV)  And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the 
       wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

       (John 3:15 NRSV)  that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

       (John 3:16 NRSV)  "For God so loved the world that he gave his only 
       Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have 
       eternal life.

       (John 3:17 NRSV)  "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to 
       condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through 
       him.

       (John 3:18 NRSV)  Those who believe in him are not condemned; but 
       those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not 
       believed in the name of the only Son of God.

       (John 3:19 NRSV)  And this is the judgment, that the light has come 
       into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because 
       their deeds were evil.

       (John 3:20 NRSV)  For all who do evil hate the light and do not come 
       to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed.

       (John 3:21 NRSV)  But those who do what is true come to the light, so 
       that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God."

       (John 3:22 NRSV)  After this Jesus and his disciples went into the 
       Judean countryside, and he spent some time there with them and 
       baptized.

       (John 3:23 NRSV)  John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because 
       water was abundant there; and people kept coming and were being 
       baptized

       (John 3:24 NRSV)  --John, of course, had not yet been thrown into 
       prison.

       (John 3:25 NRSV)  Now a discussion about purification arose between 
       John's disciples and a Jew.

       (John 3:26 NRSV)  They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, the one 
       who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is 
       baptizing, and all are going to him."

       (John 3:27 NRSV)  John answered, "No one can receive anything except 
       what has been given from heaven.





       (John 3:28 NRSV)  You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am 
       not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.'

       (John 3:29 NRSV)  He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend 
       of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the 
       bridegroom's voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled.

       (John 3:30 NRSV)  He must increase, but I must decrease."

       (John 3:31 NRSV)  The one who comes from above is above all; the one 
       who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly 
       things. The one who comes from heaven is above all.

       (John 3:32 NRSV)  He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no 
       one accepts his testimony.

       (John 3:33 NRSV)  Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified 
       this, that God is true.

       (John 3:34 NRSV)  He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he 
       gives the Spirit without measure.

       (John 3:35 NRSV)  The Father loves the Son and has placed all things 
       in his hands.

       (John 3:36 NRSV)  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; 
       whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God's 
       wrath.

       (John 4:1 NRSV)  Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, 
       "Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John"

       (John 4:2 NRSV)  --although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples 
       who baptized--

       (John 4:3 NRSV)  he left Judea and started back to Galilee.

       (John 4:4 NRSV)  But he had to go through Samaria.

       (John 4:5 NRSV)  So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near 
       the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

       (John 4:6 NRSV)  Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his 
       journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.

       (John 4:7 NRSV)  A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said 
       to her, "Give me a drink."

       (John 4:8 NRSV)  (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.)

       (John 4:9 NRSV)  The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, 
       a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share 
       things in common with Samaritans.)

       (John 4:10 NRSV)  Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, 
       and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have 





       asked him, and he would have given you living water."

       (John 4:11 NRSV)  The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and 
       the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?

       (John 4:12 NRSV)  Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us 
       the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?"

       (John 4:13 NRSV)  Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this 
       water will be thirsty again,

       (John 4:14 NRSV)  but those who drink of the water that I will give 
       them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in 
       them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life."

       (John 4:15 NRSV)  The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so 
       that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw 
       water."

       (John 4:16 NRSV)  Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come 
       back."

       (John 4:17 NRSV)  The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus 
       said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband';

       (John 4:18 NRSV)  for you have had five husbands, and the one you have 
       now is not your husband. What you have said is true!"

       (John 4:19 NRSV)  The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a 
       prophet.

       (John 4:20 NRSV)  Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you 
       say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem."

       (John 4:21 NRSV)  Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is 
       coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor 
       in Jerusalem.

       (John 4:22 NRSV)  You worship what you do not know; we worship what we 
       know, for salvation is from the Jews.

       (John 4:23 NRSV)  But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the 
       true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the 
       Father seeks such as these to worship him.

       (John 4:24 NRSV)  God is spirit, and those who worship him must 
       worship in spirit and truth."

       (John 4:25 NRSV)  The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is 
       coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all 
       things to us."

       (John 4:26 NRSV)  Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking 
       to you."

       (John 4:27 NRSV)  Just then his disciples came. They were astonished 





       that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you 
       want?" or, "Why are you speaking with her?"

       (John 4:28 NRSV)  Then the woman left her water jar and went back to 
       the city. She said to the people,

       (John 4:29 NRSV)  "Come and see a man who told me everything I have 
       ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?"

       (John 4:30 NRSV)  They left the city and were on their way to him.

       (John 4:31 NRSV)  Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, "Rabbi, eat 
       something."

       (John 4:32 NRSV)  But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do 
       not know about."

       (John 4:33 NRSV)  So the disciples said to one another, "Surely no one 
       has brought him something to eat?"

       (John 4:34 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of 
       him who sent me and to complete his work.

       (John 4:35 NRSV)  Do you not say, 'Four months more, then comes the 
       harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are 
       ripe for harvesting.

       (John 4:36 NRSV)  The reaper is already receiving wages and is 
       gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice 
       together.

       (John 4:37 NRSV)  For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and 
       another reaps.'

       (John 4:38 NRSV)  I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. 
       Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."

       (John 4:39 NRSV)  Many Samaritans from that city believed in him 
       because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I have ever 
       done."

       (John 4:40 NRSV)  So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him 
       to stay with them; and he stayed there two days.

       (John 4:41 NRSV)  And many more believed because of his word.

       (John 4:42 NRSV)  They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of 
       what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we 
       know that this is truly the Savior of the world."

       (John 4:43 NRSV)  When the two days were over, he went from that place 
       to Galilee

       (John 4:44 NRSV)  (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has 
       no honor in the prophet's own country).





       (John 4:45 NRSV)  When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, 
       since they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival; 
       for they too had gone to the festival.

       (John 4:46 NRSV)  Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had 
       changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son 
       lay ill in Capernaum.

       (John 4:47 NRSV)  When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to 
       Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he 
       was at the point of death.

       (John 4:48 NRSV)  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you see signs and 
       wonders you will not believe."

       (John 4:49 NRSV)  The official said to him, "Sir, come down before my 
       little boy dies."

       (John 4:50 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "Go; your son will live." The man 
       believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way.

       (John 4:51 NRSV)  As he was going down, his slaves met him and told 
       him that his child was alive.

       (John 4:52 NRSV)  So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, 
       and they said to him, "Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever 
       left him."

       (John 4:53 NRSV)  The father realized that this was the hour when 
       Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live." So he himself believed, 
       along with his whole household.

       (John 4:54 NRSV)  Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after 
       coming from Judea to Galilee.

       (John 5:1 NRSV)  After this there was a festival of the Jews, and 
       Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

       (John 5:2 NRSV)  Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, 
       called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes.

       (John 5:3 NRSV)  In these lay many invalids--blind, lame, and 
       paralyzed.

       (John 5:4 NRSV)  

       (John 5:5 NRSV)  One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight 
       years.

       (John 5:6 NRSV)  When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had 
       been there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"

       (John 5:7 NRSV)  The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put 
       me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making 
       my way, someone else steps down ahead of me."





       (John 5:8 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "Stand up, take your mat and 
       walk."

       (John 5:9 NRSV)  At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat 
       and began to walk. Now that day was a sabbath.

       (John 5:10 NRSV)  So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, "It 
       is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat."

       (John 5:11 NRSV)  But he answered them, "The man who made me well said 
       to me, 'Take up your mat and walk.'"

       (John 5:12 NRSV)  They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, 
       'Take it up and walk'?"

       (John 5:13 NRSV)  Now the man who had been healed did not know who it 
       was, for Jesus had disappeared in the crowd that was there.

       (John 5:14 NRSV)  Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, 
       "See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing 
       worse happens to you."

       (John 5:15 NRSV)  The man went away and told the Jews that it was 
       Jesus who had made him well.

       (John 5:16 NRSV)  Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, 
       because he was doing such things on the sabbath.

       (John 5:17 NRSV)  But Jesus answered them, "My Father is still 
       working, and I also am working."

       (John 5:18 NRSV)  For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more 
       to kill him, because he was not only breaking the sabbath, but was 
       also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God.

       (John 5:19 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, the Son 
       can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for 
       whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise.

       (John 5:20 NRSV)  The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he 
       himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so 
       that you will be astonished.

       (John 5:21 NRSV)  Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives 
       them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes.

       (John 5:22 NRSV)  The Father judges no one but has given all judgment 
       to the Son,

       (John 5:23 NRSV)  so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the 
       Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father 
       who sent him.

       (John 5:24 NRSV)  Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and 
       believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under 
       judgment, but has passed from death to life.






       (John 5:25 NRSV)  "Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is 
       now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and 
       those who hear will live.

       (John 5:26 NRSV)  For just as the Father has life in himself, so he 
       has granted the Son also to have life in himself;

       (John 5:27 NRSV)  and he has given him authority to execute judgment, 
       because he is the Son of Man.

       (John 5:28 NRSV)  Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming 
       when all who are in their graves will hear his voice

       (John 5:29 NRSV)  and will come out--those who have done good, to the 
       resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the 
       resurrection of condemnation.

       (John 5:30 NRSV)  "I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and 
       my judgment is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will 
       of him who sent me.

       (John 5:31 NRSV)  "If I testify about myself, my testimony is not 
       true.

       (John 5:32 NRSV)  There is another who testifies on my behalf, and I 
       know that his testimony to me is true.

       (John 5:33 NRSV)  You sent messengers to John, and he testified to the 
       truth.

       (John 5:34 NRSV)  Not that I accept such human testimony, but I say 
       these things so that you may be saved.

       (John 5:35 NRSV)  He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were 
       willing to rejoice for a while in his light.

       (John 5:36 NRSV)  But I have a testimony greater than John's. The 
       works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I 
       am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me.

       (John 5:37 NRSV)  And the Father who sent me has himself testified on 
       my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form,

       (John 5:38 NRSV)  and you do not have his word abiding in you, because 
       you do not believe him whom he has sent.

       (John 5:39 NRSV)  "You search the scriptures because you think that in 
       them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf.

       (John 5:40 NRSV)  Yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

       (John 5:41 NRSV)  I do not accept glory from human beings.

       (John 5:42 NRSV)  But I know that you do not have the love of God in 
       you.






       (John 5:43 NRSV)  I have come in my Father's name, and you do not 
       accept me; if another comes in his own name, you will accept him.

       (John 5:44 NRSV)  How can you believe when you accept glory from one 
       another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is 
       God?

       (John 5:45 NRSV)  Do not think that I will accuse you before the 
       Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope.

       (John 5:46 NRSV)  If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he 
       wrote about me.

       (John 5:47 NRSV)  But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will 
       you believe what I say?"

       (John 6:1 NRSV)  After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of 
       Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias.

       (John 6:2 NRSV)  A large crowd kept following him, because they saw 
       the signs that he was doing for the sick.

       (John 6:3 NRSV)  Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with 
       his disciples.

       (John 6:4 NRSV)  Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near.

       (John 6:5 NRSV)  When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward 
       him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people 
       to eat?"

       (John 6:6 NRSV)  He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he 
       was going to do.

       (John 6:7 NRSV)  Philip answered him, "Six months' wages would not buy 
       enough bread for each of them to get a little."

       (John 6:8 NRSV)  One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, 
       said to him,

       (John 6:9 NRSV)  "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and 
       two fish. But what are they among so many people?"

       (John 6:10 NRSV)  Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there 
       was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five 
       thousand in all.

       (John 6:11 NRSV)  Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given 
       thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the 
       fish, as much as they wanted.

       (John 6:12 NRSV)  When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, 
       "Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost."

       (John 6:13 NRSV)  So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of 





       the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled 
       twelve baskets.

       (John 6:14 NRSV)  When the people saw the sign that he had done, they 
       began to say, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the 
       world."

       (John 6:15 NRSV)  When Jesus realized that they were about to come and 
       take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain 
       by himself.

       (John 6:16 NRSV)  When evening came, his disciples went down to the 
       sea,

       (John 6:17 NRSV)  got into a boat, and started across the sea to 
       Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.

       (John 6:18 NRSV)  The sea became rough because a strong wind was 
       blowing.

       (John 6:19 NRSV)  When they had rowed about three or four miles, they 
       saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were 
       terrified.

       (John 6:20 NRSV)  But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."

       (John 6:21 NRSV)  Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and 
       immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.

       (John 6:22 NRSV)  The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other 
       side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there. They also 
       saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that 
       his disciples had gone away alone.

       (John 6:23 NRSV)  Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place 
       where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.

       (John 6:24 NRSV)  So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his 
       disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to 
       Capernaum looking for Jesus.

       (John 6:25 NRSV)  When they found him on the other side of the sea, 
       they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"

       (John 6:26 NRSV)  Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, you 
       are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate 
       your fill of the loaves.

       (John 6:27 NRSV)  Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the 
       food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give 
       you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal."

       (John 6:28 NRSV)  Then they said to him, "What must we do to perform 
       the works of God?"

       (John 6:29 NRSV)  Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that 





       you believe in him whom he has sent."

       (John 6:30 NRSV)  So they said to him, "What sign are you going to 
       give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you 
       performing?

       (John 6:31 NRSV)  Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it 
       is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

       (John 6:32 NRSV)  Then Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, it 
       was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father 
       who gives you the true bread from heaven.

       (John 6:33 NRSV)  For the bread of God is that which comes down from 
       heaven and gives life to the world."

       (John 6:34 NRSV)  They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."

       (John 6:35 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever 
       comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will 
       never be thirsty.

       (John 6:36 NRSV)  But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do 
       not believe.

       (John 6:37 NRSV)  Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, 
       and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away;

       (John 6:38 NRSV)  for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own 
       will, but the will of him who sent me.

       (John 6:39 NRSV)  And this is the will of him who sent me, that I 
       should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on 
       the last day.

       (John 6:40 NRSV)  This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who 
       see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise 
       them up on the last day."

       (John 6:41 NRSV)  Then the Jews began to complain about him because he 
       said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."

       (John 6:42 NRSV)  They were saying, "Is not this Jesus, the son of 
       Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I have 
       come down from heaven'?"

       (John 6:43 NRSV)  Jesus answered them, "Do not complain among 
       yourselves.

       (John 6:44 NRSV)  No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who 
       sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day.

       (John 6:45 NRSV)  It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all 
       be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father 
       comes to me.





       (John 6:46 NRSV)  Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one 
       who is from God; he has seen the Father.

       (John 6:47 NRSV)  Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal 
       life.

       (John 6:48 NRSV)  I am the bread of life.

       (John 6:49 NRSV)  Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and 
       they died.

       (John 6:50 NRSV)  This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so 
       that one may eat of it and not die.

       (John 6:51 NRSV)  I am the living bread that came down from heaven. 
       Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I 
       will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

       (John 6:52 NRSV)  The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, 
       "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

       (John 6:53 NRSV)  So Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, 
       unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you 
       have no life in you.

       (John 6:54 NRSV)  Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have 
       eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day;

       (John 6:55 NRSV)  for my flesh is true food and my blood is true 
       drink.

       (John 6:56 NRSV)  Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in 
       me, and I in them.

       (John 6:57 NRSV)  Just as the living Father sent me, and I live 
       because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.

       (John 6:58 NRSV)  This is the bread that came down from heaven, not 
       like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who 
       eats this bread will live forever."

       (John 6:59 NRSV)  He said these things while he was teaching in the 
       synagogue at Capernaum.

       (John 6:60 NRSV)  When many of his disciples heard it, they said, 
       "This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?"

       (John 6:61 NRSV)  But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were 
       complaining about it, said to them, "Does this offend you?

       (John 6:62 NRSV)  Then what if you were to see the Son of Man 
       ascending to where he was before?

       (John 6:63 NRSV)  It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is 
       useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.





       (John 6:64 NRSV)  But among you there are some who do not believe." 
       For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, 
       and who was the one that would betray him.

       (John 6:65 NRSV)  And he said, "For this reason I have told you that 
       no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father."

       (John 6:66 NRSV)  Because of this many of his disciples turned back 
       and no longer went about with him.

       (John 6:67 NRSV)  So Jesus asked the twelve, "Do you also wish to go 
       away?"

       (John 6:68 NRSV)  Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom can we go? 
       You have the words of eternal life.

       (John 6:69 NRSV)  We have come to believe and know that you are the 
       Holy One of God."

       (John 6:70 NRSV)  Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the 
       twelve? Yet one of you is a devil."

       (John 6:71 NRSV)  He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for 
       he, though one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

       (John 7:1 NRSV)  After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not 
       wish to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an 
       opportunity to kill him.

       (John 7:2 NRSV)  Now the Jewish festival of Booths was near.

       (John 7:3 NRSV)  So his brothers said to him, "Leave here and go to 
       Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing;

       (John 7:4 NRSV)  for no one who wants to be widely known acts in 
       secret. If you do these things, show yourself to the world."

       (John 7:5 NRSV)  (For not even his brothers believed in him.)

       (John 7:6 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but 
       your time is always here.

       (John 7:7 NRSV)  The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I 
       testify against it that its works are evil.

       (John 7:8 NRSV)  Go to the festival yourselves. I am not going to this 
       festival, for my time has not yet fully come."

       (John 7:9 NRSV)  After saying this, he remained in Galilee.

       (John 7:10 NRSV)  But after his brothers had gone to the festival, 
       then he also went, not publicly but as it were in secret.

       (John 7:11 NRSV)  The Jews were looking for him at the festival and 
       saying, "Where is he?"





       (John 7:12 NRSV)  And there was considerable complaining about him 
       among the crowds. While some were saying, "He is a good man," others 
       were saying, "No, he is deceiving the crowd."

       (John 7:13 NRSV)  Yet no one would speak openly about him for fear of 
       the Jews.

       (John 7:14 NRSV)  About the middle of the festival Jesus went up into 
       the temple and began to teach.

       (John 7:15 NRSV)  The Jews were astonished at it, saying, "How does 
       this man have such learning, when he has never been taught?"

       (John 7:16 NRSV)  Then Jesus answered them, "My teaching is not mine 
       but his who sent me.

       (John 7:17 NRSV)  Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know 
       whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own.

       (John 7:18 NRSV)  Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; 
       but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there 
       is nothing false in him.

       (John 7:19 NRSV)  "Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you 
       keeps the law. Why are you looking for an opportunity to kill me?"

       (John 7:20 NRSV)  The crowd answered, "You have a demon! Who is trying 
       to kill you?"

       (John 7:21 NRSV)  Jesus answered them, "I performed one work, and all 
       of you are astonished.

       (John 7:22 NRSV)  Moses gave you circumcision (it is, of course, not 
       from Moses, but from the patriarchs), and you circumcise a man on the 
       sabbath.

       (John 7:23 NRSV)  If a man receives circumcision on the sabbath in 
       order that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me 
       because I healed a man's whole body on the sabbath?

       (John 7:24 NRSV)  Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right 
       judgment."

       (John 7:25 NRSV)  Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, "Is 
       not this the man whom they are trying to kill?

       (John 7:26 NRSV)  And here he is, speaking openly, but they say 
       nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this 
       is the Messiah?

       (John 7:27 NRSV)  Yet we know where this man is from; but when the 
       Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from."

       (John 7:28 NRSV)  Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the 
       temple, "You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on 
       my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him.






       (John 7:29 NRSV)  I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me."

       (John 7:30 NRSV)  Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands 
       on him, because his hour had not yet come.

       (John 7:31 NRSV)  Yet many in the crowd believed in him and were 
       saying, "When the Messiah comes, will he do more signs than this man 
       has done?"

       (John 7:32 NRSV)  The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering such things 
       about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent temple police to 
       arrest him.

       (John 7:33 NRSV)  Jesus then said, "I will be with you a little while 
       longer, and then I am going to him who sent me.

       (John 7:34 NRSV)  You will search for me, but you will not find me; 
       and where I am, you cannot come."

       (John 7:35 NRSV)  The Jews said to one another, "Where does this man 
       intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the 
       Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?

       (John 7:36 NRSV)  What does he mean by saying, 'You will search for me 
       and you will not find me' and' Where I am, you cannot come'?"

       (John 7:37 NRSV)  On the last day of the festival, the great day, 
       while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, "Let anyone who is 
       thirsty come to me,

       (John 7:38 NRSV)  and let the one who believes in me drink. As the 
       scripture has said, 'Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of 
       living water.'"

       (John 7:39 NRSV)  Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers 
       in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus 
       was not yet glorified.

       (John 7:40 NRSV)  When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, 
       "This is really the prophet."

       (John 7:41 NRSV)  Others said, "This is the Messiah." But some asked, 
       "Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he?

       (John 7:42 NRSV)  Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is 
       descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David 
       lived?"

       (John 7:43 NRSV)  So there was a division in the crowd because of him.

       (John 7:44 NRSV)  Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid 
       hands on him.

       (John 7:45 NRSV)  Then the temple police went back to the chief 
       priests and Pharisees, who asked them, "Why did you not arrest him?"






       (John 7:46 NRSV)  The police answered, "Never has anyone spoken like 
       this!"

       (John 7:47 NRSV)  Then the Pharisees replied, "Surely you have not 
       been deceived too, have you?

       (John 7:48 NRSV)  Has any one of the authorities or of the Pharisees 
       believed in him?

       (John 7:49 NRSV)  But this crowd, which does not know the law--they 
       are accursed."

       (John 7:50 NRSV)  Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before, and who was 
       one of them, asked,

       (John 7:51 NRSV)  "Our law does not judge people without first giving 
       them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?"

       (John 7:52 NRSV)  They replied, "Surely you are not also from Galilee, 
       are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from 
       Galilee."

       (John 7:53 NRSV)  Then each of them went home,

       (John 8:1 NRSV)  while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

       (John 8:2 NRSV)  Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All 
       the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them.

       (John 8:3 NRSV)  The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had 
       been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them,

       (John 8:4 NRSV)  they said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in 
       the very act of committing adultery.

       (John 8:5 NRSV)  Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such 
       women. Now what do you say?"

       (John 8:6 NRSV)  They said this to test him, so that they might have 
       some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his 
       finger on the ground.

       (John 8:7 NRSV)  When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up 
       and said to them, "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the 
       first to throw a stone at her."

       (John 8:8 NRSV)  And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground.

       (John 8:9 NRSV)  When they heard it, they went away, one by one, 
       beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman 
       standing before him.

       (John 8:10 NRSV)  Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where 
       are they? Has no one condemned you?"





       (John 8:11 NRSV)  She said, "No one, sir." And Jesus said, "Neither do 
       I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again."

       (John 8:12 NRSV)  Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light 
       of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will 
       have the light of life."

       (John 8:13 NRSV)  Then the Pharisees said to him, "You are testifying 
       on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid."

       (John 8:14 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, 
       my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where 
       I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.

       (John 8:15 NRSV)  You judge by human standards; I judge no one.

       (John 8:16 NRSV)  Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is valid; for it 
       is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.

       (John 8:17 NRSV)  In your law it is written that the testimony of two 
       witnesses is valid.

       (John 8:18 NRSV)  I testify on my own behalf, and the Father who sent 
       me testifies on my behalf."

       (John 8:19 NRSV)  Then they said to him, "Where is your Father?" Jesus 
       answered, "You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you 
       would know my Father also."

       (John 8:20 NRSV)  He spoke these words while he was teaching in the 
       treasury of the temple, but no one arrested him, because his hour had 
       not yet come.

       (John 8:21 NRSV)  Again he said to them, "I am going away, and you 
       will search for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, 
       you cannot come."

       (John 8:22 NRSV)  Then the Jews said, "Is he going to kill himself? Is 
       that what he means by saying, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'?"

       (John 8:23 NRSV)  He said to them, "You are from below, I am from 
       above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.

       (John 8:24 NRSV)  I told you that you would die in your sins, for you 
       will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he."

       (John 8:25 NRSV)  They said to him, "Who are you?" Jesus said to them, 
       "Why do I speak to you at all?

       (John 8:26 NRSV)  I have much to say about you and much to condemn; 
       but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I 
       have heard from him."

       (John 8:27 NRSV)  They did not understand that he was speaking to them 
       about the Father.





       (John 8:28 NRSV)  So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of 
       Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my 
       own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me.

       (John 8:29 NRSV)  And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left 
       me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him."

       (John 8:30 NRSV)  As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

       (John 8:31 NRSV)  Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, 
       "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples;

       (John 8:32 NRSV)  and you will know the truth, and the truth will make 
       you free."

       (John 8:33 NRSV)  They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham 
       and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, 'You 
       will be made free'?"

       (John 8:34 NRSV)  Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, 
       everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.

       (John 8:35 NRSV)  The slave does not have a permanent place in the 
       household; the son has a place there forever.

       (John 8:36 NRSV)  So if the Son makes you free, you will be free 
       indeed.

       (John 8:37 NRSV)  I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you 
       look for an opportunity to kill me, because there is no place in you 
       for my word.

       (John 8:38 NRSV)  I declare what I have seen in the Father's presence; 
       as for you, you should do what you have heard from the Father."

       (John 8:39 NRSV)  They answered him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus 
       said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing what 
       Abraham did,

       (John 8:40 NRSV)  but now you are trying to kill me, a man who has 
       told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham 
       did.

       (John 8:41 NRSV)  You are indeed doing what your father does." They 
       said to him, "We are not illegitimate children; we have one father, 
       God himself."

       (John 8:42 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you 
       would love me, for I came from God and now I am here. I did not come 
       on my own, but he sent me.

       (John 8:43 NRSV)  Why do you not understand what I say? It is because 
       you cannot accept my word.

       (John 8:44 NRSV)  You are from your father the devil, and you choose 
       to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and 





       does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he 
       lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the 
       father of lies.

       (John 8:45 NRSV)  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.

       (John 8:46 NRSV)  Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the 
       truth, why do you not believe me?

       (John 8:47 NRSV)  Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The 
       reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God."

       (John 8:48 NRSV)  The Jews answered him, "Are we not right in saying 
       that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?"

       (John 8:49 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor 
       my Father, and you dishonor me.

       (John 8:50 NRSV)  Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is one who 
       seeks it and he is the judge.

       (John 8:51 NRSV)  Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will 
       never see death."

       (John 8:52 NRSV)  The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a 
       demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, 'Whoever 
       keeps my word will never taste death.'

       (John 8:53 NRSV)  Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? 
       The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be?"

       (John 8:54 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is 
       nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, 'He is 
       our God,'

       (John 8:55 NRSV)  though you do not know him. But I know him; if I 
       would say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do 
       know him and I keep his word.

       (John 8:56 NRSV)  Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my 
       day; he saw it and was glad."

       (John 8:57 NRSV)  Then the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty 
       years old, and have you seen Abraham?"

       (John 8:58 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, before 
       Abraham was, I am."

       (John 8:59 NRSV)  So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus 
       hid himself and went out of the temple.

       (John 9:1 NRSV)  As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth.

       (John 9:2 NRSV)  His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man 
       or his parents, that he was born blind?"





       (John 9:3 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents 
       sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in 
       him.

       (John 9:4 NRSV)  We must work the works of him who sent me while it is 
       day; night is coming when no one can work.

       (John 9:5 NRSV)  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the 
       world."

       (John 9:6 NRSV)  When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made 
       mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man's eyes,

       (John 9:7 NRSV)  saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" 
       (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.

       (John 9:8 NRSV)  The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a 
       beggar began to ask, "Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?"

       (John 9:9 NRSV)  Some were saying, "It is he." Others were saying, 
       "No, but it is someone like him." He kept saying, "I am the man."

       (John 9:10 NRSV)  But they kept asking him, "Then how were your eyes 
       opened?"

       (John 9:11 NRSV)  He answered, "The man called Jesus made mud, spread 
       it on my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' Then I went 
       and washed and received my sight."

       (John 9:12 NRSV)  They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not 
       know."

       (John 9:13 NRSV)  They brought to the Pharisees the man who had 
       formerly been blind.

       (John 9:14 NRSV)  Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and 
       opened his eyes.

       (John 9:15 NRSV)  Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had 
       received his sight. He said to them, "He put mud on my eyes. Then I 
       washed, and now I see."

       (John 9:16 NRSV)  Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from 
       God, for he does not observe the sabbath." But others said, "How can a 
       man who is a sinner perform such signs?" And they were divided.

       (John 9:17 NRSV)  So they said again to the blind man, "What do you 
       say about him? It was your eyes he opened." He said, "He is a 
       prophet."

       (John 9:18 NRSV)  The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and 
       had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who 
       had received his sight

       (John 9:19 NRSV)  and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was 
       born blind? How then does he now see?"






       (John 9:20 NRSV)  His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, 
       and that he was born blind;

       (John 9:21 NRSV)  but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor 
       do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak 
       for himself."

       (John 9:22 NRSV)  His parents said this because they were afraid of 
       the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed 
       Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue.

       (John 9:23 NRSV)  Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."

       (John 9:24 NRSV)  So for the second time they called the man who had 
       been blind, and they said to him, "Give glory to God! We know that 
       this man is a sinner."

       (John 9:25 NRSV)  He answered, "I do not know whether he is a sinner. 
       One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see."

       (John 9:26 NRSV)  They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he 
       open your eyes?"

       (John 9:27 NRSV)  He answered them, "I have told you already, and you 
       would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want 
       to become his disciples?"

       (John 9:28 NRSV)  Then they reviled him, saying, "You are his 
       disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.

       (John 9:29 NRSV)  We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for 
       this man, we do not know where he comes from."

       (John 9:30 NRSV)  The man answered, "Here is an astonishing thing! You 
       do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.

       (John 9:31 NRSV)  We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he 
       does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will.

       (John 9:32 NRSV)  Never since the world began has it been heard that 
       anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.

       (John 9:33 NRSV)  If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."

       (John 9:34 NRSV)  They answered him, "You were born entirely in sins, 
       and are you trying to teach us?" And they drove him out.

       (John 9:35 NRSV)  Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when 
       he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

       (John 9:36 NRSV)  He answered, "And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I 
       may believe in him."

       (John 9:37 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and the one 
       speaking with you is he."






       (John 9:38 NRSV)  He said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped him.

       (John 9:39 NRSV)  Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment so 
       that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become 
       blind."

       (John 9:40 NRSV)  Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said 
       to him, "Surely we are not blind, are we?"

       (John 9:41 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would 
       not have sin. But now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains.

       (John 10:1 NRSV)  "Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter 
       the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and 
       a bandit.

       (John 10:2 NRSV)  The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of 
       the sheep.

       (John 10:3 NRSV)  The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep 
       hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

       (John 10:4 NRSV)  When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead 
       of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.

       (John 10:5 NRSV)  They will not follow a stranger, but they will run 
       from him because they do not know the voice of strangers."

       (John 10:6 NRSV)  Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they 
       did not understand what he was saying to them.

       (John 10:7 NRSV)  So again Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell 
       you, I am the gate for the sheep.

       (John 10:8 NRSV)  All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but 
       the sheep did not listen to them.

       (John 10:9 NRSV)  I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, 
       and will come in and go out and find pasture.

       (John 10:10 NRSV)  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. 
       I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

       (John 10:11 NRSV)  "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays 
       down his life for the sheep.

       (John 10:12 NRSV)  The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does 
       not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs 
       away--and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.

       (John 10:13 NRSV)  The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does 
       not care for the sheep.

       (John 10:14 NRSV)  I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own 
       know me,






       (John 10:15 NRSV)  just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. 
       And I lay down my life for the sheep.

       (John 10:16 NRSV)  I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. 
       I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there 
       will be one flock, one shepherd.

       (John 10:17 NRSV)  For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay 
       down my life in order to take it up again.

       (John 10:18 NRSV)  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my 
       own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it 
       up again. I have received this command from my Father."

       (John 10:19 NRSV)  Again the Jews were divided because of these words.

       (John 10:20 NRSV)  Many of them were saying, "He has a demon and is 
       out of his mind. Why listen to him?"

       (John 10:21 NRSV)  Others were saying, "These are not the words of one 
       who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

       (John 10:22 NRSV)  At that time the festival of the Dedication took 
       place in Jerusalem. It was winter,

       (John 10:23 NRSV)  and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico 
       of Solomon.

       (John 10:24 NRSV)  So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, 
       "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell 
       us plainly."

       (John 10:25 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "I have told you, and you do not 
       believe. The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me;

       (John 10:26 NRSV)  but you do not believe, because you do not belong 
       to my sheep.

       (John 10:27 NRSV)  My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they 
       follow me.

       (John 10:28 NRSV)  I give them eternal life, and they will never 
       perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.

       (John 10:29 NRSV)  What my Father has given me is greater than all 
       else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand.

       (John 10:30 NRSV)  The Father and I are one."

       (John 10:31 NRSV)  The Jews took up stones again to stone him.

       (John 10:32 NRSV)  Jesus replied, "I have shown you many good works 
       from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?"

       (John 10:33 NRSV)  The Jews answered, "It is not for a good work that 





       we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only 
       a human being, are making yourself God."

       (John 10:34 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "Is it not written in your law, 'I 
       said, you are gods'?

       (John 10:35 NRSV)  If those to whom the word of God came were called 
       'gods'--and the scripture cannot be annulled--

       (John 10:36 NRSV)  can you say that the one whom the Father has 
       sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, 'I 
       am God's Son'?

       (John 10:37 NRSV)  If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do 
       not believe me.

       (John 10:38 NRSV)  But if I do them, even though you do not believe 
       me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the 
       Father is in me and I am in the Father."

       (John 10:39 NRSV)  Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped 
       from their hands.

       (John 10:40 NRSV)  He went away again across the Jordan to the place 
       where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there.

       (John 10:41 NRSV)  Many came to him, and they were saying, "John 
       performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was 
       true."

       (John 10:42 NRSV)  And many believed in him there.

       (John 11:1 NRSV)  Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the 
       village of Mary and her sister Martha.

       (John 11:2 NRSV)  Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume 
       and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill.

       (John 11:3 NRSV)  So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, he 
       whom you love is ill."

       (John 11:4 NRSV)  But when Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness does 
       not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of 
       God may be glorified through it."

       (John 11:5 NRSV)  Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her 
       sister and Lazarus,

       (John 11:6 NRSV)  after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed 
       two days longer in the place where he was.

       (John 11:7 NRSV)  Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go 
       to Judea again."

       (John 11:8 NRSV)  The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were 
       just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?"






       (John 11:9 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of 
       daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they 
       see the light of this world.

       (John 11:10 NRSV)  But those who walk at night stumble, because the 
       light is not in them."

       (John 11:11 NRSV)  After saying this, he told them, "Our friend 
       Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him."

       (John 11:12 NRSV)  The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen 
       asleep, he will be all right."

       (John 11:13 NRSV)  Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, 
       but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep.

       (John 11:14 NRSV)  Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.

       (John 11:15 NRSV)  For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that 
       you may believe. But let us go to him."

       (John 11:16 NRSV)  Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow 
       disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."

       (John 11:17 NRSV)  When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had 
       already been in the tomb four days.

       (John 11:18 NRSV)  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles 
       away,

       (John 11:19 NRSV)  and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to 
       console them about their brother.

       (John 11:20 NRSV)  When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went 
       and met him, while Mary stayed at home.

       (John 11:21 NRSV)  Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, 
       my brother would not have died.

       (John 11:22 NRSV)  But even now I know that God will give you whatever 
       you ask of him."

       (John 11:23 NRSV)  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

       (John 11:24 NRSV)  Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again 
       in the resurrection on the last day."

       (John 11:25 NRSV)  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the 
       life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,

       (John 11:26 NRSV)  and everyone who lives and believes in me will 
       never die. Do you believe this?"

       (John 11:27 NRSV)  She said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are 
       the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."






       (John 11:28 NRSV)  When she had said this, she went back and called 
       her sister Mary, and told her privately, "The Teacher is here and is 
       calling for you."

       (John 11:29 NRSV)  And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went 
       to him.

       (John 11:30 NRSV)  Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was 
       still at the place where Martha had met him.

       (John 11:31 NRSV)  The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling 
       her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because 
       they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there.

       (John 11:32 NRSV)  When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she 
       knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my 
       brother would not have died."

       (John 11:33 NRSV)  When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came 
       with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply 
       moved.

       (John 11:34 NRSV)  He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to 
       him, "Lord, come and see."

       (John 11:35 NRSV)  Jesus began to weep.

       (John 11:36 NRSV)  So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"

       (John 11:37 NRSV)  But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the 
       eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"

       (John 11:38 NRSV)  Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the 
       tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.

       (John 11:39 NRSV)  Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the 
       sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench 
       because he has been dead four days."

       (John 11:40 NRSV)  Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you 
       believed, you would see the glory of God?"

       (John 11:41 NRSV)  So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked 
       upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me.

       (John 11:42 NRSV)  I knew that you always hear me, but I have said 
       this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe 
       that you sent me."

       (John 11:43 NRSV)  When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, 
       "Lazarus, come out!"

       (John 11:44 NRSV)  The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound 
       with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to 
       them, "Unbind him, and let him go."






       (John 11:45 NRSV)  Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary 
       and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

       (John 11:46 NRSV)  But some of them went to the Pharisees and told 
       them what he had done.

       (John 11:47 NRSV)  So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a 
       meeting of the council, and said, "What are we to do? This man is 
       performing many signs.

       (John 11:48 NRSV)  If we let him go on like this, everyone will 
       believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy 
       place and our nation."

       (John 11:49 NRSV)  But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that 
       year, said to them, "You know nothing at all!

       (John 11:50 NRSV)  You do not understand that it is better for you to 
       have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation 
       destroyed."

       (John 11:51 NRSV)  He did not say this on his own, but being high 
       priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the 
       nation,

       (John 11:52 NRSV)  and not for the nation only, but to gather into one 
       the dispersed children of God.

       (John 11:53 NRSV)  So from that day on they planned to put him to 
       death.

       (John 11:54 NRSV)  Jesus therefore no longer walked about openly among 
       the Jews, but went from there to a town called Ephraim in the region 
       near the wilderness; and he remained there with the disciples.

       (John 11:55 NRSV)  Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many 
       went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify 
       themselves.

       (John 11:56 NRSV)  They were looking for Jesus and were asking one 
       another as they stood in the temple, "What do you think? Surely he 
       will not come to the festival, will he?"

       (John 11:57 NRSV)  Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given 
       orders that anyone who knew where Jesus was should let them know, so 
       that they might arrest him.

       (John 12:1 NRSV)  Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, 
       the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.

       (John 12:2 NRSV)  There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and 
       Lazarus was one of those at the table with him.

       (John 12:3 NRSV)  Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure 
       nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house 





       was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

       (John 12:4 NRSV)  But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one 
       who was about to betray him), said,

       (John 12:5 NRSV)  "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred 
       denarii and the money given to the poor?"

       (John 12:6 NRSV)  (He said this not because he cared about the poor, 
       but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal 
       what was put into it.)

       (John 12:7 NRSV)  Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that 
       she might keep it for the day of my burial.

       (John 12:8 NRSV)  You always have the poor with you, but you do not 
       always have me."

       (John 12:9 NRSV)  When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was 
       there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, 
       whom he had raised from the dead.

       (John 12:10 NRSV)  So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to 
       death as well,

       (John 12:11 NRSV)  since it was on account of him that many of the 
       Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.

       (John 12:12 NRSV)  The next day the great crowd that had come to the 
       festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.

       (John 12:13 NRSV)  So they took branches of palm trees and went out to 
       meet him, shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name 
       of the Lord-- the King of Israel!"

       (John 12:14 NRSV)  Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is 
       written:

       (John 12:15 NRSV)  "Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your 
       king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!"

       (John 12:16 NRSV)  His disciples did not understand these things at 
       first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these 
       things had been written of him and had been done to him.

       (John 12:17 NRSV)  So the crowd that had been with him when he called 
       Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to 
       testify.

       (John 12:18 NRSV)  It was also because they heard that he had 
       performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him.

       (John 12:19 NRSV)  The Pharisees then said to one another, "You see, 
       you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!"

       (John 12:20 NRSV)  Now among those who went up to worship at the 





       festival were some Greeks.

       (John 12:21 NRSV)  They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in 
       Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."

       (John 12:22 NRSV)  Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip 
       went and told Jesus.

       (John 12:23 NRSV)  Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son 
       of Man to be glorified.

       (John 12:24 NRSV)  Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat 
       falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if 
       it dies, it bears much fruit.

       (John 12:25 NRSV)  Those who love their life lose it, and those who 
       hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

       (John 12:26 NRSV)  Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, 
       there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will 
       honor.

       (John 12:27 NRSV)  "Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say--' 
       Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have 
       come to this hour.

       (John 12:28 NRSV)  Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from 
       heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again."

       (John 12:29 NRSV)  The crowd standing there heard it and said that it 
       was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him."

       (John 12:30 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, 
       not for mine.

       (John 12:31 NRSV)  Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of 
       this world will be driven out.

       (John 12:32 NRSV)  And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will 
       draw all people to myself."

       (John 12:33 NRSV)  He said this to indicate the kind of death he was 
       to die.

       (John 12:34 NRSV)  The crowd answered him, "We have heard from the law 
       that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man 
       must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?"

       (John 12:35 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "The light is with you for a 
       little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may 
       not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where 
       you are going.

       (John 12:36 NRSV)  While you have the light, believe in the light, so 
       that you may become children of light." After Jesus had said this, he 
       departed and hid from them.






       (John 12:37 NRSV)  Although he had performed so many signs in their 
       presence, they did not believe in him.

       (John 12:38 NRSV)  This was to fulfill the word spoken by the prophet 
       Isaiah: "Lord, who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm 
       of the Lord been revealed?"

       (John 12:39 NRSV)  And so they could not believe, because Isaiah also 
       said,

       (John 12:40 NRSV)  "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their 
       heart, so that they might not look with their eyes, and understand 
       with their heart and turn-- and I would heal them."

       (John 12:41 NRSV)  Isaiah said this because he saw his glory and spoke 
       about him.

       (John 12:42 NRSV)  Nevertheless many, even of the authorities, 
       believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, 
       for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue;

       (John 12:43 NRSV)  for they loved human glory more than the glory that 
       comes from God.

       (John 12:44 NRSV)  Then Jesus cried aloud: "Whoever believes in me 
       believes not in me but in him who sent me.

       (John 12:45 NRSV)  And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.

       (John 12:46 NRSV)  I have come as light into the world, so that 
       everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness.

       (John 12:47 NRSV)  I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does 
       not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the 
       world.

       (John 12:48 NRSV)  The one who rejects me and does not receive my word 
       has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as 
       judge,

       (John 12:49 NRSV)  for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who 
       sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what 
       to speak.

       (John 12:50 NRSV)  And I know that his commandment is eternal life. 
       What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me."

       (John 13:1 NRSV)  Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew 
       that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. 
       Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

       (John 13:2 NRSV)  The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas 
       son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper

       (John 13:3 NRSV)  Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things 





       into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God,

       (John 13:4 NRSV)  got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and 
       tied a towel around himself.

       (John 13:5 NRSV)  Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash 
       the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied 
       around him.

       (John 13:6 NRSV)  He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are 
       you going to wash my feet?"

       (John 13:7 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "You do not know now what I am 
       doing, but later you will understand."

       (John 13:8 NRSV)  Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet." 
       Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no share with me."

       (John 13:9 NRSV)  Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but 
       also my hands and my head!"

       (John 13:10 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "One who has bathed does not 
       need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are 
       clean, though not all of you."

       (John 13:11 NRSV)  For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason 
       he said, "Not all of you are clean."

       (John 13:12 NRSV)  After he had washed their feet, had put on his 
       robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, "Do you know 
       what I have done to you?

       (John 13:13 NRSV)  You call me Teacher and Lord--and you are right, 
       for that is what I am.

       (John 13:14 NRSV)  So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your 
       feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.

       (John 13:15 NRSV)  For I have set you an example, that you also should 
       do as I have done to you.

       (John 13:16 NRSV)  Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater 
       than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent 
       them.

       (John 13:17 NRSV)  If you know these things, you are blessed if you do 
       them.

       (John 13:18 NRSV)  I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have 
       chosen. But it is to fulfill the scripture, 'The one who ate my bread 
       has lifted his heel against me.'

       (John 13:19 NRSV)  I tell you this now, before it occurs, so that when 
       it does occur, you may believe that I am he.

       (John 13:20 NRSV)  Very truly, I tell you, whoever receives one whom I 





       send receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me."

       (John 13:21 NRSV)  After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and 
       declared, "Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me."

       (John 13:22 NRSV)  The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of 
       whom he was speaking.

       (John 13:23 NRSV)  One of his disciples--the one whom Jesus loved--was 
       reclining next to him;

       (John 13:24 NRSV)  Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus 
       of whom he was speaking.

       (John 13:25 NRSV)  So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, 
       "Lord, who is it?"

       (John 13:26 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I give this 
       piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." So when he had 
       dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot.

       (John 13:27 NRSV)  After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered 
       into him. Jesus said to him, "Do quickly what you are going to do."

       (John 13:28 NRSV)  Now no one at the table knew why he said this to 
       him.

       (John 13:29 NRSV)  Some thought that, because Judas had the common 
       purse, Jesus was telling him, "Buy what we need for the festival"; or, 
       that he should give something to the poor.

       (John 13:30 NRSV)  So, after receiving the piece of bread, he 
       immediately went out. And it was night.

       (John 13:31 NRSV)  When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of 
       Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him.

       (John 13:32 NRSV)  If God has been glorified in him, God will also 
       glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once.

       (John 13:33 NRSV)  Little children, I am with you only a little 
       longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say 
       to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.'

       (John 13:34 NRSV)  I give you a new commandment, that you love one 
       another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.

       (John 13:35 NRSV)  By this everyone will know that you are my 
       disciples, if you have love for one another."

       (John 13:36 NRSV)  Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, where are you 
       going?" Jesus answered, "Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; 
       but you will follow afterward."

       (John 13:37 NRSV)  Peter said to him, "Lord, why can I not follow you 
       now? I will lay down my life for you."






       (John 13:38 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for 
       me? Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will have 
       denied me three times.

       (John 14:1 NRSV)  "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, 
       believe also in me.

       (John 14:2 NRSV)  In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. 
       If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place 
       for you?

       (John 14:3 NRSV)  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come 
       again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may 
       be also.

       (John 14:4 NRSV)  And you know the way to the place where I am going."

       (John 14:5 NRSV)  Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you 
       are going. How can we know the way?"

       (John 14:6 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and 
       the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

       (John 14:7 NRSV)  If you know me, you will know my Father also. From 
       now on you do know him and have seen him."

       (John 14:8 NRSV)  Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and 
       we will be satisfied."

       (John 14:9 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this 
       time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has 
       seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

       (John 14:10 NRSV)  Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the 
       Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; 
       but the Father who dwells in me does his works.

       (John 14:11 NRSV)  Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father 
       is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works 
       themselves.

       (John 14:12 NRSV)  Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me 
       will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works 
       than these, because I am going to the Father.

       (John 14:13 NRSV)  I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the 
       Father may be glorified in the Son.

       (John 14:14 NRSV)  If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do 
       it.

       (John 14:15 NRSV)  "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

       (John 14:16 NRSV)  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you 
       another Advocate, to be with you forever.






       (John 14:17 NRSV)  This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot 
       receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, 
       because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

       (John 14:18 NRSV)  "I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.

       (John 14:19 NRSV)  In a little while the world will no longer see me, 
       but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.

       (John 14:20 NRSV)  On that day you will know that I am in my Father, 
       and you in me, and I in you.

       (John 14:21 NRSV)  They who have my commandments and keep them are 
       those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, 
       and I will love them and reveal myself to them."

       (John 14:22 NRSV)  Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it 
       that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?"

       (John 14:23 NRSV)  Jesus answered him, "Those who love me will keep my 
       word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make 
       our home with them.

       (John 14:24 NRSV)  Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; 
       and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who 
       sent me.

       (John 14:25 NRSV)  "I have said these things to you while I am still 
       with you.

       (John 14:26 NRSV)  But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father 
       will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all 
       that I have said to you.

       (John 14:27 NRSV)  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I 
       do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be 
       troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

       (John 14:28 NRSV)  You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I am 
       coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to 
       the Father, because the Father is greater than I.

       (John 14:29 NRSV)  And now I have told you this before it occurs, so 
       that when it does occur, you may believe.

       (John 14:30 NRSV)  I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler 
       of this world is coming. He has no power over me;

       (John 14:31 NRSV)  but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that 
       the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us be on our way.

       (John 15:1 NRSV)  "I am the true vine, and my Father is the 
       vinegrower.

       (John 15:2 NRSV)  He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. 





       Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.

       (John 15:3 NRSV)  You have already been cleansed by the word that I 
       have spoken to you.

       (John 15:4 NRSV)  Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch 
       cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can 
       you unless you abide in me.

       (John 15:5 NRSV)  I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide 
       in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do 
       nothing.

       (John 15:6 NRSV)  Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a 
       branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, 
       and burned.

       (John 15:7 NRSV)  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask 
       for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

       (John 15:8 NRSV)  My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much 
       fruit and become my disciples.

       (John 15:9 NRSV)  As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; 
       abide in my love.

       (John 15:10 NRSV)  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my 
       love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his 
       love.

       (John 15:11 NRSV)  I have said these things to you so that my joy may 
       be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

       (John 15:12 NRSV)  "This is my commandment, that you love one another 
       as I have loved you.

       (John 15:13 NRSV)  No one has greater love than this, to lay down 
       one's life for one's friends.

       (John 15:14 NRSV)  You are my friends if you do what I command you.

       (John 15:15 NRSV)  I do not call you servants any longer, because the 
       servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you 
       friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard 
       from my Father.

       (John 15:16 NRSV)  You did not choose me but I chose you. And I 
       appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the 
       Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.

       (John 15:17 NRSV)  I am giving you these commands so that you may love 
       one another.

       (John 15:18 NRSV)  "If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me 
       before it hated you.





       (John 15:19 NRSV)  If you belonged to the world, the world would love 
       you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have 
       chosen you out of the world--therefore the world hates you.

       (John 15:20 NRSV)  Remember the word that I said to you, 'Servants are 
       not greater than their master.' If they persecuted me, they will 
       persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also.

       (John 15:21 NRSV)  But they will do all these things to you on account 
       of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

       (John 15:22 NRSV)  If I had not come and spoken to them, they would 
       not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

       (John 15:23 NRSV)  Whoever hates me hates my Father also.

       (John 15:24 NRSV)  If I had not done among them the works that no one 
       else did, they would not have sin. But now they have seen and hated 
       both me and my Father.

       (John 15:25 NRSV)  It was to fulfill the word that is written in their 
       law, 'They hated me without a cause.'

       (John 15:26 NRSV)  "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you 
       from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he 
       will testify on my behalf.

       (John 15:27 NRSV)  You also are to testify because you have been with 
       me from the beginning.

       (John 16:1 NRSV)  "I have said these things to you to keep you from 
       stumbling.

       (John 16:2 NRSV)  They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, an 
       hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so 
       they are offering worship to God.

       (John 16:3 NRSV)  And they will do this because they have not known 
       the Father or me.

       (John 16:4 NRSV)  But I have said these things to you so that when 
       their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them. "I did 
       not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with 
       you.

       (John 16:5 NRSV)  But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of 
       you asks me, 'Where are you going?'

       (John 16:6 NRSV)  But because I have said these things to you, sorrow 
       has filled your hearts.

       (John 16:7 NRSV)  Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your 
       advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will 
       not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

       (John 16:8 NRSV)  And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong 





       about sin and righteousness and judgment:

       (John 16:9 NRSV)  about sin, because they do not believe in me;

       (John 16:10 NRSV)  about righteousness, because I am going to the 
       Father and you will see me no longer;

       (John 16:11 NRSV)  about judgment, because the ruler of this world has 
       been condemned.

       (John 16:12 NRSV)  "I still have many things to say to you, but you 
       cannot bear them now.

       (John 16:13 NRSV)  When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you 
       into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak 
       whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to 
       come.

       (John 16:14 NRSV)  He will glorify me, because he will take what is 
       mine and declare it to you.

       (John 16:15 NRSV)  All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I 
       said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

       (John 16:16 NRSV)  "A little while, and you will no longer see me, and 
       again a little while, and you will see me."

       (John 16:17 NRSV)  Then some of his disciples said to one another, 
       "What does he mean by saying to us, 'A little while, and you will no 
       longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me'; and 
       'Because I am going to the Father'?"

       (John 16:18 NRSV)  They said, "What does he mean by this' a little 
       while'? We do not know what he is talking about."

       (John 16:19 NRSV)  Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said 
       to them, "Are you discussing among yourselves what I meant when I 
       said, 'A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a 
       little while, and you will see me'?

       (John 16:20 NRSV)  Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, 
       but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will 
       turn into joy.

       (John 16:21 NRSV)  When a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her 
       hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the 
       anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the 
       world.

       (John 16:22 NRSV)  So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and 
       your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

       (John 16:23 NRSV)  On that day you will ask nothing of me. Very truly, 
       I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give 
       it to you.





       (John 16:24 NRSV)  Until now you have not asked for anything in my 
       name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

       (John 16:25 NRSV)  "I have said these things to you in figures of 
       speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in 
       figures, but will tell you plainly of the Father.

       (John 16:26 NRSV)  On that day you will ask in my name. I do not say 
       to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf;

       (John 16:27 NRSV)  for the Father himself loves you, because you have 
       loved me and have believed that I came from God.

       (John 16:28 NRSV)  I came from the Father and have come into the 
       world; again, I am leaving the world and am going to the Father."

       (John 16:29 NRSV)  His disciples said, "Yes, now you are speaking 
       plainly, not in any figure of speech!

       (John 16:30 NRSV)  Now we know that you know all things, and do not 
       need to have anyone question you; by this we believe that you came 
       from God."

       (John 16:31 NRSV)  Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?

       (John 16:32 NRSV)  The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you 
       will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. 
       Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me.

       (John 16:33 NRSV)  I have said this to you, so that in me you may have 
       peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have 
       conquered the world!"

       (John 17:1 NRSV)  After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to 
       heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that 
       the Son may glorify you,

       (John 17:2 NRSV)  since you have given him authority over all people, 
       to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.

       (John 17:3 NRSV)  And this is eternal life, that they may know you, 
       the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

       (John 17:4 NRSV)  I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that 
       you gave me to do.

       (John 17:5 NRSV)  So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with 
       the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.

       (John 17:6 NRSV)  "I have made your name known to those whom you gave 
       me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they 
       have kept your word.

       (John 17:7 NRSV)  Now they know that everything you have given me is 
       from you;





       (John 17:8 NRSV)  for the words that you gave to me I have given to 
       them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from 
       you; and they have believed that you sent me.

       (John 17:9 NRSV)  I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on 
       behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because 
       they are yours.

       (John 17:10 NRSV)  All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have 
       been glorified in them.

       (John 17:11 NRSV)  And now I am no longer in the world, but they are 
       in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in 
       your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are 
       one.

       (John 17:12 NRSV)  While I was with them, I protected them in your 
       name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was 
       lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might 
       be fulfilled.

       (John 17:13 NRSV)  But now I am coming to you, and I speak these 
       things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in 
       themselves.

       (John 17:14 NRSV)  I have given them your word, and the world has 
       hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not 
       belong to the world.

       (John 17:15 NRSV)  I am not asking you to take them out of the world, 
       but I ask you to protect them from the evil one.

       (John 17:16 NRSV)  They do not belong to the world, just as I do not 
       belong to the world.

       (John 17:17 NRSV)  Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

       (John 17:18 NRSV)  As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent 
       them into the world.

       (John 17:19 NRSV)  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they 
       also may be sanctified in truth.

       (John 17:20 NRSV)  "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on 
       behalf of those who will believe in me through their word,

       (John 17:21 NRSV)  that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me 
       and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe 
       that you have sent me.

       (John 17:22 NRSV)  The glory that you have given me I have given them, 
       so that they may be one, as we are one,

       (John 17:23 NRSV)  I in them and you in me, that they may become 
       completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and 
       have loved them even as you have loved me.






       (John 17:24 NRSV)  Father, I desire that those also, whom you have 
       given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have 
       given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

       (John 17:25 NRSV)  "Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but 
       I know you; and these know that you have sent me.

       (John 17:26 NRSV)  I made your name known to them, and I will make it 
       known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, 
       and I in them."

       (John 18:1 NRSV)  After Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with 
       his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a 
       garden, which he and his disciples entered.

       (John 18:2 NRSV)  Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, 
       because Jesus often met there with his disciples.

       (John 18:3 NRSV)  So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together 
       with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came 
       there with lanterns and torches and weapons.

       (John 18:4 NRSV)  Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, 
       came forward and asked them, "Whom are you looking for?"

       (John 18:5 NRSV)  They answered, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus replied, 
       "I am he." Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.

       (John 18:6 NRSV)  When Jesus said to them, "I am he," they stepped 
       back and fell to the ground.

       (John 18:7 NRSV)  Again he asked them, "Whom are you looking for?" And 
       they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."

       (John 18:8 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "I told you that I am he. So if you 
       are looking for me, let these men go."

       (John 18:9 NRSV)  This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, "I 
       did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me."

       (John 18:10 NRSV)  Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck 
       the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave's name 
       was Malchus.

       (John 18:11 NRSV)  Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword back into its 
       sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?"

       (John 18:12 NRSV)  So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish 
       police arrested Jesus and bound him.

       (John 18:13 NRSV)  First they took him to Annas, who was the 
       father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year.

       (John 18:14 NRSV)  Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that 
       it was better to have one person die for the people.






       (John 18:15 NRSV)  Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. 
       Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus 
       into the courtyard of the high priest,

       (John 18:16 NRSV)  but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the 
       other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to 
       the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in.

       (John 18:17 NRSV)  The woman said to Peter, "You are not also one of 
       this man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not."

       (John 18:18 NRSV)  Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal 
       fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming 
       themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself.

       (John 18:19 NRSV)  Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his 
       disciples and about his teaching.

       (John 18:20 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "I have spoken openly to the world; 
       I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the 
       Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret.

       (John 18:21 NRSV)  Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said 
       to them; they know what I said."

       (John 18:22 NRSV)  When he had said this, one of the police standing 
       nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, "Is that how you answer the 
       high priest?"

       (John 18:23 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "If I have spoken wrongly, testify 
       to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?"

       (John 18:24 NRSV)  Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high 
       priest.

       (John 18:25 NRSV)  Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. 
       They asked him, "You are not also one of his disciples, are you?" He 
       denied it and said, "I am not."

       (John 18:26 NRSV)  One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of 
       the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Did I not see you in the 
       garden with him?"

       (John 18:27 NRSV)  Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock 
       crowed.

       (John 18:28 NRSV)  Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate's 
       headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not 
       enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be 
       able to eat the Passover.

       (John 18:29 NRSV)  So Pilate went out to them and said, "What 
       accusation do you bring against this man?"

       (John 18:30 NRSV)  They answered, "If this man were not a criminal, we 





       would not have handed him over to you."

       (John 18:31 NRSV)  Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and judge 
       him according to your law." The Jews replied, "We are not permitted to 
       put anyone to death."

       (John 18:32 NRSV)  (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he 
       indicated the kind of death he was to die.)

       (John 18:33 NRSV)  Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, 
       summoned Jesus, and asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?"

       (John 18:34 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own, or 
       did others tell you about me?"

       (John 18:35 NRSV)  Pilate replied, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own 
       nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you 
       done?"

       (John 18:36 NRSV)  Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. 
       If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to 
       keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom 
       is not from here."

       (John 18:37 NRSV)  Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus 
       answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this 
       I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs 
       to the truth listens to my voice."

       (John 18:38 NRSV)  Pilate asked him, "What is truth?" After he had 
       said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, "I find no 
       case against him.

       (John 18:39 NRSV)  But you have a custom that I release someone for 
       you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the 
       Jews?"

       (John 18:40 NRSV)  They shouted in reply, "Not this man, but 
       Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a bandit.

       (John 19:1 NRSV)  Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.

       (John 19:2 NRSV)  And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it 
       on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe.

       (John 19:3 NRSV)  They kept coming up to him, saying, "Hail, King of 
       the Jews!" and striking him on the face.

       (John 19:4 NRSV)  Pilate went out again and said to them, "Look, I am 
       bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against 
       him."

       (John 19:5 NRSV)  So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and 
       the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"

       (John 19:6 NRSV)  When the chief priests and the police saw him, they 





       shouted, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him 
       yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him."

       (John 19:7 NRSV)  The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according 
       to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of 
       God."

       (John 19:8 NRSV)  Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than 
       ever.

       (John 19:9 NRSV)  He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, 
       "Where are you from?" But Jesus gave him no answer.

       (John 19:10 NRSV)  Pilate therefore said to him, "Do you refuse to 
       speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and 
       power to crucify you?"

       (John 19:11 NRSV)  Jesus answered him, "You would have no power over 
       me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who 
       handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."

       (John 19:12 NRSV)  From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the 
       Jews cried out, "If you release this man, you are no friend of the 
       emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the 
       emperor."

       (John 19:13 NRSV)  When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus 
       outside and sat on the judge's bench at a place called The Stone 
       Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha.

       (John 19:14 NRSV)  Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; 
       and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, "Here is your King!"

       (John 19:15 NRSV)  They cried out, "Away with him! Away with him! 
       Crucify him!" Pilate asked them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The 
       chief priests answered, "We have no king but the emperor."

       (John 19:16 NRSV)  Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So 
       they took Jesus;

       (John 19:17 NRSV)  and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to 
       what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called 
       Golgotha.

       (John 19:18 NRSV)  There they crucified him, and with him two others, 
       one on either side, with Jesus between them.

       (John 19:19 NRSV)  Pilate also had an inscription written and put on 
       the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."

       (John 19:20 NRSV)  Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the 
       place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written 
       in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.

       (John 19:21 NRSV)  Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, 
       "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'This man said, I am King 





       of the Jews.'"

       (John 19:22 NRSV)  Pilate answered, "What I have written I have 
       written."

       (John 19:23 NRSV)  When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took 
       his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. 
       They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one 
       piece from the top.

       (John 19:24 NRSV)  So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, 
       but cast lots for it to see who will get it." This was to fulfill what 
       the scripture says, "They divided my clothes among themselves, and for 
       my clothing they cast lots."

       (John 19:25 NRSV)  And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, 
       standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's 
       sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

       (John 19:26 NRSV)  When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he 
       loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, "Woman, here is your 
       son."

       (John 19:27 NRSV)  Then he said to the disciple, "Here is your 
       mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

       (John 19:28 NRSV)  After this, when Jesus knew that all was now 
       finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), "I am thirsty."

       (John 19:29 NRSV)  A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they 
       put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his 
       mouth.

       (John 19:30 NRSV)  When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is 
       finished." Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

       (John 19:31 NRSV)  Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did 
       not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially 
       because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked 
       Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies 
       removed.

       (John 19:32 NRSV)  Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the 
       first and of the other who had been crucified with him.

       (John 19:33 NRSV)  But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was 
       already dead, they did not break his legs.

       (John 19:34 NRSV)  Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with 
       a spear, and at once blood and water came out.

       (John 19:35 NRSV)  (He who saw this has testified so that you also may 
       believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.)

       (John 19:36 NRSV)  These things occurred so that the scripture might 
       be fulfilled, "None of his bones shall be broken."






       (John 19:37 NRSV)  And again another passage of scripture says, "They 
       will look on the one whom they have pierced."

       (John 19:38 NRSV)  After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a 
       disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the 
       Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave 
       him permission; so he came and removed his body.

       (John 19:39 NRSV)  Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, 
       also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a 
       hundred pounds.

       (John 19:40 NRSV)  They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the 
       spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews.

       (John 19:41 NRSV)  Now there was a garden in the place where he was 
       crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had 
       ever been laid.

       (John 19:42 NRSV)  And so, because it was the Jewish day of 
       Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

       (John 20:1 NRSV)  Early on the first day of the week, while it was 
       still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had 
       been removed from the tomb.

       (John 20:2 NRSV)  So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other 
       disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken 
       the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid 
       him."

       (John 20:3 NRSV)  Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went 
       toward the tomb.

       (John 20:4 NRSV)  The two were running together, but the other 
       disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.

       (John 20:5 NRSV)  He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings 
       lying there, but he did not go in.

       (John 20:6 NRSV)  Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into 
       the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there,

       (John 20:7 NRSV)  and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not 
       lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.

       (John 20:8 NRSV)  Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, 
       also went in, and he saw and believed;

       (John 20:9 NRSV)  for as yet they did not understand the scripture, 
       that he must rise from the dead.

       (John 20:10 NRSV)  Then the disciples returned to their homes.

       (John 20:11 NRSV)  But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she 





       wept, she bent over to look into the tomb;

       (John 20:12 NRSV)  and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the 
       body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the 
       feet.

       (John 20:13 NRSV)  They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She 
       said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where 
       they have laid him."

       (John 20:14 NRSV)  When she had said this, she turned around and saw 
       Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.

       (John 20:15 NRSV)  Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? 
       Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said 
       to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have 
       laid him, and I will take him away."

       (John 20:16 NRSV)  Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to 
       him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher).

       (John 20:17 NRSV)  Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I 
       have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to 
       them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your 
       God.'"

       (John 20:18 NRSV)  Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, 
       "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these 
       things to her.

       (John 20:19 NRSV)  When it was evening on that day, the first day of 
       the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were 
       locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 
       "Peace be with you."

       (John 20:20 NRSV)  After he said this, he showed them his hands and 
       his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

       (John 20:21 NRSV)  Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As 
       the Father has sent me, so I send you."

       (John 20:22 NRSV)  When he had said this, he breathed on them and said 
       to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

       (John 20:23 NRSV)  If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven 
       them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

       (John 20:24 NRSV)  But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the 
       twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

       (John 20:25 NRSV)  So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the 
       Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his 
       hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his 
       side, I will not believe."

       (John 20:26 NRSV)  A week later his disciples were again in the house, 





       and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and 
       stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."

       (John 20:27 NRSV)  Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and 
       see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt 
       but believe."

       (John 20:28 NRSV)  Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"

       (John 20:29 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you 
       have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to 
       believe."

       (John 20:30 NRSV)  Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of 
       his disciples, which are not written in this book.

       (John 20:31 NRSV)  But these are written so that you may come to 
       believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through 
       believing you may have life in his name.

       (John 21:1 NRSV)  After these things Jesus showed himself again to the 
       disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way.

       (John 21:2 NRSV)  Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas 
       called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, 
       and two others of his disciples.

       (John 21:3 NRSV)  Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They 
       said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the 
       boat, but that night they caught nothing.

       (John 21:4 NRSV)  Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but 
       the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

       (John 21:5 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, 
       have you?" They answered him, "No."

       (John 21:6 NRSV)  He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of 
       the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were 
       not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.

       (John 21:7 NRSV)  That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is 
       the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some 
       clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea.

       (John 21:8 NRSV)  But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging 
       the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about 
       a hundred yards off.

       (John 21:9 NRSV)  When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire 
       there, with fish on it, and bread.

       (John 21:10 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that 
       you have just caught."

       (John 21:11 NRSV)  So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net 





       ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though 
       there were so many, the net was not torn.

       (John 21:12 NRSV)  Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now 
       none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they 
       knew it was the Lord.

       (John 21:13 NRSV)  Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, 
       and did the same with the fish.

       (John 21:14 NRSV)  This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to 
       the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

       (John 21:15 NRSV)  When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to 
       Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" He 
       said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, 
       "Feed my lambs."

       (John 21:16 NRSV)  A second time he said to him, "Simon son of John, 
       do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love 
       you." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep."

       (John 21:17 NRSV)  He said to him the third time, "Simon son of John, 
       do you love me?" Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third 
       time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know 
       everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my 
       sheep.

       (John 21:18 NRSV)  Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you 
       used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when 
       you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will 
       fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go."

       (John 21:19 NRSV)  (He said this to indicate the kind of death by 
       which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, "Follow me."

       (John 21:20 NRSV)  Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved 
       following them; he was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the 
       supper and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?"

       (John 21:21 NRSV)  When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what 
       about him?"

       (John 21:22 NRSV)  Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain 
       until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!"

       (John 21:23 NRSV)  So the rumor spread in the community that this 
       disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not 
       die, but, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that 
       to you?"

       (John 21:24 NRSV)  This is the disciple who is testifying to these 
       things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true.

       (John 21:25 NRSV)  But there are also many other things that Jesus 
       did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world 





       itself could not contain the books that would be written.

       (Acts 1:1 NRSV)  In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that 
       Jesus did and taught from the beginning

       (Acts 1:2 NRSV)  until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after 
       giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he 
       had chosen.

       (Acts 1:3 NRSV)  After his suffering he presented himself alive to 
       them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days 
       and speaking about the kingdom of God.

       (Acts 1:4 NRSV)  While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave 
       Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. "This," he 
       said, "is what you have heard from me;

       (Acts 1:5 NRSV)  for John baptized with water, but you will be 
       baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

       (Acts 1:6 NRSV)  So when they had come together, they asked him, 
       "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?"

       (Acts 1:7 NRSV)  He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or 
       periods that the Father has set by his own authority.

       (Acts 1:8 NRSV)  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has 
       come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea 
       and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

       (Acts 1:9 NRSV)  When he had said this, as they were watching, he was 
       lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

       (Acts 1:10 NRSV)  While he was going and they were gazing up toward 
       heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them.

       (Acts 1:11 NRSV)  They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking 
       up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into 
       heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

       (Acts 1:12 NRSV)  Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount 
       called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day's journey away.

       (Acts 1:13 NRSV)  When they had entered the city, they went to the 
       room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and 
       Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of 
       Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.

       (Acts 1:14 NRSV)  All these were constantly devoting themselves to 
       prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of 
       Jesus, as well as his brothers.

       (Acts 1:15 NRSV)  In those days Peter stood up among the believers 
       (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and 
       said,





       (Acts 1:16 NRSV)  "Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which 
       the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a 
       guide for those who arrested Jesus--

       (Acts 1:17 NRSV)  for he was numbered among us and was allotted his 
       share in this ministry."

       (Acts 1:18 NRSV)  (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of 
       his wickedness; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and 
       all his bowels gushed out.

       (Acts 1:19 NRSV)  This became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, 
       so that the field was called in their language Hakeldama, that is, 
       Field of Blood.)

       (Acts 1:20 NRSV)  "For it is written in the book of Psalms, 'Let his 
       homestead become desolate, and let there be no one to live in it'; and 
       'Let another take his position of overseer.'

       (Acts 1:21 NRSV)  So one of the men who have accompanied us during all 
       the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

       (Acts 1:22 NRSV)  beginning from the baptism of John until the day 
       when he was taken up from us--one of these must become a witness with 
       us to his resurrection."

       (Acts 1:23 NRSV)  So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who 
       was also known as Justus, and Matthias.

       (Acts 1:24 NRSV)  Then they prayed and said, "Lord, you know 
       everyone's heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen

       (Acts 1:25 NRSV)  to take the place in this ministry and apostleship 
       from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place."

       (Acts 1:26 NRSV)  And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on 
       Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

       (Acts 2:1 NRSV)  When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all 
       together in one place.

       (Acts 2:2 NRSV)  And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the 
       rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were 
       sitting.

       (Acts 2:3 NRSV)  Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and 
       a tongue rested on each of them.

       (Acts 2:4 NRSV)  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and 
       began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

       (Acts 2:5 NRSV)  Now there were devout Jews from every nation under 
       heaven living in Jerusalem.

       (Acts 2:6 NRSV)  And at this sound the crowd gathered and was 
       bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native 





       language of each.

       (Acts 2:7 NRSV)  Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these 
       who are speaking Galileans?

       (Acts 2:8 NRSV)  And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own 
       native language?

       (Acts 2:9 NRSV)  Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of 
       Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,

       (Acts 2:10 NRSV)  Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya 
       belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,

       (Acts 2:11 NRSV)  Cretans and Arabs--in our own languages we hear them 
       speaking about God's deeds of power."

       (Acts 2:12 NRSV)  All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one 
       another, "What does this mean?"

       (Acts 2:13 NRSV)  But others sneered and said, "They are filled with 
       new wine."

       (Acts 2:14 NRSV)  But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his 
       voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, 
       let this be known to you, and listen to what I say.

       (Acts 2:15 NRSV)  Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it 
       is only nine o'clock in the morning.

       (Acts 2:16 NRSV)  No, this is what was spoken through the prophet 
       Joel:

       (Acts 2:17 NRSV)  'In the last days it will be, God declares, that I 
       will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your 
       daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and 
       your old men shall dream dreams.

       (Acts 2:18 NRSV)  Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those 
       days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.

       (Acts 2:19 NRSV)  And I will show portents in the heaven above and 
       signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist.

       (Acts 2:20 NRSV)  The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to 
       blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day.

       (Acts 2:21 NRSV)  Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord 
       shall be saved.'

       (Acts 2:22 NRSV)  "You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to 
       say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of 
       power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you 
       yourselves know--

       (Acts 2:23 NRSV)  this man, handed over to you according to the 





       definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by 
       the hands of those outside the law.

       (Acts 2:24 NRSV)  But God raised him up, having freed him from death, 
       because it was impossible for him to be held in its power.

       (Acts 2:25 NRSV)  For David says concerning him, 'I saw the Lord 
       always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be 
       shaken;

       (Acts 2:26 NRSV)  therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; 
       moreover my flesh will live in hope.

       (Acts 2:27 NRSV)  For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let 
       your Holy One experience corruption.

       (Acts 2:28 NRSV)  You have made known to me the ways of life; you will 
       make me full of gladness with your presence.'

       (Acts 2:29 NRSV)  "Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of 
       our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is 
       with us to this day.

       (Acts 2:30 NRSV)  Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn 
       with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his 
       throne.

       (Acts 2:31 NRSV)  Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of 
       the Messiah, saying, 'He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh 
       experience corruption.'

       (Acts 2:32 NRSV)  This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are 
       witnesses.

       (Acts 2:33 NRSV)  Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, 
       and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he 
       has poured out this that you both see and hear.

       (Acts 2:34 NRSV)  For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he 
       himself says, 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand,

       (Acts 2:35 NRSV)  until I make your enemies your footstool."'

       (Acts 2:36 NRSV)  Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with 
       certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom 
       you crucified."

       (Acts 2:37 NRSV)  Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart 
       and said to Peter and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we 
       do?"

       (Acts 2:38 NRSV)  Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every 
       one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be 
       forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

       (Acts 2:39 NRSV)  For the promise is for you, for your children, and 





       for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to 
       him."

       (Acts 2:40 NRSV)  And he testified with many other arguments and 
       exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."

       (Acts 2:41 NRSV)  So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and 
       that day about three thousand persons were added.

       (Acts 2:42 NRSV)  They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching 
       and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

       (Acts 2:43 NRSV)  Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and 
       signs were being done by the apostles.

       (Acts 2:44 NRSV)  All who believed were together and had all things in 
       common;

       (Acts 2:45 NRSV)  they would sell their possessions and goods and 
       distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.

       (Acts 2:46 NRSV)  Day by day, as they spent much time together in the 
       temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and 
       generous hearts,

       (Acts 2:47 NRSV)  praising God and having the goodwill of all the 
       people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were 
       being saved.

       (Acts 3:1 NRSV)  One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at 
       the hour of prayer, at three o'clock in the afternoon.

       (Acts 3:2 NRSV)  And a man lame from birth was being carried in. 
       People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the 
       Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the 
       temple.

       (Acts 3:3 NRSV)  When he saw Peter and John about to go into the 
       temple, he asked them for alms.

       (Acts 3:4 NRSV)  Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, 
       "Look at us."

       (Acts 3:5 NRSV)  And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to 
       receive something from them.

       (Acts 3:6 NRSV)  But Peter said, "I have no silver or gold, but what I 
       have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and 
       walk."

       (Acts 3:7 NRSV)  And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; 
       and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.

       (Acts 3:8 NRSV)  Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he 
       entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.





       (Acts 3:9 NRSV)  All the people saw him walking and praising God,

       (Acts 3:10 NRSV)  and they recognized him as the one who used to sit 
       and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were 
       filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

       (Acts 3:11 NRSV)  While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran 
       together to them in the portico called Solomon's Portico, utterly 
       astonished.

       (Acts 3:12 NRSV)  When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, "You 
       Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as 
       though by our own power or piety we had made him walk?

       (Acts 3:13 NRSV)  The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of 
       Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom 
       you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had 
       decided to release him.

       (Acts 3:14 NRSV)  But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and 
       asked to have a murderer given to you,

       (Acts 3:15 NRSV)  and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised 
       from the dead. To this we are witnesses.

       (Acts 3:16 NRSV)  And by faith in his name, his name itself has made 
       this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through 
       Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

       (Acts 3:17 NRSV)  "And now, friends, I know that you acted in 
       ignorance, as did also your rulers.

       (Acts 3:18 NRSV)  In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold 
       through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer.

       (Acts 3:19 NRSV)  Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins 
       may be wiped out,

       (Acts 3:20 NRSV)  so that times of refreshing may come from the 
       presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah appointed for 
       you, that is, Jesus,

       (Acts 3:21 NRSV)  who must remain in heaven until the time of 
       universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy 
       prophets.

       (Acts 3:22 NRSV)  Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you 
       from your own people a prophet like me. You must listen to whatever he 
       tells you.

       (Acts 3:23 NRSV)  And it will be that everyone who does not listen to 
       that prophet will be utterly rooted out of the people.'

       (Acts 3:24 NRSV)  And all the prophets, as many as have spoken, from 
       Samuel and those after him, also predicted these days.





       (Acts 3:25 NRSV)  You are the descendants of the prophets and of the 
       covenant that God gave to your ancestors, saying to Abraham, 'And in 
       your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'

       (Acts 3:26 NRSV)  When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to 
       you, to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways."

       (Acts 4:1 NRSV)  While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the 
       priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came to them,

       (Acts 4:2 NRSV)  much annoyed because they were teaching the people 
       and proclaiming that in Jesus there is the resurrection of the dead.

       (Acts 4:3 NRSV)  So they arrested them and put them in custody until 
       the next day, for it was already evening.

       (Acts 4:4 NRSV)  But many of those who heard the word believed; and 
       they numbered about five thousand.

       (Acts 4:5 NRSV)  The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes 
       assembled in Jerusalem,

       (Acts 4:6 NRSV)  with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and 
       Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.

       (Acts 4:7 NRSV)  When they had made the prisoners stand in their 
       midst, they inquired, "By what power or by what name did you do this?"

       (Acts 4:8 NRSV)  Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to 
       them, "Rulers of the people and elders,

       (Acts 4:9 NRSV)  if we are questioned today because of a good deed 
       done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been 
       healed,

       (Acts 4:10 NRSV)  let it be known to all of you, and to all the people 
       of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the 
       name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised 
       from the dead.

       (Acts 4:11 NRSV)  This Jesus is 'the stone that was rejected by you, 
       the builders; it has become the cornerstone.'

       (Acts 4:12 NRSV)  There is salvation in no one else, for there is no 
       other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be 
       saved."

       (Acts 4:13 NRSV)  Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and 
       realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed 
       and recognized them as companions of Jesus.

       (Acts 4:14 NRSV)  When they saw the man who had been cured standing 
       beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.

       (Acts 4:15 NRSV)  So they ordered them to leave the council while they 
       discussed the matter with one another.






       (Acts 4:16 NRSV)  They said, "What will we do with them? For it is 
       obvious to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable sign has been done 
       through them; we cannot deny it.

       (Acts 4:17 NRSV)  But to keep it from spreading further among the 
       people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name."

       (Acts 4:18 NRSV)  So they called them and ordered them not to speak or 
       teach at all in the name of Jesus.

       (Acts 4:19 NRSV)  But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is 
       right in God's sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must 
       judge;

       (Acts 4:20 NRSV)  for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have 
       seen and heard."

       (Acts 4:21 NRSV)  After threatening them again, they let them go, 
       finding no way to punish them because of the people, for all of them 
       praised God for what had happened.

       (Acts 4:22 NRSV)  For the man on whom this sign of healing had been 
       performed was more than forty years old.

       (Acts 4:23 NRSV)  After they were released, they went to their friends 
       and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them.

       (Acts 4:24 NRSV)  When they heard it, they raised their voices 
       together to God and said, "Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the 
       earth, the sea, and everything in them,

       (Acts 4:25 NRSV)  it is you who said by the Holy Spirit through our 
       ancestor David, your servant: 'Why did the Gentiles rage, and the 
       peoples imagine vain things?

       (Acts 4:26 NRSV)  The kings of the earth took their stand, and the 
       rulers have gathered together against the Lord and against his 
       Messiah.'

       (Acts 4:27 NRSV)  For in this city, in fact, both Herod and Pontius 
       Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, gathered together 
       against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed,

       (Acts 4:28 NRSV)  to do whatever your hand and your plan had 
       predestined to take place.

       (Acts 4:29 NRSV)  And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to 
       your servants to speak your word with all boldness,

       (Acts 4:30 NRSV)  while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs 
       and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant 
       Jesus."

       (Acts 4:31 NRSV)  When they had prayed, the place in which they were 
       gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy 





       Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.

       (Acts 4:32 NRSV)  Now the whole group of those who believed were of 
       one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any 
       possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.

       (Acts 4:33 NRSV)  With great power the apostles gave their testimony 
       to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them 
       all.

       (Acts 4:34 NRSV)  There was not a needy person among them, for as many 
       as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what 
       was sold.

       (Acts 4:35 NRSV)  They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was 
       distributed to each as any had need.

       (Acts 4:36 NRSV)  There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to 
       whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means "son of 
       encouragement").

       (Acts 4:37 NRSV)  He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought 
       the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

       (Acts 5:1 NRSV)  But a man named Ananias, with the consent of his wife 
       Sapphira, sold a piece of property;

       (Acts 5:2 NRSV)  with his wife's knowledge, he kept back some of the 
       proceeds, and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles' feet.

       (Acts 5:3 NRSV)  "Ananias," Peter asked, "why has Satan filled your 
       heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds 
       of the land?

       (Acts 5:4 NRSV)  While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? 
       And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal? How is 
       it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You did not lie to 
       us but to God!"

       (Acts 5:5 NRSV)  Now when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and 
       died. And great fear seized all who heard of it.

       (Acts 5:6 NRSV)  The young men came and wrapped up his body, then 
       carried him out and buried him.

       (Acts 5:7 NRSV)  After an interval of about three hours his wife came 
       in, not knowing what had happened.

       (Acts 5:8 NRSV)  Peter said to her, "Tell me whether you and your 
       husband sold the land for such and such a price." And she said, "Yes, 
       that was the price."

       (Acts 5:9 NRSV)  Then Peter said to her, "How is it that you have 
       agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Look, the 
       feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they 
       will carry you out."






       (Acts 5:10 NRSV)  Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When 
       the young men came in they found her dead, so they carried her out and 
       buried her beside her husband.

       (Acts 5:11 NRSV)  And great fear seized the whole church and all who 
       heard of these things.

       (Acts 5:12 NRSV)  Now many signs and wonders were done among the 
       people through the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's 
       Portico.

       (Acts 5:13 NRSV)  None of the rest dared to join them, but the people 
       held them in high esteem.

       (Acts 5:14 NRSV)  Yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord, 
       great numbers of both men and women,

       (Acts 5:15 NRSV)  so that they even carried out the sick into the 
       streets, and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter's shadow 
       might fall on some of them as he came by.

       (Acts 5:16 NRSV)  A great number of people would also gather from the 
       towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by 
       unclean spirits, and they were all cured.

       (Acts 5:17 NRSV)  Then the high priest took action; he and all who 
       were with him (that is, the sect of the Sadducees), being filled with 
       jealousy,

       (Acts 5:18 NRSV)  arrested the apostles and put them in the public 
       prison.

       (Acts 5:19 NRSV)  But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the 
       prison doors, brought them out, and said,

       (Acts 5:20 NRSV)  "Go, stand in the temple and tell the people the 
       whole message about this life."

       (Acts 5:21 NRSV)  When they heard this, they entered the temple at 
       daybreak and went on with their teaching. When the high priest and 
       those with him arrived, they called together the council and the whole 
       body of the elders of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them 
       brought.

       (Acts 5:22 NRSV)  But when the temple police went there, they did not 
       find them in the prison; so they returned and reported,

       (Acts 5:23 NRSV)  "We found the prison securely locked and the guards 
       standing at the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one 
       inside."

       (Acts 5:24 NRSV)  Now when the captain of the temple and the chief 
       priests heard these words, they were perplexed about them, wondering 
       what might be going on.





       (Acts 5:25 NRSV)  Then someone arrived and announced, "Look, the men 
       whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the 
       people!"

       (Acts 5:26 NRSV)  Then the captain went with the temple police and 
       brought them, but without violence, for they were afraid of being 
       stoned by the people.

       (Acts 5:27 NRSV)  When they had brought them, they had them stand 
       before the council. The high priest questioned them,

       (Acts 5:28 NRSV)  saying, "We gave you strict orders not to teach in 
       this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and 
       you are determined to bring this man's blood on us."

       (Acts 5:29 NRSV)  But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey 
       God rather than any human authority.

       (Acts 5:30 NRSV)  The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you 
       had killed by hanging him on a tree.

       (Acts 5:31 NRSV)  God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and 
       Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of 
       sins.

       (Acts 5:32 NRSV)  And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the 
       Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him."

       (Acts 5:33 NRSV)  When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted 
       to kill them.

       (Acts 5:34 NRSV)  But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a 
       teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up and ordered 
       the men to be put outside for a short time.

       (Acts 5:35 NRSV)  Then he said to them, "Fellow Israelites, consider 
       carefully what you propose to do to these men.

       (Acts 5:36 NRSV)  For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be 
       somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him; but he 
       was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and disappeared.

       (Acts 5:37 NRSV)  After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the time of 
       the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who 
       followed him were scattered.

       (Acts 5:38 NRSV)  So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from 
       these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking 
       is of human origin, it will fail;

       (Acts 5:39 NRSV)  but if it is of God, you will not be able to 
       overthrow them--in that case you may even be found fighting against 
       God!" They were convinced by him,

       (Acts 5:40 NRSV)  and when they had called in the apostles, they had 
       them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of 





       Jesus, and let them go.

       (Acts 5:41 NRSV)  As they left the council, they rejoiced that they 
       were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.

       (Acts 5:42 NRSV)  And every day in the temple and at home they did not 
       cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah.

       (Acts 6:1 NRSV)  Now during those days, when the disciples were 
       increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews 
       because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of 
       food.

       (Acts 6:2 NRSV)  And the twelve called together the whole community of 
       the disciples and said, "It is not right that we should neglect the 
       word of God in order to wait on tables.

       (Acts 6:3 NRSV)  Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves 
       seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we 
       may appoint to this task,

       (Acts 6:4 NRSV)  while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to 
       prayer and to serving the word."

       (Acts 6:5 NRSV)  What they said pleased the whole community, and they 
       chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with 
       Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte 
       of Antioch.

       (Acts 6:6 NRSV)  They had these men stand before the apostles, who 
       prayed and laid their hands on them.

       (Acts 6:7 NRSV)  The word of God continued to spread; the number of 
       the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the 
       priests became obedient to the faith.

       (Acts 6:8 NRSV)  Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders 
       and signs among the people.

       (Acts 6:9 NRSV)  Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of 
       the Freedmen (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others 
       of those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen.

       (Acts 6:10 NRSV)  But they could not withstand the wisdom and the 
       Spirit with which he spoke.

       (Acts 6:11 NRSV)  Then they secretly instigated some men to say, "We 
       have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God."

       (Acts 6:12 NRSV)  They stirred up the people as well as the elders and 
       the scribes; then they suddenly confronted him, seized him, and 
       brought him before the council.

       (Acts 6:13 NRSV)  They set up false witnesses who said, "This man 
       never stops saying things against this holy place and the law;





       (Acts 6:14 NRSV)  for we have heard him say that this Jesus of 
       Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that 
       Moses handed on to us."

       (Acts 6:15 NRSV)  And all who sat in the council looked intently at 
       him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

       (Acts 7:1 NRSV)  Then the high priest asked him, "Are these things 
       so?"

       (Acts 7:2 NRSV)  And Stephen replied: "Brothers and fathers, listen to 
       me. The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in 
       Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,

       (Acts 7:3 NRSV)  and said to him, 'Leave your country and your 
       relatives and go to the land that I will show you.'

       (Acts 7:4 NRSV)  Then he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled 
       in Haran. After his father died, God had him move from there to this 
       country in which you are now living.

       (Acts 7:5 NRSV)  He did not give him any of it as a heritage, not even 
       a foot's length, but promised to give it to him as his possession and 
       to his descendants after him, even though he had no child.

       (Acts 7:6 NRSV)  And God spoke in these terms, that his descendants 
       would be resident aliens in a country belonging to others, who would 
       enslave them and mistreat them during four hundred years.

       (Acts 7:7 NRSV)  'But I will judge the nation that they serve,' said 
       God, 'and after that they shall come out and worship me in this 
       place.'

       (Acts 7:8 NRSV)  Then he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so 
       Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth 
       day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve 
       patriarchs.

       (Acts 7:9 NRSV)  "The patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into 
       Egypt; but God was with him,

       (Acts 7:10 NRSV)  and rescued him from all his afflictions, and 
       enabled him to win favor and to show wisdom when he stood before 
       Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over 
       all his household.

       (Acts 7:11 NRSV)  Now there came a famine throughout Egypt and Canaan, 
       and great suffering, and our ancestors could find no food.

       (Acts 7:12 NRSV)  But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, 
       he sent our ancestors there on their first visit.

       (Acts 7:13 NRSV)  On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his 
       brothers, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh.

       (Acts 7:14 NRSV)  Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and 





       all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five in all;

       (Acts 7:15 NRSV)  so Jacob went down to Egypt. He himself died there 
       as well as our ancestors,

       (Acts 7:16 NRSV)  and their bodies were brought back to Shechem and 
       laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the 
       sons of Hamor in Shechem.

       (Acts 7:17 NRSV)  "But as the time drew near for the fulfillment of 
       the promise that God had made to Abraham, our people in Egypt 
       increased and multiplied

       (Acts 7:18 NRSV)  until another king who had not known Joseph ruled 
       over Egypt.

       (Acts 7:19 NRSV)  He dealt craftily with our race and forced our 
       ancestors to abandon their infants so that they would die.

       (Acts 7:20 NRSV)  At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful 
       before God. For three months he was brought up in his father's house;

       (Acts 7:21 NRSV)  and when he was abandoned, Pharaoh's daughter 
       adopted him and brought him up as her own son.

       (Acts 7:22 NRSV)  So Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the 
       Egyptians and was powerful in his words and deeds.

       (Acts 7:23 NRSV)  "When he was forty years old, it came into his heart 
       to visit his relatives, the Israelites.

       (Acts 7:24 NRSV)  When he saw one of them being wronged, he defended 
       the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian.

       (Acts 7:25 NRSV)  He supposed that his kinsfolk would understand that 
       God through him was rescuing them, but they did not understand.

       (Acts 7:26 NRSV)  The next day he came to some of them as they were 
       quarreling and tried to reconcile them, saying, 'Men, you are 
       brothers; why do you wrong each other?'

       (Acts 7:27 NRSV)  But the man who was wronging his neighbor pushed 
       Moses aside, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?

       (Acts 7:28 NRSV)  Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian 
       yesterday?'

       (Acts 7:29 NRSV)  When he heard this, Moses fled and became a resident 
       alien in the land of Midian. There he became the father of two sons.

       (Acts 7:30 NRSV)  "Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared 
       to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning 
       bush.

       (Acts 7:31 NRSV)  When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight; and 
       as he approached to look, there came the voice of the Lord:






       (Acts 7:32 NRSV)  'I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, 
       Isaac, and Jacob.' Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look.

       (Acts 7:33 NRSV)  Then the Lord said to him, 'Take off the sandals 
       from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.

       (Acts 7:34 NRSV)  I have surely seen the mistreatment of my people who 
       are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to 
       rescue them. Come now, I will send you to Egypt.'

       (Acts 7:35 NRSV)  "It was this Moses whom they rejected when they 
       said, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge?' and whom God now sent as 
       both ruler and liberator through the angel who appeared to him in the 
       bush.

       (Acts 7:36 NRSV)  He led them out, having performed wonders and signs 
       in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years.

       (Acts 7:37 NRSV)  This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, 'God 
       will raise up a prophet for you from your own people as he raised me 
       up.'

       (Acts 7:38 NRSV)  He is the one who was in the congregation in the 
       wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with 
       our ancestors; and he received living oracles to give to us.

       (Acts 7:39 NRSV)  Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him; instead, 
       they pushed him aside, and in their hearts they turned back to Egypt,

       (Acts 7:40 NRSV)  saying to Aaron, 'Make gods for us who will lead the 
       way for us; as for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, 
       we do not know what has happened to him.'

       (Acts 7:41 NRSV)  At that time they made a calf, offered a sacrifice 
       to the idol, and reveled in the works of their hands.

       (Acts 7:42 NRSV)  But God turned away from them and handed them over 
       to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the 
       prophets: 'Did you offer to me slain victims and sacrifices forty 
       years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

       (Acts 7:43 NRSV)  No; you took along the tent of Moloch, and the star 
       of your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship; so I will 
       remove you beyond Babylon.'

       (Acts 7:44 NRSV)  "Our ancestors had the tent of testimony in the 
       wilderness, as God directed when he spoke to Moses, ordering him to 
       make it according to the pattern he had seen.

       (Acts 7:45 NRSV)  Our ancestors in turn brought it in with Joshua when 
       they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors. 
       And it was there until the time of David,

       (Acts 7:46 NRSV)  who found favor with God and asked that he might 
       find a dwelling place for the house of Jacob.






       (Acts 7:47 NRSV)  But it was Solomon who built a house for him.

       (Acts 7:48 NRSV)  Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made with 
       human hands; as the prophet says,

       (Acts 7:49 NRSV)  'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. 
       What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is 
       the place of my rest?

       (Acts 7:50 NRSV)  Did not my hand make all these things?'

       (Acts 7:51 NRSV)  "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and 
       ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors 
       used to do.

       (Acts 7:52 NRSV)  Which of the prophets did your ancestors not 
       persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous 
       One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers.

       (Acts 7:53 NRSV)  You are the ones that received the law as ordained 
       by angels, and yet you have not kept it."

       (Acts 7:54 NRSV)  When they heard these things, they became enraged 
       and ground their teeth at Stephen.

       (Acts 7:55 NRSV)  But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into 
       heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand 
       of God.

       (Acts 7:56 NRSV)  "Look," he said, "I see the heavens opened and the 
       Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"

       (Acts 7:57 NRSV)  But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout 
       all rushed together against him.

       (Acts 7:58 NRSV)  Then they dragged him out of the city and began to 
       stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young 
       man named Saul.

       (Acts 7:59 NRSV)  While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, "Lord 
       Jesus, receive my spirit."

       (Acts 7:60 NRSV)  Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, 
       "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he 
       died.

       (Acts 8:1 NRSV)  And Saul approved of their killing him. That day a 
       severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all 
       except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea 
       and Samaria.

       (Acts 8:2 NRSV)  Devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation 
       over him.

       (Acts 8:3 NRSV)  But Saul was ravaging the church by entering house 





       after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to 
       prison.

       (Acts 8:4 NRSV)  Now those who were scattered went from place to 
       place, proclaiming the word.

       (Acts 8:5 NRSV)  Philip went down to the city of Samaria and 
       proclaimed the Messiah to them.

       (Acts 8:6 NRSV)  The crowds with one accord listened eagerly to what 
       was said by Philip, hearing and seeing the signs that he did,

       (Acts 8:7 NRSV)  for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, came 
       out of many who were possessed; and many others who were paralyzed or 
       lame were cured.

       (Acts 8:8 NRSV)  So there was great joy in that city.

       (Acts 8:9 NRSV)  Now a certain man named Simon had previously 
       practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying 
       that he was someone great.

       (Acts 8:10 NRSV)  All of them, from the least to the greatest, 
       listened to him eagerly, saying, "This man is the power of God that is 
       called Great."

       (Acts 8:11 NRSV)  And they listened eagerly to him because for a long 
       time he had amazed them with his magic.

       (Acts 8:12 NRSV)  But when they believed Philip, who was proclaiming 
       the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, 
       they were baptized, both men and women.

       (Acts 8:13 NRSV)  Even Simon himself believed. After being baptized, 
       he stayed constantly with Philip and was amazed when he saw the signs 
       and great miracles that took place.

       (Acts 8:14 NRSV)  Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that 
       Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to 
       them.

       (Acts 8:15 NRSV)  The two went down and prayed for them that they 
       might receive the Holy Spirit

       (Acts 8:16 NRSV)  (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of 
       them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus).

       (Acts 8:17 NRSV)  Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and 
       they received the Holy Spirit.

       (Acts 8:18 NRSV)  Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through 
       the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money,

       (Acts 8:19 NRSV)  saying, "Give me also this power so that anyone on 
       whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."





       (Acts 8:20 NRSV)  But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with 
       you, because you thought you could obtain God's gift with money!

       (Acts 8:21 NRSV)  You have no part or share in this, for your heart is 
       not right before God.

       (Acts 8:22 NRSV)  Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and 
       pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be 
       forgiven you.

       (Acts 8:23 NRSV)  For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and 
       the chains of wickedness."

       (Acts 8:24 NRSV)  Simon answered, "Pray for me to the Lord, that 
       nothing of what you have said may happen to me."

       (Acts 8:25 NRSV)  Now after Peter and John had testified and spoken 
       the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, proclaiming the good 
       news to many villages of the Samaritans.

       (Acts 8:26 NRSV)  Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up 
       and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to 
       Gaza." (This is a wilderness road.)

       (Acts 8:27 NRSV)  So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian 
       eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in 
       charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship

       (Acts 8:28 NRSV)  and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he 
       was reading the prophet Isaiah.

       (Acts 8:29 NRSV)  Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to this 
       chariot and join it."

       (Acts 8:30 NRSV)  So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the 
       prophet Isaiah. He asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"

       (Acts 8:31 NRSV)  He replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" 
       And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.

       (Acts 8:32 NRSV)  Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading 
       was this: "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb 
       silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth.

       (Acts 8:33 NRSV)  In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can 
       describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth."

       (Acts 8:34 NRSV)  The eunuch asked Philip, "About whom, may I ask you, 
       does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?"

       (Acts 8:35 NRSV)  Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this 
       scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus.

       (Acts 8:36 NRSV)  As they were going along the road, they came to some 
       water; and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent 
       me from being baptized?"






       (Acts 8:37 NRSV)  

       (Acts 8:38 NRSV)  He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, 
       Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized 
       him.

       (Acts 8:39 NRSV)  When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of 
       the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on 
       his way rejoicing.

       (Acts 8:40 NRSV)  But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was 
       passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the 
       towns until he came to Caesarea.

       (Acts 9:1 NRSV)  Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder 
       against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest

       (Acts 9:2 NRSV)  and asked him for letters to the synagogues at 
       Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or 
       women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

       (Acts 9:3 NRSV)  Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, 
       suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.

       (Acts 9:4 NRSV)  He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to 
       him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

       (Acts 9:5 NRSV)  He asked, "Who are you, Lord?" The reply came, "I am 
       Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

       (Acts 9:6 NRSV)  But get up and enter the city, and you will be told 
       what you are to do."

       (Acts 9:7 NRSV)  The men who were traveling with him stood speechless 
       because they heard the voice but saw no one.

       (Acts 9:8 NRSV)  Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were 
       open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought 
       him into Damascus.

       (Acts 9:9 NRSV)  For three days he was without sight, and neither ate 
       nor drank.

       (Acts 9:10 NRSV)  Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. 
       The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." He answered, "Here I am, 
       Lord."

       (Acts 9:11 NRSV)  The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street 
       called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus 
       named Saul. At this moment he is praying,

       (Acts 9:12 NRSV)  and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come 
       in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight."

       (Acts 9:13 NRSV)  But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many 





       about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem;

       (Acts 9:14 NRSV)  and here he has authority from the chief priests to 
       bind all who invoke your name."

       (Acts 9:15 NRSV)  But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is an 
       instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and 
       kings and before the people of Israel;

       (Acts 9:16 NRSV)  I myself will show him how much he must suffer for 
       the sake of my name."

       (Acts 9:17 NRSV)  So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his 
       hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to 
       you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight 
       and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

       (Acts 9:18 NRSV)  And immediately something like scales fell from his 
       eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized,

       (Acts 9:19 NRSV)  and after taking some food, he regained his 
       strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus,

       (Acts 9:20 NRSV)  and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the 
       synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God."

       (Acts 9:21 NRSV)  All who heard him were amazed and said, "Is not this 
       the man who made havoc in Jerusalem among those who invoked this name? 
       And has he not come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before 
       the chief priests?"

       (Acts 9:22 NRSV)  Saul became increasingly more powerful and 
       confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was 
       the Messiah.

       (Acts 9:23 NRSV)  After some time had passed, the Jews plotted to kill 
       him,

       (Acts 9:24 NRSV)  but their plot became known to Saul. They were 
       watching the gates day and night so that they might kill him;

       (Acts 9:25 NRSV)  but his disciples took him by night and let him down 
       through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.

       (Acts 9:26 NRSV)  When he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join 
       the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, for they did not 
       believe that he was a disciple.

       (Acts 9:27 NRSV)  But Barnabas took him, brought him to the apostles, 
       and described for them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who had 
       spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of 
       Jesus.

       (Acts 9:28 NRSV)  So he went in and out among them in Jerusalem, 
       speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.





       (Acts 9:29 NRSV)  He spoke and argued with the Hellenists; but they 
       were attempting to kill him.

       (Acts 9:30 NRSV)  When the believers learned of it, they brought him 
       down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

       (Acts 9:31 NRSV)  Meanwhile the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and 
       Samaria had peace and was built up. Living in the fear of the Lord and 
       in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

       (Acts 9:32 NRSV)  Now as Peter went here and there among all the 
       believers, he came down also to the saints living in Lydda.

       (Acts 9:33 NRSV)  There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been 
       bedridden for eight years, for he was paralyzed.

       (Acts 9:34 NRSV)  Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; 
       get up and make your bed!" And immediately he got up.

       (Acts 9:35 NRSV)  And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him 
       and turned to the Lord.

       (Acts 9:36 NRSV)  Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was 
       Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and 
       acts of charity.

       (Acts 9:37 NRSV)  At that time she became ill and died. When they had 
       washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs.

       (Acts 9:38 NRSV)  Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard 
       that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, "Please 
       come to us without delay."

       (Acts 9:39 NRSV)  So Peter got up and went with them; and when he 
       arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood 
       beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas 
       had made while she was with them.

       (Acts 9:40 NRSV)  Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt 
       down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, "Tabitha, get up." 
       Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.

       (Acts 9:41 NRSV)  He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling 
       the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive.

       (Acts 9:42 NRSV)  This became known throughout Joppa, and many 
       believed in the Lord.

       (Acts 9:43 NRSV)  Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a 
       certain Simon, a tanner.

       (Acts 10:1 NRSV)  In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a 
       centurion of the Italian Cohort, as it was called.

       (Acts 10:2 NRSV)  He was a devout man who feared God with all his 
       household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly 





       to God.

       (Acts 10:3 NRSV)  One afternoon at about three o'clock he had a vision 
       in which he clearly saw an angel of God coming in and saying to him, 
       "Cornelius."

       (Acts 10:4 NRSV)  He stared at him in terror and said, "What is it, 
       Lord?" He answered, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a 
       memorial before God.

       (Acts 10:5 NRSV)  Now send men to Joppa for a certain Simon who is 
       called Peter;

       (Acts 10:6 NRSV)  he is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is 
       by the seaside."

       (Acts 10:7 NRSV)  When the angel who spoke to him had left, he called 
       two of his slaves and a devout soldier from the ranks of those who 
       served him,

       (Acts 10:8 NRSV)  and after telling them everything, he sent them to 
       Joppa.

       (Acts 10:9 NRSV)  About noon the next day, as they were on their 
       journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.

       (Acts 10:10 NRSV)  He became hungry and wanted something to eat; and 
       while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance.

       (Acts 10:11 NRSV)  He saw the heaven opened and something like a large 
       sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners.

       (Acts 10:12 NRSV)  In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and 
       reptiles and birds of the air.

       (Acts 10:13 NRSV)  Then he heard a voice saying, "Get up, Peter; kill 
       and eat."

       (Acts 10:14 NRSV)  But Peter said, "By no means, Lord; for I have 
       never eaten anything that is profane or unclean."

       (Acts 10:15 NRSV)  The voice said to him again, a second time, "What 
       God has made clean, you must not call profane."

       (Acts 10:16 NRSV)  This happened three times, and the thing was 
       suddenly taken up to heaven.

       (Acts 10:17 NRSV)  Now while Peter was greatly puzzled about what to 
       make of the vision that he had seen, suddenly the men sent by 
       Cornelius appeared. They were asking for Simon's house and were 
       standing by the gate.

       (Acts 10:18 NRSV)  They called out to ask whether Simon, who was 
       called Peter, was staying there.

       (Acts 10:19 NRSV)  While Peter was still thinking about the vision, 





       the Spirit said to him, "Look, three men are searching for you.

       (Acts 10:20 NRSV)  Now get up, go down, and go with them without 
       hesitation; for I have sent them."

       (Acts 10:21 NRSV)  So Peter went down to the men and said, "I am the 
       one you are looking for; what is the reason for your coming?"

       (Acts 10:22 NRSV)  They answered, "Cornelius, a centurion, an upright 
       and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, 
       was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and 
       to hear what you have to say."

       (Acts 10:23 NRSV)  So Peter invited them in and gave them lodging. The 
       next day he got up and went with them, and some of the believers from 
       Joppa accompanied him.

       (Acts 10:24 NRSV)  The following day they came to Caesarea. Cornelius 
       was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close 
       friends.

       (Acts 10:25 NRSV)  On Peter's arrival Cornelius met him, and falling 
       at his feet, worshiped him.

       (Acts 10:26 NRSV)  But Peter made him get up, saying, "Stand up; I am 
       only a mortal."

       (Acts 10:27 NRSV)  And as he talked with him, he went in and found 
       that many had assembled;

       (Acts 10:28 NRSV)  and he said to them, "You yourselves know that it 
       is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile; but God 
       has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean.

       (Acts 10:29 NRSV)  So when I was sent for, I came without objection. 
       Now may I ask why you sent for me?"

       (Acts 10:30 NRSV)  Cornelius replied, "Four days ago at this very 
       hour, at three o'clock, I was praying in my house when suddenly a man 
       in dazzling clothes stood before me.

       (Acts 10:31 NRSV)  He said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and 
       your alms have been remembered before God.

       (Acts 10:32 NRSV)  Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon, who is 
       called Peter; he is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner, by the 
       sea.'

       (Acts 10:33 NRSV)  Therefore I sent for you immediately, and you have 
       been kind enough to come. So now all of us are here in the presence of 
       God to listen to all that the Lord has commanded you to say."

       (Acts 10:34 NRSV)  Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly 
       understand that God shows no partiality,

       (Acts 10:35 NRSV)  but in every nation anyone who fears him and does 





       what is right is acceptable to him.

       (Acts 10:36 NRSV)  You know the message he sent to the people of 
       Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ--he is Lord of all.

       (Acts 10:37 NRSV)  That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in 
       Galilee after the baptism that John announced:

       (Acts 10:38 NRSV)  how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy 
       Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all 
       who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

       (Acts 10:39 NRSV)  We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea 
       and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree;

       (Acts 10:40 NRSV)  but God raised him on the third day and allowed him 
       to appear,

       (Acts 10:41 NRSV)  not to all the people but to us who were chosen by 
       God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from 
       the dead.

       (Acts 10:42 NRSV)  He commanded us to preach to the people and to 
       testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and 
       the dead.

       (Acts 10:43 NRSV)  All the prophets testify about him that everyone 
       who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

       (Acts 10:44 NRSV)  While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit 
       fell upon all who heard the word.

       (Acts 10:45 NRSV)  The circumcised believers who had come with Peter 
       were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out 
       even on the Gentiles,

       (Acts 10:46 NRSV)  for they heard them speaking in tongues and 
       extolling God. Then Peter said,

       (Acts 10:47 NRSV)  "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these 
       people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?"

       (Acts 10:48 NRSV)  So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of 
       Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.

       (Acts 11:1 NRSV)  Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea 
       heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God.

       (Acts 11:2 NRSV)  So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised 
       believers criticized him,

       (Acts 11:3 NRSV)  saying, "Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat 
       with them?"

       (Acts 11:4 NRSV)  Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by 
       step, saying,






       (Acts 11:5 NRSV)  "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance 
       I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down 
       from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to 
       me.

       (Acts 11:6 NRSV)  As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, 
       beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air.

       (Acts 11:7 NRSV)  I also heard a voice saying to me, 'Get up, Peter; 
       kill and eat.'

       (Acts 11:8 NRSV)  But I replied, 'By no means, Lord; for nothing 
       profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.'

       (Acts 11:9 NRSV)  But a second time the voice answered from heaven, 
       'What God has made clean, you must not call profane.'

       (Acts 11:10 NRSV)  This happened three times; then everything was 
       pulled up again to heaven.

       (Acts 11:11 NRSV)  At that very moment three men, sent to me from 
       Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were.

       (Acts 11:12 NRSV)  The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make 
       a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied 
       me, and we entered the man's house.

       (Acts 11:13 NRSV)  He told us how he had seen the angel standing in 
       his house and saying, 'Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called 
       Peter;

       (Acts 11:14 NRSV)  he will give you a message by which you and your 
       entire household will be saved.'

       (Acts 11:15 NRSV)  And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon 
       them just as it had upon us at the beginning.

       (Acts 11:16 NRSV)  And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had 
       said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the 
       Holy Spirit.'

       (Acts 11:17 NRSV)  If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us 
       when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could 
       hinder God?"

       (Acts 11:18 NRSV)  When they heard this, they were silenced. And they 
       praised God, saying, "Then God has given even to the Gentiles the 
       repentance that leads to life."

       (Acts 11:19 NRSV)  Now those who were scattered because of the 
       persecution that took place over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, 
       Cyprus, and Antioch, and they spoke the word to no one except Jews.

       (Acts 11:20 NRSV)  But among them were some men of Cyprus and Cyrene 
       who, on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists also, proclaiming 





       the Lord Jesus.

       (Acts 11:21 NRSV)  The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great 
       number became believers and turned to the Lord.

       (Acts 11:22 NRSV)  News of this came to the ears of the church in 
       Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

       (Acts 11:23 NRSV)  When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, 
       and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast 
       devotion;

       (Acts 11:24 NRSV)  for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and 
       of faith. And a great many people were brought to the Lord.

       (Acts 11:25 NRSV)  Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,

       (Acts 11:26 NRSV)  and when he had found him, he brought him to 
       Antioch. So it was that for an entire year they met with the church 
       and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the 
       disciples were first called "Christians."

       (Acts 11:27 NRSV)  At that time prophets came down from Jerusalem to 
       Antioch.

       (Acts 11:28 NRSV)  One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted by 
       the Spirit that there would be a severe famine over all the world; and 
       this took place during the reign of Claudius.

       (Acts 11:29 NRSV)  The disciples determined that according to their 
       ability, each would send relief to the believers living in Judea;

       (Acts 11:30 NRSV)  this they did, sending it to the elders by Barnabas 
       and Saul.

       (Acts 12:1 NRSV)  About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon 
       some who belonged to the church.

       (Acts 12:2 NRSV)  He had James, the brother of John, killed with the 
       sword.

       (Acts 12:3 NRSV)  After he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded 
       to arrest Peter also. (This was during the festival of Unleavened 
       Bread.)

       (Acts 12:4 NRSV)  When he had seized him, he put him in prison and 
       handed him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to 
       bring him out to the people after the Passover.

       (Acts 12:5 NRSV)  While Peter was kept in prison, the church prayed 
       fervently to God for him.

       (Acts 12:6 NRSV)  The very night before Herod was going to bring him 
       out, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, 
       while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison.





       (Acts 12:7 NRSV)  Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light 
       shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him, saying, 
       "Get up quickly." And the chains fell off his wrists.

       (Acts 12:8 NRSV)  The angel said to him, "Fasten your belt and put on 
       your sandals." He did so. Then he said to him, "Wrap your cloak around 
       you and follow me."

       (Acts 12:9 NRSV)  Peter went out and followed him; he did not realize 
       that what was happening with the angel's help was real; he thought he 
       was seeing a vision.

       (Acts 12:10 NRSV)  After they had passed the first and the second 
       guard, they came before the iron gate leading into the city. It opened 
       for them of its own accord, and they went outside and walked along a 
       lane, when suddenly the angel left him.

       (Acts 12:11 NRSV)  Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I am sure 
       that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hands of 
       Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting."

       (Acts 12:12 NRSV)  As soon as he realized this, he went to the house 
       of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many had 
       gathered and were praying.

       (Acts 12:13 NRSV)  When he knocked at the outer gate, a maid named 
       Rhoda came to answer.

       (Acts 12:14 NRSV)  On recognizing Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed 
       that, instead of opening the gate, she ran in and announced that Peter 
       was standing at the gate.

       (Acts 12:15 NRSV)  They said to her, "You are out of your mind!" But 
       she insisted that it was so. They said, "It is his angel."

       (Acts 12:16 NRSV)  Meanwhile Peter continued knocking; and when they 
       opened the gate, they saw him and were amazed.

       (Acts 12:17 NRSV)  He motioned to them with his hand to be silent, and 
       described for them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And 
       he added, "Tell this to James and to the believers." Then he left and 
       went to another place.

       (Acts 12:18 NRSV)  When morning came, there was no small commotion 
       among the soldiers over what had become of Peter.

       (Acts 12:19 NRSV)  When Herod had searched for him and could not find 
       him, he examined the guards and ordered them to be put to death. Then 
       Peter went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.

       (Acts 12:20 NRSV)  Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and 
       Sidon. So they came to him in a body; and after winning over Blastus, 
       the king's chamberlain, they asked for a reconciliation, because their 
       country depended on the king's country for food.

       (Acts 12:21 NRSV)  On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, 





       took his seat on the platform, and delivered a public address to them.

       (Acts 12:22 NRSV)  The people kept shouting, "The voice of a god, and 
       not of a mortal!"

       (Acts 12:23 NRSV)  And immediately, because he had not given the glory 
       to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by 
       worms and died.

       (Acts 12:24 NRSV)  But the word of God continued to advance and gain 
       adherents.

       (Acts 12:25 NRSV)  Then after completing their mission Barnabas and 
       Saul returned to Jerusalem and brought with them John, whose other 
       name was Mark.

       (Acts 13:1 NRSV)  Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and 
       teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, 
       Manaen a member of the court of Herod the ruler, and Saul.

       (Acts 13:2 NRSV)  While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the 
       Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to 
       which I have called them."

       (Acts 13:3 NRSV)  Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands 
       on them and sent them off.

       (Acts 13:4 NRSV)  So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went 
       down to Seleucia; and from there they sailed to Cyprus.

       (Acts 13:5 NRSV)  When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the 
       word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John also to 
       assist them.

       (Acts 13:6 NRSV)  When they had gone through the whole island as far 
       as Paphos, they met a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet, named 
       Bar-Jesus.

       (Acts 13:7 NRSV)  He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an 
       intelligent man, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the 
       word of God.

       (Acts 13:8 NRSV)  But the magician Elymas (for that is the translation 
       of his name) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from 
       the faith.

       (Acts 13:9 NRSV)  But Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy 
       Spirit, looked intently at him

       (Acts 13:10 NRSV)  and said, "You son of the devil, you enemy of all 
       righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop 
       making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?

       (Acts 13:11 NRSV)  And now listen--the hand of the Lord is against 
       you, and you will be blind for a while, unable to see the sun." 
       Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he went about groping 





       for someone to lead him by the hand.

       (Acts 13:12 NRSV)  When the proconsul saw what had happened, he 
       believed, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.

       (Acts 13:13 NRSV)  Then Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos 
       and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John, however, left them and returned 
       to Jerusalem;

       (Acts 13:14 NRSV)  but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in 
       Pisidia. And on the sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat 
       down.

       (Acts 13:15 NRSV)  After the reading of the law and the prophets, the 
       officials of the synagogue sent them a message, saying, "Brothers, if 
       you have any word of exhortation for the people, give it."

       (Acts 13:16 NRSV)  So Paul stood up and with a gesture began to speak: 
       "You Israelites, and others who fear God, listen.

       (Acts 13:17 NRSV)  The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors 
       and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and 
       with uplifted arm he led them out of it.

       (Acts 13:18 NRSV)  For about forty years he put up with them in the 
       wilderness.

       (Acts 13:19 NRSV)  After he had destroyed seven nations in the land of 
       Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance

       (Acts 13:20 NRSV)  for about four hundred fifty years. After that he 
       gave them judges until the time of the prophet Samuel.

       (Acts 13:21 NRSV)  Then they asked for a king; and God gave them Saul 
       son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty 
       years.

       (Acts 13:22 NRSV)  When he had removed him, he made David their king. 
       In his testimony about him he said, 'I have found David, son of Jesse, 
       to be a man after my heart, who will carry out all my wishes.'

       (Acts 13:23 NRSV)  Of this man's posterity God has brought to Israel a 
       Savior, Jesus, as he promised;

       (Acts 13:24 NRSV)  before his coming John had already proclaimed a 
       baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

       (Acts 13:25 NRSV)  And as John was finishing his work, he said, 'What 
       do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but one is coming after me; 
       I am not worthy to untie the thong of the sandals on his feet."

       (Acts 13:26 NRSV)  "My brothers, you descendants of Abraham's family, 
       and others who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been 
       sent.

       (Acts 13:27 NRSV)  Because the residents of Jerusalem and their 





       leaders did not recognize him or understand the words of the prophets 
       that are read every sabbath, they fulfilled those words by condemning 
       him.

       (Acts 13:28 NRSV)  Even though they found no cause for a sentence of 
       death, they asked Pilate to have him killed.

       (Acts 13:29 NRSV)  When they had carried out everything that was 
       written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a 
       tomb.

       (Acts 13:30 NRSV)  But God raised him from the dead;

       (Acts 13:31 NRSV)  and for many days he appeared to those who came up 
       with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and they are now his witnesses to 
       the people.

       (Acts 13:32 NRSV)  And we bring you the good news that what God 
       promised to our ancestors

       (Acts 13:33 NRSV)  he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising 
       Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, 'You are my Son; 
       today I have begotten you.'

       (Acts 13:34 NRSV)  As to his raising him from the dead, no more to 
       return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, 'I will give you the 
       holy promises made to David.'

       (Acts 13:35 NRSV)  Therefore he has also said in another psalm, 'You 
       will not let your Holy One experience corruption.'

       (Acts 13:36 NRSV)  For David, after he had served the purpose of God 
       in his own generation, died, was laid beside his ancestors, and 
       experienced corruption;

       (Acts 13:37 NRSV)  but he whom God raised up experienced no 
       corruption.

       (Acts 13:38 NRSV)  Let it be known to you therefore, my brothers, that 
       through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you;

       (Acts 13:39 NRSV)  by this Jesus everyone who believes is set free 
       from all those sins from which you could not be freed by the law of 
       Moses.

       (Acts 13:40 NRSV)  Beware, therefore, that what the prophets said does 
       not happen to you:

       (Acts 13:41 NRSV)  'Look, you scoffers! Be amazed and perish, for in 
       your days I am doing a work, a work that you will never believe, even 
       if someone tells you.'"

       (Acts 13:42 NRSV)  As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people 
       urged them to speak about these things again the next sabbath.

       (Acts 13:43 NRSV)  When the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many 





       Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who 
       spoke to them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

       (Acts 13:44 NRSV)  The next sabbath almost the whole city gathered to 
       hear the word of the Lord.

       (Acts 13:45 NRSV)  But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled 
       with jealousy; and blaspheming, they contradicted what was spoken by 
       Paul.

       (Acts 13:46 NRSV)  Then both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, 
       saying, "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first 
       to you. Since you reject it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of 
       eternal life, we are now turning to the Gentiles.

       (Acts 13:47 NRSV)  For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, 'I have 
       set you to be a light for the Gentiles, so that you may bring 
       salvation to the ends of the earth.'"

       (Acts 13:48 NRSV)  When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and 
       praised the word of the Lord; and as many as had been destined for 
       eternal life became believers.

       (Acts 13:49 NRSV)  Thus the word of the Lord spread throughout the 
       region.

       (Acts 13:50 NRSV)  But the Jews incited the devout women of high 
       standing and the leading men of the city, and stirred up persecution 
       against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their region.

       (Acts 13:51 NRSV)  So they shook the dust off their feet in protest 
       against them, and went to Iconium.

       (Acts 13:52 NRSV)  And the disciples were filled with joy and with the 
       Holy Spirit.

       (Acts 14:1 NRSV)  The same thing occurred in Iconium, where Paul and 
       Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a 
       great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers.

       (Acts 14:2 NRSV)  But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and 
       poisoned their minds against the brothers.

       (Acts 14:3 NRSV)  So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly 
       for the Lord, who testified to the word of his grace by granting signs 
       and wonders to be done through them.

       (Acts 14:4 NRSV)  But the residents of the city were divided; some 
       sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles.

       (Acts 14:5 NRSV)  And when an attempt was made by both Gentiles and 
       Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them,

       (Acts 14:6 NRSV)  the apostles learned of it and fled to Lystra and 
       Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country;





       (Acts 14:7 NRSV)  and there they continued proclaiming the good news.

       (Acts 14:8 NRSV)  In Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use 
       his feet and had never walked, for he had been crippled from birth.

       (Acts 14:9 NRSV)  He listened to Paul as he was speaking. And Paul, 
       looking at him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed,

       (Acts 14:10 NRSV)  said in a loud voice, "Stand upright on your feet." 
       And the man sprang up and began to walk.

       (Acts 14:11 NRSV)  When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they 
       shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in 
       human form!"

       (Acts 14:12 NRSV)  Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called 
       Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

       (Acts 14:13 NRSV)  The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside 
       the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates; he and the crowds 
       wanted to offer sacrifice.

       (Acts 14:14 NRSV)  When the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, 
       they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting,

       (Acts 14:15 NRSV)  "Friends, why are you doing this? We are mortals 
       just like you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from 
       these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven and the 
       earth and the sea and all that is in them.

       (Acts 14:16 NRSV)  In past generations he allowed all the nations to 
       follow their own ways;

       (Acts 14:17 NRSV)  yet he has not left himself without a witness in 
       doing good--giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, and 
       filling you with food and your hearts with joy."

       (Acts 14:18 NRSV)  Even with these words, they scarcely restrained the 
       crowds from offering sacrifice to them.

       (Acts 14:19 NRSV)  But Jews came there from Antioch and Iconium and 
       won over the crowds. Then they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the 
       city, supposing that he was dead.

       (Acts 14:20 NRSV)  But when the disciples surrounded him, he got up 
       and went into the city. The next day he went on with Barnabas to 
       Derbe.

       (Acts 14:21 NRSV)  After they had proclaimed the good news to that 
       city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, then on to 
       Iconium and Antioch.

       (Acts 14:22 NRSV)  There they strengthened the souls of the disciples 
       and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying, "It is through 
       many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God."





       (Acts 14:23 NRSV)  And after they had appointed elders for them in 
       each church, with prayer and fasting they entrusted them to the Lord 
       in whom they had come to believe.

       (Acts 14:24 NRSV)  Then they passed through Pisidia and came to 
       Pamphylia.

       (Acts 14:25 NRSV)  When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went 
       down to Attalia.

       (Acts 14:26 NRSV)  From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they 
       had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had 
       completed.

       (Acts 14:27 NRSV)  When they arrived, they called the church together 
       and related all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a 
       door of faith for the Gentiles.

       (Acts 14:28 NRSV)  And they stayed there with the disciples for some 
       time.

       (Acts 15:1 NRSV)  Then certain individuals came down from Judea and 
       were teaching the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to 
       the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."

       (Acts 15:2 NRSV)  And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension 
       and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were 
       appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the 
       apostles and the elders.

       (Acts 15:3 NRSV)  So they were sent on their way by the church, and as 
       they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, they reported the 
       conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the 
       believers.

       (Acts 15:4 NRSV)  When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by 
       the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that 
       God had done with them.

       (Acts 15:5 NRSV)  But some believers who belonged to the sect of the 
       Pharisees stood up and said, "It is necessary for them to be 
       circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses."

       (Acts 15:6 NRSV)  The apostles and the elders met together to consider 
       this matter.

       (Acts 15:7 NRSV)  After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and 
       said to them, "My brothers, you know that in the early days God made a 
       choice among you, that I should be the one through whom the Gentiles 
       would hear the message of the good news and become believers.

       (Acts 15:8 NRSV)  And God, who knows the human heart, testified to 
       them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us;

       (Acts 15:9 NRSV)  and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made 
       no distinction between them and us.






       (Acts 15:10 NRSV)  Now therefore why are you putting God to the test 
       by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our 
       ancestors nor we have been able to bear?

       (Acts 15:11 NRSV)  On the contrary, we believe that we will be saved 
       through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will."

       (Acts 15:12 NRSV)  The whole assembly kept silence, and listened to 
       Barnabas and Paul as they told of all the signs and wonders that God 
       had done through them among the Gentiles.

       (Acts 15:13 NRSV)  After they finished speaking, James replied, "My 
       brothers, listen to me.

       (Acts 15:14 NRSV)  Simeon has related how God first looked favorably 
       on the Gentiles, to take from among them a people for his name.

       (Acts 15:15 NRSV)  This agrees with the words of the prophets, as it 
       is written,

       (Acts 15:16 NRSV)  'After this I will return, and I will rebuild the 
       dwelling of David, which has fallen; from its ruins I will rebuild it, 
       and I will set it up,

       (Acts 15:17 NRSV)  so that all other peoples may seek the Lord-- even 
       all the Gentiles over whom my name has been called. Thus says the 
       Lord, who has been making these things

       (Acts 15:18 NRSV)  known from long ago.'

       (Acts 15:19 NRSV)  Therefore I have reached the decision that we 
       should not trouble those Gentiles who are turning to God,

       (Acts 15:20 NRSV)  but we should write to them to abstain only from 
       things polluted by idols and from fornication and from whatever has 
       been strangled and from blood.

       (Acts 15:21 NRSV)  For in every city, for generations past, Moses has 
       had those who proclaim him, for he has been read aloud every sabbath 
       in the synagogues."

       (Acts 15:22 NRSV)  Then the apostles and the elders, with the consent 
       of the whole church, decided to choose men from among their members 
       and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas 
       called Barsabbas, and Silas, leaders among the brothers,

       (Acts 15:23 NRSV)  with the following letter: "The brothers, both the 
       apostles and the elders, to the believers of Gentile origin in Antioch 
       and Syria and Cilicia, greetings.

       (Acts 15:24 NRSV)  Since we have heard that certain persons who have 
       gone out from us, though with no instructions from us, have said 
       things to disturb you and have unsettled your minds,

       (Acts 15:25 NRSV)  we have decided unanimously to choose 





       representatives and send them to you, along with our beloved Barnabas 
       and Paul,

       (Acts 15:26 NRSV)  who have risked their lives for the sake of our 
       Lord Jesus Christ.

       (Acts 15:27 NRSV)  We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who 
       themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth.

       (Acts 15:28 NRSV)  For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us 
       to impose on you no further burden than these essentials:

       (Acts 15:29 NRSV)  that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to 
       idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication. 
       If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell."

       (Acts 15:30 NRSV)  So they were sent off and went down to Antioch. 
       When they gathered the congregation together, they delivered the 
       letter.

       (Acts 15:31 NRSV)  When its members read it, they rejoiced at the 
       exhortation.

       (Acts 15:32 NRSV)  Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, said 
       much to encourage and strengthen the believers.

       (Acts 15:33 NRSV)  After they had been there for some time, they were 
       sent off in peace by the believers to those who had sent them.

       (Acts 15:34 NRSV)  

       (Acts 15:35 NRSV)  But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, and 
       there, with many others, they taught and proclaimed the word of the 
       Lord.

       (Acts 15:36 NRSV)  After some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Come, let 
       us return and visit the believers in every city where we proclaimed 
       the word of the Lord and see how they are doing."

       (Acts 15:37 NRSV)  Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark.

       (Acts 15:38 NRSV)  But Paul decided not to take with them one who had 
       deserted them in Pamphylia and had not accompanied them in the work.

       (Acts 15:39 NRSV)  The disagreement became so sharp that they parted 
       company; Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.

       (Acts 15:40 NRSV)  But Paul chose Silas and set out, the believers 
       commending him to the grace of the Lord.

       (Acts 15:41 NRSV)  He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening 
       the churches.

       (Acts 16:1 NRSV)  Paul went on also to Derbe and to Lystra, where 
       there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was 
       a believer; but his father was a Greek.






       (Acts 16:2 NRSV)  He was well spoken of by the believers in Lystra and 
       Iconium.

       (Acts 16:3 NRSV)  Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him; and he took 
       him and had him circumcised because of the Jews who were in those 
       places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

       (Acts 16:4 NRSV)  As they went from town to town, they delivered to 
       them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the 
       apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem.

       (Acts 16:5 NRSV)  So the churches were strengthened in the faith and 
       increased in numbers daily.

       (Acts 16:6 NRSV)  They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, 
       having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.

       (Acts 16:7 NRSV)  When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to 
       go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them;

       (Acts 16:8 NRSV)  so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.

       (Acts 16:9 NRSV)  During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a 
       man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia 
       and help us."

       (Acts 16:10 NRSV)  When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried 
       to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to 
       proclaim the good news to them.

       (Acts 16:11 NRSV)  We set sail from Troas and took a straight course 
       to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis,

       (Acts 16:12 NRSV)  and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city 
       of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this 
       city for some days.

       (Acts 16:13 NRSV)  On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the 
       river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down 
       and spoke to the women who had gathered there.

       (Acts 16:14 NRSV)  A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, 
       was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in 
       purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was 
       said by Paul.

       (Acts 16:15 NRSV)  When she and her household were baptized, she urged 
       us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come 
       and stay at my home." And she prevailed upon us.

       (Acts 16:16 NRSV)  One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, 
       we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her 
       owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling.

       (Acts 16:17 NRSV)  While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, 





       "These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way 
       of salvation."

       (Acts 16:18 NRSV)  She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very 
       much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I order you in the name 
       of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out that very hour.

       (Acts 16:19 NRSV)  But when her owners saw that their hope of making 
       money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the 
       marketplace before the authorities.

       (Acts 16:20 NRSV)  When they had brought them before the magistrates, 
       they said, "These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews

       (Acts 16:21 NRSV)  and are advocating customs that are not lawful for 
       us as Romans to adopt or observe."

       (Acts 16:22 NRSV)  The crowd joined in attacking them, and the 
       magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be 
       beaten with rods.

       (Acts 16:23 NRSV)  After they had given them a severe flogging, they 
       threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely.

       (Acts 16:24 NRSV)  Following these instructions, he put them in the 
       innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

       (Acts 16:25 NRSV)  About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and 
       singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

       (Acts 16:26 NRSV)  Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that 
       the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the 
       doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened.

       (Acts 16:27 NRSV)  When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors 
       wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he 
       supposed that the prisoners had escaped.

       (Acts 16:28 NRSV)  But Paul shouted in a loud voice, "Do not harm 
       yourself, for we are all here."

       (Acts 16:29 NRSV)  The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he 
       fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.

       (Acts 16:30 NRSV)  Then he brought them outside and said, "Sirs, what 
       must I do to be saved?"

       (Acts 16:31 NRSV)  They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you 
       will be saved, you and your household."

       (Acts 16:32 NRSV)  They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all 
       who were in his house.

       (Acts 16:33 NRSV)  At the same hour of the night he took them and 
       washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized 
       without delay.






       (Acts 16:34 NRSV)  He brought them up into the house and set food 
       before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had 
       become a believer in God.

       (Acts 16:35 NRSV)  When morning came, the magistrates sent the police, 
       saying, "Let those men go."

       (Acts 16:36 NRSV)  And the jailer reported the message to Paul, 
       saying, "The magistrates sent word to let you go; therefore come out 
       now and go in peace."

       (Acts 16:37 NRSV)  But Paul replied, "They have beaten us in public, 
       uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into 
       prison; and now are they going to discharge us in secret? Certainly 
       not! Let them come and take us out themselves."

       (Acts 16:38 NRSV)  The police reported these words to the magistrates, 
       and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens;

       (Acts 16:39 NRSV)  so they came and apologized to them. And they took 
       them out and asked them to leave the city.

       (Acts 16:40 NRSV)  After leaving the prison they went to Lydia's home; 
       and when they had seen and encouraged the brothers and sisters there, 
       they departed.

       (Acts 17:1 NRSV)  After Paul and Silas had passed through Amphipolis 
       and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue 
       of the Jews.

       (Acts 17:2 NRSV)  And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three 
       sabbath days argued with them from the scriptures,

       (Acts 17:3 NRSV)  explaining and proving that it was necessary for the 
       Messiah to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, "This is the 
       Messiah, Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you."

       (Acts 17:4 NRSV)  Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and 
       Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the 
       leading women.

       (Acts 17:5 NRSV)  But the Jews became jealous, and with the help of 
       some ruffians in the marketplaces they formed a mob and set the city 
       in an uproar. While they were searching for Paul and Silas to bring 
       them out to the assembly, they attacked Jason's house.

       (Acts 17:6 NRSV)  When they could not find them, they dragged Jason 
       and some believers before the city authorities, shouting, "These 
       people who have been turning the world upside down have come here 
       also,

       (Acts 17:7 NRSV)  and Jason has entertained them as guests. They are 
       all acting contrary to the decrees of the emperor, saying that there 
       is another king named Jesus."





       (Acts 17:8 NRSV)  The people and the city officials were disturbed 
       when they heard this,

       (Acts 17:9 NRSV)  and after they had taken bail from Jason and the 
       others, they let them go.

       (Acts 17:10 NRSV)  That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas 
       off to Beroea; and when they arrived, they went to the Jewish 
       synagogue.

       (Acts 17:11 NRSV)  These Jews were more receptive than those in 
       Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message very eagerly and examined 
       the scriptures every day to see whether these things were so.

       (Acts 17:12 NRSV)  Many of them therefore believed, including not a 
       few Greek women and men of high standing.

       (Acts 17:13 NRSV)  But when the Jews of Thessalonica learned that the 
       word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Beroea as well, they came 
       there too, to stir up and incite the crowds.

       (Acts 17:14 NRSV)  Then the believers immediately sent Paul away to 
       the coast, but Silas and Timothy remained behind.

       (Acts 17:15 NRSV)  Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as 
       Athens; and after receiving instructions to have Silas and Timothy 
       join him as soon as possible, they left him.

       (Acts 17:16 NRSV)  While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was 
       deeply distressed to see that the city was full of idols.

       (Acts 17:17 NRSV)  So he argued in the synagogue with the Jews and the 
       devout persons, and also in the marketplace every day with those who 
       happened to be there.

       (Acts 17:18 NRSV)  Also some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers debated 
       with him. Some said, "What does this babbler want to say?" Others 
       said, "He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign divinities." (This was 
       because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the 
       resurrection.)

       (Acts 17:19 NRSV)  So they took him and brought him to the Areopagus 
       and asked him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are 
       presenting?

       (Acts 17:20 NRSV)  It sounds rather strange to us, so we would like to 
       know what it means."

       (Acts 17:21 NRSV)  Now all the Athenians and the foreigners living 
       there would spend their time in nothing but telling or hearing 
       something new.

       (Acts 17:22 NRSV)  Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, 
       "Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way.

       (Acts 17:23 NRSV)  For as I went through the city and looked carefully 





       at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the 
       inscription, 'To an unknown god.' What therefore you worship as 
       unknown, this I proclaim to you.

       (Acts 17:24 NRSV)  The God who made the world and everything in it, he 
       who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by 
       human hands,

       (Acts 17:25 NRSV)  nor is he served by human hands, as though he 
       needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath 
       and all things.

       (Acts 17:26 NRSV)  From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit 
       the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the 
       boundaries of the places where they would live,

       (Acts 17:27 NRSV)  so that they would search for God and perhaps grope 
       for him and find him--though indeed he is not far from each one of us.

       (Acts 17:28 NRSV)  For 'In him we live and move and have our being'; 
       as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we too are his 
       offspring.'

       (Acts 17:29 NRSV)  Since we are God's offspring, we ought not to think 
       that the deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by 
       the art and imagination of mortals.

       (Acts 17:30 NRSV)  While God has overlooked the times of human 
       ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent,

       (Acts 17:31 NRSV)  because he has fixed a day on which he will have 
       the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and 
       of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."

       (Acts 17:32 NRSV)  When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, 
       some scoffed; but others said, "We will hear you again about this."

       (Acts 17:33 NRSV)  At that point Paul left them.

       (Acts 17:34 NRSV)  But some of them joined him and became believers, 
       including Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and 
       others with them.

       (Acts 18:1 NRSV)  After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.

       (Acts 18:2 NRSV)  There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of 
       Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, 
       because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see 
       them,

       (Acts 18:3 NRSV)  and, because he was of the same trade, he stayed 
       with them, and they worked together--by trade they were tentmakers.

       (Acts 18:4 NRSV)  Every sabbath he would argue in the synagogue and 
       would try to convince Jews and Greeks.





       (Acts 18:5 NRSV)  When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul 
       was occupied with proclaiming the word, testifying to the Jews that 
       the Messiah was Jesus.

       (Acts 18:6 NRSV)  When they opposed and reviled him, in protest he 
       shook the dust from his clothes and said to them, "Your blood be on 
       your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."

       (Acts 18:7 NRSV)  Then he left the synagogue and went to the house of 
       a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God; his house was next door 
       to the synagogue.

       (Acts 18:8 NRSV)  Crispus, the official of the synagogue, became a 
       believer in the Lord, together with all his household; and many of the 
       Corinthians who heard Paul became believers and were baptized.

       (Acts 18:9 NRSV)  One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, "Do not 
       be afraid, but speak and do not be silent;

       (Acts 18:10 NRSV)  for I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on 
       you to harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people."

       (Acts 18:11 NRSV)  He stayed there a year and six months, teaching the 
       word of God among them.

       (Acts 18:12 NRSV)  But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews 
       made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal.

       (Acts 18:13 NRSV)  They said, "This man is persuading people to 
       worship God in ways that are contrary to the law."

       (Acts 18:14 NRSV)  Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the 
       Jews, "If it were a matter of crime or serious villainy, I would be 
       justified in accepting the complaint of you Jews;

       (Acts 18:15 NRSV)  but since it is a matter of questions about words 
       and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; I do not wish to be 
       a judge of these matters."

       (Acts 18:16 NRSV)  And he dismissed them from the tribunal.

       (Acts 18:17 NRSV)  Then all of them seized Sosthenes, the official of 
       the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid 
       no attention to any of these things.

       (Acts 18:18 NRSV)  After staying there for a considerable time, Paul 
       said farewell to the believers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by 
       Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut, for he was 
       under a vow.

       (Acts 18:19 NRSV)  When they reached Ephesus, he left them there, but 
       first he himself went into the synagogue and had a discussion with the 
       Jews.

       (Acts 18:20 NRSV)  When they asked him to stay longer, he declined;





       (Acts 18:21 NRSV)  but on taking leave of them, he said, "I will 
       return to you, if God wills." Then he set sail from Ephesus.

       (Acts 18:22 NRSV)  When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up to 
       Jerusalem and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch.

       (Acts 18:23 NRSV)  After spending some time there he departed and went 
       from place to place through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, 
       strengthening all the disciples.

       (Acts 18:24 NRSV)  Now there came to Ephesus a Jew named Apollos, a 
       native of Alexandria. He was an eloquent man, well-versed in the 
       scriptures.

       (Acts 18:25 NRSV)  He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord; and 
       he spoke with burning enthusiasm and taught accurately the things 
       concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.

       (Acts 18:26 NRSV)  He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when 
       Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the 
       Way of God to him more accurately.

       (Acts 18:27 NRSV)  And when he wished to cross over to Achaia, the 
       believers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. On 
       his arrival he greatly helped those who through grace had become 
       believers,

       (Acts 18:28 NRSV)  for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, 
       showing by the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus.

       (Acts 19:1 NRSV)  While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through 
       the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some 
       disciples.

       (Acts 19:2 NRSV)  He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit 
       when you became believers?" They replied, "No, we have not even heard 
       that there is a Holy Spirit."

       (Acts 19:3 NRSV)  Then he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" 
       They answered, "Into John's baptism."

       (Acts 19:4 NRSV)  Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of 
       repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come 
       after him, that is, in Jesus."

       (Acts 19:5 NRSV)  On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of 
       the Lord Jesus.

       (Acts 19:6 NRSV)  When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy 
       Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied--

       (Acts 19:7 NRSV)  altogether there were about twelve of them.

       (Acts 19:8 NRSV)  He entered the synagogue and for three months spoke 
       out boldly, and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God.





       (Acts 19:9 NRSV)  When some stubbornly refused to believe and spoke 
       evil of the Way before the congregation, he left them, taking the 
       disciples with him, and argued daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

       (Acts 19:10 NRSV)  This continued for two years, so that all the 
       residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.

       (Acts 19:11 NRSV)  God did extraordinary miracles through Paul,

       (Acts 19:12 NRSV)  so that when the handkerchiefs or aprons that had 
       touched his skin were brought to the sick, their diseases left them, 
       and the evil spirits came out of them.

       (Acts 19:13 NRSV)  Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to use 
       the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I 
       adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims."

       (Acts 19:14 NRSV)  Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were 
       doing this.

       (Acts 19:15 NRSV)  But the evil spirit said to them in reply, "Jesus I 
       know, and Paul I know; but who are you?"

       (Acts 19:16 NRSV)  Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, 
       mastered them all, and so overpowered them that they fled out of the 
       house naked and wounded.

       (Acts 19:17 NRSV)  When this became known to all residents of Ephesus, 
       both Jews and Greeks, everyone was awestruck; and the name of the Lord 
       Jesus was praised.

       (Acts 19:18 NRSV)  Also many of those who became believers confessed 
       and disclosed their practices.

       (Acts 19:19 NRSV)  A number of those who practiced magic collected 
       their books and burned them publicly; when the value of these books 
       was calculated, it was found to come to fifty thousand silver coins.

       (Acts 19:20 NRSV)  So the word of the Lord grew mightily and 
       prevailed.

       (Acts 19:21 NRSV)  Now after these things had been accomplished, Paul 
       resolved in the Spirit to go through Macedonia and Achaia, and then to 
       go on to Jerusalem. He said, "After I have gone there, I must also see 
       Rome."

       (Acts 19:22 NRSV)  So he sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, 
       to Macedonia, while he himself stayed for some time longer in Asia.

       (Acts 19:23 NRSV)  About that time no little disturbance broke out 
       concerning the Way.

       (Acts 19:24 NRSV)  A man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made 
       silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the artisans.

       (Acts 19:25 NRSV)  These he gathered together, with the workers of the 





       same trade, and said, "Men, you know that we get our wealth from this 
       business.

       (Acts 19:26 NRSV)  You also see and hear that not only in Ephesus but 
       in almost the whole of Asia this Paul has persuaded and drawn away a 
       considerable number of people by saying that gods made with hands are 
       not gods.

       (Acts 19:27 NRSV)  And there is danger not only that this trade of 
       ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great 
       goddess Artemis will be scorned, and she will be deprived of her 
       majesty that brought all Asia and the world to worship her."

       (Acts 19:28 NRSV)  When they heard this, they were enraged and 
       shouted, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"

       (Acts 19:29 NRSV)  The city was filled with the confusion; and people 
       rushed together to the theater, dragging with them Gaius and 
       Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's travel companions.

       (Acts 19:30 NRSV)  Paul wished to go into the crowd, but the disciples 
       would not let him;

       (Acts 19:31 NRSV)  even some officials of the province of Asia, who 
       were friendly to him, sent him a message urging him not to venture 
       into the theater.

       (Acts 19:32 NRSV)  Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing, some 
       another; for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not 
       know why they had come together.

       (Acts 19:33 NRSV)  Some of the crowd gave instructions to Alexander, 
       whom the Jews had pushed forward. And Alexander motioned for silence 
       and tried to make a defense before the people.

       (Acts 19:34 NRSV)  But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for 
       about two hours all of them shouted in unison, "Great is Artemis of 
       the Ephesians!"

       (Acts 19:35 NRSV)  But when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he 
       said, "Citizens of Ephesus, who is there that does not know that the 
       city of the Ephesians is the temple keeper of the great Artemis and of 
       the statue that fell from heaven?

       (Acts 19:36 NRSV)  Since these things cannot be denied, you ought to 
       be quiet and do nothing rash.

       (Acts 19:37 NRSV)  You have brought these men here who are neither 
       temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess.

       (Acts 19:38 NRSV)  If therefore Demetrius and the artisans with him 
       have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are 
       proconsuls; let them bring charges there against one another.

       (Acts 19:39 NRSV)  If there is anything further you want to know, it 
       must be settled in the regular assembly.






       (Acts 19:40 NRSV)  For we are in danger of being charged with rioting 
       today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this 
       commotion."

       (Acts 19:41 NRSV)  When he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

       (Acts 20:1 NRSV)  After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the 
       disciples; and after encouraging them and saying farewell, he left for 
       Macedonia.

       (Acts 20:2 NRSV)  When he had gone through those regions and had given 
       the believers much encouragement, he came to Greece,

       (Acts 20:3 NRSV)  where he stayed for three months. He was about to 
       set sail for Syria when a plot was made against him by the Jews, and 
       so he decided to return through Macedonia.

       (Acts 20:4 NRSV)  He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from 
       Beroea, by Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, by Gaius from 
       Derbe, and by Timothy, as well as by Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia.

       (Acts 20:5 NRSV)  They went ahead and were waiting for us in Troas;

       (Acts 20:6 NRSV)  but we sailed from Philippi after the days of 
       Unleavened Bread, and in five days we joined them in Troas, where we 
       stayed for seven days.

       (Acts 20:7 NRSV)  On the first day of the week, when we met to break 
       bread, Paul was holding a discussion with them; since he intended to 
       leave the next day, he continued speaking until midnight.

       (Acts 20:8 NRSV)  There were many lamps in the room upstairs where we 
       were meeting.

       (Acts 20:9 NRSV)  A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the 
       window, began to sink off into a deep sleep while Paul talked still 
       longer. Overcome by sleep, he fell to the ground three floors below 
       and was picked up dead.

       (Acts 20:10 NRSV)  But Paul went down, and bending over him took him 
       in his arms, and said, "Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him."

       (Acts 20:11 NRSV)  Then Paul went upstairs, and after he had broken 
       bread and eaten, he continued to converse with them until dawn; then 
       he left.

       (Acts 20:12 NRSV)  Meanwhile they had taken the boy away alive and 
       were not a little comforted.

       (Acts 20:13 NRSV)  We went ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos, 
       intending to take Paul on board there; for he had made this 
       arrangement, intending to go by land himself.

       (Acts 20:14 NRSV)  When he met us in Assos, we took him on board and 
       went to Mitylene.






       (Acts 20:15 NRSV)  We sailed from there, and on the following day we 
       arrived opposite Chios. The next day we touched at Samos, and the day 
       after that we came to Miletus.

       (Acts 20:16 NRSV)  For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that 
       he might not have to spend time in Asia; he was eager to be in 
       Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.

       (Acts 20:17 NRSV)  From Miletus he sent a message to Ephesus, asking 
       the elders of the church to meet him.

       (Acts 20:18 NRSV)  When they came to him, he said to them: "You 
       yourselves know how I lived among you the entire time from the first 
       day that I set foot in Asia,

       (Acts 20:19 NRSV)  serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, 
       enduring the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews.

       (Acts 20:20 NRSV)  I did not shrink from doing anything helpful, 
       proclaiming the message to you and teaching you publicly and from 
       house to house,

       (Acts 20:21 NRSV)  as I testified to both Jews and Greeks about 
       repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus.

       (Acts 20:22 NRSV)  And now, as a captive to the Spirit, I am on my way 
       to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,

       (Acts 20:23 NRSV)  except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in 
       every city that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me.

       (Acts 20:24 NRSV)  But I do not count my life of any value to myself, 
       if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from 
       the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God's grace.

       (Acts 20:25 NRSV)  "And now I know that none of you, among whom I have 
       gone about proclaiming the kingdom, will ever see my face again.

       (Acts 20:26 NRSV)  Therefore I declare to you this day that I am not 
       responsible for the blood of any of you,

       (Acts 20:27 NRSV)  for I did not shrink from declaring to you the 
       whole purpose of God.

       (Acts 20:28 NRSV)  Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, 
       of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the 
       church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.

       (Acts 20:29 NRSV)  I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will 
       come in among you, not sparing the flock.

       (Acts 20:30 NRSV)  Some even from your own group will come distorting 
       the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them.

       (Acts 20:31 NRSV)  Therefore be alert, remembering that for three 





       years I did not cease night or day to warn everyone with tears.

       (Acts 20:32 NRSV)  And now I commend you to God and to the message of 
       his grace, a message that is able to build you up and to give you the 
       inheritance among all who are sanctified.

       (Acts 20:33 NRSV)  I coveted no one's silver or gold or clothing.

       (Acts 20:34 NRSV)  You know for yourselves that I worked with my own 
       hands to support myself and my companions.

       (Acts 20:35 NRSV)  In all this I have given you an example that by 
       such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord 
       Jesus, for he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to 
       receive.'"

       (Acts 20:36 NRSV)  When he had finished speaking, he knelt down with 
       them all and prayed.

       (Acts 20:37 NRSV)  There was much weeping among them all; they 
       embraced Paul and kissed him,

       (Acts 20:38 NRSV)  grieving especially because of what he had said, 
       that they would not see him again. Then they brought him to the ship.

       (Acts 21:1 NRSV)  When we had parted from them and set sail, we came 
       by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from 
       there to Patara.

       (Acts 21:2 NRSV)  When we found a ship bound for Phoenicia, we went on 
       board and set sail.

       (Acts 21:3 NRSV)  We came in sight of Cyprus; and leaving it on our 
       left, we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, because the ship was to 
       unload its cargo there.

       (Acts 21:4 NRSV)  We looked up the disciples and stayed there for 
       seven days. Through the Spirit they told Paul not to go on to 
       Jerusalem.

       (Acts 21:5 NRSV)  When our days there were ended, we left and 
       proceeded on our journey; and all of them, with wives and children, 
       escorted us outside the city. There we knelt down on the beach and 
       prayed

       (Acts 21:6 NRSV)  and said farewell to one another. Then we went on 
       board the ship, and they returned home.

       (Acts 21:7 NRSV)  When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we 
       arrived at Ptolemais; and we greeted the believers and stayed with 
       them for one day.

       (Acts 21:8 NRSV)  The next day we left and came to Caesarea; and we 
       went into the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the seven, and 
       stayed with him.





       (Acts 21:9 NRSV)  He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of 
       prophecy.

       (Acts 21:10 NRSV)  While we were staying there for several days, a 
       prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

       (Acts 21:11 NRSV)  He came to us and took Paul's belt, bound his own 
       feet and hands with it, and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, 'This is 
       the way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and 
       will hand him over to the Gentiles.'"

       (Acts 21:12 NRSV)  When we heard this, we and the people there urged 
       him not to go up to Jerusalem.

       (Acts 21:13 NRSV)  Then Paul answered, "What are you doing, weeping 
       and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but even to 
       die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."

       (Acts 21:14 NRSV)  Since he would not be persuaded, we remained silent 
       except to say, "The Lord's will be done."

       (Acts 21:15 NRSV)  After these days we got ready and started to go up 
       to Jerusalem.

       (Acts 21:16 NRSV)  Some of the disciples from Caesarea also came along 
       and brought us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, 
       with whom we were to stay.

       (Acts 21:17 NRSV)  When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed 
       us warmly.

       (Acts 21:18 NRSV)  The next day Paul went with us to visit James; and 
       all the elders were present.

       (Acts 21:19 NRSV)  After greeting them, he related one by one the 
       things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

       (Acts 21:20 NRSV)  When they heard it, they praised God. Then they 
       said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousands of believers there 
       are among the Jews, and they are all zealous for the law.

       (Acts 21:21 NRSV)  They have been told about you that you teach all 
       the Jews living among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, and that you tell 
       them not to circumcise their children or observe the customs.

       (Acts 21:22 NRSV)  What then is to be done? They will certainly hear 
       that you have come.

       (Acts 21:23 NRSV)  So do what we tell you. We have four men who are 
       under a vow.

       (Acts 21:24 NRSV)  Join these men, go through the rite of purification 
       with them, and pay for the shaving of their heads. Thus all will know 
       that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that 
       you yourself observe and guard the law.





       (Acts 21:25 NRSV)  But as for the Gentiles who have become believers, 
       we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from 
       what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is 
       strangled and from fornication."

       (Acts 21:26 NRSV)  Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having 
       purified himself, he entered the temple with them, making public the 
       completion of the days of purification when the sacrifice would be 
       made for each of them.

       (Acts 21:27 NRSV)  When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews 
       from Asia, who had seen him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd. 
       They seized him,

       (Acts 21:28 NRSV)  shouting, "Fellow Israelites, help! This is the man 
       who is teaching everyone everywhere against our people, our law, and 
       this place; more than that, he has actually brought Greeks into the 
       temple and has defiled this holy place."

       (Acts 21:29 NRSV)  For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian 
       with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into 
       the temple.

       (Acts 21:30 NRSV)  Then all the city was aroused, and the people 
       rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, 
       and immediately the doors were shut.

       (Acts 21:31 NRSV)  While they were trying to kill him, word came to 
       the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

       (Acts 21:32 NRSV)  Immediately he took soldiers and centurions and ran 
       down to them. When they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped 
       beating Paul.

       (Acts 21:33 NRSV)  Then the tribune came, arrested him, and ordered 
       him to be bound with two chains; he inquired who he was and what he 
       had done.

       (Acts 21:34 NRSV)  Some in the crowd shouted one thing, some another; 
       and as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered 
       him to be brought into the barracks.

       (Acts 21:35 NRSV)  When Paul came to the steps, the violence of the 
       mob was so great that he had to be carried by the soldiers.

       (Acts 21:36 NRSV)  The crowd that followed kept shouting, "Away with 
       him!"

       (Acts 21:37 NRSV)  Just as Paul was about to be brought into the 
       barracks, he said to the tribune, "May I say something to you?" The 
       tribune replied, "Do you know Greek?

       (Acts 21:38 NRSV)  Then you are not the Egyptian who recently stirred 
       up a revolt and led the four thousand assassins out into the 
       wilderness?"





       (Acts 21:39 NRSV)  Paul replied, "I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, 
       a citizen of an important city; I beg you, let me speak to the 
       people."

       (Acts 21:40 NRSV)  When he had given him permission, Paul stood on the 
       steps and motioned to the people for silence; and when there was a 
       great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying:

       (Acts 22:1 NRSV)  "Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense that I 
       now make before you."

       (Acts 22:2 NRSV)  When they heard him addressing them in Hebrew, they 
       became even more quiet. Then he said:

       (Acts 22:3 NRSV)  "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought 
       up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according 
       to our ancestral law, being zealous for God, just as all of you are 
       today.

       (Acts 22:4 NRSV)  I persecuted this Way up to the point of death by 
       binding both men and women and putting them in prison,

       (Acts 22:5 NRSV)  as the high priest and the whole council of elders 
       can testify about me. From them I also received letters to the 
       brothers in Damascus, and I went there in order to bind those who were 
       there and to bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment.

       (Acts 22:6 NRSV)  "While I was on my way and approaching Damascus, 
       about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone about me.

       (Acts 22:7 NRSV)  I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 
       'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'

       (Acts 22:8 NRSV)  I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' Then he said to me, 
       'I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.'

       (Acts 22:9 NRSV)  Now those who were with me saw the light but did not 
       hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.

       (Acts 22:10 NRSV)  I asked, 'What am I to do, Lord?' The Lord said to 
       me, 'Get up and go to Damascus; there you will be told everything that 
       has been assigned to you to do.'

       (Acts 22:11 NRSV)  Since I could not see because of the brightness of 
       that light, those who were with me took my hand and led me to 
       Damascus.

       (Acts 22:12 NRSV)  "A certain Ananias, who was a devout man according 
       to the law and well spoken of by all the Jews living there,

       (Acts 22:13 NRSV)  came to me; and standing beside me, he said, 
       'Brother Saul, regain your sight!' In that very hour I regained my 
       sight and saw him.

       (Acts 22:14 NRSV)  Then he said, 'The God of our ancestors has chosen 
       you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear his own 





       voice;

       (Acts 22:15 NRSV)  for you will be his witness to all the world of 
       what you have seen and heard.

       (Acts 22:16 NRSV)  And now why do you delay? Get up, be baptized, and 
       have your sins washed away, calling on his name.'

       (Acts 22:17 NRSV)  "After I had returned to Jerusalem and while I was 
       praying in the temple, I fell into a trance

       (Acts 22:18 NRSV)  and saw Jesus saying to me, 'Hurry and get out of 
       Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about 
       me.'

       (Acts 22:19 NRSV)  And I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that in 
       every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you.

       (Acts 22:20 NRSV)  And while the blood of your witness Stephen was 
       shed, I myself was standing by, approving and keeping the coats of 
       those who killed him.'

       (Acts 22:21 NRSV)  Then he said to me, 'Go, for I will send you far 
       away to the Gentiles.'"

       (Acts 22:22 NRSV)  Up to this point they listened to him, but then 
       they shouted, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should 
       not be allowed to live."

       (Acts 22:23 NRSV)  And while they were shouting, throwing off their 
       cloaks, and tossing dust into the air,

       (Acts 22:24 NRSV)  the tribune directed that he was to be brought into 
       the barracks, and ordered him to be examined by flogging, to find out 
       the reason for this outcry against him.

       (Acts 22:25 NRSV)  But when they had tied him up with thongs, Paul 
       said to the centurion who was standing by, "Is it legal for you to 
       flog a Roman citizen who is uncondemned?"

       (Acts 22:26 NRSV)  When the centurion heard that, he went to the 
       tribune and said to him, "What are you about to do? This man is a 
       Roman citizen."

       (Acts 22:27 NRSV)  The tribune came and asked Paul, "Tell me, are you 
       a Roman citizen?" And he said, "Yes."

       (Acts 22:28 NRSV)  The tribune answered, "It cost me a large sum of 
       money to get my citizenship." Paul said, "But I was born a citizen."

       (Acts 22:29 NRSV)  Immediately those who were about to examine him 
       drew back from him; and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized 
       that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.

       (Acts 22:30 NRSV)  Since he wanted to find out what Paul was being 
       accused of by the Jews, the next day he released him and ordered the 





       chief priests and the entire council to meet. He brought Paul down and 
       had him stand before them.

       (Acts 23:1 NRSV)  While Paul was looking intently at the council he 
       said, "Brothers, up to this day I have lived my life with a clear 
       conscience before God."

       (Acts 23:2 NRSV)  Then the high priest Ananias ordered those standing 
       near him to strike him on the mouth.

       (Acts 23:3 NRSV)  At this Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you 
       whitewashed wall! Are you sitting there to judge me according to the 
       law, and yet in violation of the law you order me to be struck?"

       (Acts 23:4 NRSV)  Those standing nearby said, "Do you dare to insult 
       God's high priest?"

       (Acts 23:5 NRSV)  And Paul said, "I did not realize, brothers, that he 
       was high priest; for it is written, 'You shall not speak evil of a 
       leader of your people.'"

       (Acts 23:6 NRSV)  When Paul noticed that some were Sadducees and 
       others were Pharisees, he called out in the council, "Brothers, I am a 
       Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the 
       resurrection of the dead."

       (Acts 23:7 NRSV)  When he said this, a dissension began between the 
       Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.

       (Acts 23:8 NRSV)  (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, or 
       angel, or spirit; but the Pharisees acknowledge all three.)

       (Acts 23:9 NRSV)  Then a great clamor arose, and certain scribes of 
       the Pharisees' group stood up and contended, "We find nothing wrong 
       with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?"

       (Acts 23:10 NRSV)  When the dissension became violent, the tribune, 
       fearing that they would tear Paul to pieces, ordered the soldiers to 
       go down, take him by force, and bring him into the barracks.

       (Acts 23:11 NRSV)  That night the Lord stood near him and said, "Keep 
       up your courage! For just as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, 
       so you must bear witness also in Rome."

       (Acts 23:12 NRSV)  In the morning the Jews joined in a conspiracy and 
       bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink until they had 
       killed Paul.

       (Acts 23:13 NRSV)  There were more than forty who joined in this 
       conspiracy.

       (Acts 23:14 NRSV)  They went to the chief priests and elders and said, 
       "We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food until we 
       have killed Paul.

       (Acts 23:15 NRSV)  Now then, you and the council must notify the 





       tribune to bring him down to you, on the pretext that you want to make 
       a more thorough examination of his case. And we are ready to do away 
       with him before he arrives."

       (Acts 23:16 NRSV)  Now the son of Paul's sister heard about the 
       ambush; so he went and gained entrance to the barracks and told Paul.

       (Acts 23:17 NRSV)  Paul called one of the centurions and said, "Take 
       this young man to the tribune, for he has something to report to him."

       (Acts 23:18 NRSV)  So he took him, brought him to the tribune, and 
       said, "The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young 
       man to you; he has something to tell you."

       (Acts 23:19 NRSV)  The tribune took him by the hand, drew him aside 
       privately, and asked, "What is it that you have to report to me?"

       (Acts 23:20 NRSV)  He answered, "The Jews have agreed to ask you to 
       bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to 
       inquire more thoroughly into his case.

       (Acts 23:21 NRSV)  But do not be persuaded by them, for more than 
       forty of their men are lying in ambush for him. They have bound 
       themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink until they kill him. 
       They are ready now and are waiting for your consent."

       (Acts 23:22 NRSV)  So the tribune dismissed the young man, ordering 
       him, "Tell no one that you have informed me of this."

       (Acts 23:23 NRSV)  Then he summoned two of the centurions and said, 
       "Get ready to leave by nine o'clock tonight for Caesarea with two 
       hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen.

       (Acts 23:24 NRSV)  Also provide mounts for Paul to ride, and take him 
       safely to Felix the governor."

       (Acts 23:25 NRSV)  He wrote a letter to this effect:

       (Acts 23:26 NRSV)  "Claudius Lysias to his Excellency the governor 
       Felix, greetings.

       (Acts 23:27 NRSV)  This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be 
       killed by them, but when I had learned that he was a Roman citizen, I 
       came with the guard and rescued him.

       (Acts 23:28 NRSV)  Since I wanted to know the charge for which they 
       accused him, I had him brought to their council.

       (Acts 23:29 NRSV)  I found that he was accused concerning questions of 
       their law, but was charged with nothing deserving death or 
       imprisonment.

       (Acts 23:30 NRSV)  When I was informed that there would be a plot 
       against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also 
       to state before you what they have against him."





       (Acts 23:31 NRSV)  So the soldiers, according to their instructions, 
       took Paul and brought him during the night to Antipatris.

       (Acts 23:32 NRSV)  The next day they let the horsemen go on with him, 
       while they returned to the barracks.

       (Acts 23:33 NRSV)  When they came to Caesarea and delivered the letter 
       to the governor, they presented Paul also before him.

       (Acts 23:34 NRSV)  On reading the letter, he asked what province he 
       belonged to, and when he learned that he was from Cilicia,

       (Acts 23:35 NRSV)  he said, "I will give you a hearing when your 
       accusers arrive." Then he ordered that he be kept under guard in 
       Herod's headquarters.

       (Acts 24:1 NRSV)  Five days later the high priest Ananias came down 
       with some elders and an attorney, a certain Tertullus, and they 
       reported their case against Paul to the governor.

       (Acts 24:2 NRSV)  When Paul had been summoned, Tertullus began to 
       accuse him, saying: "Your Excellency, because of you we have long 
       enjoyed peace, and reforms have been made for this people because of 
       your foresight.

       (Acts 24:3 NRSV)  We welcome this in every way and everywhere with 
       utmost gratitude.

       (Acts 24:4 NRSV)  But, to detain you no further, I beg you to hear us 
       briefly with your customary graciousness.

       (Acts 24:5 NRSV)  We have, in fact, found this man a pestilent fellow, 
       an agitator among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader 
       of the sect of the Nazarenes.

       (Acts 24:6 NRSV)  He even tried to profane the temple, and so we 
       seized him.

       (Acts 24:7 NRSV)  

       (Acts 24:8 NRSV)  By examining him yourself you will be able to learn 
       from him concerning everything of which we accuse him."

       (Acts 24:9 NRSV)  The Jews also joined in the charge by asserting that 
       all this was true.

       (Acts 24:10 NRSV)  When the governor motioned to him to speak, Paul 
       replied: "I cheerfully make my defense, knowing that for many years 
       you have been a judge over this nation.

       (Acts 24:11 NRSV)  As you can find out, it is not more than twelve 
       days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem.

       (Acts 24:12 NRSV)  They did not find me disputing with anyone in the 
       temple or stirring up a crowd either in the synagogues or throughout 
       the city.






       (Acts 24:13 NRSV)  Neither can they prove to you the charge that they 
       now bring against me.

       (Acts 24:14 NRSV)  But this I admit to you, that according to the Way, 
       which they call a sect, I worship the God of our ancestors, believing 
       everything laid down according to the law or written in the prophets.

       (Acts 24:15 NRSV)  I have a hope in God--a hope that they themselves 
       also accept--that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous 
       and the unrighteous.

       (Acts 24:16 NRSV)  Therefore I do my best always to have a clear 
       conscience toward God and all people.

       (Acts 24:17 NRSV)  Now after some years I came to bring alms to my 
       nation and to offer sacrifices.

       (Acts 24:18 NRSV)  While I was doing this, they found me in the 
       temple, completing the rite of purification, without any crowd or 
       disturbance.

       (Acts 24:19 NRSV)  But there were some Jews from Asia--they ought to 
       be here before you to make an accusation, if they have anything 
       against me.

       (Acts 24:20 NRSV)  Or let these men here tell what crime they had 
       found when I stood before the council,

       (Acts 24:21 NRSV)  unless it was this one sentence that I called out 
       while standing before them, 'It is about the resurrection of the dead 
       that I am on trial before you today.'"

       (Acts 24:22 NRSV)  But Felix, who was rather well informed about the 
       Way, adjourned the hearing with the comment, "When Lysias the tribune 
       comes down, I will decide your case."

       (Acts 24:23 NRSV)  Then he ordered the centurion to keep him in 
       custody, but to let him have some liberty and not to prevent any of 
       his friends from taking care of his needs.

       (Acts 24:24 NRSV)  Some days later when Felix came with his wife 
       Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak 
       concerning faith in Christ Jesus.

       (Acts 24:25 NRSV)  And as he discussed justice, self-control, and the 
       coming judgment, Felix became frightened and said, "Go away for the 
       present; when I have an opportunity, I will send for you."

       (Acts 24:26 NRSV)  At the same time he hoped that money would be given 
       him by Paul, and for that reason he used to send for him very often 
       and converse with him.

       (Acts 24:27 NRSV)  After two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by 
       Porcius Festus; and since he wanted to grant the Jews a favor, Felix 
       left Paul in prison.






       (Acts 25:1 NRSV)  Three days after Festus had arrived in the province, 
       he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem

       (Acts 25:2 NRSV)  where the chief priests and the leaders of the Jews 
       gave him a report against Paul. They appealed to him

       (Acts 25:3 NRSV)  and requested, as a favor to them against Paul, to 
       have him transferred to Jerusalem. They were, in fact, planning an 
       ambush to kill him along the way.

       (Acts 25:4 NRSV)  Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, 
       and that he himself intended to go there shortly.

       (Acts 25:5 NRSV)  "So," he said, "let those of you who have the 
       authority come down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the 
       man, let them accuse him."

       (Acts 25:6 NRSV)  After he had stayed among them not more than eight 
       or ten days, he went down to Caesarea; the next day he took his seat 
       on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought.

       (Acts 25:7 NRSV)  When he arrived, the Jews who had gone down from 
       Jerusalem surrounded him, bringing many serious charges against him, 
       which they could not prove.

       (Acts 25:8 NRSV)  Paul said in his defense, "I have in no way 
       committed an offense against the law of the Jews, or against the 
       temple, or against the emperor."

       (Acts 25:9 NRSV)  But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, asked 
       Paul, "Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and be tried there before me 
       on these charges?"

       (Acts 25:10 NRSV)  Paul said, "I am appealing to the emperor's 
       tribunal; this is where I should be tried. I have done no wrong to the 
       Jews, as you very well know.

       (Acts 25:11 NRSV)  Now if I am in the wrong and have committed 
       something for which I deserve to die, I am not trying to escape death; 
       but if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can turn 
       me over to them. I appeal to the emperor."

       (Acts 25:12 NRSV)  Then Festus, after he had conferred with his 
       council, replied, "You have appealed to the emperor; to the emperor 
       you will go."

       (Acts 25:13 NRSV)  After several days had passed, King Agrippa and 
       Bernice arrived at Caesarea to welcome Festus.

       (Acts 25:14 NRSV)  Since they were staying there several days, Festus 
       laid Paul's case before the king, saying, "There is a man here who was 
       left in prison by Felix.

       (Acts 25:15 NRSV)  When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the 
       elders of the Jews informed me about him and asked for a sentence 





       against him.

       (Acts 25:16 NRSV)  I told them that it was not the custom of the 
       Romans to hand over anyone before the accused had met the accusers 
       face to face and had been given an opportunity to make a defense 
       against the charge.

       (Acts 25:17 NRSV)  So when they met here, I lost no time, but on the 
       next day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be 
       brought.

       (Acts 25:18 NRSV)  When the accusers stood up, they did not charge him 
       with any of the crimes that I was expecting.

       (Acts 25:19 NRSV)  Instead they had certain points of disagreement 
       with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had 
       died, but whom Paul asserted to be alive.

       (Acts 25:20 NRSV)  Since I was at a loss how to investigate these 
       questions, I asked whether he wished to go to Jerusalem and be tried 
       there on these charges.

       (Acts 25:21 NRSV)  But when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody 
       for the decision of his Imperial Majesty, I ordered him to be held 
       until I could send him to the emperor."

       (Acts 25:22 NRSV)  Agrippa said to Festus, "I would like to hear the 
       man myself." "Tomorrow," he said, "you will hear him."

       (Acts 25:23 NRSV)  So on the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with 
       great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military 
       tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then Festus gave the order 
       and Paul was brought in.

       (Acts 25:24 NRSV)  And Festus said, "King Agrippa and all here present 
       with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish community 
       petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not 
       to live any longer.

       (Acts 25:25 NRSV)  But I found that he had done nothing deserving 
       death; and when he appealed to his Imperial Majesty, I decided to send 
       him.

       (Acts 25:26 NRSV)  But I have nothing definite to write to our 
       sovereign about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, 
       and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that, after we have 
       examined him, I may have something to write--

       (Acts 25:27 NRSV)  for it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner 
       without indicating the charges against him."

       (Acts 26:1 NRSV)  Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak 
       for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand and began to defend 
       himself:

       (Acts 26:2 NRSV)  "I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, 





       King Agrippa, I am to make my defense today against all the 
       accusations of the Jews,

       (Acts 26:3 NRSV)  because you are especially familiar with all the 
       customs and controversies of the Jews; therefore I beg of you to 
       listen to me patiently.

       (Acts 26:4 NRSV)  "All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, a 
       life spent from the beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem.

       (Acts 26:5 NRSV)  They have known for a long time, if they are willing 
       to testify, that I have belonged to the strictest sect of our religion 
       and lived as a Pharisee.

       (Acts 26:6 NRSV)  And now I stand here on trial on account of my hope 
       in the promise made by God to our ancestors,

       (Acts 26:7 NRSV)  a promise that our twelve tribes hope to attain, as 
       they earnestly worship day and night. It is for this hope, your 
       Excellency, that I am accused by Jews!

       (Acts 26:8 NRSV)  Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God 
       raises the dead?

       (Acts 26:9 NRSV)  "Indeed, I myself was convinced that I ought to do 
       many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

       (Acts 26:10 NRSV)  And that is what I did in Jerusalem; with authority 
       received from the chief priests, I not only locked up many of the 
       saints in prison, but I also cast my vote against them when they were 
       being condemned to death.

       (Acts 26:11 NRSV)  By punishing them often in all the synagogues I 
       tried to force them to blaspheme; and since I was so furiously enraged 
       at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities.

       (Acts 26:12 NRSV)  "With this in mind, I was traveling to Damascus 
       with the authority and commission of the chief priests,

       (Acts 26:13 NRSV)  when at midday along the road, your Excellency, I 
       saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and 
       my companions.

       (Acts 26:14 NRSV)  When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a 
       voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you 
       persecuting me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.'

       (Acts 26:15 NRSV)  I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' The Lord answered, 'I 
       am Jesus whom you are persecuting.

       (Acts 26:16 NRSV)  But get up and stand on your feet; for I have 
       appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and testify 
       to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will 
       appear to you.

       (Acts 26:17 NRSV)  I will rescue you from your people and from the 





       Gentiles--to whom I am sending you

       (Acts 26:18 NRSV)  to open their eyes so that they may turn from 
       darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may 
       receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified 
       by faith in me.'

       (Acts 26:19 NRSV)  "After that, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to 
       the heavenly vision,

       (Acts 26:20 NRSV)  but declared first to those in Damascus, then in 
       Jerusalem and throughout the countryside of Judea, and also to the 
       Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and do deeds 
       consistent with repentance.

       (Acts 26:21 NRSV)  For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple 
       and tried to kill me.

       (Acts 26:22 NRSV)  To this day I have had help from God, and so I 
       stand here, testifying to both small and great, saying nothing but 
       what the prophets and Moses said would take place:

       (Acts 26:23 NRSV)  that the Messiah must suffer, and that, by being 
       the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our 
       people and to the Gentiles."

       (Acts 26:24 NRSV)  While he was making this defense, Festus exclaimed, 
       "You are out of your mind, Paul! Too much learning is driving you 
       insane!"

       (Acts 26:25 NRSV)  But Paul said, "I am not out of my mind, most 
       excellent Festus, but I am speaking the sober truth.

       (Acts 26:26 NRSV)  Indeed the king knows about these things, and to 
       him I speak freely; for I am certain that none of these things has 
       escaped his notice, for this was not done in a corner.

       (Acts 26:27 NRSV)  King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know 
       that you believe."

       (Acts 26:28 NRSV)  Agrippa said to Paul, "Are you so quickly 
       persuading me to become a Christian?"

       (Acts 26:29 NRSV)  Paul replied, "Whether quickly or not, I pray to 
       God that not only you but also all who are listening to me today might 
       become such as I am--except for these chains."

       (Acts 26:30 NRSV)  Then the king got up, and with him the governor and 
       Bernice and those who had been seated with them;

       (Acts 26:31 NRSV)  and as they were leaving, they said to one another, 
       "This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment."

       (Acts 26:32 NRSV)  Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been 
       set free if he had not appealed to the emperor."





       (Acts 27:1 NRSV)  When it was decided that we were to sail for Italy, 
       they transferred Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the 
       Augustan Cohort, named Julius.

       (Acts 27:2 NRSV)  Embarking on a ship of Adramyttium that was about to 
       set sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, 
       accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica.

       (Acts 27:3 NRSV)  The next day we put in at Sidon; and Julius treated 
       Paul kindly, and allowed him to go to his friends to be cared for.

       (Acts 27:4 NRSV)  Putting out to sea from there, we sailed under the 
       lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us.

       (Acts 27:5 NRSV)  After we had sailed across the sea that is off 
       Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia.

       (Acts 27:6 NRSV)  There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship bound 
       for Italy and put us on board.

       (Acts 27:7 NRSV)  We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived 
       with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind was against us, we sailed 
       under the lee of Crete off Salmone.

       (Acts 27:8 NRSV)  Sailing past it with difficulty, we came to a place 
       called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea.

       (Acts 27:9 NRSV)  Since much time had been lost and sailing was now 
       dangerous, because even the Fast had already gone by, Paul advised 
       them,

       (Acts 27:10 NRSV)  saying, "Sirs, I can see that the voyage will be 
       with danger and much heavy loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, 
       but also of our lives."

       (Acts 27:11 NRSV)  But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot 
       and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said.

       (Acts 27:12 NRSV)  Since the harbor was not suitable for spending the 
       winter, the majority was in favor of putting to sea from there, on the 
       chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, where they could spend 
       the winter. It was a harbor of Crete, facing southwest and northwest.

       (Acts 27:13 NRSV)  When a moderate south wind began to blow, they 
       thought they could achieve their purpose; so they weighed anchor and 
       began to sail past Crete, close to the shore.

       (Acts 27:14 NRSV)  But soon a violent wind, called the northeaster, 
       rushed down from Crete.

       (Acts 27:15 NRSV)  Since the ship was caught and could not be turned 
       head-on into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven.

       (Acts 27:16 NRSV)  By running under the lee of a small island called 
       Cauda we were scarcely able to get the ship's boat under control.





       (Acts 27:17 NRSV)  After hoisting it up they took measures to 
       undergird the ship; then, fearing that they would run on the Syrtis, 
       they lowered the sea anchor and so were driven.

       (Acts 27:18 NRSV)  We were being pounded by the storm so violently 
       that on the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard,

       (Acts 27:19 NRSV)  and on the third day with their own hands they 
       threw the ship's tackle overboard.

       (Acts 27:20 NRSV)  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, 
       and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last 
       abandoned.

       (Acts 27:21 NRSV)  Since they had been without food for a long time, 
       Paul then stood up among them and said, "Men, you should have listened 
       to me and not have set sail from Crete and thereby avoided this damage 
       and loss.

       (Acts 27:22 NRSV)  I urge you now to keep up your courage, for there 
       will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.

       (Acts 27:23 NRSV)  For last night there stood by me an angel of the 
       God to whom I belong and whom I worship,

       (Acts 27:24 NRSV)  and he said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must 
       stand before the emperor; and indeed, God has granted safety to all 
       those who are sailing with you.'

       (Acts 27:25 NRSV)  So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in 
       God that it will be exactly as I have been told.

       (Acts 27:26 NRSV)  But we will have to run aground on some island."

       (Acts 27:27 NRSV)  When the fourteenth night had come, as we were 
       drifting across the sea of Adria, about midnight the sailors suspected 
       that they were nearing land.

       (Acts 27:28 NRSV)  So they took soundings and found twenty fathoms; a 
       little farther on they took soundings again and found fifteen fathoms.

       (Acts 27:29 NRSV)  Fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let 
       down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come.

       (Acts 27:30 NRSV)  But when the sailors tried to escape from the ship 
       and had lowered the boat into the sea, on the pretext of putting out 
       anchors from the bow,

       (Acts 27:31 NRSV)  Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, 
       "Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved."

       (Acts 27:32 NRSV)  Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat 
       and set it adrift.

       (Acts 27:33 NRSV)  Just before daybreak, Paul urged all of them to 
       take some food, saying, "Today is the fourteenth day that you have 





       been in suspense and remaining without food, having eaten nothing.

       (Acts 27:34 NRSV)  Therefore I urge you to take some food, for it will 
       help you survive; for none of you will lose a hair from your heads."

       (Acts 27:35 NRSV)  After he had said this, he took bread; and giving 
       thanks to God in the presence of all, he broke it and began to eat.

       (Acts 27:36 NRSV)  Then all of them were encouraged and took food for 
       themselves.

       (Acts 27:37 NRSV)  (We were in all two hundred seventy-six persons in 
       the ship.)

       (Acts 27:38 NRSV)  After they had satisfied their hunger, they 
       lightened the ship by throwing the wheat into the sea.

       (Acts 27:39 NRSV)  In the morning they did not recognize the land, but 
       they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned to run the ship 
       ashore, if they could.

       (Acts 27:40 NRSV)  So they cast off the anchors and left them in the 
       sea. At the same time they loosened the ropes that tied the 
       steering-oars; then hoisting the foresail to the wind, they made for 
       the beach.

       (Acts 27:41 NRSV)  But striking a reef, they ran the ship aground; the 
       bow stuck and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by 
       the force of the waves.

       (Acts 27:42 NRSV)  The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, so 
       that none might swim away and escape;

       (Acts 27:43 NRSV)  but the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them 
       from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump 
       overboard first and make for the land,

       (Acts 27:44 NRSV)  and the rest to follow, some on planks and others 
       on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to 
       land.

       (Acts 28:1 NRSV)  After we had reached safety, we then learned that 
       the island was called Malta.

       (Acts 28:2 NRSV)  The natives showed us unusual kindness. Since it had 
       begun to rain and was cold, they kindled a fire and welcomed all of us 
       around it.

       (Acts 28:3 NRSV)  Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was 
       putting it on the fire, when a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened 
       itself on his hand.

       (Acts 28:4 NRSV)  When the natives saw the creature hanging from his 
       hand, they said to one another, "This man must be a murderer; though 
       he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live."





       (Acts 28:5 NRSV)  He, however, shook off the creature into the fire 
       and suffered no harm.

       (Acts 28:6 NRSV)  They were expecting him to swell up or drop dead, 
       but after they had waited a long time and saw that nothing unusual had 
       happened to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was 
       a god.

       (Acts 28:7 NRSV)  Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands 
       belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who 
       received us and entertained us hospitably for three days.

       (Acts 28:8 NRSV)  It so happened that the father of Publius lay sick 
       in bed with fever and dysentery. Paul visited him and cured him by 
       praying and putting his hands on him.

       (Acts 28:9 NRSV)  After this happened, the rest of the people on the 
       island who had diseases also came and were cured.

       (Acts 28:10 NRSV)  They bestowed many honors on us, and when we were 
       about to sail, they put on board all the provisions we needed.

       (Acts 28:11 NRSV)  Three months later we set sail on a ship that had 
       wintered at the island, an Alexandrian ship with the Twin Brothers as 
       its figurehead.

       (Acts 28:12 NRSV)  We put in at Syracuse and stayed there for three 
       days;

       (Acts 28:13 NRSV)  then we weighed anchor and came to Rhegium. After 
       one day there a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to 
       Puteoli.

       (Acts 28:14 NRSV)  There we found believers and were invited to stay 
       with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome.

       (Acts 28:15 NRSV)  The believers from there, when they heard of us, 
       came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On 
       seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage.

       (Acts 28:16 NRSV)  When we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to live by 
       himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.

       (Acts 28:17 NRSV)  Three days later he called together the local 
       leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, he said to them, 
       "Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs 
       of our ancestors, yet I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to 
       the Romans.

       (Acts 28:18 NRSV)  When they had examined me, the Romans wanted to 
       release me, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my 
       case.

       (Acts 28:19 NRSV)  But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to 
       appeal to the emperor--even though I had no charge to bring against my 
       nation.






       (Acts 28:20 NRSV)  For this reason therefore I have asked to see you 
       and speak with you, since it is for the sake of the hope of Israel 
       that I am bound with this chain."

       (Acts 28:21 NRSV)  They replied, "We have received no letters from 
       Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or 
       spoken anything evil about you.

       (Acts 28:22 NRSV)  But we would like to hear from you what you think, 
       for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken 
       against."

       (Acts 28:23 NRSV)  After they had set a day to meet with him, they 
       came to him at his lodgings in great numbers. From morning until 
       evening he explained the matter to them, testifying to the kingdom of 
       God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses 
       and from the prophets.

       (Acts 28:24 NRSV)  Some were convinced by what he had said, while 
       others refused to believe.

       (Acts 28:25 NRSV)  So they disagreed with each other; and as they were 
       leaving, Paul made one further statement: "The Holy Spirit was right 
       in saying to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah,

       (Acts 28:26 NRSV)  'Go to this people and say, You will indeed listen, 
       but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive.

       (Acts 28:27 NRSV)  For this people's heart has grown dull, and their 
       ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they 
       might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and 
       understand with their heart and turn-- and I would heal them.'

       (Acts 28:28 NRSV)  Let it be known to you then that this salvation of 
       God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen."

       (Acts 28:29 NRSV)  

       (Acts 28:30 NRSV)  He lived there two whole years at his own expense 
       and welcomed all who came to him,

       (Acts 28:31 NRSV)  proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about 
       the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

       (Rom 1:1 NRSV)  Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an 
       apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

       (Rom 1:2 NRSV)  which he promised beforehand through his prophets in 
       the holy scriptures,

       (Rom 1:3 NRSV)  the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from 
       David according to the flesh

       (Rom 1:4 NRSV)  and was declared to be Son of God with power according 
       to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ 





       our Lord,

       (Rom 1:5 NRSV)  through whom we have received grace and apostleship to 
       bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake 
       of his name,

       (Rom 1:6 NRSV)  including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus 
       Christ,

       (Rom 1:7 NRSV)  To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be 
       saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus 
       Christ.

       (Rom 1:8 NRSV)  First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of 
       you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world.

       (Rom 1:9 NRSV)  For God, whom I serve with my spirit by announcing the 
       gospel of his Son, is my witness that without ceasing I remember you 
       always in my prayers,

       (Rom 1:10 NRSV)  asking that by God's will I may somehow at last 
       succeed in coming to you.

       (Rom 1:11 NRSV)  For I am longing to see you so that I may share with 
       you some spiritual gift to strengthen you--

       (Rom 1:12 NRSV)  or rather so that we may be mutually encouraged by 
       each other's faith, both yours and mine.

       (Rom 1:13 NRSV)  I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that I have 
       often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in 
       order that I may reap some harvest among you as I have among the rest 
       of the Gentiles.

       (Rom 1:14 NRSV)  I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both 
       to the wise and to the foolish

       (Rom 1:15 NRSV)  --hence my eagerness to proclaim the gospel to you 
       also who are in Rome.

       (Rom 1:16 NRSV)  For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power 
       of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and 
       also to the Greek.

       (Rom 1:17 NRSV)  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed 
       through faith for faith; as it is written, "The one who is righteous 
       will live by faith."

       (Rom 1:18 NRSV)  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against 
       all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness 
       suppress the truth.

       (Rom 1:19 NRSV)  For what can be known about God is plain to them, 
       because God has shown it to them.

       (Rom 1:20 NRSV)  Ever since the creation of the world his eternal 





       power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been 
       understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are 
       without excuse;

       (Rom 1:21 NRSV)  for though they knew God, they did not honor him as 
       God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, 
       and their senseless minds were darkened.

       (Rom 1:22 NRSV)  Claiming to be wise, they became fools;

       (Rom 1:23 NRSV)  and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for 
       images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals 
       or reptiles.

       (Rom 1:24 NRSV)  Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their 
       hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves,

       (Rom 1:25 NRSV)  because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie 
       and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is 
       blessed forever! Amen.

       (Rom 1:26 NRSV)  For this reason God gave them up to degrading 
       passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural,

       (Rom 1:27 NRSV)  and in the same way also the men, giving up natural 
       intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. 
       Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own 
       persons the due penalty for their error.

       (Rom 1:28 NRSV)  And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, 
       God gave them up to a debased mind and to things that should not be 
       done.

       (Rom 1:29 NRSV)  They were filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, 
       covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, 
       craftiness, they are gossips,

       (Rom 1:30 NRSV)  slanderers, God-haters, insolent, haughty, boastful, 
       inventors of evil, rebellious toward parents,

       (Rom 1:31 NRSV)  foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

       (Rom 1:32 NRSV)  They know God's decree, that those who practice such 
       things deserve to die--yet they not only do them but even applaud 
       others who practice them.

       (Rom 2:1 NRSV)  Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when 
       you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn 
       yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things.

       (Rom 2:2 NRSV)  You say, "We know that God's judgment on those who do 
       such things is in accordance with truth."

       (Rom 2:3 NRSV)  Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge 
       those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the 
       judgment of God?






       (Rom 2:4 NRSV)  Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and 
       forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God's kindness is 
       meant to lead you to repentance?

       (Rom 2:5 NRSV)  But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing 
       up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God's righteous 
       judgment will be revealed.

       (Rom 2:6 NRSV)  For he will repay according to each one's deeds:

       (Rom 2:7 NRSV)  to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory 
       and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;

       (Rom 2:8 NRSV)  while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not 
       the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury.

       (Rom 2:9 NRSV)  There will be anguish and distress for everyone who 
       does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek,

       (Rom 2:10 NRSV)  but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does 
       good, the Jew first and also the Greek.

       (Rom 2:11 NRSV)  For God shows no partiality.

       (Rom 2:12 NRSV)  All who have sinned apart from the law will also 
       perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will 
       be judged by the law.

       (Rom 2:13 NRSV)  For it is not the hearers of the law who are 
       righteous in God's sight, but the doers of the law who will be 
       justified.

       (Rom 2:14 NRSV)  When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do 
       instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having the law, 
       are a law to themselves.

       (Rom 2:15 NRSV)  They show that what the law requires is written on 
       their hearts, to which their own conscience also bears witness; and 
       their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them

       (Rom 2:16 NRSV)  on the day when, according to my gospel, God, through 
       Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts of all.

       (Rom 2:17 NRSV)  But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law 
       and boast of your relation to God

       (Rom 2:18 NRSV)  and know his will and determine what is best because 
       you are instructed in the law,

       (Rom 2:19 NRSV)  and if you are sure that you are a guide to the 
       blind, a light to those who are in darkness,

       (Rom 2:20 NRSV)  a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of children, 
       having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth,





       (Rom 2:21 NRSV)  you, then, that teach others, will you not teach 
       yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal?

       (Rom 2:22 NRSV)  You that forbid adultery, do you commit adultery? You 
       that abhor idols, do you rob temples?

       (Rom 2:23 NRSV)  You that boast in the law, do you dishonor God by 
       breaking the law?

       (Rom 2:24 NRSV)  For, as it is written, "The name of God is blasphemed 
       among the Gentiles because of you."

       (Rom 2:25 NRSV)  Circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law; 
       but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.

       (Rom 2:26 NRSV)  So, if those who are uncircumcised keep the 
       requirements of the law, will not their uncircumcision be regarded as 
       circumcision?

       (Rom 2:27 NRSV)  Then those who are physically uncircumcised but keep 
       the law will condemn you that have the written code and circumcision 
       but break the law.

       (Rom 2:28 NRSV)  For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor 
       is true circumcision something external and physical.

       (Rom 2:29 NRSV)  Rather, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and 
       real circumcision is a matter of the heart--it is spiritual and not 
       literal. Such a person receives praise not from others but from God.

       (Rom 3:1 NRSV)  Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value 
       of circumcision?

       (Rom 3:2 NRSV)  Much, in every way. For in the first place the Jews 
       were entrusted with the oracles of God.

       (Rom 3:3 NRSV)  What if some were unfaithful? Will their faithlessness 
       nullify the faithfulness of God?

       (Rom 3:4 NRSV)  By no means! Although everyone is a liar, let God be 
       proved true, as it is written, "So that you may be justified in your 
       words, and prevail in your judging."

       (Rom 3:5 NRSV)  But if our injustice serves to confirm the justice of 
       God, what should we say? That God is unjust to inflict wrath on us? (I 
       speak in a human way.)

       (Rom 3:6 NRSV)  By no means! For then how could God judge the world?

       (Rom 3:7 NRSV)  But if through my falsehood God's truthfulness abounds 
       to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner?

       (Rom 3:8 NRSV)  And why not say (as some people slander us by saying 
       that we say), "Let us do evil so that good may come"? Their 
       condemnation is deserved!





       (Rom 3:9 NRSV)  What then? Are we any better off? No, not at all; for 
       we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under the 
       power of sin,

       (Rom 3:10 NRSV)  as it is written: "There is no one who is righteous, 
       not even one;

       (Rom 3:11 NRSV)  there is no one who has understanding, there is no 
       one who seeks God.

       (Rom 3:12 NRSV)  All have turned aside, together they have become 
       worthless; there is no one who shows kindness, there is not even one."

       (Rom 3:13 NRSV)  "Their throats are opened graves; they use their 
       tongues to deceive." "The venom of vipers is under their lips."

       (Rom 3:14 NRSV)  "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."

       (Rom 3:15 NRSV)  "Their feet are swift to shed blood;

       (Rom 3:16 NRSV)  ruin and misery are in their paths,

       (Rom 3:17 NRSV)  and the way of peace they have not known."

       (Rom 3:18 NRSV)  "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

       (Rom 3:19 NRSV)  Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to 
       those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and 
       the whole world may be held accountable to God.

       (Rom 3:20 NRSV)  For "no human being will be justified in his sight" 
       by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the 
       knowledge of sin.

       (Rom 3:21 NRSV)  But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has 
       been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets,

       (Rom 3:22 NRSV)  the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus 
       Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction,

       (Rom 3:23 NRSV)  since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of 
       God;

       (Rom 3:24 NRSV)  they are now justified by his grace as a gift, 
       through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

       (Rom 3:25 NRSV)  whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by 
       his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his 
       righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over 
       the sins previously committed;

       (Rom 3:26 NRSV)  it was to prove at the present time that he himself 
       is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus.

       (Rom 3:27 NRSV)  Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By 
       what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith.






       (Rom 3:28 NRSV)  For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart 
       from works prescribed by the law.

       (Rom 3:29 NRSV)  Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of 
       Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,

       (Rom 3:30 NRSV)  since God is one; and he will justify the circumcised 
       on the ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.

       (Rom 3:31 NRSV)  Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no 
       means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

       (Rom 4:1 NRSV)  What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our 
       ancestor according to the flesh?

       (Rom 4:2 NRSV)  For if Abraham was justified by works, he has 
       something to boast about, but not before God.

       (Rom 4:3 NRSV)  For what does the scripture say? "Abraham believed 
       God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness."

       (Rom 4:4 NRSV)  Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift 
       but as something due.

       (Rom 4:5 NRSV)  But to one who without works trusts him who justifies 
       the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.

       (Rom 4:6 NRSV)  So also David speaks of the blessedness of those to 
       whom God reckons righteousness apart from works:

       (Rom 4:7 NRSV)  "Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and 
       whose sins are covered;

       (Rom 4:8 NRSV)  blessed is the one against whom the Lord will not 
       reckon sin."

       (Rom 4:9 NRSV)  Is this blessedness, then, pronounced only on the 
       circumcised, or also on the uncircumcised? We say, "Faith was reckoned 
       to Abraham as righteousness."

       (Rom 4:10 NRSV)  How then was it reckoned to him? Was it before or 
       after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was 
       circumcised.

       (Rom 4:11 NRSV)  He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the 
       righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. 
       The purpose was to make him the ancestor of all who believe without 
       being circumcised and who thus have righteousness reckoned to them,

       (Rom 4:12 NRSV)  and likewise the ancestor of the circumcised who are 
       not only circumcised but who also follow the example of the faith that 
       our ancestor Abraham had before he was circumcised.

       (Rom 4:13 NRSV)  For the promise that he would inherit the world did 
       not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through 





       the righteousness of faith.

       (Rom 4:14 NRSV)  If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the 
       heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.

       (Rom 4:15 NRSV)  For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, 
       neither is there violation.

       (Rom 4:16 NRSV)  For this reason it depends on faith, in order that 
       the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his 
       descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those 
       who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us,

       (Rom 4:17 NRSV)  as it is written, "I have made you the father of many 
       nations")--in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives 
       life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not 
       exist.

       (Rom 4:18 NRSV)  Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become 
       "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "So numerous 
       shall your descendants be."

       (Rom 4:19 NRSV)  He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own 
       body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred 
       years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.

       (Rom 4:20 NRSV)  No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of 
       God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,

       (Rom 4:21 NRSV)  being fully convinced that God was able to do what he 
       had promised.

       (Rom 4:22 NRSV)  Therefore his faith "was reckoned to him as 
       righteousness."

       (Rom 4:23 NRSV)  Now the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written 
       not for his sake alone,

       (Rom 4:24 NRSV)  but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who 
       believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,

       (Rom 4:25 NRSV)  who was handed over to death for our trespasses and 
       was raised for our justification.

       (Rom 5:1 NRSV)  Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have 
       peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

       (Rom 5:2 NRSV)  through whom we have obtained access to this grace in 
       which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.

       (Rom 5:3 NRSV)  And not only that, but we also boast in our 
       sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,

       (Rom 5:4 NRSV)  and endurance produces character, and character 
       produces hope,





       (Rom 5:5 NRSV)  and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love 
       has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been 
       given to us.

       (Rom 5:6 NRSV)  For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ 
       died for the ungodly.

       (Rom 5:7 NRSV)  Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous 
       person--though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare 
       to die.

       (Rom 5:8 NRSV)  But God proves his love for us in that while we still 
       were sinners Christ died for us.

       (Rom 5:9 NRSV)  Much more surely then, now that we have been justified 
       by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God.

       (Rom 5:10 NRSV)  For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to 
       God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been 
       reconciled, will we be saved by his life.

       (Rom 5:11 NRSV)  But more than that, we even boast in God through our 
       Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

       (Rom 5:12 NRSV)  Therefore, just as sin came into the world through 
       one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all 
       because all have sinned--

       (Rom 5:13 NRSV)  sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin 
       is not reckoned when there is no law.

       (Rom 5:14 NRSV)  Yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even 
       over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who is 
       a type of the one who was to come.

       (Rom 5:15 NRSV)  But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if 
       the many died through the one man's trespass, much more surely have 
       the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus 
       Christ, abounded for the many.

       (Rom 5:16 NRSV)  And the free gift is not like the effect of the one 
       man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought 
       condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings 
       justification.

       (Rom 5:17 NRSV)  If, because of the one man's trespass, death 
       exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who 
       receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness 
       exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

       (Rom 5:18 NRSV)  Therefore just as one man's trespass led to 
       condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to 
       justification and life for all.

       (Rom 5:19 NRSV)  For just as by the one man's disobedience the many 
       were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made 





       righteous.

       (Rom 5:20 NRSV)  But law came in, with the result that the trespass 
       multiplied; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

       (Rom 5:21 NRSV)  so that, just as sin exercised dominion in death, so 
       grace might also exercise dominion through justification leading to 
       eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

       (Rom 6:1 NRSV)  What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in 
       order that grace may abound?

       (Rom 6:2 NRSV)  By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living 
       in it?

       (Rom 6:3 NRSV)  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized 
       into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

       (Rom 6:4 NRSV)  Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into 
       death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory 
       of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

       (Rom 6:5 NRSV)  For if we have been united with him in a death like 
       his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

       (Rom 6:6 NRSV)  We know that our old self was crucified with him so 
       that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be 
       enslaved to sin.

       (Rom 6:7 NRSV)  For whoever has died is freed from sin.

       (Rom 6:8 NRSV)  But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we 
       will also live with him.

       (Rom 6:9 NRSV)  We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will 
       never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.

       (Rom 6:10 NRSV)  The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but 
       the life he lives, he lives to God.

       (Rom 6:11 NRSV)  So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and 
       alive to God in Christ Jesus.

       (Rom 6:12 NRSV)  Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your 
       mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions.

       (Rom 6:13 NRSV)  No longer present your members to sin as instruments 
       of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been 
       brought from death to life, and present your members to God as 
       instruments of righteousness.

       (Rom 6:14 NRSV)  For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are 
       not under law but under grace.

       (Rom 6:15 NRSV)  What then? Should we sin because we are not under law 
       but under grace? By no means!






       (Rom 6:16 NRSV)  Do you not know that if you present yourselves to 
       anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, 
       either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to 
       righteousness?

       (Rom 6:17 NRSV)  But thanks be to God that you, having once been 
       slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of 
       teaching to which you were entrusted,

       (Rom 6:18 NRSV)  and that you, having been set free from sin, have 
       become slaves of righteousness.

       (Rom 6:19 NRSV)  I am speaking in human terms because of your natural 
       limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to 
       impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your 
       members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.

       (Rom 6:20 NRSV)  When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard 
       to righteousness.

       (Rom 6:21 NRSV)  So what advantage did you then get from the things of 
       which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death.

       (Rom 6:22 NRSV)  But now that you have been freed from sin and 
       enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is 
       eternal life.

       (Rom 6:23 NRSV)  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of 
       God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

       (Rom 7:1 NRSV)  Do you not know, brothers and sisters--for I am 
       speaking to those who know the law--that the law is binding on a 
       person only during that person's lifetime?

       (Rom 7:2 NRSV)  Thus a married woman is bound by the law to her 
       husband as long as he lives; but if her husband dies, she is 
       discharged from the law concerning the husband.

       (Rom 7:3 NRSV)  Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she 
       lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband 
       dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man, she 
       is not an adulteress.

       (Rom 7:4 NRSV)  In the same way, my friends, you have died to the law 
       through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him 
       who has been raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for 
       God.

       (Rom 7:5 NRSV)  While we were living in the flesh, our sinful 
       passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear 
       fruit for death.

       (Rom 7:6 NRSV)  But now we are discharged from the law, dead to that 
       which held us captive, so that we are slaves not under the old written 
       code but in the new life of the Spirit.






       (Rom 7:7 NRSV)  What then should we say? That the law is sin? By no 
       means! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known 
       sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not 
       said, "You shall not covet."

       (Rom 7:8 NRSV)  But sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, 
       produced in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law sin lies 
       dead.

       (Rom 7:9 NRSV)  I was once alive apart from the law, but when the 
       commandment came, sin revived

       (Rom 7:10 NRSV)  and I died, and the very commandment that promised 
       life proved to be death to me.

       (Rom 7:11 NRSV)  For sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, 
       deceived me and through it killed me.

       (Rom 7:12 NRSV)  So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and 
       just and good.

       (Rom 7:13 NRSV)  Did what is good, then, bring death to me? By no 
       means! It was sin, working death in me through what is good, in order 
       that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might 
       become sinful beyond measure.

       (Rom 7:14 NRSV)  For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am of 
       the flesh, sold into slavery under sin.

       (Rom 7:15 NRSV)  I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do 
       what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

       (Rom 7:16 NRSV)  Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law 
       is good.

       (Rom 7:17 NRSV)  But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin 
       that dwells within me.

       (Rom 7:18 NRSV)  For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that 
       is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it.

       (Rom 7:19 NRSV)  For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do 
       not want is what I do.

       (Rom 7:20 NRSV)  Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I 
       that do it, but sin that dwells within me.

       (Rom 7:21 NRSV)  So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what 
       is good, evil lies close at hand.

       (Rom 7:22 NRSV)  For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self,

       (Rom 7:23 NRSV)  but I see in my members another law at war with the 
       law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my 
       members.






       (Rom 7:24 NRSV)  Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this 
       body of death?

       (Rom 7:25 NRSV)  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So 
       then, with my mind I am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh I 
       am a slave to the law of sin.

       (Rom 8:1 NRSV)  There is therefore now no condemnation for those who 
       are in Christ Jesus.

       (Rom 8:2 NRSV)  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has 
       set you free from the law of sin and of death.

       (Rom 8:3 NRSV)  For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, 
       could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, 
       and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,

       (Rom 8:4 NRSV)  so that the just requirement of the law might be 
       fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to 
       the Spirit.

       (Rom 8:5 NRSV)  For those who live according to the flesh set their 
       minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the 
       Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

       (Rom 8:6 NRSV)  To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the 
       mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

       (Rom 8:7 NRSV)  For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is 
       hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law--indeed it cannot,

       (Rom 8:8 NRSV)  and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

       (Rom 8:9 NRSV)  But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, 
       since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the 
       Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

       (Rom 8:10 NRSV)  But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead 
       because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

       (Rom 8:11 NRSV)  If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead 
       dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to 
       your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

       (Rom 8:12 NRSV)  So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to 
       the flesh, to live according to the flesh--

       (Rom 8:13 NRSV)  for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; 
       but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will 
       live.

       (Rom 8:14 NRSV)  For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children 
       of God.

       (Rom 8:15 NRSV)  For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall 





       back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we 
       cry, "Abba! Father!"

       (Rom 8:16 NRSV)  it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our 
       spirit that we are children of God,

       (Rom 8:17 NRSV)  and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint 
       heirs with Christ--if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also 
       be glorified with him.

       (Rom 8:18 NRSV)  I consider that the sufferings of this present time 
       are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.

       (Rom 8:19 NRSV)  For the creation waits with eager longing for the 
       revealing of the children of God;

       (Rom 8:20 NRSV)  for the creation was subjected to futility, not of 
       its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope

       (Rom 8:21 NRSV)  that the creation itself will be set free from its 
       bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the 
       children of God.

       (Rom 8:22 NRSV)  We know that the whole creation has been groaning in 
       labor pains until now;

       (Rom 8:23 NRSV)  and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have 
       the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for 
       adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

       (Rom 8:24 NRSV)  For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is 
       not hope. For who hopes for what is seen?

       (Rom 8:25 NRSV)  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it 
       with patience.

       (Rom 8:26 NRSV)  Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we 
       do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes 
       with sighs too deep for words.

       (Rom 8:27 NRSV)  And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the 
       mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints 
       according to the will of God.

       (Rom 8:28 NRSV)  We know that all things work together for good for 
       those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

       (Rom 8:29 NRSV)  For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be 
       conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the 
       firstborn within a large family.

       (Rom 8:30 NRSV)  And those whom he predestined he also called; and 
       those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he 
       also glorified.

       (Rom 8:31 NRSV)  What then are we to say about these things? If God is 





       for us, who is against us?

       (Rom 8:32 NRSV)  He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up 
       for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?

       (Rom 8:33 NRSV)  Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is 
       God who justifies.

       (Rom 8:34 NRSV)  Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, 
       who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes 
       for us.

       (Rom 8:35 NRSV)  Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will 
       hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or 
       peril, or sword?

       (Rom 8:36 NRSV)  As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed 
       all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered."

       (Rom 8:37 NRSV)  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors 
       through him who loved us.

       (Rom 8:38 NRSV)  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor 
       angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor 
       powers,

       (Rom 8:39 NRSV)  nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all 
       creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ 
       Jesus our Lord.

       (Rom 9:1 NRSV)  I am speaking the truth in Christ--I am not lying; my 
       conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit--

       (Rom 9:2 NRSV)  I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.

       (Rom 9:3 NRSV)  For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut 
       off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to 
       the flesh.

       (Rom 9:4 NRSV)  They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, 
       the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the 
       promises;

       (Rom 9:5 NRSV)  to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, 
       according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God 
       blessed forever. Amen.

       (Rom 9:6 NRSV)  It is not as though the word of God had failed. For 
       not all Israelites truly belong to Israel,

       (Rom 9:7 NRSV)  and not all of Abraham's children are his true 
       descendants; but "It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named 
       for you."

       (Rom 9:8 NRSV)  This means that it is not the children of the flesh 
       who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are 





       counted as descendants.

       (Rom 9:9 NRSV)  For this is what the promise said, "About this time I 
       will return and Sarah shall have a son."

       (Rom 9:10 NRSV)  Nor is that all; something similar happened to 
       Rebecca when she had conceived children by one husband, our ancestor 
       Isaac.

       (Rom 9:11 NRSV)  Even before they had been born or had done anything 
       good or bad (so that God's purpose of election might continue,

       (Rom 9:12 NRSV)  not by works but by his call) she was told, "The 
       elder shall serve the younger."

       (Rom 9:13 NRSV)  As it is written, "I have loved Jacob, but I have 
       hated Esau."

       (Rom 9:14 NRSV)  What then are we to say? Is there injustice on God's 
       part? By no means!

       (Rom 9:15 NRSV)  For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I 
       have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."

       (Rom 9:16 NRSV)  So it depends not on human will or exertion, but on 
       God who shows mercy.

       (Rom 9:17 NRSV)  For the scripture says to Pharaoh, "I have raised you 
       up for the very purpose of showing my power in you, so that my name 
       may be proclaimed in all the earth."

       (Rom 9:18 NRSV)  So then he has mercy on whomever he chooses, and he 
       hardens the heart of whomever he chooses.

       (Rom 9:19 NRSV)  You will say to me then, "Why then does he still find 
       fault? For who can resist his will?"

       (Rom 9:20 NRSV)  But who indeed are you, a human being, to argue with 
       God? Will what is molded say to the one who molds it, "Why have you 
       made me like this?"

       (Rom 9:21 NRSV)  Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of 
       the same lump one object for special use and another for ordinary use?

       (Rom 9:22 NRSV)  What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make 
       known his power, has endured with much patience the objects of wrath 
       that are made for destruction;

       (Rom 9:23 NRSV)  and what if he has done so in order to make known the 
       riches of his glory for the objects of mercy, which he has prepared 
       beforehand for glory--

       (Rom 9:24 NRSV)  including us whom he has called, not from the Jews 
       only but also from the Gentiles?

       (Rom 9:25 NRSV)  As indeed he says in Hosea, "Those who were not my 





       people I will call 'my people," and her who was not beloved I will 
       call 'beloved.'"

       (Rom 9:26 NRSV)  "And in the very place where it was said to them, 
       'You are not my people,' there they shall be called children of the 
       living God."

       (Rom 9:27 NRSV)  And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, "Though the 
       number of the children of Israel were like the sand of the sea, only a 
       remnant of them will be saved;

       (Rom 9:28 NRSV)  for the Lord will execute his sentence on the earth 
       quickly and decisively."

       (Rom 9:29 NRSV)  And as Isaiah predicted, "If the Lord of hosts had 
       not left survivors to us, we would have fared like Sodom and been made 
       like Gomorrah."

       (Rom 9:30 NRSV)  What then are we to say? Gentiles, who did not strive 
       for righteousness, have attained it, that is, righteousness through 
       faith;

       (Rom 9:31 NRSV)  but Israel, who did strive for the righteousness that 
       is based on the law, did not succeed in fulfilling that law.

       (Rom 9:32 NRSV)  Why not? Because they did not strive for it on the 
       basis of faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled 
       over the stumbling stone,

       (Rom 9:33 NRSV)  as it is written, "See, I am laying in Zion a stone 
       that will make people stumble, a rock that will make them fall, and 
       whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."

       (Rom 10:1 NRSV)  Brothers and sisters, my heart's desire and prayer to 
       God for them is that they may be saved.

       (Rom 10:2 NRSV)  I can testify that they have a zeal for God, but it 
       is not enlightened.

       (Rom 10:3 NRSV)  For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes 
       from God, and seeking to establish their own, they have not submitted 
       to God's righteousness.

       (Rom 10:4 NRSV)  For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be 
       righteousness for everyone who believes.

       (Rom 10:5 NRSV)  Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes 
       from the law, that "the person who does these things will live by 
       them."

       (Rom 10:6 NRSV)  But the righteousness that comes from faith says, "Do 
       not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to 
       bring Christ down)

       (Rom 10:7 NRSV)  "or 'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to 
       bring Christ up from the dead).






       (Rom 10:8 NRSV)  But what does it say? "The word is near you, on your 
       lips and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);

       (Rom 10:9 NRSV)  because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is 
       Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you 
       will be saved.

       (Rom 10:10 NRSV)  For one believes with the heart and so is justified, 
       and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.

       (Rom 10:11 NRSV)  The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will 
       be put to shame."

       (Rom 10:12 NRSV)  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; 
       the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him.

       (Rom 10:13 NRSV)  For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord 
       shall be saved."

       (Rom 10:14 NRSV)  But how are they to call on one in whom they have 
       not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have 
       never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?

       (Rom 10:15 NRSV)  And how are they to proclaim him unless they are 
       sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring 
       good news!"

       (Rom 10:16 NRSV)  But not all have obeyed the good news; for Isaiah 
       says, "Lord, who has believed our message?"

       (Rom 10:17 NRSV)  So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard 
       comes through the word of Christ.

       (Rom 10:18 NRSV)  But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have; 
       for "Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the 
       ends of the world."

       (Rom 10:19 NRSV)  Again I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses 
       says, "I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a 
       foolish nation I will make you angry."

       (Rom 10:20 NRSV)  Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, "I have been found 
       by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not 
       ask for me."

       (Rom 10:21 NRSV)  But of Israel he says, "All day long I have held out 
       my hands to a disobedient and contrary people."

       (Rom 11:1 NRSV)  I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no 
       means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of 
       the tribe of Benjamin.

       (Rom 11:2 NRSV)  God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do 
       you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God 
       against Israel?






       (Rom 11:3 NRSV)  "Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have 
       demolished your altars; I alone am left, and they are seeking my 
       life."

       (Rom 11:4 NRSV)  But what is the divine reply to him? "I have kept for 
       myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal."

       (Rom 11:5 NRSV)  So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen 
       by grace.

       (Rom 11:6 NRSV)  But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis 
       of works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

       (Rom 11:7 NRSV)  What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was 
       seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened,

       (Rom 11:8 NRSV)  as it is written, "God gave them a sluggish spirit, 
       eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this 
       very day."

       (Rom 11:9 NRSV)  And David says, "Let their table become a snare and a 
       trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them;

       (Rom 11:10 NRSV)  let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, 
       and keep their backs forever bent."

       (Rom 11:11 NRSV)  So I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall? By no 
       means! But through their stumbling salvation has come to the Gentiles, 
       so as to make Israel jealous.

       (Rom 11:12 NRSV)  Now if their stumbling means riches for the world, 
       and if their defeat means riches for Gentiles, how much more will 
       their full inclusion mean!

       (Rom 11:13 NRSV)  Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as 
       I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I glorify my ministry

       (Rom 11:14 NRSV)  in order to make my own people jealous, and thus 
       save some of them.

       (Rom 11:15 NRSV)  For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the 
       world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead!

       (Rom 11:16 NRSV)  If the part of the dough offered as first fruits is 
       holy, then the whole batch is holy; and if the root is holy, then the 
       branches also are holy.

       (Rom 11:17 NRSV)  But if some of the branches were broken off, and 
       you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place to share the rich 
       root of the olive tree,

       (Rom 11:18 NRSV)  do not boast over the branches. If you do boast, 
       remember that it is not you that support the root, but the root that 
       supports you.





       (Rom 11:19 NRSV)  You will say, "Branches were broken off so that I 
       might be grafted in."

       (Rom 11:20 NRSV)  That is true. They were broken off because of their 
       unbelief, but you stand only through faith. So do not become proud, 
       but stand in awe.

       (Rom 11:21 NRSV)  For if God did not spare the natural branches, 
       perhaps he will not spare you.

       (Rom 11:22 NRSV)  Note then the kindness and the severity of God: 
       severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness toward you, 
       provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you also will be cut 
       off.

       (Rom 11:23 NRSV)  And even those of Israel, if they do not persist in 
       unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in 
       again.

       (Rom 11:24 NRSV)  For if you have been cut from what is by nature a 
       wild olive tree and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated 
       olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back 
       into their own olive tree.

       (Rom 11:25 NRSV)  So that you may not claim to be wiser than you are, 
       brothers and sisters, I want you to understand this mystery: a 
       hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the 
       Gentiles has come in.

       (Rom 11:26 NRSV)  And so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, 
       "Out of Zion will come the Deliverer; he will banish ungodliness from 
       Jacob."

       (Rom 11:27 NRSV)  "And this is my covenant with them, when I take away 
       their sins."

       (Rom 11:28 NRSV)  As regards the gospel they are enemies of God for 
       your sake; but as regards election they are beloved, for the sake of 
       their ancestors;

       (Rom 11:29 NRSV)  for the gifts and the calling of God are 
       irrevocable.

       (Rom 11:30 NRSV)  Just as you were once disobedient to God but have 
       now received mercy because of their disobedience,

       (Rom 11:31 NRSV)  so they have now been disobedient in order that, by 
       the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy.

       (Rom 11:32 NRSV)  For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that 
       he may be merciful to all.

       (Rom 11:33 NRSV)  O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge 
       of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his 
       ways!





       (Rom 11:34 NRSV)  "For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has 
       been his counselor?"

       (Rom 11:35 NRSV)  "Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift 
       in return?"

       (Rom 11:36 NRSV)  For from him and through him and to him are all 
       things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.

       (Rom 12:1 NRSV)  I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by 
       the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy 
       and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

       (Rom 12:2 NRSV)  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed 
       by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the 
       will of God--what is good and acceptable and perfect.

       (Rom 12:3 NRSV)  For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among 
       you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but 
       to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith 
       that God has assigned.

       (Rom 12:4 NRSV)  For as in one body we have many members, and not all 
       the members have the same function,

       (Rom 12:5 NRSV)  so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and 
       individually we are members one of another.

       (Rom 12:6 NRSV)  We have gifts that differ according to the grace 
       given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith;

       (Rom 12:7 NRSV)  ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching;

       (Rom 12:8 NRSV)  the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in 
       generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in 
       cheerfulness.

       (Rom 12:9 NRSV)  Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to 
       what is good;

       (Rom 12:10 NRSV)  love one another with mutual affection; outdo one 
       another in showing honor.

       (Rom 12:11 NRSV)  Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the 
       Lord.

       (Rom 12:12 NRSV)  Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere 
       in prayer.

       (Rom 12:13 NRSV)  Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend 
       hospitality to strangers.

       (Rom 12:14 NRSV)  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not 
       curse them.

       (Rom 12:15 NRSV)  Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who 





       weep.

       (Rom 12:16 NRSV)  Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, 
       but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are.

       (Rom 12:17 NRSV)  Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought 
       for what is noble in the sight of all.

       (Rom 12:18 NRSV)  If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live 
       peaceably with all.

       (Rom 12:19 NRSV)  Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for 
       the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, 
       says the Lord."

       (Rom 12:20 NRSV)  No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they 
       are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will 
       heap burning coals on their heads."

       (Rom 12:21 NRSV)  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with 
       good.

       (Rom 13:1 NRSV)  Let every person be subject to the governing 
       authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those 
       authorities that exist have been instituted by God.

       (Rom 13:2 NRSV)  Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God 
       has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

       (Rom 13:3 NRSV)  For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to 
       bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is 
       good, and you will receive its approval;

       (Rom 13:4 NRSV)  for it is God's servant for your good. But if you do 
       what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the authority does not bear 
       the sword in vain! It is the servant of God to execute wrath on the 
       wrongdoer.

       (Rom 13:5 NRSV)  Therefore one must be subject, not only because of 
       wrath but also because of conscience.

       (Rom 13:6 NRSV)  For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the 
       authorities are God's servants, busy with this very thing.

       (Rom 13:7 NRSV)  Pay to all what is due them--taxes to whom taxes are 
       due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, 
       honor to whom honor is due.

       (Rom 13:8 NRSV)  Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for 
       the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

       (Rom 13:9 NRSV)  The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; You 
       shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and any 
       other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as 
       yourself."





       (Rom 13:10 NRSV)  Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is 
       the fulfilling of the law.

       (Rom 13:11 NRSV)  Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is 
       now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to 
       us now than when we became believers;

       (Rom 13:12 NRSV)  the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then 
       lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light;

       (Rom 13:13 NRSV)  let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling 
       and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in 
       quarreling and jealousy.

       (Rom 13:14 NRSV)  Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no 
       provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

       (Rom 14:1 NRSV)  Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the 
       purpose of quarreling over opinions.

       (Rom 14:2 NRSV)  Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat 
       only vegetables.

       (Rom 14:3 NRSV)  Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and 
       those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has 
       welcomed them.

       (Rom 14:4 NRSV)  Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? 
       It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be 
       upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

       (Rom 14:5 NRSV)  Some judge one day to be better than another, while 
       others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their 
       own minds.

       (Rom 14:6 NRSV)  Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the 
       Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give 
       thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord 
       and give thanks to God.

       (Rom 14:7 NRSV)  We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to 
       ourselves.

       (Rom 14:8 NRSV)  If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we 
       die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are 
       the Lord's.

       (Rom 14:9 NRSV)  For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that 
       he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

       (Rom 14:10 NRSV)  Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? 
       Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all 
       stand before the judgment seat of God.

       (Rom 14:11 NRSV)  For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every 
       knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God."






       (Rom 14:12 NRSV)  So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

       (Rom 14:13 NRSV)  Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one 
       another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or 
       hindrance in the way of another.

       (Rom 14:14 NRSV)  I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that 
       nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for anyone who thinks 
       it unclean.

       (Rom 14:15 NRSV)  If your brother or sister is being injured by what 
       you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat 
       cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died.

       (Rom 14:16 NRSV)  So do not let your good be spoken of as evil.

       (Rom 14:17 NRSV)  For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but 
       righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

       (Rom 14:18 NRSV)  The one who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God 
       and has human approval.

       (Rom 14:19 NRSV)  Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for 
       mutual upbuilding.

       (Rom 14:20 NRSV)  Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of 
       God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for you to make 
       others fall by what you eat;

       (Rom 14:21 NRSV)  it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do 
       anything that makes your brother or sister stumble.

       (Rom 14:22 NRSV)  The faith that you have, have as your own conviction 
       before God. Blessed are those who have no reason to condemn themselves 
       because of what they approve.

       (Rom 14:23 NRSV)  But those who have doubts are condemned if they eat, 
       because they do not act from faith; for whatever does not proceed from 
       faith is sin.

       (Rom 15:1 NRSV)  We who are strong ought to put up with the failings 
       of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

       (Rom 15:2 NRSV)  Each of us must please our neighbor for the good 
       purpose of building up the neighbor.

       (Rom 15:3 NRSV)  For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is 
       written, "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me."

       (Rom 15:4 NRSV)  For whatever was written in former days was written 
       for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement 
       of the scriptures we might have hope.

       (Rom 15:5 NRSV)  May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant 
       you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ 





       Jesus,

       (Rom 15:6 NRSV)  so that together you may with one voice glorify the 
       God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

       (Rom 15:7 NRSV)  Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has 
       welcomed you, for the glory of God.

       (Rom 15:8 NRSV)  For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of 
       the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might 
       confirm the promises given to the patriarchs,

       (Rom 15:9 NRSV)  and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for 
       his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will confess you among the 
       Gentiles, and sing praises to your name";

       (Rom 15:10 NRSV)  and again he says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his 
       people";

       (Rom 15:11 NRSV)  and again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and 
       let all the peoples praise him";

       (Rom 15:12 NRSV)  and again Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse shall 
       come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles 
       shall hope."

       (Rom 15:13 NRSV)  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace 
       in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy 
       Spirit.

       (Rom 15:14 NRSV)  I myself feel confident about you, my brothers and 
       sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all 
       knowledge, and able to instruct one another.

       (Rom 15:15 NRSV)  Nevertheless on some points I have written to you 
       rather boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God

       (Rom 15:16 NRSV)  to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in 
       the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the 
       Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

       (Rom 15:17 NRSV)  In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast of my 
       work for God.

       (Rom 15:18 NRSV)  For I will not venture to speak of anything except 
       what Christ has accomplished through me to win obedience from the 
       Gentiles, by word and deed,

       (Rom 15:19 NRSV)  by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of 
       the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and as far around as 
       Illyricum I have fully proclaimed the good news of Christ.

       (Rom 15:20 NRSV)  Thus I make it my ambition to proclaim the good 
       news, not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build 
       on someone else's foundation,





       (Rom 15:21 NRSV)  but as it is written, "Those who have never been 
       told of him shall see, and those who have never heard of him shall 
       understand."

       (Rom 15:22 NRSV)  This is the reason that I have so often been 
       hindered from coming to you.

       (Rom 15:23 NRSV)  But now, with no further place for me in these 
       regions, I desire, as I have for many years, to come to you

       (Rom 15:24 NRSV)  when I go to Spain. For I do hope to see you on my 
       journey and to be sent on by you, once I have enjoyed your company for 
       a little while.

       (Rom 15:25 NRSV)  At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem in a 
       ministry to the saints;

       (Rom 15:26 NRSV)  for Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to share 
       their resources with the poor among the saints at Jerusalem.

       (Rom 15:27 NRSV)  They were pleased to do this, and indeed they owe it 
       to them; for if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual 
       blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material 
       things.

       (Rom 15:28 NRSV)  So, when I have completed this, and have delivered 
       to them what has been collected, I will set out by way of you to 
       Spain;

       (Rom 15:29 NRSV)  and I know that when I come to you, I will come in 
       the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

       (Rom 15:30 NRSV)  I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord 
       Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in earnest 
       prayer to God on my behalf,

       (Rom 15:31 NRSV)  that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, 
       and that my ministry to Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,

       (Rom 15:32 NRSV)  so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and 
       be refreshed in your company.

       (Rom 15:33 NRSV)  The God of peace be with all of you. Amen.

       (Rom 16:1 NRSV)  I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the 
       church at Cenchreae,

       (Rom 16:2 NRSV)  so that you may welcome her in the Lord as is fitting 
       for the saints, and help her in whatever she may require from you, for 
       she has been a benefactor of many and of myself as well.

       (Rom 16:3 NRSV)  Greet Prisca and Aquila, who work with me in Christ 
       Jesus,

       (Rom 16:4 NRSV)  and who risked their necks for my life, to whom not 
       only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.






       (Rom 16:5 NRSV)  Greet also the church in their house. Greet my 
       beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert in Asia for Christ.

       (Rom 16:6 NRSV)  Greet Mary, who has worked very hard among you.

       (Rom 16:7 NRSV)  Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives who were in 
       prison with me; they are prominent among the apostles, and they were 
       in Christ before I was.

       (Rom 16:8 NRSV)  Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.

       (Rom 16:9 NRSV)  Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my 
       beloved Stachys.

       (Rom 16:10 NRSV)  Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet 
       those who belong to the family of Aristobulus.

       (Rom 16:11 NRSV)  Greet my relative Herodion. Greet those in the Lord 
       who belong to the family of Narcissus.

       (Rom 16:12 NRSV)  Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and 
       Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord.

       (Rom 16:13 NRSV)  Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; and greet his 
       mother--a mother to me also.

       (Rom 16:14 NRSV)  Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, 
       and the brothers and sisters who are with them.

       (Rom 16:15 NRSV)  Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and 
       Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.

       (Rom 16:16 NRSV)  Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches 
       of Christ greet you.

       (Rom 16:17 NRSV)  I urge you, brothers and sisters, to keep an eye on 
       those who cause dissensions and offenses, in opposition to the 
       teaching that you have learned; avoid them.

       (Rom 16:18 NRSV)  For such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but 
       their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the 
       hearts of the simple-minded.

       (Rom 16:19 NRSV)  For while your obedience is known to all, so that I 
       rejoice over you, I want you to be wise in what is good and guileless 
       in what is evil.

       (Rom 16:20 NRSV)  The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your 
       feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

       (Rom 16:21 NRSV)  Timothy, my co-worker, greets you; so do Lucius and 
       Jason and Sosipater, my relatives.

       (Rom 16:22 NRSV)  I Tertius, the writer of this letter, greet you in 
       the Lord.






       (Rom 16:23 NRSV)  Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, 
       greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, 
       greet you.

       (Rom 16:24 NRSV)  

       (Rom 16:25 NRSV)  Now to God who is able to strengthen you according 
       to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the 
       revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages

       (Rom 16:26 NRSV)  but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic 
       writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command 
       of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith--

       (Rom 16:27 NRSV)  to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom 
       be the glory forever! Amen.

       (1 Cor 1:1 NRSV)  Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the 
       will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

       (1 Cor 1:2 NRSV)  To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those 
       who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with 
       all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus 
       Christ, both their Lord and ours:

       (1 Cor 1:3 NRSV)  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the 
       Lord Jesus Christ.

       (1 Cor 1:4 NRSV)  I give thanks to my God always for you because of 
       the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus,

       (1 Cor 1:5 NRSV)  for in every way you have been enriched in him, in 
       speech and knowledge of every kind--

       (1 Cor 1:6 NRSV)  just as the testimony of Christ has been 
       strengthened among you--

       (1 Cor 1:7 NRSV)  so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as 
       you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.

       (1 Cor 1:8 NRSV)  He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you 
       may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

       (1 Cor 1:9 NRSV)  God is faithful; by him you were called into the 
       fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

       (1 Cor 1:10 NRSV)  Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the 
       name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and 
       that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the 
       same mind and the same purpose.

       (1 Cor 1:11 NRSV)  For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people 
       that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters.

       (1 Cor 1:12 NRSV)  What I mean is that each of you says, "I belong to 





       Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong 
       to Christ."

       (1 Cor 1:13 NRSV)  Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for 
       you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

       (1 Cor 1:14 NRSV)  I thank God that I baptized none of you except 
       Crispus and Gaius,

       (1 Cor 1:15 NRSV)  so that no one can say that you were baptized in my 
       name.

       (1 Cor 1:16 NRSV)  (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; 
       beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)

       (1 Cor 1:17 NRSV)  For Christ did not send me to baptize but to 
       proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross 
       of Christ might not be emptied of its power.

       (1 Cor 1:18 NRSV)  For the message about the cross is foolishness to 
       those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power 
       of God.

       (1 Cor 1:19 NRSV)  For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of 
       the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart."

       (1 Cor 1:20 NRSV)  Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? 
       Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom 
       of the world?

       (1 Cor 1:21 NRSV)  For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not 
       know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our 
       proclamation, to save those who believe.

       (1 Cor 1:22 NRSV)  For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom,

       (1 Cor 1:23 NRSV)  but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block 
       to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,

       (1 Cor 1:24 NRSV)  but to those who are the called, both Jews and 
       Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

       (1 Cor 1:25 NRSV)  For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, 
       and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.

       (1 Cor 1:26 NRSV)  Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not 
       many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not 
       many were of noble birth.

       (1 Cor 1:27 NRSV)  But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame 
       the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;

       (1 Cor 1:28 NRSV)  God chose what is low and despised in the world, 
       things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are,

       (1 Cor 1:29 NRSV)  so that no one might boast in the presence of God.






       (1 Cor 1:30 NRSV)  He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who 
       became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification 
       and redemption,

       (1 Cor 1:31 NRSV)  in order that, as it is written, "Let the one who 
       boasts, boast in the Lord."

       (1 Cor 2:1 NRSV)  When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not 
       come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom.

       (1 Cor 2:2 NRSV)  For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus 
       Christ, and him crucified.

       (1 Cor 2:3 NRSV)  And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in 
       much trembling.

       (1 Cor 2:4 NRSV)  My speech and my proclamation were not with 
       plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and 
       of power,

       (1 Cor 2:5 NRSV)  so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom 
       but on the power of God.

       (1 Cor 2:6 NRSV)  Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it 
       is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are 
       doomed to perish.

       (1 Cor 2:7 NRSV)  But we speak God's wisdom, secret and hidden, which 
       God decreed before the ages for our glory.

       (1 Cor 2:8 NRSV)  None of the rulers of this age understood this; for 
       if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

       (1 Cor 2:9 NRSV)  But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor 
       ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for 
       those who love him"--

       (1 Cor 2:10 NRSV)  these things God has revealed to us through the 
       Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

       (1 Cor 2:11 NRSV)  For what human being knows what is truly human 
       except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends 
       what is truly God's except the Spirit of God.

       (1 Cor 2:12 NRSV)  Now we have received not the spirit of the world, 
       but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts 
       bestowed on us by God.

       (1 Cor 2:13 NRSV)  And we speak of these things in words not taught by 
       human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things 
       to those who are spiritual.

       (1 Cor 2:14 NRSV)  Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts 
       of God's Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable 
       to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.






       (1 Cor 2:15 NRSV)  Those who are spiritual discern all things, and 
       they are themselves subject to no one else's scrutiny.

       (1 Cor 2:16 NRSV)  "For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to 
       instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

       (1 Cor 3:1 NRSV)  And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to 
       you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants 
       in Christ.

       (1 Cor 3:2 NRSV)  I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were 
       not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready,

       (1 Cor 3:3 NRSV)  for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there 
       is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and 
       behaving according to human inclinations?

       (1 Cor 3:4 NRSV)  For when one says, "I belong to Paul," and another, 
       "I belong to Apollos," are you not merely human?

       (1 Cor 3:5 NRSV)  What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through 
       whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each.

       (1 Cor 3:6 NRSV)  I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

       (1 Cor 3:7 NRSV)  So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters 
       is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

       (1 Cor 3:8 NRSV)  The one who plants and the one who waters have a 
       common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of 
       each.

       (1 Cor 3:9 NRSV)  For we are God's servants, working together; you are 
       God's field, God's building.

       (1 Cor 3:10 NRSV)  According to the grace of God given to me, like a 
       skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is 
       building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it.

       (1 Cor 3:11 NRSV)  For no one can lay any foundation other than the 
       one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.

       (1 Cor 3:12 NRSV)  Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, 
       silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw--

       (1 Cor 3:13 NRSV)  the work of each builder will become visible, for 
       the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and 
       the fire will test what sort of work each has done.

       (1 Cor 3:14 NRSV)  If what has been built on the foundation survives, 
       the builder will receive a reward.

       (1 Cor 3:15 NRSV)  If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer 
       loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire.





       (1 Cor 3:16 NRSV)  Do you not know that you are God's temple and that 
       God's Spirit dwells in you?

       (1 Cor 3:17 NRSV)  If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy 
       that person. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

       (1 Cor 3:18 NRSV)  Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you 
       are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become 
       wise.

       (1 Cor 3:19 NRSV)  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with 
       God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness,"

       (1 Cor 3:20 NRSV)  and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the 
       wise, that they are futile."

       (1 Cor 3:21 NRSV)  So let no one boast about human leaders. For all 
       things are yours,

       (1 Cor 3:22 NRSV)  whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or 
       life or death or the present or the future--all belong to you,

       (1 Cor 3:23 NRSV)  and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to 
       God.

       (1 Cor 4:1 NRSV)  Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and 
       stewards of God's mysteries.

       (1 Cor 4:2 NRSV)  Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be 
       found trustworthy.

       (1 Cor 4:3 NRSV)  But with me it is a very small thing that I should 
       be judged by you or by any human court. I do not even judge myself.

       (1 Cor 4:4 NRSV)  I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am 
       not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.

       (1 Cor 4:5 NRSV)  Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, 
       before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden 
       in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one 
       will receive commendation from God.

       (1 Cor 4:6 NRSV)  I have applied all this to Apollos and myself for 
       your benefit, brothers and sisters, so that you may learn through us 
       the meaning of the saying, "Nothing beyond what is written," so that 
       none of you will be puffed up in favor of one against another.

       (1 Cor 4:7 NRSV)  For who sees anything different in you? What do you 
       have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you 
       boast as if it were not a gift?

       (1 Cor 4:8 NRSV)  Already you have all you want! Already you have 
       become rich! Quite apart from us you have become kings! Indeed, I wish 
       that you had become kings, so that we might be kings with you!

       (1 Cor 4:9 NRSV)  For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as 





       last of all, as though sentenced to death, because we have become a 
       spectacle to the world, to angels and to mortals.

       (1 Cor 4:10 NRSV)  We are fools for the sake of Christ, but you are 
       wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in 
       honor, but we in disrepute.

       (1 Cor 4:11 NRSV)  To the present hour we are hungry and thirsty, we 
       are poorly clothed and beaten and homeless,

       (1 Cor 4:12 NRSV)  and we grow weary from the work of our own hands. 
       When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;

       (1 Cor 4:13 NRSV)  when slandered, we speak kindly. We have become 
       like the rubbish of the world, the dregs of all things, to this very 
       day.

       (1 Cor 4:14 NRSV)  I am not writing this to make you ashamed, but to 
       admonish you as my beloved children.

       (1 Cor 4:15 NRSV)  For though you might have ten thousand guardians in 
       Christ, you do not have many fathers. Indeed, in Christ Jesus I became 
       your father through the gospel.

       (1 Cor 4:16 NRSV)  I appeal to you, then, be imitators of me.

       (1 Cor 4:17 NRSV)  For this reason I sent you Timothy, who is my 
       beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in 
       Christ Jesus, as I teach them everywhere in every church.

       (1 Cor 4:18 NRSV)  But some of you, thinking that I am not coming to 
       you, have become arrogant.

       (1 Cor 4:19 NRSV)  But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and 
       I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power.

       (1 Cor 4:20 NRSV)  For the kingdom of God depends not on talk but on 
       power.

       (1 Cor 4:21 NRSV)  What would you prefer? Am I to come to you with a 
       stick, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?

       (1 Cor 5:1 NRSV)  It is actually reported that there is sexual 
       immorality among you, and of a kind that is not found even among 
       pagans; for a man is living with his father's wife.

       (1 Cor 5:2 NRSV)  And you are arrogant! Should you not rather have 
       mourned, so that he who has done this would have been removed from 
       among you?

       (1 Cor 5:3 NRSV)  For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; 
       and as if present I have already pronounced judgment

       (1 Cor 5:4 NRSV)  in the name of the Lord Jesus on the man who has 
       done such a thing. When you are assembled, and my spirit is present 
       with the power of our Lord Jesus,






       (1 Cor 5:5 NRSV)  you are to hand this man over to Satan for the 
       destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day 
       of the Lord.

       (1 Cor 5:6 NRSV)  Your boasting is not a good thing. Do you not know 
       that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?

       (1 Cor 5:7 NRSV)  Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new 
       batch, as you really are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has 
       been sacrificed.

       (1 Cor 5:8 NRSV)  Therefore, let us celebrate the festival, not with 
       the old yeast, the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened 
       bread of sincerity and truth.

       (1 Cor 5:9 NRSV)  I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with 
       sexually immoral persons--

       (1 Cor 5:10 NRSV)  not at all meaning the immoral of this world, or 
       the greedy and robbers, or idolaters, since you would then need to go 
       out of the world.

       (1 Cor 5:11 NRSV)  But now I am writing to you not to associate with 
       anyone who bears the name of brother or sister who is sexually immoral 
       or greedy, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber. Do not 
       even eat with such a one.

       (1 Cor 5:12 NRSV)  For what have I to do with judging those outside? 
       Is it not those who are inside that you are to judge?

       (1 Cor 5:13 NRSV)  God will judge those outside. "Drive out the wicked 
       person from among you."

       (1 Cor 6:1 NRSV)  When any of you has a grievance against another, do 
       you dare to take it to court before the unrighteous, instead of taking 
       it before the saints?

       (1 Cor 6:2 NRSV)  Do you not know that the saints will judge the 
       world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to 
       try trivial cases?

       (1 Cor 6:3 NRSV)  Do you not know that we are to judge angels--to say 
       nothing of ordinary matters?

       (1 Cor 6:4 NRSV)  If you have ordinary cases, then, do you appoint as 
       judges those who have no standing in the church?

       (1 Cor 6:5 NRSV)  I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no 
       one among you wise enough to decide between one believer and another,

       (1 Cor 6:6 NRSV)  but a believer goes to court against a believer--and 
       before unbelievers at that?

       (1 Cor 6:7 NRSV)  In fact, to have lawsuits at all with one another is 
       already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be 





       defrauded?

       (1 Cor 6:8 NRSV)  But you yourselves wrong and defraud--and believers 
       at that.

       (1 Cor 6:9 NRSV)  Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the 
       kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, 
       adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites,

       (1 Cor 6:10 NRSV)  thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, 
       robbers--none of these will inherit the kingdom of God.

       (1 Cor 6:11 NRSV)  And this is what some of you used to be. But you 
       were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of 
       the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

       (1 Cor 6:12 NRSV)  "All things are lawful for me," but not all things 
       are beneficial. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be 
       dominated by anything.

       (1 Cor 6:13 NRSV)  "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for 
       food," and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant 
       not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

       (1 Cor 6:14 NRSV)  And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by 
       his power.

       (1 Cor 6:15 NRSV)  Do you not know that your bodies are members of 
       Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them 
       members of a prostitute? Never!

       (1 Cor 6:16 NRSV)  Do you not know that whoever is united to a 
       prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, "The two shall 
       be one flesh."

       (1 Cor 6:17 NRSV)  But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit 
       with him.

       (1 Cor 6:18 NRSV)  Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits 
       is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself.

       (1 Cor 6:19 NRSV)  Or do you not know that your body is a temple of 
       the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are 
       not your own?

       (1 Cor 6:20 NRSV)  For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify 
       God in your body.

       (1 Cor 7:1 NRSV)  Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: 
       "It is well for a man not to touch a woman."

       (1 Cor 7:2 NRSV)  But because of cases of sexual immorality, each man 
       should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.

       (1 Cor 7:3 NRSV)  The husband should give to his wife her conjugal 
       rights, and likewise the wife to her husband.






       (1 Cor 7:4 NRSV)  For the wife does not have authority over her own 
       body, but the husband does; likewise the husband does not have 
       authority over his own body, but the wife does.

       (1 Cor 7:5 NRSV)  Do not deprive one another except perhaps by 
       agreement for a set time, to devote yourselves to prayer, and then 
       come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your 
       lack of self-control.

       (1 Cor 7:6 NRSV)  This I say by way of concession, not of command.

       (1 Cor 7:7 NRSV)  I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has a 
       particular gift from God, one having one kind and another a different 
       kind.

       (1 Cor 7:8 NRSV)  To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is 
       well for them to remain unmarried as I am.

       (1 Cor 7:9 NRSV)  But if they are not practicing self-control, they 
       should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with 
       passion.

       (1 Cor 7:10 NRSV)  To the married I give this command--not I but the 
       Lord--that the wife should not separate from her husband

       (1 Cor 7:11 NRSV)  (but if she does separate, let her remain unmarried 
       or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not 
       divorce his wife.

       (1 Cor 7:12 NRSV)  To the rest I say--I and not the Lord--that if any 
       believer has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live 
       with him, he should not divorce her.

       (1 Cor 7:13 NRSV)  And if any woman has a husband who is an 
       unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce 
       him.

       (1 Cor 7:14 NRSV)  For the unbelieving husband is made holy through 
       his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy through her husband. 
       Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are 
       holy.

       (1 Cor 7:15 NRSV)  But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be 
       so; in such a case the brother or sister is not bound. It is to peace 
       that God has called you.

       (1 Cor 7:16 NRSV)  Wife, for all you know, you might save your 
       husband. Husband, for all you know, you might save your wife.

       (1 Cor 7:17 NRSV)  However that may be, let each of you lead the life 
       that the Lord has assigned, to which God called you. This is my rule 
       in all the churches.

       (1 Cor 7:18 NRSV)  Was anyone at the time of his call already 
       circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was 





       anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek 
       circumcision.

       (1 Cor 7:19 NRSV)  Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is 
       nothing; but obeying the commandments of God is everything.

       (1 Cor 7:20 NRSV)  Let each of you remain in the condition in which 
       you were called.

       (1 Cor 7:21 NRSV)  Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned 
       about it. Even if you can gain your freedom, make use of your present 
       condition now more than ever.

       (1 Cor 7:22 NRSV)  For whoever was called in the Lord as a slave is a 
       freed person belonging to the Lord, just as whoever was free when 
       called is a slave of Christ.

       (1 Cor 7:23 NRSV)  You were bought with a price; do not become slaves 
       of human masters.

       (1 Cor 7:24 NRSV)  In whatever condition you were called, brothers and 
       sisters, there remain with God.

       (1 Cor 7:25 NRSV)  Now concerning virgins, I have no command of the 
       Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is 
       trustworthy.

       (1 Cor 7:26 NRSV)  I think that, in view of the impending crisis, it 
       is well for you to remain as you are.

       (1 Cor 7:27 NRSV)  Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. 
       Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife.

       (1 Cor 7:28 NRSV)  But if you marry, you do not sin, and if a virgin 
       marries, she does not sin. Yet those who marry will experience 
       distress in this life, and I would spare you that.

       (1 Cor 7:29 NRSV)  I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time 
       has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as 
       though they had none,

       (1 Cor 7:30 NRSV)  and those who mourn as though they were not 
       mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and 
       those who buy as though they had no possessions,

       (1 Cor 7:31 NRSV)  and those who deal with the world as though they 
       had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing 
       away.

       (1 Cor 7:32 NRSV)  I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried 
       man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord;

       (1 Cor 7:33 NRSV)  but the married man is anxious about the affairs of 
       the world, how to please his wife,

       (1 Cor 7:34 NRSV)  and his interests are divided. And the unmarried 





       woman and the virgin are anxious about the affairs of the Lord, so 
       that they may be holy in body and spirit; but the married woman is 
       anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please her husband.

       (1 Cor 7:35 NRSV)  I say this for your own benefit, not to put any 
       restraint upon you, but to promote good order and unhindered devotion 
       to the Lord.

       (1 Cor 7:36 NRSV)  If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly 
       toward his fiancee, if his passions are strong, and so it has to be, 
       let him marry as he wishes; it is no sin. Let them marry.

       (1 Cor 7:37 NRSV)  But if someone stands firm in his resolve, being 
       under no necessity but having his own desire under control, and has 
       determined in his own mind to keep her as his fiancee, he will do 
       well.

       (1 Cor 7:38 NRSV)  So then, he who marries his fiancee does well; and 
       he who refrains from marriage will do better.

       (1 Cor 7:39 NRSV)  A wife is bound as long as her husband lives. But 
       if the husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, only in 
       the Lord.

       (1 Cor 7:40 NRSV)  But in my judgment she is more blessed if she 
       remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

       (1 Cor 8:1 NRSV)  Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know 
       that "all of us possess knowledge." Knowledge puffs up, but love 
       builds up.

       (1 Cor 8:2 NRSV)  Anyone who claims to know something does not yet 
       have the necessary knowledge;

       (1 Cor 8:3 NRSV)  but anyone who loves God is known by him.

       (1 Cor 8:4 NRSV)  Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we 
       know that "no idol in the world really exists," and that "there is no 
       God but one."

       (1 Cor 8:5 NRSV)  Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in 
       heaven or on earth--as in fact there are many gods and many lords--

       (1 Cor 8:6 NRSV)  yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom 
       are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, 
       through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

       (1 Cor 8:7 NRSV)  It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. 
       Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still 
       think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their 
       conscience, being weak, is defiled.

       (1 Cor 8:8 NRSV)  "Food will not bring us close to God." We are no 
       worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.

       (1 Cor 8:9 NRSV)  But take care that this liberty of yours does not 





       somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.

       (1 Cor 8:10 NRSV)  For if others see you, who possess knowledge, 
       eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their 
       conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food 
       sacrificed to idols?

       (1 Cor 8:11 NRSV)  So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom 
       Christ died are destroyed.

       (1 Cor 8:12 NRSV)  But when you thus sin against members of your 
       family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against 
       Christ.

       (1 Cor 8:13 NRSV)  Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I 
       will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.

       (1 Cor 9:1 NRSV)  Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen 
       Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?

       (1 Cor 9:2 NRSV)  If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to 
       you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

       (1 Cor 9:3 NRSV)  This is my defense to those who would examine me.

       (1 Cor 9:4 NRSV)  Do we not have the right to our food and drink?

       (1 Cor 9:5 NRSV)  Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a 
       believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord 
       and Cephas?

       (1 Cor 9:6 NRSV)  Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to 
       refrain from working for a living?

       (1 Cor 9:7 NRSV)  Who at any time pays the expenses for doing military 
       service? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat any of its fruit? Or 
       who tends a flock and does not get any of its milk?

       (1 Cor 9:8 NRSV)  Do I say this on human authority? Does not the law 
       also say the same?

       (1 Cor 9:9 NRSV)  For it is written in the law of Moses, "You shall 
       not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." Is it for oxen 
       that God is concerned?

       (1 Cor 9:10 NRSV)  Or does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was 
       indeed written for our sake, for whoever plows should plow in hope and 
       whoever threshes should thresh in hope of a share in the crop.

       (1 Cor 9:11 NRSV)  If we have sown spiritual good among you, is it too 
       much if we reap your material benefits?

       (1 Cor 9:12 NRSV)  If others share this rightful claim on you, do not 
       we still more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but 
       we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the 
       gospel of Christ.






       (1 Cor 9:13 NRSV)  Do you not know that those who are employed in the 
       temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at 
       the altar share in what is sacrificed on the altar?

       (1 Cor 9:14 NRSV)  In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who 
       proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.

       (1 Cor 9:15 NRSV)  But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor 
       am I writing this so that they may be applied in my case. Indeed, I 
       would rather die than that--no one will deprive me of my ground for 
       boasting!

       (1 Cor 9:16 NRSV)  If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground 
       for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do 
       not proclaim the gospel!

       (1 Cor 9:17 NRSV)  For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; 
       but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission.

       (1 Cor 9:18 NRSV)  What then is my reward? Just this: that in my 
       proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make 
       full use of my rights in the gospel.

       (1 Cor 9:19 NRSV)  For though I am free with respect to all, I have 
       made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them.

       (1 Cor 9:20 NRSV)  To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win 
       Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I 
       myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law.

       (1 Cor 9:21 NRSV)  To those outside the law I became as one outside 
       the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's 
       law) so that I might win those outside the law.

       (1 Cor 9:22 NRSV)  To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the 
       weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all 
       means save some.

       (1 Cor 9:23 NRSV)  I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I 
       may share in its blessings.

       (1 Cor 9:24 NRSV)  Do you not know that in a race the runners all 
       compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you 
       may win it.

       (1 Cor 9:25 NRSV)  Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they 
       do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one.

       (1 Cor 9:26 NRSV)  So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though 
       beating the air;

       (1 Cor 9:27 NRSV)  but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after 
       proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.

       (1 Cor 10:1 NRSV)  I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and 





       sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed 
       through the sea,

       (1 Cor 10:2 NRSV)  and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and 
       in the sea,

       (1 Cor 10:3 NRSV)  and all ate the same spiritual food,

       (1 Cor 10:4 NRSV)  and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they 
       drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was 
       Christ.

       (1 Cor 10:5 NRSV)  Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of 
       them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.

       (1 Cor 10:6 NRSV)  Now these things occurred as examples for us, so 
       that we might not desire evil as they did.

       (1 Cor 10:7 NRSV)  Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it 
       is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to 
       play."

       (1 Cor 10:8 NRSV)  We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of 
       them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.

       (1 Cor 10:9 NRSV)  We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them 
       did, and were destroyed by serpents.

       (1 Cor 10:10 NRSV)  And do not complain as some of them did, and were 
       destroyed by the destroyer.

       (1 Cor 10:11 NRSV)  These things happened to them to serve as an 
       example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends 
       of the ages have come.

       (1 Cor 10:12 NRSV)  So if you think you are standing, watch out that 
       you do not fall.

       (1 Cor 10:13 NRSV)  No testing has overtaken you that is not common to 
       everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond 
       your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out 
       so that you may be able to endure it.

       (1 Cor 10:14 NRSV)  Therefore, my dear friends, flee from the worship 
       of idols.

       (1 Cor 10:15 NRSV)  I speak as to sensible people; judge for 
       yourselves what I say.

       (1 Cor 10:16 NRSV)  The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a 
       sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a 
       sharing in the body of Christ?

       (1 Cor 10:17 NRSV)  Because there is one bread, we who are many are 
       one body, for we all partake of the one bread.





       (1 Cor 10:18 NRSV)  Consider the people of Israel; are not those who 
       eat the sacrifices partners in the altar?

       (1 Cor 10:19 NRSV)  What do I imply then? That food sacrificed to 
       idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?

       (1 Cor 10:20 NRSV)  No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice, they 
       sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners 
       with demons.

       (1 Cor 10:21 NRSV)  You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup 
       of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table 
       of demons.

       (1 Cor 10:22 NRSV)  Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we 
       stronger than he?

       (1 Cor 10:23 NRSV)  "All things are lawful," but not all things are 
       beneficial. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up.

       (1 Cor 10:24 NRSV)  Do not seek your own advantage, but that of the 
       other.

       (1 Cor 10:25 NRSV)  Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without 
       raising any question on the ground of conscience,

       (1 Cor 10:26 NRSV)  for "the earth and its fullness are the Lord's."

       (1 Cor 10:27 NRSV)  If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you are 
       disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any 
       question on the ground of conscience.

       (1 Cor 10:28 NRSV)  But if someone says to you, "This has been offered 
       in sacrifice," then do not eat it, out of consideration for the one 
       who informed you, and for the sake of conscience--

       (1 Cor 10:29 NRSV)  I mean the other's conscience, not your own. For 
       why should my liberty be subject to the judgment of someone else's 
       conscience?

       (1 Cor 10:30 NRSV)  If I partake with thankfulness, why should I be 
       denounced because of that for which I give thanks?

       (1 Cor 10:31 NRSV)  So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, 
       do everything for the glory of God.

       (1 Cor 10:32 NRSV)  Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the 
       church of God,

       (1 Cor 10:33 NRSV)  just as I try to please everyone in everything I 
       do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, so that they may 
       be saved.

       (1 Cor 11:1 NRSV)  Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

       (1 Cor 11:2 NRSV)  I commend you because you remember me in everything 





       and maintain the traditions just as I handed them on to you.

       (1 Cor 11:3 NRSV)  But I want you to understand that Christ is the 
       head of every man, and the husband is the head of his wife, and God is 
       the head of Christ.

       (1 Cor 11:4 NRSV)  Any man who prays or prophesies with something on 
       his head disgraces his head,

       (1 Cor 11:5 NRSV)  but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head 
       unveiled disgraces her head--it is one and the same thing as having 
       her head shaved.

       (1 Cor 11:6 NRSV)  For if a woman will not veil herself, then she 
       should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have 
       her hair cut off or to be shaved, she should wear a veil.

       (1 Cor 11:7 NRSV)  For a man ought not to have his head veiled, since 
       he is the image and reflection of God; but woman is the reflection of 
       man.

       (1 Cor 11:8 NRSV)  Indeed, man was not made from woman, but woman from 
       man.

       (1 Cor 11:9 NRSV)  Neither was man created for the sake of woman, but 
       woman for the sake of man.

       (1 Cor 11:10 NRSV)  For this reason a woman ought to have a symbol of 
       authority on her head, because of the angels.

       (1 Cor 11:11 NRSV)  Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent 
       of man or man independent of woman.

       (1 Cor 11:12 NRSV)  For just as woman came from man, so man comes 
       through woman; but all things come from God.

       (1 Cor 11:13 NRSV)  Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to 
       pray to God with her head unveiled?

       (1 Cor 11:14 NRSV)  Does not nature itself teach you that if a man 
       wears long hair, it is degrading to him,

       (1 Cor 11:15 NRSV)  but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For 
       her hair is given to her for a covering.

       (1 Cor 11:16 NRSV)  But if anyone is disposed to be contentious--we 
       have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.

       (1 Cor 11:17 NRSV)  Now in the following instructions I do not commend 
       you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for 
       the worse.

       (1 Cor 11:18 NRSV)  For, to begin with, when you come together as a 
       church, I hear that there are divisions among you; and to some extent 
       I believe it.





       (1 Cor 11:19 NRSV)  Indeed, there have to be factions among you, for 
       only so will it become clear who among you are genuine.

       (1 Cor 11:20 NRSV)  When you come together, it is not really to eat 
       the Lord's supper.

       (1 Cor 11:21 NRSV)  For when the time comes to eat, each of you goes 
       ahead with your own supper, and one goes hungry and another becomes 
       drunk.

       (1 Cor 11:22 NRSV)  What! Do you not have homes to eat and drink in? 
       Or do you show contempt for the church of God and humiliate those who 
       have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I commend you? In this 
       matter I do not commend you!

       (1 Cor 11:23 NRSV)  For I received from the Lord what I also handed on 
       to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a 
       loaf of bread,

       (1 Cor 11:24 NRSV)  and when he had given thanks, he broke it and 
       said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

       (1 Cor 11:25 NRSV)  In the same way he took the cup also, after 
       supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as 
       often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."

       (1 Cor 11:26 NRSV)  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the 
       cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

       (1 Cor 11:27 NRSV)  Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the 
       cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body 
       and blood of the Lord.

       (1 Cor 11:28 NRSV)  Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread 
       and drink of the cup.

       (1 Cor 11:29 NRSV)  For all who eat and drink without discerning the 
       body, eat and drink judgment against themselves.

       (1 Cor 11:30 NRSV)  For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and 
       some have died.

       (1 Cor 11:31 NRSV)  But if we judged ourselves, we would not be 
       judged.

       (1 Cor 11:32 NRSV)  But when we are judged by the Lord, we are 
       disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

       (1 Cor 11:33 NRSV)  So then, my brothers and sisters, when you come 
       together to eat, wait for one another.

       (1 Cor 11:34 NRSV)  If you are hungry, eat at home, so that when you 
       come together, it will not be for your condemnation. About the other 
       things I will give instructions when I come.

       (1 Cor 12:1 NRSV)  Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and 





       sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.

       (1 Cor 12:2 NRSV)  You know that when you were pagans, you were 
       enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak.

       (1 Cor 12:3 NRSV)  Therefore I want you to understand that no one 
       speaking by the Spirit of God ever says "Let Jesus be cursed!" and no 
       one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit.

       (1 Cor 12:4 NRSV)  Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same 
       Spirit;

       (1 Cor 12:5 NRSV)  and there are varieties of services, but the same 
       Lord;

       (1 Cor 12:6 NRSV)  and there are varieties of activities, but it is 
       the same God who activates all of them in everyone.

       (1 Cor 12:7 NRSV)  To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit 
       for the common good.

       (1 Cor 12:8 NRSV)  To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of 
       wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the 
       same Spirit,

       (1 Cor 12:9 NRSV)  to another faith by the same Spirit, to another 
       gifts of healing by the one Spirit,

       (1 Cor 12:10 NRSV)  to another the working of miracles, to another 
       prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various 
       kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

       (1 Cor 12:11 NRSV)  All these are activated by one and the same 
       Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit 
       chooses.

       (1 Cor 12:12 NRSV)  For just as the body is one and has many members, 
       and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is 
       with Christ.

       (1 Cor 12:13 NRSV)  For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into 
       one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and we were all made to 
       drink of one Spirit.

       (1 Cor 12:14 NRSV)  Indeed, the body does not consist of one member 
       but of many.

       (1 Cor 12:15 NRSV)  If the foot would say, "Because I am not a hand, I 
       do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of 
       the body.

       (1 Cor 12:16 NRSV)  And if the ear would say, "Because I am not an 
       eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a 
       part of the body.

       (1 Cor 12:17 NRSV)  If the whole body were an eye, where would the 





       hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of 
       smell be?

       (1 Cor 12:18 NRSV)  But as it is, God arranged the members in the 
       body, each one of them, as he chose.

       (1 Cor 12:19 NRSV)  If all were a single member, where would the body 
       be?

       (1 Cor 12:20 NRSV)  As it is, there are many members, yet one body.

       (1 Cor 12:21 NRSV)  The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of 
       you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."

       (1 Cor 12:22 NRSV)  On the contrary, the members of the body that seem 
       to be weaker are indispensable,

       (1 Cor 12:23 NRSV)  and those members of the body that we think less 
       honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable 
       members are treated with greater respect;

       (1 Cor 12:24 NRSV)  whereas our more respectable members do not need 
       this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to 
       the inferior member,

       (1 Cor 12:25 NRSV)  that there may be no dissension within the body, 
       but the members may have the same care for one another.

       (1 Cor 12:26 NRSV)  If one member suffers, all suffer together with 
       it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.

       (1 Cor 12:27 NRSV)  Now you are the body of Christ and individually 
       members of it.

       (1 Cor 12:28 NRSV)  And God has appointed in the church first 
       apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then 
       gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various 
       kinds of tongues.

       (1 Cor 12:29 NRSV)  Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all 
       teachers? Do all work miracles?

       (1 Cor 12:30 NRSV)  Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in 
       tongues? Do all interpret?

       (1 Cor 12:31 NRSV)  But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show 
       you a still more excellent way.

       (1 Cor 13:1 NRSV)  If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, 
       but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

       (1 Cor 13:2 NRSV)  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all 
       mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove 
       mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

       (1 Cor 13:3 NRSV)  If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand 





       over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain 
       nothing.

       (1 Cor 13:4 NRSV)  Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious 
       or boastful or arrogant

       (1 Cor 13:5 NRSV)  or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is 
       not irritable or resentful;

       (1 Cor 13:6 NRSV)  it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in 
       the truth.

       (1 Cor 13:7 NRSV)  It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all 
       things, endures all things.

       (1 Cor 13:8 NRSV)  Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will 
       come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it 
       will come to an end.

       (1 Cor 13:9 NRSV)  For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in 
       part;

       (1 Cor 13:10 NRSV)  but when the complete comes, the partial will come 
       to an end.

       (1 Cor 13:11 NRSV)  When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I 
       thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, 
       I put an end to childish ways.

       (1 Cor 13:12 NRSV)  For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we 
       will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know 
       fully, even as I have been fully known.

       (1 Cor 13:13 NRSV)  And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; 
       and the greatest of these is love.

       (1 Cor 14:1 NRSV)  Pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts, and 
       especially that you may prophesy.

       (1 Cor 14:2 NRSV)  For those who speak in a tongue do not speak to 
       other people but to God; for nobody understands them, since they are 
       speaking mysteries in the Spirit.

       (1 Cor 14:3 NRSV)  On the other hand, those who prophesy speak to 
       other people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.

       (1 Cor 14:4 NRSV)  Those who speak in a tongue build up themselves, 
       but those who prophesy build up the church.

       (1 Cor 14:5 NRSV)  Now I would like all of you to speak in tongues, 
       but even more to prophesy. One who prophesies is greater than one who 
       speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may 
       be built up.

       (1 Cor 14:6 NRSV)  Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you 
       speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you in 





       some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?

       (1 Cor 14:7 NRSV)  It is the same way with lifeless instruments that 
       produce sound, such as the flute or the harp. If they do not give 
       distinct notes, how will anyone know what is being played?

       (1 Cor 14:8 NRSV)  And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who 
       will get ready for battle?

       (1 Cor 14:9 NRSV)  So with yourselves; if in a tongue you utter speech 
       that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is being said? For 
       you will be speaking into the air.

       (1 Cor 14:10 NRSV)  There are doubtless many different kinds of sounds 
       in the world, and nothing is without sound.

       (1 Cor 14:11 NRSV)  If then I do not know the meaning of a sound, I 
       will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me.

       (1 Cor 14:12 NRSV)  So with yourselves; since you are eager for 
       spiritual gifts, strive to excel in them for building up the church.

       (1 Cor 14:13 NRSV)  Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray 
       for the power to interpret.

       (1 Cor 14:14 NRSV)  For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my 
       mind is unproductive.

       (1 Cor 14:15 NRSV)  What should I do then? I will pray with the 
       spirit, but I will pray with the mind also; I will sing praise with 
       the spirit, but I will sing praise with the mind also.

       (1 Cor 14:16 NRSV)  Otherwise, if you say a blessing with the spirit, 
       how can anyone in the position of an outsider say the "Amen" to your 
       thanksgiving, since the outsider does not know what you are saying?

       (1 Cor 14:17 NRSV)  For you may give thanks well enough, but the other 
       person is not built up.

       (1 Cor 14:18 NRSV)  I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all 
       of you;

       (1 Cor 14:19 NRSV)  nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five 
       words with my mind, in order to instruct others also, than ten 
       thousand words in a tongue.

       (1 Cor 14:20 NRSV)  Brothers and sisters, do not be children in your 
       thinking; rather, be infants in evil, but in thinking be adults.

       (1 Cor 14:21 NRSV)  In the law it is written, "By people of strange 
       tongues and by the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people; yet 
       even then they will not listen to me," says the Lord.

       (1 Cor 14:22 NRSV)  Tongues, then, are a sign not for believers but 
       for unbelievers, while prophecy is not for unbelievers but for 
       believers.






       (1 Cor 14:23 NRSV)  If, therefore, the whole church comes together and 
       all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they 
       not say that you are out of your mind?

       (1 Cor 14:24 NRSV)  But if all prophesy, an unbeliever or outsider who 
       enters is reproved by all and called to account by all.

       (1 Cor 14:25 NRSV)  After the secrets of the unbeliever's heart are 
       disclosed, that person will bow down before God and worship him, 
       declaring, "God is really among you."

       (1 Cor 14:26 NRSV)  What should be done then, my friends? When you 
       come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, 
       or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

       (1 Cor 14:27 NRSV)  If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be only 
       two or at most three, and each in turn; and let one interpret.

       (1 Cor 14:28 NRSV)  But if there is no one to interpret, let them be 
       silent in church and speak to themselves and to God.

       (1 Cor 14:29 NRSV)  Let two or three prophets speak, and let the 
       others weigh what is said.

       (1 Cor 14:30 NRSV)  If a revelation is made to someone else sitting 
       nearby, let the first person be silent.

       (1 Cor 14:31 NRSV)  For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all 
       may learn and all be encouraged.

       (1 Cor 14:32 NRSV)  And the spirits of prophets are subject to the 
       prophets,

       (1 Cor 14:33 NRSV)  for God is a God not of disorder but of peace. (As 
       in all the churches of the saints,

       (1 Cor 14:34 NRSV)  women should be silent in the churches. For they 
       are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate, as the law also 
       says.

       (1 Cor 14:35 NRSV)  If there is anything they desire to know, let them 
       ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in 
       church.

       (1 Cor 14:36 NRSV)  Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are 
       you the only ones it has reached?)

       (1 Cor 14:37 NRSV)  Anyone who claims to be a prophet, or to have 
       spiritual powers, must acknowledge that what I am writing to you is a 
       command of the Lord.

       (1 Cor 14:38 NRSV)  Anyone who does not recognize this is not to be 
       recognized.

       (1 Cor 14:39 NRSV)  So, my friends, be eager to prophesy, and do not 





       forbid speaking in tongues;

       (1 Cor 14:40 NRSV)  but all things should be done decently and in 
       order.

       (1 Cor 15:1 NRSV)  Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of 
       the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in 
       which also you stand,

       (1 Cor 15:2 NRSV)  through which also you are being saved, if you hold 
       firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you--unless you have come 
       to believe in vain.

       (1 Cor 15:3 NRSV)  For I handed on to you as of first importance what 
       I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance 
       with the scriptures,

       (1 Cor 15:4 NRSV)  and that he was buried, and that he was raised on 
       the third day in accordance with the scriptures,

       (1 Cor 15:5 NRSV)  and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

       (1 Cor 15:6 NRSV)  Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers 
       and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some 
       have died.

       (1 Cor 15:7 NRSV)  Then he appeared to James, then to all the 
       apostles.

       (1 Cor 15:8 NRSV)  Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared 
       also to me.

       (1 Cor 15:9 NRSV)  For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be 
       called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

       (1 Cor 15:10 NRSV)  But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his 
       grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder 
       than any of them--though it was not I, but the grace of God that is 
       with me.

       (1 Cor 15:11 NRSV)  Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and 
       so you have come to believe.

       (1 Cor 15:12 NRSV)  Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the 
       dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead?

       (1 Cor 15:13 NRSV)  If there is no resurrection of the dead, then 
       Christ has not been raised;

       (1 Cor 15:14 NRSV)  and if Christ has not been raised, then our 
       proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain.

       (1 Cor 15:15 NRSV)  We are even found to be misrepresenting God, 
       because we testified of God that he raised Christ--whom he did not 
       raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.





       (1 Cor 15:16 NRSV)  For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has 
       not been raised.

       (1 Cor 15:17 NRSV)  If Christ has not been raised, your faith is 
       futile and you are still in your sins.

       (1 Cor 15:18 NRSV)  Then those also who have died in Christ have 
       perished.

       (1 Cor 15:19 NRSV)  If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we 
       are of all people most to be pitied.

       (1 Cor 15:20 NRSV)  But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, 
       the first fruits of those who have died.

       (1 Cor 15:21 NRSV)  For since death came through a human being, the 
       resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being;

       (1 Cor 15:22 NRSV)  for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive 
       in Christ.

       (1 Cor 15:23 NRSV)  But each in his own order: Christ the first 
       fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

       (1 Cor 15:24 NRSV)  Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom 
       to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every 
       authority and power.

       (1 Cor 15:25 NRSV)  For he must reign until he has put all his enemies 
       under his feet.

       (1 Cor 15:26 NRSV)  The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

       (1 Cor 15:27 NRSV)  For "God has put all things in subjection under 
       his feet." But when it says, "All things are put in subjection," it is 
       plain that this does not include the one who put all things in 
       subjection under him.

       (1 Cor 15:28 NRSV)  When all things are subjected to him, then the Son 
       himself will also be subjected to the one who put all things in 
       subjection under him, so that God may be all in all.

       (1 Cor 15:29 NRSV)  Otherwise, what will those people do who receive 
       baptism on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why 
       are people baptized on their behalf?

       (1 Cor 15:30 NRSV)  And why are we putting ourselves in danger every 
       hour?

       (1 Cor 15:31 NRSV)  I die every day! That is as certain, brothers and 
       sisters, as my boasting of you--a boast that I make in Christ Jesus 
       our Lord.

       (1 Cor 15:32 NRSV)  If with merely human hopes I fought with wild 
       animals at Ephesus, what would I have gained by it? If the dead are 
       not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."






       (1 Cor 15:33 NRSV)  Do not be deceived: "Bad company ruins good 
       morals."

       (1 Cor 15:34 NRSV)  Come to a sober and right mind, and sin no more; 
       for some people have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

       (1 Cor 15:35 NRSV)  But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? 
       With what kind of body do they come?"

       (1 Cor 15:36 NRSV)  Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it 
       dies.

       (1 Cor 15:37 NRSV)  And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body 
       that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other 
       grain.

       (1 Cor 15:38 NRSV)  But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to 
       each kind of seed its own body.

       (1 Cor 15:39 NRSV)  Not all flesh is alike, but there is one flesh for 
       human beings, another for animals, another for birds, and another for 
       fish.

       (1 Cor 15:40 NRSV)  There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, 
       but the glory of the heavenly is one thing, and that of the earthly is 
       another.

       (1 Cor 15:41 NRSV)  There is one glory of the sun, and another glory 
       of the moon, and another glory of the stars; indeed, star differs from 
       star in glory.

       (1 Cor 15:42 NRSV)  So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What 
       is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable.

       (1 Cor 15:43 NRSV)  It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It 
       is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.

       (1 Cor 15:44 NRSV)  It is sown a physical body, it is raised a 
       spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual 
       body.

       (1 Cor 15:45 NRSV)  Thus it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a 
       living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

       (1 Cor 15:46 NRSV)  But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the 
       physical, and then the spiritual.

       (1 Cor 15:47 NRSV)  The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; 
       the second man is from heaven.

       (1 Cor 15:48 NRSV)  As was the man of dust, so are those who are of 
       the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven.

       (1 Cor 15:49 NRSV)  Just as we have borne the image of the man of 
       dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.






       (1 Cor 15:50 NRSV)  What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: 
       flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the 
       perishable inherit the imperishable.

       (1 Cor 15:51 NRSV)  Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all 
       die, but we will all be changed,

       (1 Cor 15:52 NRSV)  in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the 
       last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised 
       imperishable, and we will be changed.

       (1 Cor 15:53 NRSV)  For this perishable body must put on 
       imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

       (1 Cor 15:54 NRSV)  When this perishable body puts on imperishability, 
       and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is 
       written will be fulfilled: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."

       (1 Cor 15:55 NRSV)  "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, 
       is your sting?"

       (1 Cor 15:56 NRSV)  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is 
       the law.

       (1 Cor 15:57 NRSV)  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory 
       through our Lord Jesus Christ.

       (1 Cor 15:58 NRSV)  Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, 
       always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the 
       Lord your labor is not in vain.

       (1 Cor 16:1 NRSV)  Now concerning the collection for the saints: you 
       should follow the directions I gave to the churches of Galatia.

       (1 Cor 16:2 NRSV)  On the first day of every week, each of you is to 
       put aside and save whatever extra you earn, so that collections need 
       not be taken when I come.

       (1 Cor 16:3 NRSV)  And when I arrive, I will send any whom you approve 
       with letters to take your gift to Jerusalem.

       (1 Cor 16:4 NRSV)  If it seems advisable that I should go also, they 
       will accompany me.

       (1 Cor 16:5 NRSV)  I will visit you after passing through 
       Macedonia--for I intend to pass through Macedonia--

       (1 Cor 16:6 NRSV)  and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the 
       winter, so that you may send me on my way, wherever I go.

       (1 Cor 16:7 NRSV)  I do not want to see you now just in passing, for I 
       hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.

       (1 Cor 16:8 NRSV)  But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost,





       (1 Cor 16:9 NRSV)  for a wide door for effective work has opened to 
       me, and there are many adversaries.

       (1 Cor 16:10 NRSV)  If Timothy comes, see that he has nothing to fear 
       among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord just as I am;

       (1 Cor 16:11 NRSV)  therefore let no one despise him. Send him on his 
       way in peace, so that he may come to me; for I am expecting him with 
       the brothers.

       (1 Cor 16:12 NRSV)  Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly 
       urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but he was not at all 
       willing to come now. He will come when he has the opportunity.

       (1 Cor 16:13 NRSV)  Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be 
       courageous, be strong.

       (1 Cor 16:14 NRSV)  Let all that you do be done in love.

       (1 Cor 16:15 NRSV)  Now, brothers and sisters, you know that members 
       of the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and 
       they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints;

       (1 Cor 16:16 NRSV)  I urge you to put yourselves at the service of 
       such people, and of everyone who works and toils with them.

       (1 Cor 16:17 NRSV)  I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and 
       Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence;

       (1 Cor 16:18 NRSV)  for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. So 
       give recognition to such persons.

       (1 Cor 16:19 NRSV)  The churches of Asia send greetings. Aquila and 
       Prisca, together with the church in their house, greet you warmly in 
       the Lord.

       (1 Cor 16:20 NRSV)  All the brothers and sisters send greetings. Greet 
       one another with a holy kiss.

       (1 Cor 16:21 NRSV)  I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand.

       (1 Cor 16:22 NRSV)  Let anyone be accursed who has no love for the 
       Lord. Our Lord, come!

       (1 Cor 16:23 NRSV)  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

       (1 Cor 16:24 NRSV)  My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.

       (2 Cor 1:1 NRSV)  Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, 
       and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is in Corinth, 
       including all the saints throughout Achaia:

       (2 Cor 1:2 NRSV)  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the 
       Lord Jesus Christ.

       (2 Cor 1:3 NRSV)  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus 





       Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation,

       (2 Cor 1:4 NRSV)  who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we 
       may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the 
       consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.

       (2 Cor 1:5 NRSV)  For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant 
       for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ.

       (2 Cor 1:6 NRSV)  If we are being afflicted, it is for your 
       consolation and salvation; if we are being consoled, it is for your 
       consolation, which you experience when you patiently endure the same 
       sufferings that we are also suffering.

       (2 Cor 1:7 NRSV)  Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as 
       you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation.

       (2 Cor 1:8 NRSV)  We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and 
       sisters, of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so 
       utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself.

       (2 Cor 1:9 NRSV)  Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of 
       death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the 
       dead.

       (2 Cor 1:10 NRSV)  He who rescued us from so deadly a peril will 
       continue to rescue us; on him we have set our hope that he will rescue 
       us again,

       (2 Cor 1:11 NRSV)  as you also join in helping us by your prayers, so 
       that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us 
       through the prayers of many.

       (2 Cor 1:12 NRSV)  Indeed, this is our boast, the testimony of our 
       conscience: we have behaved in the world with frankness and godly 
       sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God--and all the 
       more toward you.

       (2 Cor 1:13 NRSV)  For we write you nothing other than what you can 
       read and also understand; I hope you will understand until the end--

       (2 Cor 1:14 NRSV)  as you have already understood us in part--that on 
       the day of the Lord Jesus we are your boast even as you are our boast.

       (2 Cor 1:15 NRSV)  Since I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you 
       first, so that you might have a double favor;

       (2 Cor 1:16 NRSV)  I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and 
       to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on to Judea.

       (2 Cor 1:17 NRSV)  Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I 
       make my plans according to ordinary human standards, ready to say 
       "Yes, yes" and "No, no" at the same time?

       (2 Cor 1:18 NRSV)  As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has 
       not been "Yes and No."






       (2 Cor 1:19 NRSV)  For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we 
       proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not "Yes and 
       No"; but in him it is always "Yes."

       (2 Cor 1:20 NRSV)  For in him every one of God's promises is a "Yes." 
       For this reason it is through him that we say the "Amen," to the glory 
       of God.

       (2 Cor 1:21 NRSV)  But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ 
       and has anointed us,

       (2 Cor 1:22 NRSV)  by putting his seal on us and giving us his Spirit 
       in our hearts as a first installment.

       (2 Cor 1:23 NRSV)  But I call on God as witness against me: it was to 
       spare you that I did not come again to Corinth.

       (2 Cor 1:24 NRSV)  I do not mean to imply that we lord it over your 
       faith; rather, we are workers with you for your joy, because you stand 
       firm in the faith.

       (2 Cor 2:1 NRSV)  So I made up my mind not to make you another painful 
       visit.

       (2 Cor 2:2 NRSV)  For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me 
       glad but the one whom I have pained?

       (2 Cor 2:3 NRSV)  And I wrote as I did, so that when I came, I might 
       not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice; for I am 
       confident about all of you, that my joy would be the joy of all of 
       you.

       (2 Cor 2:4 NRSV)  For I wrote you out of much distress and anguish of 
       heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain, but to let you know 
       the abundant love that I have for you.

       (2 Cor 2:5 NRSV)  But if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not 
       to me, but to some extent--not to exaggerate it--to all of you.

       (2 Cor 2:6 NRSV)  This punishment by the majority is enough for such a 
       person;

       (2 Cor 2:7 NRSV)  so now instead you should forgive and console him, 
       so that he may not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.

       (2 Cor 2:8 NRSV)  So I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.

       (2 Cor 2:9 NRSV)  I wrote for this reason: to test you and to know 
       whether you are obedient in everything.

       (2 Cor 2:10 NRSV)  Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. What I 
       have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in 
       the presence of Christ.

       (2 Cor 2:11 NRSV)  And we do this so that we may not be outwitted by 





       Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

       (2 Cor 2:12 NRSV)  When I came to Troas to proclaim the good news of 
       Christ, a door was opened for me in the Lord;

       (2 Cor 2:13 NRSV)  but my mind could not rest because I did not find 
       my brother Titus there. So I said farewell to them and went on to 
       Macedonia.

       (2 Cor 2:14 NRSV)  But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us 
       in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the 
       fragrance that comes from knowing him.

       (2 Cor 2:15 NRSV)  For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those 
       who are being saved and among those who are perishing;

       (2 Cor 2:16 NRSV)  to the one a fragrance from death to death, to the 
       other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these 
       things?

       (2 Cor 2:17 NRSV)  For we are not peddlers of God's word like so many; 
       but in Christ we speak as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from 
       God and standing in his presence.

       (2 Cor 3:1 NRSV)  Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Surely 
       we do not need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from 
       you, do we?

       (2 Cor 3:2 NRSV)  You yourselves are our letter, written on our 
       hearts, to be known and read by all;

       (2 Cor 3:3 NRSV)  and you show that you are a letter of Christ, 
       prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living 
       God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

       (2 Cor 3:4 NRSV)  Such is the confidence that we have through Christ 
       toward God.

       (2 Cor 3:5 NRSV)  Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim 
       anything as coming from us; our competence is from God,

       (2 Cor 3:6 NRSV)  who has made us competent to be ministers of a new 
       covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the 
       Spirit gives life.

       (2 Cor 3:7 NRSV)  Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on 
       stone tablets, came in glory so that the people of Israel could not 
       gaze at Moses' face because of the glory of his face, a glory now set 
       aside,

       (2 Cor 3:8 NRSV)  how much more will the ministry of the Spirit come 
       in glory?

       (2 Cor 3:9 NRSV)  For if there was glory in the ministry of 
       condemnation, much more does the ministry of justification abound in 
       glory!






       (2 Cor 3:10 NRSV)  Indeed, what once had glory has lost its glory 
       because of the greater glory;

       (2 Cor 3:11 NRSV)  for if what was set aside came through glory, much 
       more has the permanent come in glory!

       (2 Cor 3:12 NRSV)  Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great 
       boldness,

       (2 Cor 3:13 NRSV)  not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to 
       keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was 
       being set aside.

       (2 Cor 3:14 NRSV)  But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very 
       day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is 
       still there, since only in Christ is it set aside.

       (2 Cor 3:15 NRSV)  Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a 
       veil lies over their minds;

       (2 Cor 3:16 NRSV)  but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is 
       removed.

       (2 Cor 3:17 NRSV)  Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of 
       the Lord is, there is freedom.

       (2 Cor 3:18 NRSV)  And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the 
       glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being 
       transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; 
       for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

       (2 Cor 4:1 NRSV)  Therefore, since it is by God's mercy that we are 
       engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart.

       (2 Cor 4:2 NRSV)  We have renounced the shameful things that one 
       hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God's word; but by 
       the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience 
       of everyone in the sight of God.

       (2 Cor 4:3 NRSV)  And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to 
       those who are perishing.

       (2 Cor 4:4 NRSV)  In their case the god of this world has blinded the 
       minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the 
       gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

       (2 Cor 4:5 NRSV)  For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus 
       Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake.

       (2 Cor 4:6 NRSV)  For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of 
       darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the 
       knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

       (2 Cor 4:7 NRSV)  But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it 
       may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and 





       does not come from us.

       (2 Cor 4:8 NRSV)  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; 
       perplexed, but not driven to despair;

       (2 Cor 4:9 NRSV)  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not 
       destroyed;

       (2 Cor 4:10 NRSV)  always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so 
       that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies.

       (2 Cor 4:11 NRSV)  For while we live, we are always being given up to 
       death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible 
       in our mortal flesh.

       (2 Cor 4:12 NRSV)  So death is at work in us, but life in you.

       (2 Cor 4:13 NRSV)  But just as we have the same spirit of faith that 
       is in accordance with scripture--" I believed, and so I spoke"--we 
       also believe, and so we speak,

       (2 Cor 4:14 NRSV)  because we know that the one who raised the Lord 
       Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into 
       his presence.

       (2 Cor 4:15 NRSV)  Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as 
       it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the 
       glory of God.

       (2 Cor 4:16 NRSV)  So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer 
       nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.

       (2 Cor 4:17 NRSV)  For this slight momentary affliction is preparing 
       us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure,

       (2 Cor 4:18 NRSV)  because we look not at what can be seen but at what 
       cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be 
       seen is eternal.

       (2 Cor 5:1 NRSV)  For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is 
       destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, 
       eternal in the heavens.

       (2 Cor 5:2 NRSV)  For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed 
       with our heavenly dwelling--

       (2 Cor 5:3 NRSV)  if indeed, when we have taken it off we will not be 
       found naked.

       (2 Cor 5:4 NRSV)  For while we are still in this tent, we groan under 
       our burden, because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further 
       clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

       (2 Cor 5:5 NRSV)  He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, 
       who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.





       (2 Cor 5:6 NRSV)  So we are always confident; even though we know that 
       while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord--

       (2 Cor 5:7 NRSV)  for we walk by faith, not by sight.

       (2 Cor 5:8 NRSV)  Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be 
       away from the body and at home with the Lord.

       (2 Cor 5:9 NRSV)  So whether we are at home or away, we make it our 
       aim to please him.

       (2 Cor 5:10 NRSV)  For all of us must appear before the judgment seat 
       of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done 
       in the body, whether good or evil.

       (2 Cor 5:11 NRSV)  Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to 
       persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope 
       that we are also well known to your consciences.

       (2 Cor 5:12 NRSV)  We are not commending ourselves to you again, but 
       giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able 
       to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart.

       (2 Cor 5:13 NRSV)  For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if 
       we are in our right mind, it is for you.

       (2 Cor 5:14 NRSV)  For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are 
       convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died.

       (2 Cor 5:15 NRSV)  And he died for all, so that those who live might 
       live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for 
       them.

       (2 Cor 5:16 NRSV)  From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a 
       human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human 
       point of view, we know him no longer in that way.

       (2 Cor 5:17 NRSV)  So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: 
       everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!

       (2 Cor 5:18 NRSV)  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself 
       through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation;

       (2 Cor 5:19 NRSV)  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to 
       himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting 
       the message of reconciliation to us.

       (2 Cor 5:20 NRSV)  So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is 
       making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be 
       reconciled to God.

       (2 Cor 5:21 NRSV)  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, 
       so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

       (2 Cor 6:1 NRSV)  As we work together with him, we urge you also not 
       to accept the grace of God in vain.






       (2 Cor 6:2 NRSV)  For he says, "At an acceptable time I have listened 
       to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you." See, now is the 
       acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!

       (2 Cor 6:3 NRSV)  We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that 
       no fault may be found with our ministry,

       (2 Cor 6:4 NRSV)  but as servants of God we have commended ourselves 
       in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, 
       calamities,

       (2 Cor 6:5 NRSV)  beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless 
       nights, hunger;

       (2 Cor 6:6 NRSV)  by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness 
       of spirit, genuine love,

       (2 Cor 6:7 NRSV)  truthful speech, and the power of God; with the 
       weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left;

       (2 Cor 6:8 NRSV)  in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good 
       repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true;

       (2 Cor 6:9 NRSV)  as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and 
       see--we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed;

       (2 Cor 6:10 NRSV)  as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet 
       making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

       (2 Cor 6:11 NRSV)  We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our 
       heart is wide open to you.

       (2 Cor 6:12 NRSV)  There is no restriction in our affections, but only 
       in yours.

       (2 Cor 6:13 NRSV)  In return--I speak as to children--open wide your 
       hearts also.

       (2 Cor 6:14 NRSV)  Do not be mismatched with unbelievers. For what 
       partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what 
       fellowship is there between light and darkness?

       (2 Cor 6:15 NRSV)  What agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or 
       what does a believer share with an unbeliever?

       (2 Cor 6:16 NRSV)  What agreement has the temple of God with idols? 
       For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, "I will live in 
       them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be 
       my people.

       (2 Cor 6:17 NRSV)  Therefore come out from them, and be separate from 
       them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome 
       you,

       (2 Cor 6:18 NRSV)  and I will be your father, and you shall be my sons 





       and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

       (2 Cor 7:1 NRSV)  Since we have these promises, beloved, let us 
       cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and of spirit, making 
       holiness perfect in the fear of God.

       (2 Cor 7:2 NRSV)  Make room in your hearts for us; we have wronged no 
       one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one.

       (2 Cor 7:3 NRSV)  I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before 
       that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together.

       (2 Cor 7:4 NRSV)  I often boast about you; I have great pride in you; 
       I am filled with consolation; I am overjoyed in all our affliction.

       (2 Cor 7:5 NRSV)  For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had 
       no rest, but we were afflicted in every way--disputes without and 
       fears within.

       (2 Cor 7:6 NRSV)  But God, who consoles the downcast, consoled us by 
       the arrival of Titus,

       (2 Cor 7:7 NRSV)  and not only by his coming, but also by the 
       consolation with which he was consoled about you, as he told us of 
       your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced 
       still more.

       (2 Cor 7:8 NRSV)  For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do 
       not regret it (though I did regret it, for I see that I grieved you 
       with that letter, though only briefly).

       (2 Cor 7:9 NRSV)  Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but 
       because your grief led to repentance; for you felt a godly grief, so 
       that you were not harmed in any way by us.

       (2 Cor 7:10 NRSV)  For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to 
       salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death.

       (2 Cor 7:11 NRSV)  For see what earnestness this godly grief has 
       produced in you, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, 
       what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point 
       you have proved yourselves guiltless in the matter.

       (2 Cor 7:12 NRSV)  So although I wrote to you, it was not on account 
       of the one who did the wrong, nor on account of the one who was 
       wronged, but in order that your zeal for us might be made known to you 
       before God.

       (2 Cor 7:13 NRSV)  In this we find comfort. In addition to our own 
       consolation, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his 
       mind has been set at rest by all of you.

       (2 Cor 7:14 NRSV)  For if I have been somewhat boastful about you to 
       him, I was not disgraced; but just as everything we said to you was 
       true, so our boasting to Titus has proved true as well.





       (2 Cor 7:15 NRSV)  And his heart goes out all the more to you, as he 
       remembers the obedience of all of you, and how you welcomed him with 
       fear and trembling.

       (2 Cor 7:16 NRSV)  I rejoice, because I have complete confidence in 
       you.

       (2 Cor 8:1 NRSV)  We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the 
       grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia;

       (2 Cor 8:2 NRSV)  for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their 
       abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of 
       generosity on their part.

       (2 Cor 8:3 NRSV)  For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave 
       according to their means, and even beyond their means,

       (2 Cor 8:4 NRSV)  begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in 
       this ministry to the saints--

       (2 Cor 8:5 NRSV)  and this, not merely as we expected; they gave 
       themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us,

       (2 Cor 8:6 NRSV)  so that we might urge Titus that, as he had already 
       made a beginning, so he should also complete this generous undertaking 
       among you.

       (2 Cor 8:7 NRSV)  Now as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, 
       in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you --so we 
       want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.

       (2 Cor 8:8 NRSV)  I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the 
       genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others.

       (2 Cor 8:9 NRSV)  For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus 
       Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so 
       that by his poverty you might become rich.

       (2 Cor 8:10 NRSV)  And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is 
       appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but 
       even to desire to do something--

       (2 Cor 8:11 NRSV)  now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be 
       matched by completing it according to your means.

       (2 Cor 8:12 NRSV)  For if the eagerness is there, the gift is 
       acceptable according to what one has--not according to what one does 
       not have.

       (2 Cor 8:13 NRSV)  I do not mean that there should be relief for 
       others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance 
       between

       (2 Cor 8:14 NRSV)  your present abundance and their need, so that 
       their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a 
       fair balance.






       (2 Cor 8:15 NRSV)  As it is written, "The one who had much did not 
       have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little."

       (2 Cor 8:16 NRSV)  But thanks be to God who put in the heart of Titus 
       the same eagerness for you that I myself have.

       (2 Cor 8:17 NRSV)  For he not only accepted our appeal, but since he 
       is more eager than ever, he is going to you of his own accord.

       (2 Cor 8:18 NRSV)  With him we are sending the brother who is famous 
       among all the churches for his proclaiming the good news;

       (2 Cor 8:19 NRSV)  and not only that, but he has also been appointed 
       by the churches to travel with us while we are administering this 
       generous undertaking for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our 
       goodwill.

       (2 Cor 8:20 NRSV)  We intend that no one should blame us about this 
       generous gift that we are administering,

       (2 Cor 8:21 NRSV)  for we intend to do what is right not only in the 
       Lord's sight but also in the sight of others.

       (2 Cor 8:22 NRSV)  And with them we are sending our brother whom we 
       have often tested and found eager in many matters, but who is now more 
       eager than ever because of his great confidence in you.

       (2 Cor 8:23 NRSV)  As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker in 
       your service; as for our brothers, they are messengers of the 
       churches, the glory of Christ.

       (2 Cor 8:24 NRSV)  Therefore openly before the churches, show them the 
       proof of your love and of our reason for boasting about you.

       (2 Cor 9:1 NRSV)  Now it is not necessary for me to write you about 
       the ministry to the saints,

       (2 Cor 9:2 NRSV)  for I know your eagerness, which is the subject of 
       my boasting about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia 
       has been ready since last year; and your zeal has stirred up most of 
       them.

       (2 Cor 9:3 NRSV)  But I am sending the brothers in order that our 
       boasting about you may not prove to have been empty in this case, so 
       that you may be ready, as I said you would be;

       (2 Cor 9:4 NRSV)  otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find 
       that you are not ready, we would be humiliated--to say nothing of 
       you--in this undertaking.

       (2 Cor 9:5 NRSV)  So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go 
       on ahead to you, and arrange in advance for this bountiful gift that 
       you have promised, so that it may be ready as a voluntary gift and not 
       as an extortion.





       (2 Cor 9:6 NRSV)  The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will 
       also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap 
       bountifully.

       (2 Cor 9:7 NRSV)  Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, 
       not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

       (2 Cor 9:8 NRSV)  And God is able to provide you with every blessing 
       in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may 
       share abundantly in every good work.

       (2 Cor 9:9 NRSV)  As it is written, "He scatters abroad, he gives to 
       the poor; his righteousness endures forever."

       (2 Cor 9:10 NRSV)  He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for 
       food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the 
       harvest of your righteousness.

       (2 Cor 9:11 NRSV)  You will be enriched in every way for your great 
       generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us;

       (2 Cor 9:12 NRSV)  for the rendering of this ministry not only 
       supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many 
       thanksgivings to God.

       (2 Cor 9:13 NRSV)  Through the testing of this ministry you glorify 
       God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by 
       the generosity of your sharing with them and with all others,

       (2 Cor 9:14 NRSV)  while they long for you and pray for you because of 
       the surpassing grace of God that he has given you.

       (2 Cor 9:15 NRSV)  Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

       (2 Cor 10:1 NRSV)  I myself, Paul, appeal to you by the meekness and 
       gentleness of Christ--I who am humble when face to face with you, but 
       bold toward you when I am away!--

       (2 Cor 10:2 NRSV)  I ask that when I am present I need not show 
       boldness by daring to oppose those who think we are acting according 
       to human standards.

       (2 Cor 10:3 NRSV)  Indeed, we live as human beings, but we do not wage 
       war according to human standards;

       (2 Cor 10:4 NRSV)  for the weapons of our warfare are not merely 
       human, but they have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy 
       arguments

       (2 Cor 10:5 NRSV)  and every proud obstacle raised up against the 
       knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.

       (2 Cor 10:6 NRSV)  We are ready to punish every disobedience when your 
       obedience is complete.

       (2 Cor 10:7 NRSV)  Look at what is before your eyes. If you are 





       confident that you belong to Christ, remind yourself of this, that 
       just as you belong to Christ, so also do we.

       (2 Cor 10:8 NRSV)  Now, even if I boast a little too much of our 
       authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing 
       you down, I will not be ashamed of it.

       (2 Cor 10:9 NRSV)  I do not want to seem as though I am trying to 
       frighten you with my letters.

       (2 Cor 10:10 NRSV)  For they say, "His letters are weighty and strong, 
       but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible."

       (2 Cor 10:11 NRSV)  Let such people understand that what we say by 
       letter when absent, we will also do when present.

       (2 Cor 10:12 NRSV)  We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves 
       with some of those who commend themselves. But when they measure 
       themselves by one another, and compare themselves with one another, 
       they do not show good sense.

       (2 Cor 10:13 NRSV)  We, however, will not boast beyond limits, but 
       will keep within the field that God has assigned to us, to reach out 
       even as far as you.

       (2 Cor 10:14 NRSV)  For we were not overstepping our limits when we 
       reached you; we were the first to come all the way to you with the 
       good news of Christ.

       (2 Cor 10:15 NRSV)  We do not boast beyond limits, that is, in the 
       labors of others; but our hope is that, as your faith increases, our 
       sphere of action among you may be greatly enlarged,

       (2 Cor 10:16 NRSV)  so that we may proclaim the good news in lands 
       beyond you, without boasting of work already done in someone else's 
       sphere of action.

       (2 Cor 10:17 NRSV)  "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

       (2 Cor 10:18 NRSV)  For it is not those who commend themselves that 
       are approved, but those whom the Lord commends.

       (2 Cor 11:1 NRSV)  I wish you would bear with me in a little 
       foolishness. Do bear with me!

       (2 Cor 11:2 NRSV)  I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I promised 
       you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a chaste virgin to 
       Christ.

       (2 Cor 11:3 NRSV)  But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by 
       its cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure 
       devotion to Christ.

       (2 Cor 11:4 NRSV)  For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus 
       than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from 
       the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, 





       you submit to it readily enough.

       (2 Cor 11:5 NRSV)  I think that I am not in the least inferior to 
       these super-apostles.

       (2 Cor 11:6 NRSV)  I may be untrained in speech, but not in knowledge; 
       certainly in every way and in all things we have made this evident to 
       you.

       (2 Cor 11:7 NRSV)  Did I commit a sin by humbling myself so that you 
       might be exalted, because I proclaimed God's good news to you free of 
       charge?

       (2 Cor 11:8 NRSV)  I robbed other churches by accepting support from 
       them in order to serve you.

       (2 Cor 11:9 NRSV)  And when I was with you and was in need, I did not 
       burden anyone, for my needs were supplied by the friends who came from 
       Macedonia. So I refrained and will continue to refrain from burdening 
       you in any way.

       (2 Cor 11:10 NRSV)  As the truth of Christ is in me, this boast of 
       mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia.

       (2 Cor 11:11 NRSV)  And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I 
       do!

       (2 Cor 11:12 NRSV)  And what I do I will also continue to do, in order 
       to deny an opportunity to those who want an opportunity to be 
       recognized as our equals in what they boast about.

       (2 Cor 11:13 NRSV)  For such boasters are false apostles, deceitful 
       workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

       (2 Cor 11:14 NRSV)  And no wonder! Even Satan disguises himself as an 
       angel of light.

       (2 Cor 11:15 NRSV)  So it is not strange if his ministers also 
       disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness. Their end will 
       match their deeds.

       (2 Cor 11:16 NRSV)  I repeat, let no one think that I am a fool; but 
       if you do, then accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little.

       (2 Cor 11:17 NRSV)  What I am saying in regard to this boastful 
       confidence, I am saying not with the Lord's authority, but as a fool;

       (2 Cor 11:18 NRSV)  since many boast according to human standards, I 
       will also boast.

       (2 Cor 11:19 NRSV)  For you gladly put up with fools, being wise 
       yourselves!

       (2 Cor 11:20 NRSV)  For you put up with it when someone makes slaves 
       of you, or preys upon you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, 
       or gives you a slap in the face.






       (2 Cor 11:21 NRSV)  To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for 
       that! But whatever anyone dares to boast of--I am speaking as a 
       fool--I also dare to boast of that.

       (2 Cor 11:22 NRSV)  Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So 
       am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.

       (2 Cor 11:23 NRSV)  Are they ministers of Christ? I am talking like a 
       madman--I am a better one: with far greater labors, far more 
       imprisonments, with countless floggings, and often near death.

       (2 Cor 11:24 NRSV)  Five times I have received from the Jews the forty 
       lashes minus one.

       (2 Cor 11:25 NRSV)  Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I 
       received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a 
       day I was adrift at sea;

       (2 Cor 11:26 NRSV)  on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, 
       danger from bandits, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, 
       danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger 
       from false brothers and sisters;

       (2 Cor 11:27 NRSV)  in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless 
       night, hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and naked.

       (2 Cor 11:28 NRSV)  And, besides other things, I am under daily 
       pressure because of my anxiety for all the churches.

       (2 Cor 11:29 NRSV)  Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to 
       stumble, and I am not indignant?

       (2 Cor 11:30 NRSV)  If I must boast, I will boast of the things that 
       show my weakness.

       (2 Cor 11:31 NRSV)  The God and Father of the Lord Jesus (blessed be 
       he forever!) knows that I do not lie.

       (2 Cor 11:32 NRSV)  In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas 
       guarded the city of Damascus in order to seize me,

       (2 Cor 11:33 NRSV)  but I was let down in a basket through a window in 
       the wall, and escaped from his hands.

       (2 Cor 12:1 NRSV)  It is necessary to boast; nothing is to be gained 
       by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.

       (2 Cor 12:2 NRSV)  I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago 
       was caught up to the third heaven--whether in the body or out of the 
       body I do not know; God knows.

       (2 Cor 12:3 NRSV)  And I know that such a person--whether in the body 
       or out of the body I do not know; God knows--

       (2 Cor 12:4 NRSV)  was caught up into Paradise and heard things that 





       are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat.

       (2 Cor 12:5 NRSV)  On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own 
       behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses.

       (2 Cor 12:6 NRSV)  But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I 
       will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may 
       think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me,

       (2 Cor 12:7 NRSV)  even considering the exceptional character of the 
       revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was 
       given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me 
       from being too elated.

       (2 Cor 12:8 NRSV)  Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that 
       it would leave me,

       (2 Cor 12:9 NRSV)  but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, 
       for power is made perfect in weakness." So, I will boast all the more 
       gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

       (2 Cor 12:10 NRSV)  Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, 
       hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for 
       whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

       (2 Cor 12:11 NRSV)  I have been a fool! You forced me to it. Indeed 
       you should have been the ones commending me, for I am not at all 
       inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing.

       (2 Cor 12:12 NRSV)  The signs of a true apostle were performed among 
       you with utmost patience, signs and wonders and mighty works.

       (2 Cor 12:13 NRSV)  How have you been worse off than the other 
       churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this 
       wrong!

       (2 Cor 12:14 NRSV)  Here I am, ready to come to you this third time. 
       And I will not be a burden, because I do not want what is yours but 
       you; for children ought not to lay up for their parents, but parents 
       for their children.

       (2 Cor 12:15 NRSV)  I will most gladly spend and be spent for you. If 
       I love you more, am I to be loved less?

       (2 Cor 12:16 NRSV)  Let it be assumed that I did not burden you. 
       Nevertheless (you say) since I was crafty, I took you in by deceit.

       (2 Cor 12:17 NRSV)  Did I take advantage of you through any of those 
       whom I sent to you?

       (2 Cor 12:18 NRSV)  I urged Titus to go, and sent the brother with 
       him. Titus did not take advantage of you, did he? Did we not conduct 
       ourselves with the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps?

       (2 Cor 12:19 NRSV)  Have you been thinking all along that we have been 
       defending ourselves before you? We are speaking in Christ before God. 





       Everything we do, beloved, is for the sake of building you up.

       (2 Cor 12:20 NRSV)  For I fear that when I come, I may find you not as 
       I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish; I fear that there 
       may perhaps be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, 
       gossip, conceit, and disorder.

       (2 Cor 12:21 NRSV)  I fear that when I come again, my God may humble 
       me before you, and that I may have to mourn over many who previously 
       sinned and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and 
       licentiousness that they have practiced.

       (2 Cor 13:1 NRSV)  This is the third time I am coming to you. "Any 
       charge must be sustained by the evidence of two or three witnesses."

       (2 Cor 13:2 NRSV)  I warned those who sinned previously and all the 
       others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my 
       second visit, that if I come again, I will not be lenient--

       (2 Cor 13:3 NRSV)  since you desire proof that Christ is speaking in 
       me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful in you.

       (2 Cor 13:4 NRSV)  For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the 
       power of God. For we are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will 
       live with him by the power of God.

       (2 Cor 13:5 NRSV)  Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in 
       the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in 
       you?--unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test!

       (2 Cor 13:6 NRSV)  I hope you will find out that we have not failed.

       (2 Cor 13:7 NRSV)  But we pray to God that you may not do anything 
       wrong--not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may 
       do what is right, though we may seem to have failed.

       (2 Cor 13:8 NRSV)  For we cannot do anything against the truth, but 
       only for the truth.

       (2 Cor 13:9 NRSV)  For we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong. 
       This is what we pray for, that you may become perfect.

       (2 Cor 13:10 NRSV)  So I write these things while I am away from you, 
       so that when I come, I may not have to be severe in using the 
       authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for 
       tearing down.

       (2 Cor 13:11 NRSV)  Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put 
       things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in 
       peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

       (2 Cor 13:12 NRSV)  Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints 
       greet you.

       (2 Cor 13:13 NRSV)  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of 
       God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.






       (2 Cor 13:14 NRSV)  

       (Gal 1:1 NRSV)  Paul an apostle--sent neither by human commission nor 
       from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, 
       who raised him from the dead--

       (Gal 1:2 NRSV)  and all the members of God's family who are with me, 
       To the churches of Galatia:

       (Gal 1:3 NRSV)  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the 
       Lord Jesus Christ,

       (Gal 1:4 NRSV)  who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the 
       present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

       (Gal 1:5 NRSV)  to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

       (Gal 1:6 NRSV)  I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the 
       one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a 
       different gospel--

       (Gal 1:7 NRSV)  not that there is another gospel, but there are some 
       who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.

       (Gal 1:8 NRSV)  But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim 
       to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be 
       accursed!

       (Gal 1:9 NRSV)  As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone 
       proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one 
       be accursed!

       (Gal 1:10 NRSV)  Am I now seeking human approval, or God's approval? 
       Or am I trying to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I 
       would not be a servant of Christ.

       (Gal 1:11 NRSV)  For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that 
       the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin;

       (Gal 1:12 NRSV)  for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was 
       I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

       (Gal 1:13 NRSV)  You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in 
       Judaism. I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying 
       to destroy it.

       (Gal 1:14 NRSV)  I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of 
       the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my 
       ancestors.

       (Gal 1:15 NRSV)  But when God, who had set me apart before I was born 
       and called me through his grace, was pleased

       (Gal 1:16 NRSV)  to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him 
       among the Gentiles, I did not confer with any human being,






       (Gal 1:17 NRSV)  nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were 
       already apostles before me, but I went away at once into Arabia, and 
       afterwards I returned to Damascus.

       (Gal 1:18 NRSV)  Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to 
       visit Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days;

       (Gal 1:19 NRSV)  but I did not see any other apostle except James the 
       Lord's brother.

       (Gal 1:20 NRSV)  In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not 
       lie!

       (Gal 1:21 NRSV)  Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia,

       (Gal 1:22 NRSV)  and I was still unknown by sight to the churches of 
       Judea that are in Christ;

       (Gal 1:23 NRSV)  they only heard it said, "The one who formerly was 
       persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy."

       (Gal 1:24 NRSV)  And they glorified God because of me.

       (Gal 2:1 NRSV)  Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem 
       with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me.

       (Gal 2:2 NRSV)  I went up in response to a revelation. Then I laid 
       before them (though only in a private meeting with the acknowledged 
       leaders) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to 
       make sure that I was not running, or had not run, in vain.

       (Gal 2:3 NRSV)  But even Titus, who was with me, was not compelled to 
       be circumcised, though he was a Greek.

       (Gal 2:4 NRSV)  But because of false believers secretly brought in, 
       who slipped in to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus, so that 
       they might enslave us--

       (Gal 2:5 NRSV)  we did not submit to them even for a moment, so that 
       the truth of the gospel might always remain with you.

       (Gal 2:6 NRSV)  And from those who were supposed to be acknowledged 
       leaders (what they actually were makes no difference to me; God shows 
       no partiality)--those leaders contributed nothing to me.

       (Gal 2:7 NRSV)  On the contrary, when they saw that I had been 
       entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter had 
       been entrusted with the gospel for the circumcised

       (Gal 2:8 NRSV)  (for he who worked through Peter making him an apostle 
       to the circumcised also worked through me in sending me to the 
       Gentiles),

       (Gal 2:9 NRSV)  and when James and Cephas and John, who were 
       acknowledged pillars, recognized the grace that had been given to me, 





       they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing 
       that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.

       (Gal 2:10 NRSV)  They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, 
       which was actually what I was eager to do.

       (Gal 2:11 NRSV)  But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his 
       face, because he stood self-condemned;

       (Gal 2:12 NRSV)  for until certain people came from James, he used to 
       eat with the Gentiles. But after they came, he drew back and kept 
       himself separate for fear of the circumcision faction.

       (Gal 2:13 NRSV)  And the other Jews joined him in this hypocrisy, so 
       that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

       (Gal 2:14 NRSV)  But when I saw that they were not acting consistently 
       with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, "If 
       you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you 
       compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?"

       (Gal 2:15 NRSV)  We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile 
       sinners;

       (Gal 2:16 NRSV)  yet we know that a person is justified not by the 
       works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come 
       to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in 
       Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be 
       justified by the works of the law.

       (Gal 2:17 NRSV)  But if, in our effort to be justified in Christ, we 
       ourselves have been found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of 
       sin? Certainly not!

       (Gal 2:18 NRSV)  But if I build up again the very things that I once 
       tore down, then I demonstrate that I am a transgressor.

       (Gal 2:19 NRSV)  For through the law I died to the law, so that I 
       might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ;

       (Gal 2:20 NRSV)  and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who 
       lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in 
       the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

       (Gal 2:21 NRSV)  I do not nullify the grace of God; for if 
       justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

       (Gal 3:1 NRSV)  You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was 
       before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly exhibited as 
       crucified!

       (Gal 3:2 NRSV)  The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did 
       you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing 
       what you heard?

       (Gal 3:3 NRSV)  Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, 





       are you now ending with the flesh?

       (Gal 3:4 NRSV)  Did you experience so much for nothing?--if it really 
       was for nothing.

       (Gal 3:5 NRSV)  Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and 
       work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by your 
       believing what you heard?

       (Gal 3:6 NRSV)  Just as Abraham "believed God, and it was reckoned to 
       him as righteousness,"

       (Gal 3:7 NRSV)  so, you see, those who believe are the descendants of 
       Abraham.

       (Gal 3:8 NRSV)  And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify 
       the Gentiles by faith, declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, 
       saying, "All the Gentiles shall be blessed in you."

       (Gal 3:9 NRSV)  For this reason, those who believe are blessed with 
       Abraham who believed.

       (Gal 3:10 NRSV)  For all who rely on the works of the law are under a 
       curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not observe and 
       obey all the things written in the book of the law."

       (Gal 3:11 NRSV)  Now it is evident that no one is justified before God 
       by the law; for "The one who is righteous will live by faith."

       (Gal 3:12 NRSV)  But the law does not rest on faith; on the contrary, 
       "Whoever does the works of the law will live by them."

       (Gal 3:13 NRSV)  Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by 
       becoming a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who 
       hangs on a tree"--

       (Gal 3:14 NRSV)  in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham 
       might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of 
       the Spirit through faith.

       (Gal 3:15 NRSV)  Brothers and sisters, I give an example from daily 
       life: once a person's will has been ratified, no one adds to it or 
       annuls it.

       (Gal 3:16 NRSV)  Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his 
       offspring; it does not say, "And to offsprings," as of many; but it 
       says, "And to your offspring," that is, to one person, who is Christ.

       (Gal 3:17 NRSV)  My point is this: the law, which came four hundred 
       thirty years later, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by 
       God, so as to nullify the promise.

       (Gal 3:18 NRSV)  For if the inheritance comes from the law, it no 
       longer comes from the promise; but God granted it to Abraham through 
       the promise.





       (Gal 3:19 NRSV)  Why then the law? It was added because of 
       transgressions, until the offspring would come to whom the promise had 
       been made; and it was ordained through angels by a mediator.

       (Gal 3:20 NRSV)  Now a mediator involves more than one party; but God 
       is one.

       (Gal 3:21 NRSV)  Is the law then opposed to the promises of God? 
       Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could make alive, then 
       righteousness would indeed come through the law.

       (Gal 3:22 NRSV)  But the scripture has imprisoned all things under the 
       power of sin, so that what was promised through faith in Jesus Christ 
       might be given to those who believe.

       (Gal 3:23 NRSV)  Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded 
       under the law until faith would be revealed.

       (Gal 3:24 NRSV)  Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ 
       came, so that we might be justified by faith.

       (Gal 3:25 NRSV)  But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject 
       to a disciplinarian,

       (Gal 3:26 NRSV)  for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God 
       through faith.

       (Gal 3:27 NRSV)  As many of you as were baptized into Christ have 
       clothed yourselves with Christ.

       (Gal 3:28 NRSV)  There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer 
       slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are 
       one in Christ Jesus.

       (Gal 3:29 NRSV)  And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's 
       offspring, heirs according to the promise.

       (Gal 4:1 NRSV)  My point is this: heirs, as long as they are minors, 
       are no better than slaves, though they are the owners of all the 
       property;

       (Gal 4:2 NRSV)  but they remain under guardians and trustees until the 
       date set by the father.

       (Gal 4:3 NRSV)  So with us; while we were minors, we were enslaved to 
       the elemental spirits of the world.

       (Gal 4:4 NRSV)  But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his 
       Son, born of a woman, born under the law,

       (Gal 4:5 NRSV)  in order to redeem those who were under the law, so 
       that we might receive adoption as children.

       (Gal 4:6 NRSV)  And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit 
       of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"





       (Gal 4:7 NRSV)  So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a 
       child then also an heir, through God.

       (Gal 4:8 NRSV)  Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved 
       to beings that by nature are not gods.

       (Gal 4:9 NRSV)  Now, however, that you have come to know God, or 
       rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and 
       beggarly elemental spirits? How can you want to be enslaved to them 
       again?

       (Gal 4:10 NRSV)  You are observing special days, and months, and 
       seasons, and years.

       (Gal 4:11 NRSV)  I am afraid that my work for you may have been 
       wasted.

       (Gal 4:12 NRSV)  Friends, I beg you, become as I am, for I also have 
       become as you are. You have done me no wrong.

       (Gal 4:13 NRSV)  You know that it was because of a physical infirmity 
       that I first announced the gospel to you;

       (Gal 4:14 NRSV)  though my condition put you to the test, you did not 
       scorn or despise me, but welcomed me as an angel of God, as Christ 
       Jesus.

       (Gal 4:15 NRSV)  What has become of the goodwill you felt? For I 
       testify that, had it been possible, you would have torn out your eyes 
       and given them to me.

       (Gal 4:16 NRSV)  Have I now become your enemy by telling you the 
       truth?

       (Gal 4:17 NRSV)  They make much of you, but for no good purpose; they 
       want to exclude you, so that you may make much of them.

       (Gal 4:18 NRSV)  It is good to be made much of for a good purpose at 
       all times, and not only when I am present with you.

       (Gal 4:19 NRSV)  My little children, for whom I am again in the pain 
       of childbirth until Christ is formed in you,

       (Gal 4:20 NRSV)  I wish I were present with you now and could change 
       my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

       (Gal 4:21 NRSV)  Tell me, you who desire to be subject to the law, 
       will you not listen to the law?

       (Gal 4:22 NRSV)  For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a 
       slave woman and the other by a free woman.

       (Gal 4:23 NRSV)  One, the child of the slave, was born according to 
       the flesh; the other, the child of the free woman, was born through 
       the promise.





       (Gal 4:24 NRSV)  Now this is an allegory: these women are two 
       covenants. One woman, in fact, is Hagar, from Mount Sinai, bearing 
       children for slavery.

       (Gal 4:25 NRSV)  Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to 
       the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

       (Gal 4:26 NRSV)  But the other woman corresponds to the Jerusalem 
       above; she is free, and she is our mother.

       (Gal 4:27 NRSV)  For it is written, "Rejoice, you childless one, you 
       who bear no children, burst into song and shout, you who endure no 
       birth pangs; for the children of the desolate woman are more numerous 
       than the children of the one who is married."

       (Gal 4:28 NRSV)  Now you, my friends, are children of the promise, 
       like Isaac.

       (Gal 4:29 NRSV)  But just as at that time the child who was born 
       according to the flesh persecuted the child who was born according to 
       the Spirit, so it is now also.

       (Gal 4:30 NRSV)  But what does the scripture say? "Drive out the slave 
       and her child; for the child of the slave will not share the 
       inheritance with the child of the free woman."

       (Gal 4:31 NRSV)  So then, friends, we are children, not of the slave 
       but of the free woman.

       (Gal 5:1 NRSV)  For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, 
       therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

       (Gal 5:2 NRSV)  Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you let 
       yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you.

       (Gal 5:3 NRSV)  Once again I testify to every man who lets himself be 
       circumcised that he is obliged to obey the entire law.

       (Gal 5:4 NRSV)  You who want to be justified by the law have cut 
       yourselves off from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

       (Gal 5:5 NRSV)  For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for 
       the hope of righteousness.

       (Gal 5:6 NRSV)  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor 
       uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is 
       faith working through love.

       (Gal 5:7 NRSV)  You were running well; who prevented you from obeying 
       the truth?

       (Gal 5:8 NRSV)  Such persuasion does not come from the one who calls 
       you.

       (Gal 5:9 NRSV)  A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough.





       (Gal 5:10 NRSV)  I am confident about you in the Lord that you will 
       not think otherwise. But whoever it is that is confusing you will pay 
       the penalty.

       (Gal 5:11 NRSV)  But my friends, why am I still being persecuted if I 
       am still preaching circumcision? In that case the offense of the cross 
       has been removed.

       (Gal 5:12 NRSV)  I wish those who unsettle you would castrate 
       themselves!

       (Gal 5:13 NRSV)  For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; 
       only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, 
       but through love become slaves to one another.

       (Gal 5:14 NRSV)  For the whole law is summed up in a single 
       commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

       (Gal 5:15 NRSV)  If, however, you bite and devour one another, take 
       care that you are not consumed by one another.

       (Gal 5:16 NRSV)  Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the 
       desires of the flesh.

       (Gal 5:17 NRSV)  For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, 
       and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are 
       opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want.

       (Gal 5:18 NRSV)  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject 
       to the law.

       (Gal 5:19 NRSV)  Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, 
       impurity, licentiousness,

       (Gal 5:20 NRSV)  idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, 
       quarrels, dissensions, factions,

       (Gal 5:21 NRSV)  envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. 
       I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things 
       will not inherit the kingdom of God.

       (Gal 5:22 NRSV)  By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, 
       peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,

       (Gal 5:23 NRSV)  gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against 
       such things.

       (Gal 5:24 NRSV)  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified 
       the flesh with its passions and desires.

       (Gal 5:25 NRSV)  If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by 
       the Spirit.

       (Gal 5:26 NRSV)  Let us not become conceited, competing against one 
       another, envying one another.





       (Gal 6:1 NRSV)  My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, 
       you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit 
       of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted.

       (Gal 6:2 NRSV)  Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will 
       fulfill the law of Christ.

       (Gal 6:3 NRSV)  For if those who are nothing think they are something, 
       they deceive themselves.

       (Gal 6:4 NRSV)  All must test their own work; then that work, rather 
       than their neighbor's work, will become a cause for pride.

       (Gal 6:5 NRSV)  For all must carry their own loads.

       (Gal 6:6 NRSV)  Those who are taught the word must share in all good 
       things with their teacher.

       (Gal 6:7 NRSV)  Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap 
       whatever you sow.

       (Gal 6:8 NRSV)  If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption 
       from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal 
       life from the Spirit.

       (Gal 6:9 NRSV)  So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for 
       we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.

       (Gal 6:10 NRSV)  So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work 
       for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.

       (Gal 6:11 NRSV)  See what large letters I make when I am writing in my 
       own hand!

       (Gal 6:12 NRSV)  It is those who want to make a good showing in the 
       flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised--only that they may not 
       be persecuted for the cross of Christ.

       (Gal 6:13 NRSV)  Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, 
       but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your 
       flesh.

       (Gal 6:14 NRSV)  May I never boast of anything except the cross of our 
       Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I 
       to the world.

       (Gal 6:15 NRSV)  For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is 
       anything; but a new creation is everything!

       (Gal 6:16 NRSV)  As for those who will follow this rule--peace be upon 
       them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

       (Gal 6:17 NRSV)  From now on, let no one make trouble for me; for I 
       carry the marks of Jesus branded on my body.

       (Gal 6:18 NRSV)  May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your 





       spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

       (Eph 1:1 NRSV)  Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, 
       To the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus:

       (Eph 1:2 NRSV)  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the 
       Lord Jesus Christ.

       (Eph 1:3 NRSV)  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
       Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in 
       the heavenly places,

       (Eph 1:4 NRSV)  just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of 
       the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.

       (Eph 1:5 NRSV)  He destined us for adoption as his children through 
       Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will,

       (Eph 1:6 NRSV)  to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely 
       bestowed on us in the Beloved.

       (Eph 1:7 NRSV)  In him we have redemption through his blood, the 
       forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

       (Eph 1:8 NRSV)  that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight

       (Eph 1:9 NRSV)  he has made known to us the mystery of his will, 
       according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ,

       (Eph 1:10 NRSV)  as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all 
       things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

       (Eph 1:11 NRSV)  In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, 
       having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes 
       all things according to his counsel and will,

       (Eph 1:12 NRSV)  so that we, who were the first to set our hope on 
       Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.

       (Eph 1:13 NRSV)  In him you also, when you had heard the word of 
       truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were 
       marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit;

       (Eph 1:14 NRSV)  this is the pledge of our inheritance toward 
       redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.

       (Eph 1:15 NRSV)  I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your 
       love toward all the saints, and for this reason

       (Eph 1:16 NRSV)  I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember 
       you in my prayers.

       (Eph 1:17 NRSV)  I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the 
       Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you 
       come to know him,





       (Eph 1:18 NRSV)  so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you 
       may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the 
       riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints,

       (Eph 1:19 NRSV)  and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power 
       for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.

       (Eph 1:20 NRSV)  God put this power to work in Christ when he raised 
       him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly 
       places,

       (Eph 1:21 NRSV)  far above all rule and authority and power and 
       dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but 
       also in the age to come.

       (Eph 1:22 NRSV)  And he has put all things under his feet and has made 
       him the head over all things for the church,

       (Eph 1:23 NRSV)  which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all 
       in all.

       (Eph 2:1 NRSV)  You were dead through the trespasses and sins

       (Eph 2:2 NRSV)  in which you once lived, following the course of this 
       world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is 
       now at work among those who are disobedient.

       (Eph 2:3 NRSV)  All of us once lived among them in the passions of our 
       flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by 
       nature children of wrath, like everyone else.

       (Eph 2:4 NRSV)  But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love 
       with which he loved us

       (Eph 2:5 NRSV)  even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us 
       alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--

       (Eph 2:6 NRSV)  and raised us up with him and seated us with him in 
       the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

       (Eph 2:7 NRSV)  so that in the ages to come he might show the 
       immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ 
       Jesus.

       (Eph 2:8 NRSV)  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and 
       this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God--

       (Eph 2:9 NRSV)  not the result of works, so that no one may boast.

       (Eph 2:10 NRSV)  For we are what he has made us, created in Christ 
       Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of 
       life.

       (Eph 2:11 NRSV)  So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by 
       birth, called "the uncircumcision" by those who are called "the 
       circumcision"--a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human 





       hands--

       (Eph 2:12 NRSV)  remember that you were at that time without Christ, 
       being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the 
       covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

       (Eph 2:13 NRSV)  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off 
       have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

       (Eph 2:14 NRSV)  For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both 
       groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the 
       hostility between us.

       (Eph 2:15 NRSV)  He has abolished the law with its commandments and 
       ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place 
       of the two, thus making peace,

       (Eph 2:16 NRSV)  and might reconcile both groups to God in one body 
       through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.

       (Eph 2:17 NRSV)  So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far 
       off and peace to those who were near;

       (Eph 2:18 NRSV)  for through him both of us have access in one Spirit 
       to the Father.

       (Eph 2:19 NRSV)  So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but 
       you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of 
       God,

       (Eph 2:20 NRSV)  built upon the foundation of the apostles and 
       prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.

       (Eph 2:21 NRSV)  In him the whole structure is joined together and 
       grows into a holy temple in the Lord;

       (Eph 2:22 NRSV)  in whom you also are built together spiritually into 
       a dwelling place for God.

       (Eph 3:1 NRSV)  This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for 
       Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles--

       (Eph 3:2 NRSV)  for surely you have already heard of the commission of 
       God's grace that was given me for you,

       (Eph 3:3 NRSV)  and how the mystery was made known to me by 
       revelation, as I wrote above in a few words,

       (Eph 3:4 NRSV)  a reading of which will enable you to perceive my 
       understanding of the mystery of Christ.

       (Eph 3:5 NRSV)  In former generations this mystery was not made known 
       to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and 
       prophets by the Spirit:

       (Eph 3:6 NRSV)  that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, 





       members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus 
       through the gospel.

       (Eph 3:7 NRSV)  Of this gospel I have become a servant according to 
       the gift of God's grace that was given me by the working of his power.

       (Eph 3:8 NRSV)  Although I am the very least of all the saints, this 
       grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the 
       boundless riches of Christ,

       (Eph 3:9 NRSV)  and to make everyone see what is the plan of the 
       mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things;

       (Eph 3:10 NRSV)  so that through the church the wisdom of God in its 
       rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in 
       the heavenly places.

       (Eph 3:11 NRSV)  This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that 
       he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,

       (Eph 3:12 NRSV)  in whom we have access to God in boldness and 
       confidence through faith in him.

       (Eph 3:13 NRSV)  I pray therefore that you may not lose heart over my 
       sufferings for you; they are your glory.

       (Eph 3:14 NRSV)  For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,

       (Eph 3:15 NRSV)  from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes 
       its name.

       (Eph 3:16 NRSV)  I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he 
       may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power 
       through his Spirit,

       (Eph 3:17 NRSV)  and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through 
       faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.

       (Eph 3:18 NRSV)  I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, 
       with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and 
       depth,

       (Eph 3:19 NRSV)  and to know the love of Christ that surpasses 
       knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

       (Eph 3:20 NRSV)  Now to him who by the power at work within us is able 
       to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine,

       (Eph 3:21 NRSV)  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to 
       all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

       (Eph 4:1 NRSV)  I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead 
       a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

       (Eph 4:2 NRSV)  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, 
       bearing with one another in love,






       (Eph 4:3 NRSV)  making every effort to maintain the unity of the 
       Spirit in the bond of peace.

       (Eph 4:4 NRSV)  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were 
       called to the one hope of your calling,

       (Eph 4:5 NRSV)  one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

       (Eph 4:6 NRSV)  one God and Father of all, who is above all and 
       through all and in all.

       (Eph 4:7 NRSV)  But each of us was given grace according to the 
       measure of Christ's gift.

       (Eph 4:8 NRSV)  Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he 
       made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people."

       (Eph 4:9 NRSV)  (When it says, "He ascended," what does it mean but 
       that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth?

       (Eph 4:10 NRSV)  He who descended is the same one who ascended far 
       above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.)

       (Eph 4:11 NRSV)  The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, 
       some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,

       (Eph 4:12 NRSV)  to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for 
       building up the body of Christ,

       (Eph 4:13 NRSV)  until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of 
       the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the 
       full stature of Christ.

       (Eph 4:14 NRSV)  We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and 
       blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their 
       craftiness in deceitful scheming.

       (Eph 4:15 NRSV)  But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in 
       every way into him who is the head, into Christ,

       (Eph 4:16 NRSV)  from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by 
       every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working 
       properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love.

       (Eph 4:17 NRSV)  Now this I affirm and insist on in the Lord: you must 
       no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds.

       (Eph 4:18 NRSV)  They are darkened in their understanding, alienated 
       from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart.

       (Eph 4:19 NRSV)  They have lost all sensitivity and have abandoned 
       themselves to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of 
       impurity.

       (Eph 4:20 NRSV)  That is not the way you learned Christ!






       (Eph 4:21 NRSV)  For surely you have heard about him and were taught 
       in him, as truth is in Jesus.

       (Eph 4:22 NRSV)  You were taught to put away your former way of life, 
       your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts,

       (Eph 4:23 NRSV)  and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,

       (Eph 4:24 NRSV)  and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created 
       according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

       (Eph 4:25 NRSV)  So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak 
       the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another.

       (Eph 4:26 NRSV)  Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down 
       on your anger,

       (Eph 4:27 NRSV)  and do not make room for the devil.

       (Eph 4:28 NRSV)  Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor 
       and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to 
       share with the needy.

       (Eph 4:29 NRSV)  Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only 
       what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words 
       may give grace to those who hear.

       (Eph 4:30 NRSV)  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which 
       you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption.

       (Eph 4:31 NRSV)  Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger 
       and wrangling and slander, together with all malice,

       (Eph 4:32 NRSV)  and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving 
       one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

       (Eph 5:1 NRSV)  Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children,

       (Eph 5:2 NRSV)  and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself 
       up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

       (Eph 5:3 NRSV)  But fornication and impurity of any kind, or greed, 
       must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints.

       (Eph 5:4 NRSV)  Entirely out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar 
       talk; but instead, let there be thanksgiving.

       (Eph 5:5 NRSV)  Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure person, 
       or one who is greedy (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in 
       the kingdom of Christ and of God.

       (Eph 5:6 NRSV)  Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because 
       of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient.

       (Eph 5:7 NRSV)  Therefore do not be associated with them.






       (Eph 5:8 NRSV)  For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you 
       are light. Live as children of light--

       (Eph 5:9 NRSV)  for the fruit of the light is found in all that is 
       good and right and true.

       (Eph 5:10 NRSV)  Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.

       (Eph 5:11 NRSV)  Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but 
       instead expose them.

       (Eph 5:12 NRSV)  For it is shameful even to mention what such people 
       do secretly;

       (Eph 5:13 NRSV)  but everything exposed by the light becomes visible,

       (Eph 5:14 NRSV)  for everything that becomes visible is light. 
       Therefore it says, "Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ 
       will shine on you."

       (Eph 5:15 NRSV)  Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people 
       but as wise,

       (Eph 5:16 NRSV)  making the most of the time, because the days are 
       evil.

       (Eph 5:17 NRSV)  So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of 
       the Lord is.

       (Eph 5:18 NRSV)  Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; 
       but be filled with the Spirit,

       (Eph 5:19 NRSV)  as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs 
       among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your 
       hearts,

       (Eph 5:20 NRSV)  giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for 
       everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

       (Eph 5:21 NRSV)  Be subject to one another out of reverence for 
       Christ.

       (Eph 5:22 NRSV)  Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the 
       Lord.

       (Eph 5:23 NRSV)  For the husband is the head of the wife just as 
       Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior.

       (Eph 5:24 NRSV)  Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also 
       wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands.

       (Eph 5:25 NRSV)  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the 
       church and gave himself up for her,

       (Eph 5:26 NRSV)  in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the 





       washing of water by the word,

       (Eph 5:27 NRSV)  so as to present the church to himself in splendor, 
       without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind--yes, so that she 
       may be holy and without blemish.

       (Eph 5:28 NRSV)  In the same way, husbands should love their wives as 
       they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

       (Eph 5:29 NRSV)  For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes 
       and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church,

       (Eph 5:30 NRSV)  because we are members of his body.

       (Eph 5:31 NRSV)  "For this reason a man will leave his father and 
       mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."

       (Eph 5:32 NRSV)  This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to 
       Christ and the church.

       (Eph 5:33 NRSV)  Each of you, however, should love his wife as 
       himself, and a wife should respect her husband.

       (Eph 6:1 NRSV)  Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is 
       right.

       (Eph 6:2 NRSV)  "Honor your father and mother"--this is the first 
       commandment with a promise:

       (Eph 6:3 NRSV)  "so that it may be well with you and you may live long 
       on the earth."

       (Eph 6:4 NRSV)  And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, 
       but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

       (Eph 6:5 NRSV)  Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and 
       trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ;

       (Eph 6:6 NRSV)  not only while being watched, and in order to please 
       them, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.

       (Eph 6:7 NRSV)  Render service with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not 
       to men and women,

       (Eph 6:8 NRSV)  knowing that whatever good we do, we will receive the 
       same again from the Lord, whether we are slaves or free.

       (Eph 6:9 NRSV)  And, masters, do the same to them. Stop threatening 
       them, for you know that both of you have the same Master in heaven, 
       and with him there is no partiality.

       (Eph 6:10 NRSV)  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of 
       his power.

       (Eph 6:11 NRSV)  Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be 
       able to stand against the wiles of the devil.






       (Eph 6:12 NRSV)  For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and 
       flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the 
       cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces 
       of evil in the heavenly places.

       (Eph 6:13 NRSV)  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you 
       may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, 
       to stand firm.

       (Eph 6:14 NRSV)  Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around 
       your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness.

       (Eph 6:15 NRSV)  As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you 
       ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.

       (Eph 6:16 NRSV)  With all of these, take the shield of faith, with 
       which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil 
       one.

       (Eph 6:17 NRSV)  Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the 
       Spirit, which is the word of God.

       (Eph 6:18 NRSV)  Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and 
       supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in 
       supplication for all the saints.

       (Eph 6:19 NRSV)  Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may 
       be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,

       (Eph 6:20 NRSV)  for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I 
       may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

       (Eph 6:21 NRSV)  So that you also may know how I am and what I am 
       doing, Tychicus will tell you everything. He is a dear brother and a 
       faithful minister in the Lord.

       (Eph 6:22 NRSV)  I am sending him to you for this very purpose, to let 
       you know how we are, and to encourage your hearts.

       (Eph 6:23 NRSV)  Peace be to the whole community, and love with faith, 
       from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

       (Eph 6:24 NRSV)  Grace be with all who have an undying love for our 
       Lord Jesus Christ.

       (Phil 1:1 NRSV)  Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all 
       the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and 
       deacons:

       (Phil 1:2 NRSV)  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the 
       Lord Jesus Christ.

       (Phil 1:3 NRSV)  I thank my God every time I remember you,

       (Phil 1:4 NRSV)  constantly praying with joy in every one of my 





       prayers for all of you,

       (Phil 1:5 NRSV)  because of your sharing in the gospel from the first 
       day until now.

       (Phil 1:6 NRSV)  I am confident of this, that the one who began a good 
       work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.

       (Phil 1:7 NRSV)  It is right for me to think this way about all of 
       you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's 
       grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and 
       confirmation of the gospel.

       (Phil 1:8 NRSV)  For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with 
       the compassion of Christ Jesus.

       (Phil 1:9 NRSV)  And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow 
       more and more with knowledge and full insight

       (Phil 1:10 NRSV)  to help you to determine what is best, so that in 
       the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless,

       (Phil 1:11 NRSV)  having produced the harvest of righteousness that 
       comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

       (Phil 1:12 NRSV)  I want you to know, beloved that what has happened 
       to me has actually helped to spread the gospel,

       (Phil 1:13 NRSV)  so that it has become known throughout the whole 
       imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for 
       Christ;

       (Phil 1:14 NRSV)  and most of the brothers and sisters, having been 
       made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word 
       with greater boldness and without fear.

       (Phil 1:15 NRSV)  Some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry, but 
       others from goodwill.

       (Phil 1:16 NRSV)  These proclaim Christ out of love, knowing that I 
       have been put here for the defense of the gospel;

       (Phil 1:17 NRSV)  the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, 
       not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my 
       imprisonment.

       (Phil 1:18 NRSV)  What does it matter? Just this, that Christ is 
       proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true; and in 
       that I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,

       (Phil 1:19 NRSV)  for I know that through your prayers and the help of 
       the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance.

       (Phil 1:20 NRSV)  It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not 
       be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, 
       Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by 





       death.

       (Phil 1:21 NRSV)  For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.

       (Phil 1:22 NRSV)  If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful 
       labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer.

       (Phil 1:23 NRSV)  I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to 
       depart and be with Christ, for that is far better;

       (Phil 1:24 NRSV)  but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for 
       you.

       (Phil 1:25 NRSV)  Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will 
       remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in 
       faith,

       (Phil 1:26 NRSV)  so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in 
       Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

       (Phil 1:27 NRSV)  Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the 
       gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and 
       hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, 
       striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel,

       (Phil 1:28 NRSV)  and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For 
       them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And 
       this is God's doing.

       (Phil 1:29 NRSV)  For he has graciously granted you the privilege not 
       only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well--

       (Phil 1:30 NRSV)  since you are having the same struggle that you saw 
       I had and now hear that I still have.

       (Phil 2:1 NRSV)  If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any 
       consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and 
       sympathy,

       (Phil 2:2 NRSV)  make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the 
       same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

       (Phil 2:3 NRSV)  Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in 
       humility regard others as better than yourselves.

       (Phil 2:4 NRSV)  Let each of you look not to your own interests, but 
       to the interests of others.

       (Phil 2:5 NRSV)  Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

       (Phil 2:6 NRSV)  who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard 
       equality with God as something to be exploited,

       (Phil 2:7 NRSV)  but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, 
       being born in human likeness. And being found in human form,





       (Phil 2:8 NRSV)  he humbled himself and became obedient to the point 
       of death-- even death on a cross.

       (Phil 2:9 NRSV)  Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him 
       the name that is above every name,

       (Phil 2:10 NRSV)  so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, 
       in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

       (Phil 2:11 NRSV)  and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is 
       Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

       (Phil 2:12 NRSV)  Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always 
       obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, 
       work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

       (Phil 2:13 NRSV)  for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you 
       both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

       (Phil 2:14 NRSV)  Do all things without murmuring and arguing,

       (Phil 2:15 NRSV)  so that you may be blameless and innocent, children 
       of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse 
       generation, in which you shine like stars in the world.

       (Phil 2:16 NRSV)  It is by your holding fast to the word of life that 
       I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labor 
       in vain.

       (Phil 2:17 NRSV)  But even if I am being poured out as a libation over 
       the sacrifice and the offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice 
       with all of you--

       (Phil 2:18 NRSV)  and in the same way you also must be glad and 
       rejoice with me.

       (Phil 2:19 NRSV)  I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you 
       soon, so that I may be cheered by news of you.

       (Phil 2:20 NRSV)  I have no one like him who will be genuinely 
       concerned for your welfare.

       (Phil 2:21 NRSV)  All of them are seeking their own interests, not 
       those of Jesus Christ.

       (Phil 2:22 NRSV)  But Timothy's worth you know, how like a son with a 
       father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.

       (Phil 2:23 NRSV)  I hope therefore to send him as soon as I see how 
       things go with me;

       (Phil 2:24 NRSV)  and I trust in the Lord that I will also come soon.

       (Phil 2:25 NRSV)  Still, I think it necessary to send to you 
       Epaphroditus--my brother and co-worker and fellow soldier, your 
       messenger and minister to my need;






       (Phil 2:26 NRSV)  for he has been longing for all of you, and has been 
       distressed because you heard that he was ill.

       (Phil 2:27 NRSV)  He was indeed so ill that he nearly died. But God 
       had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, so that I would 
       not have one sorrow after another.

       (Phil 2:28 NRSV)  I am the more eager to send him, therefore, in order 
       that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less 
       anxious.

       (Phil 2:29 NRSV)  Welcome him then in the Lord with all joy, and honor 
       such people,

       (Phil 2:30 NRSV)  because he came close to death for the work of 
       Christ, risking his life to make up for those services that you could 
       not give me.

       (Phil 3:1 NRSV)  Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the 
       Lord. To write the same things to you is not troublesome to me, and 
       for you it is a safeguard.

       (Phil 3:2 NRSV)  Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, 
       beware of those who mutilate the flesh!

       (Phil 3:3 NRSV)  For it is we who are the circumcision, who worship in 
       the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in 
       the flesh--

       (Phil 3:4 NRSV)  even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the 
       flesh. If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have 
       more:

       (Phil 3:5 NRSV)  circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people 
       of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to 
       the law, a Pharisee;

       (Phil 3:6 NRSV)  as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to 
       righteousness under the law, blameless.

       (Phil 3:7 NRSV)  Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard 
       as loss because of Christ.

       (Phil 3:8 NRSV)  More than that, I regard everything as loss because 
       of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake 
       I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, 
       in order that I may gain Christ

       (Phil 3:9 NRSV)  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my 
       own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in 
       Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.

       (Phil 3:10 NRSV)  I want to know Christ and the power of his 
       resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in 
       his death,






       (Phil 3:11 NRSV)  if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the 
       dead.

       (Phil 3:12 NRSV)  Not that I have already obtained this or have 
       already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because 
       Christ Jesus has made me his own.

       (Phil 3:13 NRSV)  Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my 
       own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and 
       straining forward to what lies ahead,

       (Phil 3:14 NRSV)  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the 
       heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

       (Phil 3:15 NRSV)  Let those of us then who are mature be of the same 
       mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will 
       reveal to you.

       (Phil 3:16 NRSV)  Only let us hold fast to what we have attained.

       (Phil 3:17 NRSV)  Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and 
       observe those who live according to the example you have in us.

       (Phil 3:18 NRSV)  For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I 
       have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears.

       (Phil 3:19 NRSV)  Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; 
       and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly 
       things.

       (Phil 3:20 NRSV)  But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from 
       there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

       (Phil 3:21 NRSV)  He will transform the body of our humiliation that 
       it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also 
       enables him to make all things subject to himself.

       (Phil 4:1 NRSV)  Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and 
       long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my 
       beloved.

       (Phil 4:2 NRSV)  I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same 
       mind in the Lord.

       (Phil 4:3 NRSV)  Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help 
       these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the 
       gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose 
       names are in the book of life.

       (Phil 4:4 NRSV)  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, 
       Rejoice.

       (Phil 4:5 NRSV)  Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is 
       near.





       (Phil 4:6 NRSV)  Do not worry about anything, but in everything by 
       prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made 
       known to God.

       (Phil 4:7 NRSV)  And the peace of God, which surpasses all 
       understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

       (Phil 4:8 NRSV)  Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is 
       honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, 
       whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is 
       anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

       (Phil 4:9 NRSV)  Keep on doing the things that you have learned and 
       received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with 
       you.

       (Phil 4:10 NRSV)  I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you 
       have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned for me, 
       but had no opportunity to show it.

       (Phil 4:11 NRSV)  Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have 
       learned to be content with whatever I have.

       (Phil 4:12 NRSV)  I know what it is to have little, and I know what it 
       is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the 
       secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of 
       being in need.

       (Phil 4:13 NRSV)  I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

       (Phil 4:14 NRSV)  In any case, it was kind of you to share my 
       distress.

       (Phil 4:15 NRSV)  You Philippians indeed know that in the early days 
       of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the 
       matter of giving and receiving, except you alone.

       (Phil 4:16 NRSV)  For even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me 
       help for my needs more than once.

       (Phil 4:17 NRSV)  Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profit that 
       accumulates to your account.

       (Phil 4:18 NRSV)  I have been paid in full and have more than enough; 
       I am fully satisfied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the 
       gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and 
       pleasing to God.

       (Phil 4:19 NRSV)  And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours 
       according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

       (Phil 4:20 NRSV)  To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. 
       Amen.

       (Phil 4:21 NRSV)  Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The friends who 
       are with me greet you.






       (Phil 4:22 NRSV)  All the saints greet you, especially those of the 
       emperor's household.

       (Phil 4:23 NRSV)  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your 
       spirit.

       (Col 1:1 NRSV)  Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, 
       and Timothy our brother,

       (Col 1:2 NRSV)  To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in 
       Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

       (Col 1:3 NRSV)  In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father 
       of our Lord Jesus Christ,

       (Col 1:4 NRSV)  for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of 
       the love that you have for all the saints,

       (Col 1:5 NRSV)  because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You 
       have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel

       (Col 1:6 NRSV)  that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and 
       growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among 
       yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace 
       of God.

       (Col 1:7 NRSV)  This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow 
       servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf,

       (Col 1:8 NRSV)  and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

       (Col 1:9 NRSV)  For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have 
       not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the 
       knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

       (Col 1:10 NRSV)  so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully 
       pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow 
       in the knowledge of God.

       (Col 1:11 NRSV)  May you be made strong with all the strength that 
       comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure 
       everything with patience, while joyfully

       (Col 1:12 NRSV)  giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to 
       share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.

       (Col 1:13 NRSV)  He has rescued us from the power of darkness and 
       transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son,

       (Col 1:14 NRSV)  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

       (Col 1:15 NRSV)  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn 
       of all creation;

       (Col 1:16 NRSV)  for in him all things in heaven and on earth were 





       created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or 
       rulers or powers--all things have been created through him and for 
       him.

       (Col 1:17 NRSV)  He himself is before all things, and in him all 
       things hold together.

       (Col 1:18 NRSV)  He is the head of the body, the church; he is the 
       beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have 
       first place in everything.

       (Col 1:19 NRSV)  For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to 
       dwell,

       (Col 1:20 NRSV)  and through him God was pleased to reconcile to 
       himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace 
       through the blood of his cross.

       (Col 1:21 NRSV)  And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, 
       doing evil deeds,

       (Col 1:22 NRSV)  he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through 
       death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable 
       before him--

       (Col 1:23 NRSV)  provided that you continue securely established and 
       steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the 
       gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature 
       under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel.

       (Col 1:24 NRSV)  I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, 
       and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ's 
       afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.

       (Col 1:25 NRSV)  I became its servant according to God's commission 
       that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,

       (Col 1:26 NRSV)  the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages 
       and generations but has now been revealed to his saints.

       (Col 1:27 NRSV)  To them God chose to make known how great among the 
       Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ 
       in you, the hope of glory.

       (Col 1:28 NRSV)  It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and 
       teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone 
       mature in Christ.

       (Col 1:29 NRSV)  For this I toil and struggle with all the energy that 
       he powerfully inspires within me.

       (Col 2:1 NRSV)  For I want you to know how much I am struggling for 
       you, and for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me face 
       to face.

       (Col 2:2 NRSV)  I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in 





       love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding 
       and have the knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ himself,

       (Col 2:3 NRSV)  in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and 
       knowledge.

       (Col 2:4 NRSV)  I am saying this so that no one may deceive you with 
       plausible arguments.

       (Col 2:5 NRSV)  For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in 
       spirit, and I rejoice to see your morale and the firmness of your 
       faith in Christ.

       (Col 2:6 NRSV)  As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, 
       continue to live your lives in him,

       (Col 2:7 NRSV)  rooted and built up in him and established in the 
       faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

       (Col 2:8 NRSV)  See to it that no one takes you captive through 
       philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according 
       to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ.

       (Col 2:9 NRSV)  For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

       (Col 2:10 NRSV)  and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head 
       of every ruler and authority.

       (Col 2:11 NRSV)  In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual 
       circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision 
       of Christ;

       (Col 2:12 NRSV)  when you were buried with him in baptism, you were 
       also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him 
       from the dead.

       (Col 2:13 NRSV)  And when you were dead in trespasses and the 
       uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, 
       when he forgave us all our trespasses,

       (Col 2:14 NRSV)  erasing the record that stood against us with its 
       legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.

       (Col 2:15 NRSV)  He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a 
       public example of them, triumphing over them in it.

       (Col 2:16 NRSV)  Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of 
       food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths.

       (Col 2:17 NRSV)  These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the 
       substance belongs to Christ.

       (Col 2:18 NRSV)  Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on 
       self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up 
       without cause by a human way of thinking,





       (Col 2:19 NRSV)  and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole 
       body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows 
       with a growth that is from God.

       (Col 2:20 NRSV)  If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of 
       the universe, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? 
       Why do you submit to regulations,

       (Col 2:21 NRSV)  "Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch"?

       (Col 2:22 NRSV)  All these regulations refer to things that perish 
       with use; they are simply human commands and teachings.

       (Col 2:23 NRSV)  These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in 
       promoting self-imposed piety, humility, and severe treatment of the 
       body, but they are of no value in checking self-indulgence.

       (Col 3:1 NRSV)  So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the 
       things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of 
       God.

       (Col 3:2 NRSV)  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things 
       that are on earth,

       (Col 3:3 NRSV)  for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ 
       in God.

       (Col 3:4 NRSV)  When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you 
       also will be revealed with him in glory.

       (Col 3:5 NRSV)  Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: 
       fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is 
       idolatry).

       (Col 3:6 NRSV)  On account of these the wrath of God is coming on 
       those who are disobedient.

       (Col 3:7 NRSV)  These are the ways you also once followed, when you 
       were living that life.

       (Col 3:8 NRSV)  But now you must get rid of all such things--anger, 
       wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth.

       (Col 3:9 NRSV)  Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have 
       stripped off the old self with its practices

       (Col 3:10 NRSV)  and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which 
       is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator.

       (Col 3:11 NRSV)  In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, 
       circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; 
       but Christ is all and in all!

       (Col 3:12 NRSV)  As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe 
       yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and 
       patience.






       (Col 3:13 NRSV)  Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint 
       against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven 
       you, so you also must forgive.

       (Col 3:14 NRSV)  Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds 
       everything together in perfect harmony.

       (Col 3:15 NRSV)  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to 
       which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.

       (Col 3:16 NRSV)  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and 
       admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts 
       sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.

       (Col 3:17 NRSV)  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything 
       in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through 
       him.

       (Col 3:18 NRSV)  Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in 
       the Lord.

       (Col 3:19 NRSV)  Husbands, love your wives and never treat them 
       harshly.

       (Col 3:20 NRSV)  Children, obey your parents in everything, for this 
       is your acceptable duty in the Lord.

       (Col 3:21 NRSV)  Fathers, do not provoke your children, or they may 
       lose heart.

       (Col 3:22 NRSV)  Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not 
       only while being watched and in order to please them, but 
       wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord.

       (Col 3:23 NRSV)  Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done 
       for the Lord and not for your masters,

       (Col 3:24 NRSV)  since you know that from the Lord you will receive 
       the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ.

       (Col 3:25 NRSV)  For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever 
       wrong has been done, and there is no partiality.

       (Col 4:1 NRSV)  Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, for you 
       know that you also have a Master in heaven.

       (Col 4:2 NRSV)  Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with 
       thanksgiving.

       (Col 4:3 NRSV)  At the same time pray for us as well that God will 
       open to us a door for the word, that we may declare the mystery of 
       Christ, for which I am in prison,

       (Col 4:4 NRSV)  so that I may reveal it clearly, as I should.





       (Col 4:5 NRSV)  Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the 
       most of the time.

       (Col 4:6 NRSV)  Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with 
       salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.

       (Col 4:7 NRSV)  Tychicus will tell you all the news about me; he is a 
       beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in the 
       Lord.

       (Col 4:8 NRSV)  I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that 
       you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts;

       (Col 4:9 NRSV)  he is coming with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved 
       brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here.

       (Col 4:10 NRSV)  Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, as does 
       Mark the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you have received 
       instructions--if he comes to you, welcome him.

       (Col 4:11 NRSV)  And Jesus who is called Justus greets you. These are 
       the only ones of the circumcision among my co-workers for the kingdom 
       of God, and they have been a comfort to me.

       (Col 4:12 NRSV)  Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ 
       Jesus, greets you. He is always wrestling in his prayers on your 
       behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured in everything 
       that God wills.

       (Col 4:13 NRSV)  For I testify for him that he has worked hard for you 
       and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis.

       (Col 4:14 NRSV)  Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you.

       (Col 4:15 NRSV)  Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters in 
       Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.

       (Col 4:16 NRSV)  And when this letter has been read among you, have it 
       read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you read also 
       the letter from Laodicea.

       (Col 4:17 NRSV)  And say to Archippus, "See that you complete the task 
       that you have received in the Lord."

       (Col 4:18 NRSV)  I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. 
       Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

       (1 Th 1:1 NRSV)  Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the 
       Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to 
       you and peace.

       (1 Th 1:2 NRSV)  We always give thanks to God for all of you and 
       mention you in our prayers, constantly

       (1 Th 1:3 NRSV)  remembering before our God and Father your work of 
       faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus 





       Christ.

       (1 Th 1:4 NRSV)  For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, 
       that he has chosen you,

       (1 Th 1:5 NRSV)  because our message of the gospel came to you not in 
       word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full 
       conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be 
       among you for your sake.

       (1 Th 1:6 NRSV)  And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for 
       in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the 
       Holy Spirit,

       (1 Th 1:7 NRSV)  so that you became an example to all the believers in 
       Macedonia and in Achaia.

       (1 Th 1:8 NRSV)  For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you 
       not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God 
       has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it.

       (1 Th 1:9 NRSV)  For the people of those regions report about us what 
       kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from 
       idols, to serve a living and true God,

       (1 Th 1:10 NRSV)  and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised 
       from the dead--Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

       (1 Th 2:1 NRSV)  You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our 
       coming to you was not in vain,

       (1 Th 2:2 NRSV)  but though we had already suffered and been 
       shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our 
       God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition.

       (1 Th 2:3 NRSV)  For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure 
       motives or trickery,

       (1 Th 2:4 NRSV)  but just as we have been approved by God to be 
       entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to 
       please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts.

       (1 Th 2:5 NRSV)  As you know and as God is our witness, we never came 
       with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed;

       (1 Th 2:6 NRSV)  nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you 
       or from others,

       (1 Th 2:7 NRSV)  though we might have made demands as apostles of 
       Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for 
       her own children.

       (1 Th 2:8 NRSV)  So deeply do we care for you that we are determined 
       to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, 
       because you have become very dear to us.





       (1 Th 2:9 NRSV)  You remember our labor and toil, brothers and 
       sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of 
       you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.

       (1 Th 2:10 NRSV)  You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, 
       and blameless our conduct was toward you believers.

       (1 Th 2:11 NRSV)  As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a 
       father with his children,

       (1 Th 2:12 NRSV)  urging and encouraging you and pleading that you 
       lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and 
       glory.

       (1 Th 2:13 NRSV)  We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that 
       when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted 
       it not as a human word but as what it really is, God's word, which is 
       also at work in you believers.

       (1 Th 2:14 NRSV)  For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of 
       the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you 
       suffered the same things from your own compatriots as they did from 
       the Jews,

       (1 Th 2:15 NRSV)  who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and 
       drove us out; they displease God and oppose everyone

       (1 Th 2:16 NRSV)  by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so 
       that they may be saved. Thus they have constantly been filling up the 
       measure of their sins; but God's wrath has overtaken them at last.

       (1 Th 2:17 NRSV)  As for us, brothers and sisters, when, for a short 
       time, we were made orphans by being separated from you--in person, not 
       in heart--we longed with great eagerness to see you face to face.

       (1 Th 2:18 NRSV)  For we wanted to come to you--certainly I, Paul, 
       wanted to again and again--but Satan blocked our way.

       (1 Th 2:19 NRSV)  For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting 
       before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?

       (1 Th 2:20 NRSV)  Yes, you are our glory and joy!

       (1 Th 3:1 NRSV)  Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we decided 
       to be left alone in Athens;

       (1 Th 3:2 NRSV)  and we sent Timothy, our brother and co-worker for 
       God in proclaiming the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage 
       you for the sake of your faith,

       (1 Th 3:3 NRSV)  so that no one would be shaken by these persecutions. 
       Indeed, you yourselves know that this is what we are destined for.

       (1 Th 3:4 NRSV)  In fact, when we were with you, we told you 
       beforehand that we were to suffer persecution; so it turned out, as 
       you know.






       (1 Th 3:5 NRSV)  For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I 
       sent to find out about your faith; I was afraid that somehow the 
       tempter had tempted you and that our labor had been in vain.

       (1 Th 3:6 NRSV)  But Timothy has just now come to us from you, and has 
       brought us the good news of your faith and love. He has told us also 
       that you always remember us kindly and long to see us--just as we long 
       to see you.

       (1 Th 3:7 NRSV)  For this reason, brothers and sisters, during all our 
       distress and persecution we have been encouraged about you through 
       your faith.

       (1 Th 3:8 NRSV)  For we now live, if you continue to stand firm in the 
       Lord.

       (1 Th 3:9 NRSV)  How can we thank God enough for you in return for all 
       the joy that we feel before our God because of you?

       (1 Th 3:10 NRSV)  Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see 
       you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.

       (1 Th 3:11 NRSV)  Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord 
       Jesus direct our way to you.

       (1 Th 3:12 NRSV)  And may the Lord make you increase and abound in 
       love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you.

       (1 Th 3:13 NRSV)  And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness 
       that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of 
       our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

       (1 Th 4:1 NRSV)  Finally, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in 
       the Lord Jesus that, as you learned from us how you ought to live and 
       to please God (as, in fact, you are doing), you should do so more and 
       more.

       (1 Th 4:2 NRSV)  For you know what instructions we gave you through 
       the Lord Jesus.

       (1 Th 4:3 NRSV)  For this is the will of God, your sanctification: 
       that you abstain from fornication;

       (1 Th 4:4 NRSV)  that each one of you know how to control your own 
       body in holiness and honor,

       (1 Th 4:5 NRSV)  not with lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do 
       not know God;

       (1 Th 4:6 NRSV)  that no one wrong or exploit a brother or sister in 
       this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, just 
       as we have already told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.

       (1 Th 4:7 NRSV)  For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness.





       (1 Th 4:8 NRSV)  Therefore whoever rejects this rejects not human 
       authority but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you.

       (1 Th 4:9 NRSV)  Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you 
       do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been 
       taught by God to love one another;

       (1 Th 4:10 NRSV)  and indeed you do love all the brothers and sisters 
       throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, beloved, to do so more and 
       more,

       (1 Th 4:11 NRSV)  to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, 
       and to work with your hands, as we directed you,

       (1 Th 4:12 NRSV)  so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and 
       be dependent on no one.

       (1 Th 4:13 NRSV)  But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers 
       and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as 
       others do who have no hope.

       (1 Th 4:14 NRSV)  For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, 
       even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died.

       (1 Th 4:15 NRSV)  For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, 
       that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will 
       by no means precede those who have died.

       (1 Th 4:16 NRSV)  For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with 
       the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend 
       from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

       (1 Th 4:17 NRSV)  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught 
       up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and 
       so we will be with the Lord forever.

       (1 Th 4:18 NRSV)  Therefore encourage one another with these words.

       (1 Th 5:1 NRSV)  Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers 
       and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you.

       (1 Th 5:2 NRSV)  For you yourselves know very well that the day of the 
       Lord will come like a thief in the night.

       (1 Th 5:3 NRSV)  When they say, "There is peace and security," then 
       sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a 
       pregnant woman, and there will be no escape!

       (1 Th 5:4 NRSV)  But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day 
       to surprise you like a thief;

       (1 Th 5:5 NRSV)  for you are all children of light and children of the 
       day; we are not of the night or of darkness.

       (1 Th 5:6 NRSV)  So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let 
       us keep awake and be sober;






       (1 Th 5:7 NRSV)  for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are 
       drunk get drunk at night.

       (1 Th 5:8 NRSV)  But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and 
       put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of 
       salvation.

       (1 Th 5:9 NRSV)  For God has destined us not for wrath but for 
       obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

       (1 Th 5:10 NRSV)  who died for us, so that whether we are awake or 
       asleep we may live with him.

       (1 Th 5:11 NRSV)  Therefore encourage one another and build up each 
       other, as indeed you are doing.

       (1 Th 5:12 NRSV)  But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to 
       respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the Lord 
       and admonish you;

       (1 Th 5:13 NRSV)  esteem them very highly in love because of their 
       work. Be at peace among yourselves.

       (1 Th 5:14 NRSV)  And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, 
       encourage the faint hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of 
       them.

       (1 Th 5:15 NRSV)  See that none of you repays evil for evil, but 
       always seek to do good to one another and to all.

       (1 Th 5:16 NRSV)  Rejoice always,

       (1 Th 5:17 NRSV)  pray without ceasing,

       (1 Th 5:18 NRSV)  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the 
       will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

       (1 Th 5:19 NRSV)  Do not quench the Spirit.

       (1 Th 5:20 NRSV)  Do not despise the words of prophets,

       (1 Th 5:21 NRSV)  but test everything; hold fast to what is good;

       (1 Th 5:22 NRSV)  abstain from every form of evil.

       (1 Th 5:23 NRSV)  May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; 
       and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at 
       the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

       (1 Th 5:24 NRSV)  The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do 
       this.

       (1 Th 5:25 NRSV)  Beloved, pray for us.

       (1 Th 5:26 NRSV)  Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss.






       (1 Th 5:27 NRSV)  I solemnly command you by the Lord that this letter 
       be read to all of them.

       (1 Th 5:28 NRSV)  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

       (2 Th 1:1 NRSV)  Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the 
       Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

       (2 Th 1:2 NRSV)  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the 
       Lord Jesus Christ.

       (2 Th 1:3 NRSV)  We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers 
       and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, 
       and the love of everyone of you for one another is increasing.

       (2 Th 1:4 NRSV)  Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the 
       churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your 
       persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring.

       (2 Th 1:5 NRSV)  This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, 
       and is intended to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which 
       you are also suffering.

       (2 Th 1:6 NRSV)  For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction 
       those who afflict you,

       (2 Th 1:7 NRSV)  and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, 
       when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels

       (2 Th 1:8 NRSV)  in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do 
       not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord 
       Jesus.

       (2 Th 1:9 NRSV)  These will suffer the punishment of eternal 
       destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the 
       glory of his might,

       (2 Th 1:10 NRSV)  when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to 
       be marveled at on that day among all who have believed, because our 
       testimony to you was believed.

       (2 Th 1:11 NRSV)  To this end we always pray for you, asking that our 
       God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power 
       every good resolve and work of faith,

       (2 Th 1:12 NRSV)  so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified 
       in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord 
       Jesus Christ.

       (2 Th 2:1 NRSV)  As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our 
       being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters,

       (2 Th 2:2 NRSV)  not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either 
       by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect 
       that the day of the Lord is already here.






       (2 Th 2:3 NRSV)  Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will 
       not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is 
       revealed, the one destined for destruction.

       (2 Th 2:4 NRSV)  He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called 
       god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of 
       God, declaring himself to be God.

       (2 Th 2:5 NRSV)  Do you not remember that I told you these things when 
       I was still with you?

       (2 Th 2:6 NRSV)  And you know what is now restraining him, so that he 
       may be revealed when his time comes.

       (2 Th 2:7 NRSV)  For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, 
       but only until the one who now restrains it is removed.

       (2 Th 2:8 NRSV)  And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the 
       Lord Jesus will destroy with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him 
       by the manifestation of his coming.

       (2 Th 2:9 NRSV)  The coming of the lawless one is apparent in the 
       working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, lying wonders,

       (2 Th 2:10 NRSV)  and every kind of wicked deception for those who are 
       perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

       (2 Th 2:11 NRSV)  For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion, 
       leading them to believe what is false,

       (2 Th 2:12 NRSV)  so that all who have not believed the truth but took 
       pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned.

       (2 Th 2:13 NRSV)  But we must always give thanks to God for you, 
       brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the 
       first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and 
       through belief in the truth.

       (2 Th 2:14 NRSV)  For this purpose he called you through our 
       proclamation of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our 
       Lord Jesus Christ.

       (2 Th 2:15 NRSV)  So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold 
       fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of 
       mouth or by our letter.

       (2 Th 2:16 NRSV)  Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our 
       Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and 
       good hope,

       (2 Th 2:17 NRSV)  comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every 
       good work and word.

       (2 Th 3:1 NRSV)  Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us, so that 
       the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified everywhere, 





       just as it is among you,

       (2 Th 3:2 NRSV)  and that we may be rescued from wicked and evil 
       people; for not all have faith.

       (2 Th 3:3 NRSV)  But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and 
       guard you from the evil one.

       (2 Th 3:4 NRSV)  And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, 
       that you are doing and will go on doing the things that we command.

       (2 Th 3:5 NRSV)  May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God 
       and to the steadfastness of Christ.

       (2 Th 3:6 NRSV)  Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord 
       Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness 
       and not according to the tradition that they received from us.

       (2 Th 3:7 NRSV)  For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; 
       we were not idle when we were with you,

       (2 Th 3:8 NRSV)  and we did not eat anyone's bread without paying for 
       it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might 
       not burden any of you.

       (2 Th 3:9 NRSV)  This was not because we do not have that right, but 
       in order to give you an example to imitate.

       (2 Th 3:10 NRSV)  For even when we were with you, we gave you this 
       command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.

       (2 Th 3:11 NRSV)  For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, 
       mere busybodies, not doing any work.

       (2 Th 3:12 NRSV)  Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord 
       Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

       (2 Th 3:13 NRSV)  Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what 
       is right.

       (2 Th 3:14 NRSV)  Take note of those who do not obey what we say in 
       this letter; have nothing to do with them, so that they may be 
       ashamed.

       (2 Th 3:15 NRSV)  Do not regard them as enemies, but warn them as 
       believers.

       (2 Th 3:16 NRSV)  Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at 
       all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you.

       (2 Th 3:17 NRSV)  I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This 
       is the mark in every letter of mine; it is the way I write.

       (2 Th 3:18 NRSV)  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of 
       you.





       (1 Tim 1:1 NRSV)  Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of 
       God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

       (1 Tim 1:2 NRSV)  To Timothy, my loyal child in the faith: Grace, 
       mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

       (1 Tim 1:3 NRSV)  I urge you, as I did when I was on my way to 
       Macedonia, to remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain 
       people not to teach any different doctrine,

       (1 Tim 1:4 NRSV)  and not to occupy themselves with myths and endless 
       genealogies that promote speculations rather than the divine training 
       that is known by faith.

       (1 Tim 1:5 NRSV)  But the aim of such instruction is love that comes 
       from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith.

       (1 Tim 1:6 NRSV)  Some people have deviated from these and turned to 
       meaningless talk,

       (1 Tim 1:7 NRSV)  desiring to be teachers of the law, without 
       understanding either what they are saying or the things about which 
       they make assertions.

       (1 Tim 1:8 NRSV)  Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it 
       legitimately.

       (1 Tim 1:9 NRSV)  This means understanding that the law is laid down 
       not for the innocent but for the lawless and disobedient, for the 
       godless and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill 
       their father or mother, for murderers,

       (1 Tim 1:10 NRSV)  fornicators, sodomites, slave traders, liars, 
       perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching

       (1 Tim 1:11 NRSV)  that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed 
       God, which he entrusted to me.

       (1 Tim 1:12 NRSV)  I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has 
       strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his 
       service,

       (1 Tim 1:13 NRSV)  even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a 
       persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had 
       acted ignorantly in unbelief,

       (1 Tim 1:14 NRSV)  and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with 
       the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

       (1 Tim 1:15 NRSV)  The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, 
       that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am 
       the foremost.

       (1 Tim 1:16 NRSV)  But for that very reason I received mercy, so that 
       in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost 
       patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in 





       him for eternal life.

       (1 Tim 1:17 NRSV)  To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the 
       only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

       (1 Tim 1:18 NRSV)  I am giving you these instructions, Timothy, my 
       child, in accordance with the prophecies made earlier about you, so 
       that by following them you may fight the good fight,

       (1 Tim 1:19 NRSV)  having faith and a good conscience. By rejecting 
       conscience, certain persons have suffered shipwreck in the faith;

       (1 Tim 1:20 NRSV)  among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have 
       turned over to Satan, so that they may learn not to blaspheme.

       (1 Tim 2:1 NRSV)  First of all, then, I urge that supplications, 
       prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone,

       (1 Tim 2:2 NRSV)  for kings and all who are in high positions, so that 
       we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.

       (1 Tim 2:3 NRSV)  This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God 
       our Savior,

       (1 Tim 2:4 NRSV)  who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the 
       knowledge of the truth.

       (1 Tim 2:5 NRSV)  For there is one God; there is also one mediator 
       between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human,

       (1 Tim 2:6 NRSV)  who gave himself a ransom for all --this was 
       attested at the right time.

       (1 Tim 2:7 NRSV)  For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I 
       am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in 
       faith and truth.

       (1 Tim 2:8 NRSV)  I desire, then, that in every place the men should 
       pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument;

       (1 Tim 2:9 NRSV)  also that the women should dress themselves modestly 
       and decently in suitable clothing, not with their hair braided, or 
       with gold, pearls, or expensive clothes,

       (1 Tim 2:10 NRSV)  but with good works, as is proper for women who 
       profess reverence for God.

       (1 Tim 2:11 NRSV)  Let a woman learn in silence with full submission.

       (1 Tim 2:12 NRSV)  I permit no woman to teach or to have authority 
       over a man; she is to keep silent.

       (1 Tim 2:13 NRSV)  For Adam was formed first, then Eve;

       (1 Tim 2:14 NRSV)  and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was 
       deceived and became a transgressor.






       (1 Tim 2:15 NRSV)  Yet she will be saved through childbearing, 
       provided they continue in faith and love and holiness, with modesty.

       (1 Tim 3:1 NRSV)  The saying is sure: whoever aspires to the office of 
       bishop desires a noble task.

       (1 Tim 3:2 NRSV)  Now a bishop must be above reproach, married only 
       once, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher,

       (1 Tim 3:3 NRSV)  not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not 
       quarrelsome, and not a lover of money.

       (1 Tim 3:4 NRSV)  He must manage his own household well, keeping his 
       children submissive and respectful in every way--

       (1 Tim 3:5 NRSV)  for if someone does not know how to manage his own 
       household, how can he take care of God's church?

       (1 Tim 3:6 NRSV)  He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed 
       up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.

       (1 Tim 3:7 NRSV)  Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, 
       so that he may not fall into disgrace and the snare of the devil.

       (1 Tim 3:8 NRSV)  Deacons likewise must be serious, not 
       double-tongued, not indulging in much wine, not greedy for money;

       (1 Tim 3:9 NRSV)  they must hold fast to the mystery of the faith with 
       a clear conscience.

       (1 Tim 3:10 NRSV)  And let them first be tested; then, if they prove 
       themselves blameless, let them serve as deacons.

       (1 Tim 3:11 NRSV)  Women likewise must be serious, not slanderers, but 
       temperate, faithful in all things.

       (1 Tim 3:12 NRSV)  Let deacons be married only once, and let them 
       manage their children and their households well;

       (1 Tim 3:13 NRSV)  for those who serve well as deacons gain a good 
       standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in 
       Christ Jesus.

       (1 Tim 3:14 NRSV)  I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these 
       instructions to you so that,

       (1 Tim 3:15 NRSV)  if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to 
       behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, 
       the pillar and bulwark of the truth.

       (1 Tim 3:16 NRSV)  Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is 
       great: He was revealed in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, 
       proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up 
       in glory.





       (1 Tim 4:1 NRSV)  Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times 
       some will renounce the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits 
       and teachings of demons,

       (1 Tim 4:2 NRSV)  through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are 
       seared with a hot iron.

       (1 Tim 4:3 NRSV)  They forbid marriage and demand abstinence from 
       foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who 
       believe and know the truth.

       (1 Tim 4:4 NRSV)  For everything created by God is good, and nothing 
       is to be rejected, provided it is received with thanksgiving;

       (1 Tim 4:5 NRSV)  for it is sanctified by God's word and by prayer.

       (1 Tim 4:6 NRSV)  If you put these instructions before the brothers 
       and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished on 
       the words of the faith and of the sound teaching that you have 
       followed.

       (1 Tim 4:7 NRSV)  Have nothing to do with profane myths and old wives' 
       tales. Train yourself in godliness,

       (1 Tim 4:8 NRSV)  for, while physical training is of some value, 
       godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the 
       present life and the life to come.

       (1 Tim 4:9 NRSV)  The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance.

       (1 Tim 4:10 NRSV)  For to this end we toil and struggle, because we 
       have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, 
       especially of those who believe.

       (1 Tim 4:11 NRSV)  These are the things you must insist on and teach.

       (1 Tim 4:12 NRSV)  Let no one despise your youth, but set the 
       believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in 
       purity.

       (1 Tim 4:13 NRSV)  Until I arrive, give attention to the public 
       reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching.

       (1 Tim 4:14 NRSV)  Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was 
       given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the 
       council of elders.

       (1 Tim 4:15 NRSV)  Put these things into practice, devote yourself to 
       them, so that all may see your progress.

       (1 Tim 4:16 NRSV)  Pay close attention to yourself and to your 
       teaching; continue in these things, for in doing this you will save 
       both yourself and your hearers.

       (1 Tim 5:1 NRSV)  Do not speak harshly to an older man, but speak to 
       him as to a father, to younger men as brothers,






       (1 Tim 5:2 NRSV)  to older women as mothers, to younger women as 
       sisters--with absolute purity.

       (1 Tim 5:3 NRSV)  Honor widows who are really widows.

       (1 Tim 5:4 NRSV)  If a widow has children or grandchildren, they 
       should first learn their religious duty to their own family and make 
       some repayment to their parents; for this is pleasing in God's sight.

       (1 Tim 5:5 NRSV)  The real widow, left alone, has set her hope on God 
       and continues in supplications and prayers night and day;

       (1 Tim 5:6 NRSV)  but the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even 
       while she lives.

       (1 Tim 5:7 NRSV)  Give these commands as well, so that they may be 
       above reproach.

       (1 Tim 5:8 NRSV)  And whoever does not provide for relatives, and 
       especially for family members, has denied the faith and is worse than 
       an unbeliever.

       (1 Tim 5:9 NRSV)  Let a widow be put on the list if she is not less 
       than sixty years old and has been married only once;

       (1 Tim 5:10 NRSV)  she must be well attested for her good works, as 
       one who has brought up children, shown hospitality, washed the saints' 
       feet, helped the afflicted, and devoted herself to doing good in every 
       way.

       (1 Tim 5:11 NRSV)  But refuse to put younger widows on the list; for 
       when their sensual desires alienate them from Christ, they want to 
       marry,

       (1 Tim 5:12 NRSV)  and so they incur condemnation for having violated 
       their first pledge.

       (1 Tim 5:13 NRSV)  Besides that, they learn to be idle, gadding about 
       from house to house; and they are not merely idle, but also gossips 
       and busybodies, saying what they should not say.

       (1 Tim 5:14 NRSV)  So I would have younger widows marry, bear 
       children, and manage their households, so as to give the adversary no 
       occasion to revile us.

       (1 Tim 5:15 NRSV)  For some have already turned away to follow Satan.

       (1 Tim 5:16 NRSV)  If any believing woman has relatives who are really 
       widows, let her assist them; let the church not be burdened, so that 
       it can assist those who are real widows.

       (1 Tim 5:17 NRSV)  Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy 
       of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching;

       (1 Tim 5:18 NRSV)  for the scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox 





       while it is treading out the grain," and, "The laborer deserves to be 
       paid."

       (1 Tim 5:19 NRSV)  Never accept any accusation against an elder except 
       on the evidence of two or three witnesses.

       (1 Tim 5:20 NRSV)  As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the 
       presence of all, so that the rest also may stand in fear.

       (1 Tim 5:21 NRSV)  In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of 
       the elect angels, I warn you to keep these instructions without 
       prejudice, doing nothing on the basis of partiality.

       (1 Tim 5:22 NRSV)  Do not ordain anyone hastily, and do not 
       participate in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.

       (1 Tim 5:23 NRSV)  No longer drink only water, but take a little wine 
       for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

       (1 Tim 5:24 NRSV)  The sins of some people are conspicuous and precede 
       them to judgment, while the sins of others follow them there.

       (1 Tim 5:25 NRSV)  So also good works are conspicuous; and even when 
       they are not, they cannot remain hidden.

       (1 Tim 6:1 NRSV)  Let all who are under the yoke of slavery regard 
       their masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the 
       teaching may not be blasphemed.

       (1 Tim 6:2 NRSV)  Those who have believing masters must not be 
       disrespectful to them on the ground that they are members of the 
       church; rather they must serve them all the more, since those who 
       benefit by their service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge 
       these duties.

       (1 Tim 6:3 NRSV)  Whoever teaches otherwise and does not agree with 
       the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that is in 
       accordance with godliness,

       (1 Tim 6:4 NRSV)  is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a 
       morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words. From 
       these come envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions,

       (1 Tim 6:5 NRSV)  and wrangling among those who are depraved in mind 
       and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

       (1 Tim 6:6 NRSV)  Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined 
       with contentment;

       (1 Tim 6:7 NRSV)  for we brought nothing into the world, so that we 
       can take nothing out of it;

       (1 Tim 6:8 NRSV)  but if we have food and clothing, we will be content 
       with these.

       (1 Tim 6:9 NRSV)  But those who want to be rich fall into temptation 





       and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge 
       people into ruin and destruction.

       (1 Tim 6:10 NRSV)  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of 
       evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from 
       the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

       (1 Tim 6:11 NRSV)  But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue 
       righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.

       (1 Tim 6:12 NRSV)  Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the 
       eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good 
       confession in the presence of many witnesses.

       (1 Tim 6:13 NRSV)  In the presence of God, who gives life to all 
       things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius 
       Pilate made the good confession, I charge you

       (1 Tim 6:14 NRSV)  to keep the commandment without spot or blame until 
       the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

       (1 Tim 6:15 NRSV)  which he will bring about at the right time--he who 
       is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of 
       lords.

       (1 Tim 6:16 NRSV)  It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in 
       unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be 
       honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

       (1 Tim 6:17 NRSV)  As for those who in the present age are rich, 
       command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the 
       uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with 
       everything for our enjoyment.

       (1 Tim 6:18 NRSV)  They are to do good, to be rich in good works, 
       generous, and ready to share,

       (1 Tim 6:19 NRSV)  thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a 
       good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life 
       that really is life.

       (1 Tim 6:20 NRSV)  Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. 
       Avoid the profane chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called 
       knowledge;

       (1 Tim 6:21 NRSV)  by professing it some have missed the mark as 
       regards the faith. Grace be with you.

       (2 Tim 1:1 NRSV)  Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, 
       for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,

       (2 Tim 1:2 NRSV)  To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and 
       peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

       (2 Tim 1:3 NRSV)  I am grateful to God--whom I worship with a clear 
       conscience, as my ancestors did--when I remember you constantly in my 





       prayers night and day.

       (2 Tim 1:4 NRSV)  Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I 
       may be filled with joy.

       (2 Tim 1:5 NRSV)  I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that 
       lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I 
       am sure, lives in you.

       (2 Tim 1:6 NRSV)  For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of 
       God that is within you through the laying on of my hands;

       (2 Tim 1:7 NRSV)  for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but 
       rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.

       (2 Tim 1:8 NRSV)  Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our 
       Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the 
       gospel, relying on the power of God,

       (2 Tim 1:9 NRSV)  who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not 
       according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. 
       This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

       (2 Tim 1:10 NRSV)  but it has now been revealed through the appearing 
       of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and 
       immortality to light through the gospel.

       (2 Tim 1:11 NRSV)  For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an 
       apostle and a teacher,

       (2 Tim 1:12 NRSV)  and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not 
       ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure 
       that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him.

       (2 Tim 1:13 NRSV)  Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you 
       have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

       (2 Tim 1:14 NRSV)  Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the 
       help of the Holy Spirit living in us.

       (2 Tim 1:15 NRSV)  You are aware that all who are in Asia have turned 
       away from me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.

       (2 Tim 1:16 NRSV)  May the Lord grant mercy to the household of 
       Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my 
       chain;

       (2 Tim 1:17 NRSV)  when he arrived in Rome, he eagerly searched for me 
       and found me

       (2 Tim 1:18 NRSV)  --may the Lord grant that he will find mercy from 
       the Lord on that day! And you know very well how much service he 
       rendered in Ephesus.

       (2 Tim 2:1 NRSV)  You then, my child, be strong in the grace that is 
       in Christ Jesus;






       (2 Tim 2:2 NRSV)  and what you have heard from me through many 
       witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others 
       as well.

       (2 Tim 2:3 NRSV)  Share in suffering like a good soldier of Christ 
       Jesus.

       (2 Tim 2:4 NRSV)  No one serving in the army gets entangled in 
       everyday affairs; the soldier's aim is to please the enlisting 
       officer.

       (2 Tim 2:5 NRSV)  And in the case of an athlete, no one is crowned 
       without competing according to the rules.

       (2 Tim 2:6 NRSV)  It is the farmer who does the work who ought to have 
       the first share of the crops.

       (2 Tim 2:7 NRSV)  Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you 
       understanding in all things.

       (2 Tim 2:8 NRSV)  Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a 
       descendant of David--that is my gospel,

       (2 Tim 2:9 NRSV)  for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of 
       being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained.

       (2 Tim 2:10 NRSV)  Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the 
       elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ 
       Jesus, with eternal glory.

       (2 Tim 2:11 NRSV)  The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we 
       will also live with him;

       (2 Tim 2:12 NRSV)  if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we 
       deny him, he will also deny us;

       (2 Tim 2:13 NRSV)  if we are faithless, he remains faithful-- for he 
       cannot deny himself.

       (2 Tim 2:14 NRSV)  Remind them of this, and warn them before God that 
       they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only 
       ruins those who are listening.

       (2 Tim 2:15 NRSV)  Do your best to present yourself to God as one 
       approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly 
       explaining the word of truth.

       (2 Tim 2:16 NRSV)  Avoid profane chatter, for it will lead people into 
       more and more impiety,

       (2 Tim 2:17 NRSV)  and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among 
       them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,

       (2 Tim 2:18 NRSV)  who have swerved from the truth by claiming that 
       the resurrection has already taken place. They are upsetting the faith 





       of some.

       (2 Tim 2:19 NRSV)  But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this 
       inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Let everyone 
       who calls on the name of the Lord turn away from wickedness."

       (2 Tim 2:20 NRSV)  In a large house there are utensils not only of 
       gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for special use, some 
       for ordinary.

       (2 Tim 2:21 NRSV)  All who cleanse themselves of the things I have 
       mentioned will become special utensils, dedicated and useful to the 
       owner of the house, ready for every good work.

       (2 Tim 2:22 NRSV)  Shun youthful passions and pursue righteousness, 
       faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a 
       pure heart.

       (2 Tim 2:23 NRSV)  Have nothing to do with stupid and senseless 
       controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.

       (2 Tim 2:24 NRSV)  And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but 
       kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient,

       (2 Tim 2:25 NRSV)  correcting opponents with gentleness. God may 
       perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth,

       (2 Tim 2:26 NRSV)  and that they may escape from the snare of the 
       devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

       (2 Tim 3:1 NRSV)  You must understand this, that in the last days 
       distressing times will come.

       (2 Tim 3:2 NRSV)  For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of 
       money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, 
       ungrateful, unholy,

       (2 Tim 3:3 NRSV)  inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, 
       brutes, haters of good,

       (2 Tim 3:4 NRSV)  treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers 
       of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

       (2 Tim 3:5 NRSV)  holding to the outward form of godliness but denying 
       its power. Avoid them!

       (2 Tim 3:6 NRSV)  For among them are those who make their way into 
       households and captivate silly women, overwhelmed by their sins and 
       swayed by all kinds of desires,

       (2 Tim 3:7 NRSV)  who are always being instructed and can never arrive 
       at a knowledge of the truth.

       (2 Tim 3:8 NRSV)  As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these 
       people, of corrupt mind and counterfeit faith, also oppose the truth.





       (2 Tim 3:9 NRSV)  But they will not make much progress, because, as in 
       the case of those two men, their folly will become plain to everyone.

       (2 Tim 3:10 NRSV)  Now you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my 
       aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness,

       (2 Tim 3:11 NRSV)  my persecutions and suffering the things that 
       happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I 
       endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.

       (2 Tim 3:12 NRSV)  Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in Christ 
       Jesus will be persecuted.

       (2 Tim 3:13 NRSV)  But wicked people and impostors will go from bad to 
       worse, deceiving others and being deceived.

       (2 Tim 3:14 NRSV)  But as for you, continue in what you have learned 
       and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it,

       (2 Tim 3:15 NRSV)  and how from childhood you have known the sacred 
       writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in 
       Christ Jesus.

       (2 Tim 3:16 NRSV)  All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for 
       teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in 
       righteousness,

       (2 Tim 3:17 NRSV)  so that everyone who belongs to God may be 
       proficient, equipped for every good work.

       (2 Tim 4:1 NRSV)  In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is 
       to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his 
       kingdom, I solemnly urge you:

       (2 Tim 4:2 NRSV)  proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time 
       is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the 
       utmost patience in teaching.

       (2 Tim 4:3 NRSV)  For the time is coming when people will not put up 
       with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for 
       themselves teachers to suit their own desires,

       (2 Tim 4:4 NRSV)  and will turn away from listening to the truth and 
       wander away to myths.

       (2 Tim 4:5 NRSV)  As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do 
       the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.

       (2 Tim 4:6 NRSV)  As for me, I am already being poured out as a 
       libation, and the time of my departure has come.

       (2 Tim 4:7 NRSV)  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the 
       race, I have kept the faith.

       (2 Tim 4:8 NRSV)  From now on there is reserved for me the crown of 
       righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on 





       that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his 
       appearing.

       (2 Tim 4:9 NRSV)  Do your best to come to me soon,

       (2 Tim 4:10 NRSV)  for Demas, in love with this present world, has 
       deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, 
       Titus to Dalmatia.

       (2 Tim 4:11 NRSV)  Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with 
       you, for he is useful in my ministry.

       (2 Tim 4:12 NRSV)  I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.

       (2 Tim 4:13 NRSV)  When you come, bring the cloak that I left with 
       Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.

       (2 Tim 4:14 NRSV)  Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the 
       Lord will pay him back for his deeds.

       (2 Tim 4:15 NRSV)  You also must beware of him, for he strongly 
       opposed our message.

       (2 Tim 4:16 NRSV)  At my first defense no one came to my support, but 
       all deserted me. May it not be counted against them!

       (2 Tim 4:17 NRSV)  But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so 
       that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the 
       Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth.

       (2 Tim 4:18 NRSV)  The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and 
       save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and 
       ever. Amen.

       (2 Tim 4:19 NRSV)  Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of 
       Onesiphorus.

       (2 Tim 4:20 NRSV)  Erastus remained in Corinth; Trophimus I left ill 
       in Miletus.

       (2 Tim 4:21 NRSV)  Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends 
       greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the 
       brothers and sisters.

       (2 Tim 4:22 NRSV)  The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

       (Titus 1:1 NRSV)  Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus 
       Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of 
       the truth that is in accordance with godliness,

       (Titus 1:2 NRSV)  in the hope of eternal life that God, who never 
       lies, promised before the ages began--

       (Titus 1:3 NRSV)  in due time he revealed his word through the 
       proclamation with which I have been entrusted by the command of God 
       our Savior,






       (Titus 1:4 NRSV)  To Titus, my loyal child in the faith we share: 
       Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

       (Titus 1:5 NRSV)  I left you behind in Crete for this reason, so that 
       you should put in order what remained to be done, and should appoint 
       elders in every town, as I directed you:

       (Titus 1:6 NRSV)  someone who is blameless, married only once, whose 
       children are believers, not accused of debauchery and not rebellious.

       (Titus 1:7 NRSV)  For a bishop, as God's steward, must be blameless; 
       he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or 
       violent or greedy for gain;

       (Titus 1:8 NRSV)  but he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, 
       prudent, upright, devout, and self-controlled.

       (Titus 1:9 NRSV)  He must have a firm grasp of the word that is 
       trustworthy in accordance with the teaching, so that he may be able 
       both to preach with sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict 
       it.

       (Titus 1:10 NRSV)  There are also many rebellious people, idle talkers 
       and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision;

       (Titus 1:11 NRSV)  they must be silenced, since they are upsetting 
       whole families by teaching for sordid gain what it is not right to 
       teach.

       (Titus 1:12 NRSV)  It was one of them, their very own prophet, who 
       said, "Cretans are always liars, vicious brutes, lazy gluttons."

       (Titus 1:13 NRSV)  That testimony is true. For this reason rebuke them 
       sharply, so that they may become sound in the faith,

       (Titus 1:14 NRSV)  not paying attention to Jewish myths or to 
       commandments of those who reject the truth.

       (Titus 1:15 NRSV)  To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt 
       and unbelieving nothing is pure. Their very minds and consciences are 
       corrupted.

       (Titus 1:16 NRSV)  They profess to know God, but they deny him by 
       their actions. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good 
       work.

       (Titus 2:1 NRSV)  But as for you, teach what is consistent with sound 
       doctrine.

       (Titus 2:2 NRSV)  Tell the older men to be temperate, serious, 
       prudent, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance.

       (Titus 2:3 NRSV)  Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in 
       behavior, not to be slanderers or slaves to drink; they are to teach 
       what is good,






       (Titus 2:4 NRSV)  so that they may encourage the young women to love 
       their husbands, to love their children,

       (Titus 2:5 NRSV)  to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of the 
       household, kind, being submissive to their husbands, so that the word 
       of God may not be discredited.

       (Titus 2:6 NRSV)  Likewise, urge the younger men to be 
       self-controlled.

       (Titus 2:7 NRSV)  Show yourself in all respects a model of good works, 
       and in your teaching show integrity, gravity,

       (Titus 2:8 NRSV)  and sound speech that cannot be censured; then any 
       opponent will be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of us.

       (Titus 2:9 NRSV)  Tell slaves to be submissive to their masters and to 
       give satisfaction in every respect; they are not to talk back,

       (Titus 2:10 NRSV)  not to pilfer, but to show complete and perfect 
       fidelity, so that in everything they may be an ornament to the 
       doctrine of God our Savior.

       (Titus 2:11 NRSV)  For the grace of God has appeared, bringing 
       salvation to all,

       (Titus 2:12 NRSV)  training us to renounce impiety and worldly 
       passions, and in the present age to live lives that are 
       self-controlled, upright, and godly,

       (Titus 2:13 NRSV)  while we wait for the blessed hope and the 
       manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

       (Titus 2:14 NRSV)  He it is who gave himself for us that he might 
       redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own 
       who are zealous for good deeds.

       (Titus 2:15 NRSV)  Declare these things; exhort and reprove with all 
       authority. Let no one look down on you.

       (Titus 3:1 NRSV)  Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, 
       to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,

       (Titus 3:2 NRSV)  to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be 
       gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone.

       (Titus 3:3 NRSV)  For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led 
       astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in 
       malice and envy, despicable, hating one another.

       (Titus 3:4 NRSV)  But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our 
       Savior appeared,

       (Titus 3:5 NRSV)  he saved us, not because of any works of 
       righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through 





       the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

       (Titus 3:6 NRSV)  This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus 
       Christ our Savior,

       (Titus 3:7 NRSV)  so that, having been justified by his grace, we 
       might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

       (Titus 3:8 NRSV)  The saying is sure. I desire that you insist on 
       these things, so that those who have come to believe in God may be 
       careful to devote themselves to good works; these things are excellent 
       and profitable to everyone.

       (Titus 3:9 NRSV)  But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, 
       dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and 
       worthless.

       (Titus 3:10 NRSV)  After a first and second admonition, have nothing 
       more to do with anyone who causes divisions,

       (Titus 3:11 NRSV)  since you know that such a person is perverted and 
       sinful, being self-condemned.

       (Titus 3:12 NRSV)  When I send Artemas to you, or Tychicus, do your 
       best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the 
       winter there.

       (Titus 3:13 NRSV)  Make every effort to send Zenas the lawyer and 
       Apollos on their way, and see that they lack nothing.

       (Titus 3:14 NRSV)  And let people learn to devote themselves to good 
       works in order to meet urgent needs, so that they may not be 
       unproductive.

       (Titus 3:15 NRSV)  All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet 
       those who love us in the faith. Grace be with all of you.

       (Phile 1:1 NRSV)  Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our 
       brother, To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker,

       (Phile 1:2 NRSV)  to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow 
       soldier, and to the church in your house:

       (Phile 1:3 NRSV)  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the 
       Lord Jesus Christ.

       (Phile 1:4 NRSV)  When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my 
       God

       (Phile 1:5 NRSV)  because I hear of your love for all the saints and 
       your faith toward the Lord Jesus.

       (Phile 1:6 NRSV)  I pray that the sharing of your faith may become 
       effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ.

       (Phile 1:7 NRSV)  I have indeed received much joy and encouragement 





       from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed 
       through you, my brother.

       (Phile 1:8 NRSV)  For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ 
       to command you to do your duty,

       (Phile 1:9 NRSV)  yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of 
       love--and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner 
       of Christ Jesus.

       (Phile 1:10 NRSV)  I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose 
       father I have become during my imprisonment.

       (Phile 1:11 NRSV)  Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is 
       indeed useful both to you and to me.

       (Phile 1:12 NRSV)  I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to 
       you.

       (Phile 1:13 NRSV)  I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be 
       of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel;

       (Phile 1:14 NRSV)  but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, 
       in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something 
       forced.

       (Phile 1:15 NRSV)  Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from 
       you for a while, so that you might have him back forever,

       (Phile 1:16 NRSV)  no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a 
       beloved brother--especially to me but how much more to you, both in 
       the flesh and in the Lord.

       (Phile 1:17 NRSV)  So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as 
       you would welcome me.

       (Phile 1:18 NRSV)  If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you 
       anything, charge that to my account.

       (Phile 1:19 NRSV)  I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will 
       repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self.

       (Phile 1:20 NRSV)  Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in 
       the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ.

       (Phile 1:21 NRSV)  Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, 
       knowing that you will do even more than I say.

       (Phile 1:22 NRSV)  One thing more--prepare a guest room for me, for I 
       am hoping through your prayers to be restored to you.

       (Phile 1:23 NRSV)  Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends 
       greetings to you,

       (Phile 1:24 NRSV)  and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my 
       fellow workers.






       (Phile 1:25 NRSV)  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your 
       spirit.

       (Heb 1:1 NRSV)  Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and 
       various ways by the prophets,

       (Heb 1:2 NRSV)  but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, 
       whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the 
       worlds.

       (Heb 1:3 NRSV)  He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact 
       imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his 
       powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at 
       the right hand of the Majesty on high,

       (Heb 1:4 NRSV)  having become as much superior to angels as the name 
       he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

       (Heb 1:5 NRSV)  For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are 
       my Son; today I have begotten you"? Or again, "I will be his Father, 
       and he will be my Son"?

       (Heb 1:6 NRSV)  And again, when he brings the firstborn into the 
       world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."

       (Heb 1:7 NRSV)  Of the angels he says, "He makes his angels winds, and 
       his servants flames of fire."

       (Heb 1:8 NRSV)  But of the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, is 
       forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of your 
       kingdom.

       (Heb 1:9 NRSV)  You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; 
       therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness 
       beyond your companions."

       (Heb 1:10 NRSV)  And, "In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth, 
       and the heavens are the work of your hands;

       (Heb 1:11 NRSV)  they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear 
       out like clothing;

       (Heb 1:12 NRSV)  like a cloak you will roll them up, and like clothing 
       they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will never 
       end."

       (Heb 1:13 NRSV)  But to which of the angels has he ever said, "Sit at 
       my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"?

       (Heb 1:14 NRSV)  Are not all angels spirits in the divine service, 
       sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

       (Heb 2:1 NRSV)  Therefore we must pay greater attention to what we 
       have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.





       (Heb 2:2 NRSV)  For if the message declared through angels was valid, 
       and every transgression or disobedience received a just penalty,

       (Heb 2:3 NRSV)  how can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? 
       It was declared at first through the Lord, and it was attested to us 
       by those who heard him,

       (Heb 2:4 NRSV)  while God added his testimony by signs and wonders and 
       various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed 
       according to his will.

       (Heb 2:5 NRSV)  Now God did not subject the coming world, about which 
       we are speaking, to angels.

       (Heb 2:6 NRSV)  But someone has testified somewhere, "What are human 
       beings that you are mindful of them, or mortals, that you care for 
       them?

       (Heb 2:7 NRSV)  You have made them for a little while lower than the 
       angels; you have crowned them with glory and honor,

       (Heb 2:8 NRSV)  subjecting all things under their feet." Now in 
       subjecting all things to them, God left nothing outside their control. 
       As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them,

       (Heb 2:9 NRSV)  but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made 
       lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the 
       suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death 
       for everyone.

       (Heb 2:10 NRSV)  It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom 
       all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the 
       pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

       (Heb 2:11 NRSV)  For the one who sanctifies and those who are 
       sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed 
       to call them brothers and sisters,

       (Heb 2:12 NRSV)  saying, "I will proclaim your name to my brothers and 
       sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you."

       (Heb 2:13 NRSV)  And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again, 
       "Here am I and the children whom God has given me."

       (Heb 2:14 NRSV)  Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, 
       he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he 
       might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,

       (Heb 2:15 NRSV)  and free those who all their lives were held in 
       slavery by the fear of death.

       (Heb 2:16 NRSV)  For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, 
       but the descendants of Abraham.

       (Heb 2:17 NRSV)  Therefore he had to become like his brothers and 
       sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful 





       high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement 
       for the sins of the people.

       (Heb 2:18 NRSV)  Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he 
       is able to help those who are being tested.

       (Heb 3:1 NRSV)  Therefore, brothers and sisters, holy partners in a 
       heavenly calling, consider that Jesus, the apostle and high priest of 
       our confession,

       (Heb 3:2 NRSV)  was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as 
       Moses also "was faithful in all God's house."

       (Heb 3:3 NRSV)  Yet Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses, just as 
       the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.

       (Heb 3:4 NRSV)  (For every house is built by someone, but the builder 
       of all things is God.)

       (Heb 3:5 NRSV)  Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a 
       servant, to testify to the things that would be spoken later.

       (Heb 3:6 NRSV)  Christ, however, was faithful over God's house as a 
       son, and we are his house if we hold firm the confidence and the pride 
       that belong to hope.

       (Heb 3:7 NRSV)  Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you 
       hear his voice,

       (Heb 3:8 NRSV)  do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, as on 
       the day of testing in the wilderness,

       (Heb 3:9 NRSV)  where your ancestors put me to the test, though they 
       had seen my works

       (Heb 3:10 NRSV)  for forty years. Therefore I was angry with that 
       generation, and I said, 'They always go astray in their hearts, and 
       they have not known my ways.'

       (Heb 3:11 NRSV)  As in my anger I swore, 'They will not enter my 
       rest.'"

       (Heb 3:12 NRSV)  Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may 
       have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

       (Heb 3:13 NRSV)  But exhort one another every day, as long as it is 
       called "today," so that none of you may be hardened by the 
       deceitfulness of sin.

       (Heb 3:14 NRSV)  For we have become partners of Christ, if only we 
       hold our first confidence firm to the end.

       (Heb 3:15 NRSV)  As it is said, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not 
       harden your hearts as in the rebellion."

       (Heb 3:16 NRSV)  Now who were they who heard and yet were rebellious? 





       Was it not all those who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses?

       (Heb 3:17 NRSV)  But with whom was he angry forty years? Was it not 
       those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?

       (Heb 3:18 NRSV)  And to whom did he swear that they would not enter 
       his rest, if not to those who were disobedient?

       (Heb 3:19 NRSV)  So we see that they were unable to enter because of 
       unbelief.

       (Heb 4:1 NRSV)  Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest is 
       still open, let us take care that none of you should seem to have 
       failed to reach it.

       (Heb 4:2 NRSV)  For indeed the good news came to us just as to them; 
       but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not 
       united by faith with those who listened.

       (Heb 4:3 NRSV)  For we who have believed enter that rest, just as God 
       has said, "As in my anger I swore, 'They shall not enter my rest,'" 
       though his works were finished at the foundation of the world.

       (Heb 4:4 NRSV)  For in one place it speaks about the seventh day as 
       follows, "And God rested on the seventh day from all his works."

       (Heb 4:5 NRSV)  And again in this place it says, "They shall not enter 
       my rest."

       (Heb 4:6 NRSV)  Since therefore it remains open for some to enter it, 
       and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because 
       of disobedience,

       (Heb 4:7 NRSV)  again he sets a certain day--" today"--saying through 
       David much later, in the words already quoted, "Today, if you hear his 
       voice, do not harden your hearts."

       (Heb 4:8 NRSV)  For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not speak 
       later about another day.

       (Heb 4:9 NRSV)  So then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people 
       of God;

       (Heb 4:10 NRSV)  for those who enter God's rest also cease from their 
       labors as God did from his.

       (Heb 4:11 NRSV)  Let us therefore make every effort to enter that 
       rest, so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs.

       (Heb 4:12 NRSV)  Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper 
       than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, 
       joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of 
       the heart.

       (Heb 4:13 NRSV)  And before him no creature is hidden, but all are 
       naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an 





       account.

       (Heb 4:14 NRSV)  Since, then, we have a great high priest who has 
       passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to 
       our confession.

       (Heb 4:15 NRSV)  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to 
       sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect 
       has been tested as we are, yet without sin.

       (Heb 4:16 NRSV)  Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with 
       boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time 
       of need.

       (Heb 5:1 NRSV)  Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in 
       charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and 
       sacrifices for sins.

       (Heb 5:2 NRSV)  He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and 
       wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness;

       (Heb 5:3 NRSV)  and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his 
       own sins as well as for those of the people.

       (Heb 5:4 NRSV)  And one does not presume to take this honor, but takes 
       it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.

       (Heb 5:5 NRSV)  So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a 
       high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, "You are my 
       Son, today I have begotten you";

       (Heb 5:6 NRSV)  as he says also in another place, "You are a priest 
       forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."

       (Heb 5:7 NRSV)  In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and 
       supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to 
       save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent 
       submission.

       (Heb 5:8 NRSV)  Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through 
       what he suffered;

       (Heb 5:9 NRSV)  and having been made perfect, he became the source of 
       eternal salvation for all who obey him,

       (Heb 5:10 NRSV)  having been designated by God a high priest according 
       to the order of Melchizedek.

       (Heb 5:11 NRSV)  About this we have much to say that is hard to 
       explain, since you have become dull in understanding.

       (Heb 5:12 NRSV)  For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you 
       need someone to teach you again the basic elements of the oracles of 
       God. You need milk, not solid food;

       (Heb 5:13 NRSV)  for everyone who lives on milk, being still an 





       infant, is unskilled in the word of righteousness.

       (Heb 5:14 NRSV)  But solid food is for the mature, for those whose 
       faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.

       (Heb 6:1 NRSV)  Therefore let us go on toward perfection, leaving 
       behind the basic teaching about Christ, and not laying again the 
       foundation: repentance from dead works and faith toward God,

       (Heb 6:2 NRSV)  instruction about baptisms, laying on of hands, 
       resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

       (Heb 6:3 NRSV)  And we will do this, if God permits.

       (Heb 6:4 NRSV)  For it is impossible to restore again to repentance 
       those who have once been enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly 
       gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit,

       (Heb 6:5 NRSV)  and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and 
       the powers of the age to come,

       (Heb 6:6 NRSV)  and then have fallen away, since on their own they are 
       crucifying again the Son of God and are holding him up to contempt.

       (Heb 6:7 NRSV)  Ground that drinks up the rain falling on it 
       repeatedly, and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is 
       cultivated, receives a blessing from God.

       (Heb 6:8 NRSV)  But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is 
       worthless and on the verge of being cursed; its end is to be burned 
       over.

       (Heb 6:9 NRSV)  Even though we speak in this way, beloved, we are 
       confident of better things in your case, things that belong to 
       salvation.

       (Heb 6:10 NRSV)  For God is not unjust; he will not overlook your work 
       and the love that you showed for his sake in serving the saints, as 
       you still do.

       (Heb 6:11 NRSV)  And we want each one of you to show the same 
       diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope to the very end,

       (Heb 6:12 NRSV)  so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of 
       those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

       (Heb 6:13 NRSV)  When God made a promise to Abraham, because he had no 
       one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,

       (Heb 6:14 NRSV)  saying, "I will surely bless you and multiply you."

       (Heb 6:15 NRSV)  And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained 
       the promise.

       (Heb 6:16 NRSV)  Human beings, of course, swear by someone greater 
       than themselves, and an oath given as confirmation puts an end to all 





       dispute.

       (Heb 6:17 NRSV)  In the same way, when God desired to show even more 
       clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his 
       purpose, he guaranteed it by an oath,

       (Heb 6:18 NRSV)  so that through two unchangeable things, in which it 
       is impossible that God would prove false, we who have taken refuge 
       might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us.

       (Heb 6:19 NRSV)  We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the 
       soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain,

       (Heb 6:20 NRSV)  where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered, 
       having become a high priest forever according to the order of 
       Melchizedek.

       (Heb 7:1 NRSV)  This "King Melchizedek of Salem, priest of the Most 
       High God, met Abraham as he was returning from defeating the kings and 
       blessed him";

       (Heb 7:2 NRSV)  and to him Abraham apportioned "one-tenth of 
       everything." His name, in the first place, means "king of 
       righteousness"; next he is also king of Salem, that is, "king of 
       peace."

       (Heb 7:3 NRSV)  Without father, without mother, without genealogy, 
       having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the 
       Son of God, he remains a priest forever.

       (Heb 7:4 NRSV)  See how great he is! Even Abraham the patriarch gave 
       him a tenth of the spoils.

       (Heb 7:5 NRSV)  And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly 
       office have a commandment in the law to collect tithes from the 
       people, that is, from their kindred, though these also are descended 
       from Abraham.

       (Heb 7:6 NRSV)  But this man, who does not belong to their ancestry, 
       collected tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had received the 
       promises.

       (Heb 7:7 NRSV)  It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by 
       the superior.

       (Heb 7:8 NRSV)  In the one case, tithes are received by those who are 
       mortal; in the other, by one of whom it is testified that he lives.

       (Heb 7:9 NRSV)  One might even say that Levi himself, who receives 
       tithes, paid tithes through Abraham,

       (Heb 7:10 NRSV)  for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when 
       Melchizedek met him.

       (Heb 7:11 NRSV)  Now if perfection had been attainable through the 
       levitical priesthood--for the people received the law under this 





       priesthood--what further need would there have been to speak of 
       another priest arising according to the order of Melchizedek, rather 
       than one according to the order of Aaron?

       (Heb 7:12 NRSV)  For when there is a change in the priesthood, there 
       is necessarily a change in the law as well.

       (Heb 7:13 NRSV)  Now the one of whom these things are spoken belonged 
       to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar.

       (Heb 7:14 NRSV)  For it is evident that our Lord was descended from 
       Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about 
       priests.

       (Heb 7:15 NRSV)  It is even more obvious when another priest arises, 
       resembling Melchizedek,

       (Heb 7:16 NRSV)  one who has become a priest, not through a legal 
       requirement concerning physical descent, but through the power of an 
       indestructible life.

       (Heb 7:17 NRSV)  For it is attested of him, "You are a priest forever, 
       according to the order of Melchizedek."

       (Heb 7:18 NRSV)  There is, on the one hand, the abrogation of an 
       earlier commandment because it was weak and ineffectual

       (Heb 7:19 NRSV)  (for the law made nothing perfect); there is, on the 
       other hand, the introduction of a better hope, through which we 
       approach God.

       (Heb 7:20 NRSV)  This was confirmed with an oath; for others who 
       became priests took their office without an oath,

       (Heb 7:21 NRSV)  but this one became a priest with an oath, because of 
       the one who said to him, "The Lord has sworn and will not change his 
       mind, 'You are a priest forever'"--

       (Heb 7:22 NRSV)  accordingly Jesus has also become the guarantee of a 
       better covenant.

       (Heb 7:23 NRSV)  Furthermore, the former priests were many in number, 
       because they were prevented by death from continuing in office;

       (Heb 7:24 NRSV)  but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he 
       continues forever.

       (Heb 7:25 NRSV)  Consequently he is able for all time to save those 
       who approach God through him, since he always lives to make 
       intercession for them.

       (Heb 7:26 NRSV)  For it was fitting that we should have such a high 
       priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and 
       exalted above the heavens.

       (Heb 7:27 NRSV)  Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to 





       offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for 
       those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself.

       (Heb 7:28 NRSV)  For the law appoints as high priests those who are 
       subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than 
       the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

       (Heb 8:1 NRSV)  Now the main point in what we are saying is this: we 
       have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the 
       throne of the Majesty in the heavens,

       (Heb 8:2 NRSV)  a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent that the 
       Lord, and not any mortal, has set up.

       (Heb 8:3 NRSV)  For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and 
       sacrifices; hence it is necessary for this priest also to have 
       something to offer.

       (Heb 8:4 NRSV)  Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at 
       all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law.

       (Heb 8:5 NRSV)  They offer worship in a sanctuary that is a sketch and 
       shadow of the heavenly one; for Moses, when he was about to erect the 
       tent, was warned, "See that you make everything according to the 
       pattern that was shown you on the mountain."

       (Heb 8:6 NRSV)  But Jesus has now obtained a more excellent ministry, 
       and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has 
       been enacted through better promises.

       (Heb 8:7 NRSV)  For if that first covenant had been faultless, there 
       would have been no need to look for a second one.

       (Heb 8:8 NRSV)  God finds fault with them when he says: "The days are 
       surely coming, says the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant 
       with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;

       (Heb 8:9 NRSV)  not like the covenant that I made with their 
       ancestors, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of 
       the land of Egypt; for they did not continue in my covenant, and so I 
       had no concern for them, says the Lord.

       (Heb 8:10 NRSV)  This is the covenant that I will make with the house 
       of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their 
       minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and 
       they shall be my people.

       (Heb 8:11 NRSV)  And they shall not teach one another or say to each 
       other, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of 
       them to the greatest.

       (Heb 8:12 NRSV)  For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I 
       will remember their sins no more."

       (Heb 8:13 NRSV)  In speaking of "a new covenant," he has made the 
       first one obsolete. And what is obsolete and growing old will soon 





       disappear.

       (Heb 9:1 NRSV)  Now even the first covenant had regulations for 
       worship and an earthly sanctuary.

       (Heb 9:2 NRSV)  For a tent was constructed, the first one, in which 
       were the lampstand, the table, and the bread of the Presence; this is 
       called the Holy Place.

       (Heb 9:3 NRSV)  Behind the second curtain was a tent called the Holy 
       of Holies.

       (Heb 9:4 NRSV)  In it stood the golden altar of incense and the ark of 
       the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which there were a 
       golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the 
       tablets of the covenant;

       (Heb 9:5 NRSV)  above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the 
       mercy seat. Of these things we cannot speak now in detail.

       (Heb 9:6 NRSV)  Such preparations having been made, the priests go 
       continually into the first tent to carry out their ritual duties;

       (Heb 9:7 NRSV)  but only the high priest goes into the second, and he 
       but once a year, and not without taking the blood that he offers for 
       himself and for the sins committed unintentionally by the people.

       (Heb 9:8 NRSV)  By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into 
       the sanctuary has not yet been disclosed as long as the first tent is 
       still standing.

       (Heb 9:9 NRSV)  This is a symbol of the present time, during which 
       gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of 
       the worshiper,

       (Heb 9:10 NRSV)  but deal only with food and drink and various 
       baptisms, regulations for the body imposed until the time comes to set 
       things right.

       (Heb 9:11 NRSV)  But when Christ came as a high priest of the good 
       things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not 
       made with hands, that is, not of this creation),

       (Heb 9:12 NRSV)  he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with 
       the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining 
       eternal redemption.

       (Heb 9:13 NRSV)  For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the 
       sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been 
       defiled so that their flesh is purified,

       (Heb 9:14 NRSV)  how much more will the blood of Christ, who through 
       the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our 
       conscience from dead works to worship the living God!

       (Heb 9:15 NRSV)  For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, 





       so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal 
       inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the 
       transgressions under the first covenant.

       (Heb 9:16 NRSV)  Where a will is involved, the death of the one who 
       made it must be established.

       (Heb 9:17 NRSV)  For a will takes effect only at death, since it is 
       not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.

       (Heb 9:18 NRSV)  Hence not even the first covenant was inaugurated 
       without blood.

       (Heb 9:19 NRSV)  For when every commandment had been told to all the 
       people by Moses in accordance with the law, he took the blood of 
       calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and 
       sprinkled both the scroll itself and all the people,

       (Heb 9:20 NRSV)  saying, "This is the blood of the covenant that God 
       has ordained for you."

       (Heb 9:21 NRSV)  And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both 
       the tent and all the vessels used in worship.

       (Heb 9:22 NRSV)  Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified 
       with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness 
       of sins.

       (Heb 9:23 NRSV)  Thus it was necessary for the sketches of the 
       heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly 
       things themselves need better sacrifices than these.

       (Heb 9:24 NRSV)  For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human 
       hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, 
       now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.

       (Heb 9:25 NRSV)  Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the 
       high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is 
       not his own;

       (Heb 9:26 NRSV)  for then he would have had to suffer again and again 
       since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once 
       for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of 
       himself.

       (Heb 9:27 NRSV)  And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, 
       and after that the judgment,

       (Heb 9:28 NRSV)  so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins 
       of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save 
       those who are eagerly waiting for him.

       (Heb 10:1 NRSV)  Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to 
       come and not the true form of these realities, it can never, by the 
       same sacrifices that are continually offered year after year, make 
       perfect those who approach.






       (Heb 10:2 NRSV)  Otherwise, would they not have ceased being offered, 
       since the worshipers, cleansed once for all, would no longer have any 
       consciousness of sin?

       (Heb 10:3 NRSV)  But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sin 
       year after year.

       (Heb 10:4 NRSV)  For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats 
       to take away sins.

       (Heb 10:5 NRSV)  Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he 
       said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you 
       have prepared for me;

       (Heb 10:6 NRSV)  in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken 
       no pleasure.

       (Heb 10:7 NRSV)  Then I said, 'See, God, I have come to do your will, 
       O God' (in the scroll of the book it is written of me)."

       (Heb 10:8 NRSV)  When he said above, "You have neither desired nor 
       taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin 
       offerings" (these are offered according to the law),

       (Heb 10:9 NRSV)  then he added, "See, I have come to do your will." He 
       abolishes the first in order to establish the second.

       (Heb 10:10 NRSV)  And it is by God's will that we have been sanctified 
       through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

       (Heb 10:11 NRSV)  And every priest stands day after day at his 
       service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never 
       take away sins.

       (Heb 10:12 NRSV)  But when Christ had offered for all time a single 
       sacrifice for sins, "he sat down at the right hand of God,"

       (Heb 10:13 NRSV)  and since then has been waiting "until his enemies 
       would be made a footstool for his feet."

       (Heb 10:14 NRSV)  For by a single offering he has perfected for all 
       time those who are sanctified.

       (Heb 10:15 NRSV)  And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after 
       saying,

       (Heb 10:16 NRSV)  "This is the covenant that I will make with them 
       after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, 
       and I will write them on their minds,"

       (Heb 10:17 NRSV)  he also adds, "I will remember their sins and their 
       lawless deeds no more."

       (Heb 10:18 NRSV)  Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no 
       longer any offering for sin.






       (Heb 10:19 NRSV)  Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to 
       enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus,

       (Heb 10:20 NRSV)  by the new and living way that he opened for us 
       through the curtain (that is, through his flesh),

       (Heb 10:21 NRSV)  and since we have a great priest over the house of 
       God,

       (Heb 10:22 NRSV)  let us approach with a true heart in full assurance 
       of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and 
       our bodies washed with pure water.

       (Heb 10:23 NRSV)  Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope 
       without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.

       (Heb 10:24 NRSV)  And let us consider how to provoke one another to 
       love and good deeds,

       (Heb 10:25 NRSV)  not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of 
       some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day 
       approaching.

       (Heb 10:26 NRSV)  For if we willfully persist in sin after having 
       received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a 
       sacrifice for sins,

       (Heb 10:27 NRSV)  but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of 
       fire that will consume the adversaries.

       (Heb 10:28 NRSV)  Anyone who has violated the law of Moses dies 
       without mercy "on the testimony of two or three witnesses."

       (Heb 10:29 NRSV)  How much worse punishment do you think will be 
       deserved by those who have spurned the Son of God, profaned the blood 
       of the covenant by which they were sanctified, and outraged the Spirit 
       of grace?

       (Heb 10:30 NRSV)  For we know the one who said, "Vengeance is mine, I 
       will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people."

       (Heb 10:31 NRSV)  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the 
       living God.

       (Heb 10:32 NRSV)  But recall those earlier days when, after you had 
       been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings,

       (Heb 10:33 NRSV)  sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and 
       persecution, and sometimes being partners with those so treated.

       (Heb 10:34 NRSV)  For you had compassion for those who were in prison, 
       and you cheerfully accepted the plundering of your possessions, 
       knowing that you yourselves possessed something better and more 
       lasting.





       (Heb 10:35 NRSV)  Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; 
       it brings a great reward.

       (Heb 10:36 NRSV)  For you need endurance, so that when you have done 
       the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

       (Heb 10:37 NRSV)  For yet "in a very little while, the one who is 
       coming will come and will not delay;

       (Heb 10:38 NRSV)  but my righteous one will live by faith. My soul 
       takes no pleasure in anyone who shrinks back."

       (Heb 10:39 NRSV)  But we are not among those who shrink back and so 
       are lost, but among those who have faith and so are saved.

       (Heb 11:1 NRSV)  Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the 
       conviction of things not seen.

       (Heb 11:2 NRSV)  Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval.

       (Heb 11:3 NRSV)  By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared 
       by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are 
       not visible.

       (Heb 11:4 NRSV)  By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable 
       sacrifice than Cain's. Through this he received approval as righteous, 
       God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his 
       faith he still speaks.

       (Heb 11:5 NRSV)  By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not 
       experience death; and "he was not found, because God had taken him." 
       For it was attested before he was taken away that "he had pleased 
       God."

       (Heb 11:6 NRSV)  And without faith it is impossible to please God, for 
       whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he 
       rewards those who seek him.

       (Heb 11:7 NRSV)  By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet 
       unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; 
       by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness 
       that is in accordance with faith.

       (Heb 11:8 NRSV)  By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out 
       for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, 
       not knowing where he was going.

       (Heb 11:9 NRSV)  By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been 
       promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and 
       Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.

       (Heb 11:10 NRSV)  For he looked forward to the city that has 
       foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

       (Heb 11:11 NRSV)  By faith he received power of procreation, even 
       though he was too old--and Sarah herself was barren--because he 





       considered him faithful who had promised.

       (Heb 11:12 NRSV)  Therefore from one person, and this one as good as 
       dead, descendants were born, "as many as the stars of heaven and as 
       the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore."

       (Heb 11:13 NRSV)  All of these died in faith without having received 
       the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They 
       confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth,

       (Heb 11:14 NRSV)  for people who speak in this way make it clear that 
       they are seeking a homeland.

       (Heb 11:15 NRSV)  If they had been thinking of the land that they had 
       left behind, they would have had opportunity to return.

       (Heb 11:16 NRSV)  But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, 
       a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; 
       indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

       (Heb 11:17 NRSV)  By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up 
       Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only 
       son,

       (Heb 11:18 NRSV)  of whom he had been told, "It is through Isaac that 
       descendants shall be named for you."

       (Heb 11:19 NRSV)  He considered the fact that God is able even to 
       raise someone from the dead--and figuratively speaking, he did receive 
       him back.

       (Heb 11:20 NRSV)  By faith Isaac invoked blessings for the future on 
       Jacob and Esau.

       (Heb 11:21 NRSV)  By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons 
       of Joseph, "bowing in worship over the top of his staff."

       (Heb 11:22 NRSV)  By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made 
       mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about 
       his burial.

       (Heb 11:23 NRSV)  By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three 
       months after his birth, because they saw that the child was beautiful; 
       and they were not afraid of the king's edict.

       (Heb 11:24 NRSV)  By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be 
       called a son of Pharaoh's daughter,

       (Heb 11:25 NRSV)  choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the 
       people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

       (Heb 11:26 NRSV)  He considered abuse suffered for the Christ to be 
       greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead 
       to the reward.

       (Heb 11:27 NRSV)  By faith he left Egypt, unafraid of the king's 





       anger; for he persevered as though he saw him who is invisible.

       (Heb 11:28 NRSV)  By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of 
       blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the 
       firstborn of Israel.

       (Heb 11:29 NRSV)  By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if 
       it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were 
       drowned.

       (Heb 11:30 NRSV)  By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had 
       been encircled for seven days.

       (Heb 11:31 NRSV)  By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with 
       those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in 
       peace.

       (Heb 11:32 NRSV)  And what more should I say? For time would fail me 
       to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and 
       the prophets--

       (Heb 11:33 NRSV)  who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered 
       justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,

       (Heb 11:34 NRSV)  quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, 
       won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies 
       to flight.

       (Heb 11:35 NRSV)  Women received their dead by resurrection. Others 
       were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better 
       resurrection.

       (Heb 11:36 NRSV)  Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even 
       chains and imprisonment.

       (Heb 11:37 NRSV)  They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, 
       they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and 
       goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented--

       (Heb 11:38 NRSV)  of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in 
       deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

       (Heb 11:39 NRSV)  Yet all these, though they were commended for their 
       faith, did not receive what was promised,

       (Heb 11:40 NRSV)  since God had provided something better so that they 
       would not, apart from us, be made perfect.

       (Heb 12:1 NRSV)  Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a 
       cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin 
       that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that 
       is set before us,

       (Heb 12:2 NRSV)  looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our 
       faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the 
       cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right 





       hand of the throne of God.

       (Heb 12:3 NRSV)  Consider him who endured such hostility against 
       himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart.

       (Heb 12:4 NRSV)  In your struggle against sin you have not yet 
       resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

       (Heb 12:5 NRSV)  And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses 
       you as children-- "My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of 
       the Lord, or lose heart when you are punished by him;

       (Heb 12:6 NRSV)  for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and 
       chastises every child whom he accepts."

       (Heb 12:7 NRSV)  Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is 
       treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does 
       not discipline?

       (Heb 12:8 NRSV)  If you do not have that discipline in which all 
       children share, then you are illegitimate and not his children.

       (Heb 12:9 NRSV)  Moreover, we had human parents to discipline us, and 
       we respected them. Should we not be even more willing to be subject to 
       the Father of spirits and live?

       (Heb 12:10 NRSV)  For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed 
       best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, in order that we may 
       share his holiness.

       (Heb 12:11 NRSV)  Now, discipline always seems painful rather than 
       pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of 
       righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

       (Heb 12:12 NRSV)  Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen 
       your weak knees,

       (Heb 12:13 NRSV)  and make straight paths for your feet, so that what 
       is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.

       (Heb 12:14 NRSV)  Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without 
       which no one will see the Lord.

       (Heb 12:15 NRSV)  See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of 
       God; that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and 
       through it many become defiled.

       (Heb 12:16 NRSV)  See to it that no one becomes like Esau, an immoral 
       and godless person, who sold his birthright for a single meal.

       (Heb 12:17 NRSV)  You know that later, when he wanted to inherit the 
       blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, even 
       though he sought the blessing with tears.

       (Heb 12:18 NRSV)  You have not come to something that can be touched, 
       a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest,






       (Heb 12:19 NRSV)  and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words 
       made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them.

       (Heb 12:20 NRSV)  (For they could not endure the order that was given, 
       "If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death."

       (Heb 12:21 NRSV)  Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, 
       "I tremble with fear.")

       (Heb 12:22 NRSV)  But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of 
       the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in 
       festal gathering,

       (Heb 12:23 NRSV)  and to the assembly of the firstborn who are 
       enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of 
       the righteous made perfect,

       (Heb 12:24 NRSV)  and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to 
       the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

       (Heb 12:25 NRSV)  See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking; 
       for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them 
       on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns 
       from heaven!

       (Heb 12:26 NRSV)  At that time his voice shook the earth; but now he 
       has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also 
       the heaven."

       (Heb 12:27 NRSV)  This phrase, "Yet once more," indicates the removal 
       of what is shaken--that is, created things--so that what cannot be 
       shaken may remain.

       (Heb 12:28 NRSV)  Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that 
       cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an 
       acceptable worship with reverence and awe;

       (Heb 12:29 NRSV)  for indeed our God is a consuming fire.

       (Heb 13:1 NRSV)  Let mutual love continue.

       (Heb 13:2 NRSV)  Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for 
       by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.

       (Heb 13:3 NRSV)  Remember those who are in prison, as though you were 
       in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you 
       yourselves were being tortured.

       (Heb 13:4 NRSV)  Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the 
       marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and 
       adulterers.

       (Heb 13:5 NRSV)  Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be 
       content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never leave you 
       or forsake you."






       (Heb 13:6 NRSV)  So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my 
       helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?"

       (Heb 13:7 NRSV)  Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of 
       God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate 
       their faith.

       (Heb 13:8 NRSV)  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and 
       forever.

       (Heb 13:9 NRSV)  Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange 
       teachings; for it is well for the heart to be strengthened by grace, 
       not by regulations about food, which have not benefited those who 
       observe them.

       (Heb 13:10 NRSV)  We have an altar from which those who officiate in 
       the tent have no right to eat.

       (Heb 13:11 NRSV)  For the bodies of those animals whose blood is 
       brought into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin 
       are burned outside the camp.

       (Heb 13:12 NRSV)  Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the city gate 
       in order to sanctify the people by his own blood.

       (Heb 13:13 NRSV)  Let us then go to him outside the camp and bear the 
       abuse he endured.

       (Heb 13:14 NRSV)  For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking 
       for the city that is to come.

       (Heb 13:15 NRSV)  Through him, then, let us continually offer a 
       sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess 
       his name.

       (Heb 13:16 NRSV)  Do not neglect to do good and to share what you 
       have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

       (Heb 13:17 NRSV)  Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are 
       keeping watch over your souls and will give an account. Let them do 
       this with joy and not with sighing--for that would be harmful to you.

       (Heb 13:18 NRSV)  Pray for us; we are sure that we have a clear 
       conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things.

       (Heb 13:19 NRSV)  I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be 
       restored to you very soon.

       (Heb 13:20 NRSV)  Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the 
       dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of 
       the eternal covenant,

       (Heb 13:21 NRSV)  make you complete in everything good so that you may 
       do his will, working among us that which is pleasing in his sight, 
       through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.






       (Heb 13:22 NRSV)  I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, bear with my 
       word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly.

       (Heb 13:23 NRSV)  I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been 
       set free; and if he comes in time, he will be with me when I see you.

       (Heb 13:24 NRSV)  Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those 
       from Italy send you greetings.

       (Heb 13:25 NRSV)  Grace be with all of you.

       (James 1:1 NRSV)  James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus 
       Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.

       (James 1:2 NRSV)  My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of 
       any kind, consider it nothing but joy,

       (James 1:3 NRSV)  because you know that the testing of your faith 
       produces endurance;

       (James 1:4 NRSV)  and let endurance have its full effect, so that you 
       may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

       (James 1:5 NRSV)  If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who 
       gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.

       (James 1:6 NRSV)  But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who 
       doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind;

       (James 1:7 NRSV)  for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in 
       every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

       (James 1:8 NRSV)  

       (James 1:9 NRSV)  Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised 
       up,

       (James 1:10 NRSV)  and the rich in being brought low, because the rich 
       will disappear like a flower in the field.

       (James 1:11 NRSV)  For the sun rises with its scorching heat and 
       withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is 
       the same way with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will 
       wither away.

       (James 1:12 NRSV)  Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a 
       one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the 
       Lord has promised to those who love him.

       (James 1:13 NRSV)  No one, when tempted, should say, "I am being 
       tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself 
       tempts no one.

       (James 1:14 NRSV)  But one is tempted by one's own desire, being lured 
       and enticed by it;






       (James 1:15 NRSV)  then, when that desire has conceived, it gives 
       birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to 
       death.

       (James 1:16 NRSV)  Do not be deceived, my beloved.

       (James 1:17 NRSV)  Every generous act of giving, with every perfect 
       gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom 
       there is no variation or shadow due to change.

       (James 1:18 NRSV)  In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth 
       by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits 
       of his creatures.

       (James 1:19 NRSV)  You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone 
       be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger;

       (James 1:20 NRSV)  for your anger does not produce God's 
       righteousness.

       (James 1:21 NRSV)  Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank 
       growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word 
       that has the power to save your souls.

       (James 1:22 NRSV)  But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers 
       who deceive themselves.

       (James 1:23 NRSV)  For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, 
       they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror;

       (James 1:24 NRSV)  for they look at themselves and, on going away, 
       immediately forget what they were like.

       (James 1:25 NRSV)  But those who look into the perfect law, the law of 
       liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who 
       act--they will be blessed in their doing.

       (James 1:26 NRSV)  If any think they are religious, and do not bridle 
       their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.

       (James 1:27 NRSV)  Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the 
       Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and 
       to keep oneself unstained by the world.

       (James 2:1 NRSV)  My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of 
       favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?

       (James 2:2 NRSV)  For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes 
       comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also 
       comes in,

       (James 2:3 NRSV)  and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine 
       clothes and say, "Have a seat here, please," while to the one who is 
       poor you say, "Stand there," or, "Sit at my feet,"





       (James 2:4 NRSV)  have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and 
       become judges with evil thoughts?

       (James 2:5 NRSV)  Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God 
       chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of 
       the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?

       (James 2:6 NRSV)  But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich 
       who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court?

       (James 2:7 NRSV)  Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that 
       was invoked over you?

       (James 2:8 NRSV)  You do well if you really fulfill the royal law 
       according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as 
       yourself."

       (James 2:9 NRSV)  But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are 
       convicted by the law as transgressors.

       (James 2:10 NRSV)  For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one 
       point has become accountable for all of it.

       (James 2:11 NRSV)  For the one who said, "You shall not commit 
       adultery," also said, "You shall not murder." Now if you do not commit 
       adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

       (James 2:12 NRSV)  So speak and so act as those who are to be judged 
       by the law of liberty.

       (James 2:13 NRSV)  For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who 
       has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

       (James 2:14 NRSV)  What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you 
       say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?

       (James 2:15 NRSV)  If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily 
       food,

       (James 2:16 NRSV)  and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep 
       warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, 
       what is the good of that?

       (James 2:17 NRSV)  So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

       (James 2:18 NRSV)  But someone will say, "You have faith and I have 
       works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works 
       will show you my faith.

       (James 2:19 NRSV)  You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the 
       demons believe--and shudder.

       (James 2:20 NRSV)  Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that 
       faith apart from works is barren?

       (James 2:21 NRSV)  Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works 





       when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?

       (James 2:22 NRSV)  You see that faith was active along with his works, 
       and faith was brought to completion by the works.

       (James 2:23 NRSV)  Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, 
       "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," 
       and he was called the friend of God.

       (James 2:24 NRSV)  You see that a person is justified by works and not 
       by faith alone.

       (James 2:25 NRSV)  Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also 
       justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out 
       by another road?

       (James 2:26 NRSV)  For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so 
       faith without works is also dead.

       (James 3:1 NRSV)  Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers 
       and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with 
       greater strictness.

       (James 3:2 NRSV)  For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes 
       no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in 
       check with a bridle.

       (James 3:3 NRSV)  If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make 
       them obey us, we guide their whole bodies.

       (James 3:4 NRSV)  Or look at ships: though they are so large that it 
       takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small 
       rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.

       (James 3:5 NRSV)  So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts 
       of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire!

       (James 3:6 NRSV)  And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among 
       our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on 
       fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell.

       (James 3:7 NRSV)  For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and 
       sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species,

       (James 3:8 NRSV)  but no one can tame the tongue--a restless evil, 
       full of deadly poison.

       (James 3:9 NRSV)  With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we 
       curse those who are made in the likeness of God.

       (James 3:10 NRSV)  From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My 
       brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.

       (James 3:11 NRSV)  Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both 
       fresh and brackish water?





       (James 3:12 NRSV)  Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield 
       olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.

       (James 3:13 NRSV)  Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by 
       your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of 
       wisdom.

       (James 3:14 NRSV)  But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in 
       your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth.

       (James 3:15 NRSV)  Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is 
       earthly, unspiritual, devilish.

       (James 3:16 NRSV)  For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there 
       will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.

       (James 3:17 NRSV)  But the wisdom from above is first pure, then 
       peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, 
       without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.

       (James 3:18 NRSV)  And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for 
       those who make peace.

       (James 4:1 NRSV)  Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do 
       they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war 
       within you?

       (James 4:2 NRSV)  You want something and do not have it; so you commit 
       murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in 
       disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask.

       (James 4:3 NRSV)  You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, 
       in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.

       (James 4:4 NRSV)  Adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the 
       world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of 
       the world becomes an enemy of God.

       (James 4:5 NRSV)  Or do you suppose that it is for nothing that the 
       scripture says, "God yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made 
       to dwell in us"?

       (James 4:6 NRSV)  But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says, 
       "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

       (James 4:7 NRSV)  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the 
       devil, and he will flee from you.

       (James 4:8 NRSV)  Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. 
       Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you 
       double-minded.

       (James 4:9 NRSV)  Lament and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be 
       turned into mourning and your joy into dejection.

       (James 4:10 NRSV)  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will 





       exalt you.

       (James 4:11 NRSV)  Do not speak evil against one another, brothers and 
       sisters. Whoever speaks evil against another or judges another, speaks 
       evil against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you 
       are not a doer of the law but a judge.

       (James 4:12 NRSV)  There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save 
       and to destroy. So who, then, are you to judge your neighbor?

       (James 4:13 NRSV)  Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will 
       go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and 
       making money."

       (James 4:14 NRSV)  Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. 
       What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while 
       and then vanishes.

       (James 4:15 NRSV)  Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wishes, we 
       will live and do this or that."

       (James 4:16 NRSV)  As it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such 
       boasting is evil.

       (James 4:17 NRSV)  Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and 
       fails to do it, commits sin.

       (James 5:1 NRSV)  Come now, you rich people, weep and wail for the 
       miseries that are coming to you.

       (James 5:2 NRSV)  Your riches have rotted, and your clothes are 
       moth-eaten.

       (James 5:3 NRSV)  Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust 
       will be evidence against you, and it will eat your flesh like fire. 
       You have laid up treasure for the last days.

       (James 5:4 NRSV)  Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your 
       fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the 
       harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

       (James 5:5 NRSV)  You have lived on the earth in luxury and in 
       pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

       (James 5:6 NRSV)  You have condemned and murdered the righteous one, 
       who does not resist you.

       (James 5:7 NRSV)  Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of 
       the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being 
       patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.

       (James 5:8 NRSV)  You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, 
       for the coming of the Lord is near.

       (James 5:9 NRSV)  Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that 
       you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors!






       (James 5:10 NRSV)  As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, 
       take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

       (James 5:11 NRSV)  Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. 
       You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose 
       of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

       (James 5:12 NRSV)  Above all, my beloved, do not swear, either by 
       heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your "Yes" be yes and 
       your "No" be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

       (James 5:13 NRSV)  Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are 
       any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise.

       (James 5:14 NRSV)  Are any among you sick? They should call for the 
       elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with 
       oil in the name of the Lord.

       (James 5:15 NRSV)  The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the 
       Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be 
       forgiven.

       (James 5:16 NRSV)  Therefore confess your sins to one another, and 
       pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the 
       righteous is powerful and effective.

       (James 5:17 NRSV)  Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed 
       fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months 
       it did not rain on the earth.

       (James 5:18 NRSV)  Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and 
       the earth yielded its harvest.

       (James 5:19 NRSV)  My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you 
       wanders from the truth and is brought back by another,

       (James 5:20 NRSV)  you should know that whoever brings back a sinner 
       from wandering will save the sinner's soul from death and will cover a 
       multitude of sins.

       (1 Pet 1:1 NRSV)  Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the exiles of 
       the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

       (1 Pet 1:2 NRSV)  who have been chosen and destined by God the Father 
       and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be 
       sprinkled with his blood: May grace and peace be yours in abundance.

       (1 Pet 1:3 NRSV)  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
       Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living 
       hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

       (1 Pet 1:4 NRSV)  and into an inheritance that is imperishable, 
       undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,

       (1 Pet 1:5 NRSV)  who are being protected by the power of God through 





       faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

       (1 Pet 1:6 NRSV)  In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while 
       you have had to suffer various trials,

       (1 Pet 1:7 NRSV)  so that the genuineness of your faith--being more 
       precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire--may be 
       found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is 
       revealed.

       (1 Pet 1:8 NRSV)  Although you have not seen him, you love him; and 
       even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice 
       with an indescribable and glorious joy,

       (1 Pet 1:9 NRSV)  for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the 
       salvation of your souls.

       (1 Pet 1:10 NRSV)  Concerning this salvation, the prophets who 
       prophesied of the grace that was to be yours made careful search and 
       inquiry,

       (1 Pet 1:11 NRSV)  inquiring about the person or time that the Spirit 
       of Christ within them indicated when it testified in advance to the 
       sufferings destined for Christ and the subsequent glory.

       (1 Pet 1:12 NRSV)  It was revealed to them that they were serving not 
       themselves but you, in regard to the things that have now been 
       announced to you through those who brought you good news by the Holy 
       Spirit sent from heaven--things into which angels long to look!

       (1 Pet 1:13 NRSV)  Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline 
       yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will 
       bring you when he is revealed.

       (1 Pet 1:14 NRSV)  Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the 
       desires that you formerly had in ignorance.

       (1 Pet 1:15 NRSV)  Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy 
       yourselves in all your conduct;

       (1 Pet 1:16 NRSV)  for it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am 
       holy."

       (1 Pet 1:17 NRSV)  If you invoke as Father the one who judges all 
       people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear 
       during the time of your exile.

       (1 Pet 1:18 NRSV)  You know that you were ransomed from the futile 
       ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like 
       silver or gold,

       (1 Pet 1:19 NRSV)  but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of 
       a lamb without defect or blemish.

       (1 Pet 1:20 NRSV)  He was destined before the foundation of the world, 
       but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake.






       (1 Pet 1:21 NRSV)  Through him you have come to trust in God, who 
       raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and 
       hope are set on God.

       (1 Pet 1:22 NRSV)  Now that you have purified your souls by your 
       obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one 
       another deeply from the heart.

       (1 Pet 1:23 NRSV)  You have been born anew, not of perishable but of 
       imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.

       (1 Pet 1:24 NRSV)  For "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like 
       the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls,

       (1 Pet 1:25 NRSV)  but the word of the Lord endures forever." That 
       word is the good news that was announced to you.

       (1 Pet 2:1 NRSV)  Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all 
       guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander.

       (1 Pet 2:2 NRSV)  Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual 
       milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation--

       (1 Pet 2:3 NRSV)  if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

       (1 Pet 2:4 NRSV)  Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by 
       mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and

       (1 Pet 2:5 NRSV)  like living stones, let yourselves be built into a 
       spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual 
       sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

       (1 Pet 2:6 NRSV)  For it stands in scripture: "See, I am laying in 
       Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes 
       in him will not be put to shame."

       (1 Pet 2:7 NRSV)  To you then who believe, he is precious; but for 
       those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has 
       become the very head of the corner,"

       (1 Pet 2:8 NRSV)  and "A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock 
       that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the word, as 
       they were destined to do.

       (1 Pet 2:9 NRSV)  But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a 
       holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the 
       mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous 
       light.

       (1 Pet 2:10 NRSV)  Once you were not a people, but now you are God's 
       people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received 
       mercy.

       (1 Pet 2:11 NRSV)  Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain 
       from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul.






       (1 Pet 2:12 NRSV)  Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so 
       that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable 
       deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.

       (1 Pet 2:13 NRSV)  For the Lord's sake accept the authority of every 
       human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme,

       (1 Pet 2:14 NRSV)  or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who 
       do wrong and to praise those who do right.

       (1 Pet 2:15 NRSV)  For it is God's will that by doing right you should 
       silence the ignorance of the foolish.

       (1 Pet 2:16 NRSV)  As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not 
       use your freedom as a pretext for evil.

       (1 Pet 2:17 NRSV)  Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear 
       God. Honor the emperor.

       (1 Pet 2:18 NRSV)  Slaves, accept the authority of your masters with 
       all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle but also those 
       who are harsh.

       (1 Pet 2:19 NRSV)  For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, 
       you endure pain while suffering unjustly.

       (1 Pet 2:20 NRSV)  If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, 
       what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer 
       for it, you have God's approval.

       (1 Pet 2:21 NRSV)  For to this you have been called, because Christ 
       also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should 
       follow in his steps.

       (1 Pet 2:22 NRSV)  "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in 
       his mouth."

       (1 Pet 2:23 NRSV)  When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when 
       he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one 
       who judges justly.

       (1 Pet 2:24 NRSV)  He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, 
       so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his 
       wounds you have been healed.

       (1 Pet 2:25 NRSV)  For you were going astray like sheep, but now you 
       have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

       (1 Pet 3:1 NRSV)  Wives, in the same way, accept the authority of your 
       husbands, so that, even if some of them do not obey the word, they may 
       be won over without a word by their wives' conduct,

       (1 Pet 3:2 NRSV)  when they see the purity and reverence of your 
       lives.





       (1 Pet 3:3 NRSV)  Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your 
       hair, and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing;

       (1 Pet 3:4 NRSV)  rather, let your adornment be the inner self with 
       the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very 
       precious in God's sight.

       (1 Pet 3:5 NRSV)  It was in this way long ago that the holy women who 
       hoped in God used to adorn themselves by accepting the authority of 
       their husbands.

       (1 Pet 3:6 NRSV)  Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. You 
       have become her daughters as long as you do what is good and never let 
       fears alarm you.

       (1 Pet 3:7 NRSV)  Husbands, in the same way, show consideration for 
       your wives in your life together, paying honor to the woman as the 
       weaker sex, since they too are also heirs of the gracious gift of 
       life--so that nothing may hinder your prayers.

       (1 Pet 3:8 NRSV)  Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, 
       love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

       (1 Pet 3:9 NRSV)  Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, 
       on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were 
       called--that you might inherit a blessing.

       (1 Pet 3:10 NRSV)  For "Those who desire life and desire to see good 
       days, let them keep their tongues from evil and their lips from 
       speaking deceit;

       (1 Pet 3:11 NRSV)  let them turn away from evil and do good; let them 
       seek peace and pursue it.

       (1 Pet 3:12 NRSV)  For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and 
       his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against 
       those who do evil."

       (1 Pet 3:13 NRSV)  Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what 
       is good?

       (1 Pet 3:14 NRSV)  But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, 
       you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be 
       intimidated,

       (1 Pet 3:15 NRSV)  but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always 
       be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an 
       accounting for the hope that is in you;

       (1 Pet 3:16 NRSV)  yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your 
       conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you 
       for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame.

       (1 Pet 3:17 NRSV)  For it is better to suffer for doing good, if 
       suffering should be God's will, than to suffer for doing evil.





       (1 Pet 3:18 NRSV)  For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the 
       righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was 
       put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit,

       (1 Pet 3:19 NRSV)  in which also he went and made a proclamation to 
       the spirits in prison,

       (1 Pet 3:20 NRSV)  who in former times did not obey, when God waited 
       patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in 
       which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water.

       (1 Pet 3:21 NRSV)  And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves 
       you--not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God 
       for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

       (1 Pet 3:22 NRSV)  who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand 
       of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

       (1 Pet 4:1 NRSV)  Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm 
       yourselves also with the same intention (for whoever has suffered in 
       the flesh has finished with sin),

       (1 Pet 4:2 NRSV)  so as to live for the rest of your earthly life no 
       longer by human desires but by the will of God.

       (1 Pet 4:3 NRSV)  You have already spent enough time in doing what the 
       Gentiles like to do, living in licentiousness, passions, drunkenness, 
       revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry.

       (1 Pet 4:4 NRSV)  They are surprised that you no longer join them in 
       the same excesses of dissipation, and so they blaspheme.

       (1 Pet 4:5 NRSV)  But they will have to give an accounting to him who 
       stands ready to judge the living and the dead.

       (1 Pet 4:6 NRSV)  For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed 
       even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as 
       everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does.

       (1 Pet 4:7 NRSV)  The end of all things is near; therefore be serious 
       and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers.

       (1 Pet 4:8 NRSV)  Above all, maintain constant love for one another, 
       for love covers a multitude of sins.

       (1 Pet 4:9 NRSV)  Be hospitable to one another without complaining.

       (1 Pet 4:10 NRSV)  Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, 
       serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.

       (1 Pet 4:11 NRSV)  Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very 
       words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God 
       supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus 
       Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

       (1 Pet 4:12 NRSV)  Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal 





       that is taking place among you to test you, as though something 
       strange were happening to you.

       (1 Pet 4:13 NRSV)  But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ's 
       sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his 
       glory is revealed.

       (1 Pet 4:14 NRSV)  If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are 
       blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is 
       resting on you.

       (1 Pet 4:15 NRSV)  But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, 
       a criminal, or even as a mischief maker.

       (1 Pet 4:16 NRSV)  Yet if any of you suffers as a Christian, do not 
       consider it a disgrace, but glorify God because you bear this name.

       (1 Pet 4:17 NRSV)  For the time has come for judgment to begin with 
       the household of God; if it begins with us, what will be the end for 
       those who do not obey the gospel of God?

       (1 Pet 4:18 NRSV)  And "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, 
       what will become of the ungodly and the sinners?"

       (1 Pet 4:19 NRSV)  Therefore, let those suffering in accordance with 
       God's will entrust themselves to a faithful Creator, while continuing 
       to do good.

       (1 Pet 5:1 NRSV)  Now as an elder myself and a witness of the 
       sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be 
       revealed, I exhort the elders among you

       (1 Pet 5:2 NRSV)  to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, 
       exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God 
       would have you do it --not for sordid gain but eagerly.

       (1 Pet 5:3 NRSV)  Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be 
       examples to the flock.

       (1 Pet 5:4 NRSV)  And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win 
       the crown of glory that never fades away.

       (1 Pet 5:5 NRSV)  In the same way, you who are younger must accept the 
       authority of the elders. And all of you must clothe yourselves with 
       humility in your dealings with one another, for "God opposes the 
       proud, but gives grace to the humble."

       (1 Pet 5:6 NRSV)  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of 
       God, so that he may exalt you in due time.

       (1 Pet 5:7 NRSV)  Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for 
       you.

       (1 Pet 5:8 NRSV)  Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring 
       lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to 
       devour.






       (1 Pet 5:9 NRSV)  Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know 
       that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the 
       same kinds of suffering.

       (1 Pet 5:10 NRSV)  And after you have suffered for a little while, the 
       God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, 
       will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.

       (1 Pet 5:11 NRSV)  To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.

       (1 Pet 5:12 NRSV)  Through Silvanus, whom I consider a faithful 
       brother, I have written this short letter to encourage you and to 
       testify that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.

       (1 Pet 5:13 NRSV)  Your sister church in Babylon, chosen together with 
       you, sends you greetings; and so does my son Mark.

       (1 Pet 5:14 NRSV)  Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all 
       of you who are in Christ.

       (2 Pet 1:1 NRSV)  Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, 
       To those who have received a faith as precious as ours through the 
       righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

       (2 Pet 1:2 NRSV)  May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the 
       knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

       (2 Pet 1:3 NRSV)  His divine power has given us everything needed for 
       life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his 
       own glory and goodness.

       (2 Pet 1:4 NRSV)  Thus he has given us, through these things, his 
       precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape 
       from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may 
       become participants of the divine nature.

       (2 Pet 1:5 NRSV)  For this very reason, you must make every effort to 
       support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge,

       (2 Pet 1:6 NRSV)  and knowledge with self-control, and self-control 
       with endurance, and endurance with godliness,

       (2 Pet 1:7 NRSV)  and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual 
       affection with love.

       (2 Pet 1:8 NRSV)  For if these things are yours and are increasing 
       among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the 
       knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

       (2 Pet 1:9 NRSV)  For anyone who lacks these things is nearsighted and 
       blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins.

       (2 Pet 1:10 NRSV)  Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more 
       eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will 
       never stumble.






       (2 Pet 1:11 NRSV)  For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of 
       our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.

       (2 Pet 1:12 NRSV)  Therefore I intend to keep on reminding you of 
       these things, though you know them already and are established in the 
       truth that has come to you.

       (2 Pet 1:13 NRSV)  I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to 
       refresh your memory,

       (2 Pet 1:14 NRSV)  since I know that my death will come soon, as 
       indeed our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.

       (2 Pet 1:15 NRSV)  And I will make every effort so that after my 
       departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

       (2 Pet 1:16 NRSV)  For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when 
       we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
       but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.

       (2 Pet 1:17 NRSV)  For he received honor and glory from God the Father 
       when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, 
       "This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

       (2 Pet 1:18 NRSV)  We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, 
       while we were with him on the holy mountain.

       (2 Pet 1:19 NRSV)  So we have the prophetic message more fully 
       confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp 
       shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star 
       rises in your hearts.

       (2 Pet 1:20 NRSV)  First of all you must understand this, that no 
       prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation,

       (2 Pet 1:21 NRSV)  because no prophecy ever came by human will, but 
       men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

       (2 Pet 2:1 NRSV)  But false prophets also arose among the people, just 
       as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in 
       destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought 
       them--bringing swift destruction on themselves.

       (2 Pet 2:2 NRSV)  Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and 
       because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned.

       (2 Pet 2:3 NRSV)  And in their greed they will exploit you with 
       deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them long ago, 
       has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

       (2 Pet 2:4 NRSV)  For if God did not spare the angels when they 
       sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of 
       deepest darkness to be kept until the judgment;

       (2 Pet 2:5 NRSV)  and if he did not spare the ancient world, even 





       though he saved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, 
       when he brought a flood on a world of the ungodly;

       (2 Pet 2:6 NRSV)  and if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah 
       to ashes he condemned them to extinction and made them an example of 
       what is coming to the ungodly;

       (2 Pet 2:7 NRSV)  and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man greatly 
       distressed by the licentiousness of the lawless

       (2 Pet 2:8 NRSV)  (for that righteous man, living among them day after 
       day, was tormented in his righteous soul by their lawless deeds that 
       he saw and heard),

       (2 Pet 2:9 NRSV)  then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from 
       trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of 
       judgment

       (2 Pet 2:10 NRSV)  --especially those who indulge their flesh in 
       depraved lust, and who despise authority. Bold and willful, they are 
       not afraid to slander the glorious ones,

       (2 Pet 2:11 NRSV)  whereas angels, though greater in might and power, 
       do not bring against them a slanderous judgment from the Lord.

       (2 Pet 2:12 NRSV)  These people, however, are like irrational animals, 
       mere creatures of instinct, born to be caught and killed. They slander 
       what they do not understand, and when those creatures are destroyed, 
       they also will be destroyed,

       (2 Pet 2:13 NRSV)  suffering the penalty for doing wrong. They count 
       it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, 
       reveling in their dissipation while they feast with you.

       (2 Pet 2:14 NRSV)  They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for 
       sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. 
       Accursed children!

       (2 Pet 2:15 NRSV)  They have left the straight road and have gone 
       astray, following the road of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wages 
       of doing wrong,

       (2 Pet 2:16 NRSV)  but was rebuked for his own transgression; a 
       speechless donkey spoke with a human voice and restrained the 
       prophet's madness.

       (2 Pet 2:17 NRSV)  These are waterless springs and mists driven by a 
       storm; for them the deepest darkness has been reserved.

       (2 Pet 2:18 NRSV)  For they speak bombastic nonsense, and with 
       licentious desires of the flesh they entice people who have just 
       escaped from those who live in error.

       (2 Pet 2:19 NRSV)  They promise them freedom, but they themselves are 
       slaves of corruption; for people are slaves to whatever masters them.





       (2 Pet 2:20 NRSV)  For if, after they have escaped the defilements of 
       the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 
       they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last state has 
       become worse for them than the first.

       (2 Pet 2:21 NRSV)  For it would have been better for them never to 
       have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn 
       back from the holy commandment that was passed on to them.

       (2 Pet 2:22 NRSV)  It has happened to them according to the true 
       proverb, "The dog turns back to its own vomit," and, "The sow is 
       washed only to wallow in the mud."

       (2 Pet 3:1 NRSV)  This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing 
       to you; in them I am trying to arouse your sincere intention by 
       reminding you

       (2 Pet 3:2 NRSV)  that you should remember the words spoken in the 
       past by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and Savior 
       spoken through your apostles.

       (2 Pet 3:3 NRSV)  First of all you must understand this, that in the 
       last days scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts

       (2 Pet 3:4 NRSV)  and saying, "Where is the promise of his coming? For 
       ever since our ancestors died, all things continue as they were from 
       the beginning of creation!"

       (2 Pet 3:5 NRSV)  They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word 
       of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water 
       and by means of water,

       (2 Pet 3:6 NRSV)  through which the world of that time was deluged 
       with water and perished.

       (2 Pet 3:7 NRSV)  But by the same word the present heavens and earth 
       have been reserved for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and 
       destruction of the godless.

       (2 Pet 3:8 NRSV)  But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with 
       the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are 
       like one day.

       (2 Pet 3:9 NRSV)  The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some 
       think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, 
       but all to come to repentance.

       (2 Pet 3:10 NRSV)  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and 
       then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements 
       will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done 
       on it will be disclosed.

       (2 Pet 3:11 NRSV)  Since all these things are to be dissolved in this 
       way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness 
       and godliness,





       (2 Pet 3:12 NRSV)  waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of 
       God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, 
       and the elements will melt with fire?

       (2 Pet 3:13 NRSV)  But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for 
       new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

       (2 Pet 3:14 NRSV)  Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these 
       things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish;

       (2 Pet 3:15 NRSV)  and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. 
       So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom 
       given him,

       (2 Pet 3:16 NRSV)  speaking of this as he does in all his letters. 
       There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant 
       and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other 
       scriptures.

       (2 Pet 3:17 NRSV)  You therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, 
       beware that you are not carried away with the error of the lawless and 
       lose your own stability.

       (2 Pet 3:18 NRSV)  But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and 
       Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of 
       eternity. Amen.

       (1 John 1:1 NRSV)  We declare to you what was from the beginning, what 
       we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at 
       and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life--

       (1 John 1:2 NRSV)  this life was revealed, and we have seen it and 
       testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the 
       Father and was revealed to us--

       (1 John 1:3 NRSV)  we declare to you what we have seen and heard so 
       that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is 
       with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

       (1 John 1:4 NRSV)  We are writing these things so that our joy may be 
       complete.

       (1 John 1:5 NRSV)  This is the message we have heard from him and 
       proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at 
       all.

       (1 John 1:6 NRSV)  If we say that we have fellowship with him while we 
       are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true;

       (1 John 1:7 NRSV)  but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the 
       light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his 
       Son cleanses us from all sin.

       (1 John 1:8 NRSV)  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive 
       ourselves, and the truth is not in us.





       (1 John 1:9 NRSV)  If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just 
       will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

       (1 John 1:10 NRSV)  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a 
       liar, and his word is not in us.

       (1 John 2:1 NRSV)  My little children, I am writing these things to 
       you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an 
       advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;

       (1 John 2:2 NRSV)  and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and 
       not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

       (1 John 2:3 NRSV)  Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we 
       obey his commandments.

       (1 John 2:4 NRSV)  Whoever says, "I have come to know him," but does 
       not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth 
       does not exist;

       (1 John 2:5 NRSV)  but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person 
       the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we 
       are in him:

       (1 John 2:6 NRSV)  whoever says, "I abide in him," ought to walk just 
       as he walked.

       (1 John 2:7 NRSV)  Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but 
       an old commandment that you have had from the beginning; the old 
       commandment is the word that you have heard.

       (1 John 2:8 NRSV)  Yet I am writing you a new commandment that is true 
       in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true 
       light is already shining.

       (1 John 2:9 NRSV)  Whoever says, "I am in the light," while hating a 
       brother or sister, is still in the darkness.

       (1 John 2:10 NRSV)  Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the 
       light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling.

       (1 John 2:11 NRSV)  But whoever hates another believer is in the 
       darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, 
       because the darkness has brought on blindness.

       (1 John 2:12 NRSV)  I am writing to you, little children, because your 
       sins are forgiven on account of his name.

       (1 John 2:13 NRSV)  I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him 
       who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young people, because 
       you have conquered the evil one.

       (1 John 2:14 NRSV)  I write to you, children, because you know the 
       Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the 
       beginning. I write to you, young people, because you are strong and 
       the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.






       (1 John 2:15 NRSV)  Do not love the world or the things in the world. 
       The love of the Father is not in those who love the world;

       (1 John 2:16 NRSV)  for all that is in the world--the desire of the 
       flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches--comes not from the 
       Father but from the world.

       (1 John 2:17 NRSV)  And the world and its desire are passing away, but 
       those who do the will of God live forever.

       (1 John 2:18 NRSV)  Children, it is the last hour! As you have heard 
       that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. From 
       this we know that it is the last hour.

       (1 John 2:19 NRSV)  They went out from us, but they did not belong to 
       us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. 
       But by going out they made it plain that none of them belongs to us.

       (1 John 2:20 NRSV)  But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and 
       all of you have knowledge.

       (1 John 2:21 NRSV)  I write to you, not because you do not know the 
       truth, but because you know it, and you know that no lie comes from 
       the truth.

       (1 John 2:22 NRSV)  Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus 
       is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father 
       and the Son.

       (1 John 2:23 NRSV)  No one who denies the Son has the Father; everyone 
       who confesses the Son has the Father also.

       (1 John 2:24 NRSV)  Let what you heard from the beginning abide in 
       you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you will 
       abide in the Son and in the Father.

       (1 John 2:25 NRSV)  And this is what he has promised us, eternal life.

       (1 John 2:26 NRSV)  I write these things to you concerning those who 
       would deceive you.

       (1 John 2:27 NRSV)  As for you, the anointing that you received from 
       him abides in you, and so you do not need anyone to teach you. But as 
       his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a 
       lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in him.

       (1 John 2:28 NRSV)  And now, little children, abide in him, so that 
       when he is revealed we may have confidence and not be put to shame 
       before him at his coming.

       (1 John 2:29 NRSV)  If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure 
       that everyone who does right has been born of him.

       (1 John 3:1 NRSV)  See what love the Father has given us, that we 
       should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason 





       the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

       (1 John 3:2 NRSV)  Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be 
       has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is 
       revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.

       (1 John 3:3 NRSV)  And all who have this hope in him purify 
       themselves, just as he is pure.

       (1 John 3:4 NRSV)  Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; 
       sin is lawlessness.

       (1 John 3:5 NRSV)  You know that he was revealed to take away sins, 
       and in him there is no sin.

       (1 John 3:6 NRSV)  No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has 
       either seen him or known him.

       (1 John 3:7 NRSV)  Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone 
       who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

       (1 John 3:8 NRSV)  Everyone who commits sin is a child of the devil; 
       for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God was 
       revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.

       (1 John 3:9 NRSV)  Those who have been born of God do not sin, because 
       God's seed abides in them; they cannot sin, because they have been 
       born of God.

       (1 John 3:10 NRSV)  The children of God and the children of the devil 
       are revealed in this way: all who do not do what is right are not from 
       God, nor are those who do not love their brothers and sisters.

       (1 John 3:11 NRSV)  For this is the message you have heard from the 
       beginning, that we should love one another.

       (1 John 3:12 NRSV)  We must not be like Cain who was from the evil one 
       and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own 
       deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.

       (1 John 3:13 NRSV)  Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that 
       the world hates you.

       (1 John 3:14 NRSV)  We know that we have passed from death to life 
       because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death.

       (1 John 3:15 NRSV)  All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, 
       and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them.

       (1 John 3:16 NRSV)  We know love by this, that he laid down his life 
       for us--and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.

       (1 John 3:17 NRSV)  How does God's love abide in anyone who has the 
       world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses 
       help?





       (1 John 3:18 NRSV)  Little children, let us love, not in word or 
       speech, but in truth and action.

       (1 John 3:19 NRSV)  And by this we will know that we are from the 
       truth and will reassure our hearts before him

       (1 John 3:20 NRSV)  whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater 
       than our hearts, and he knows everything.

       (1 John 3:21 NRSV)  Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have 
       boldness before God;

       (1 John 3:22 NRSV)  and we receive from him whatever we ask, because 
       we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.

       (1 John 3:23 NRSV)  And this is his commandment, that we should 
       believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just 
       as he has commanded us.

       (1 John 3:24 NRSV)  All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he 
       abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the 
       Spirit that he has given us.

       (1 John 4:1 NRSV)  Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the 
       spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have 
       gone out into the world.

       (1 John 4:2 NRSV)  By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit 
       that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

       (1 John 4:3 NRSV)  and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not 
       from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have 
       heard that it is coming; and now it is already in the world.

       (1 John 4:4 NRSV)  Little children, you are from God, and have 
       conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who 
       is in the world.

       (1 John 4:5 NRSV)  They are from the world; therefore what they say is 
       from the world, and the world listens to them.

       (1 John 4:6 NRSV)  We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us, 
       and whoever is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know 
       the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

       (1 John 4:7 NRSV)  Beloved, let us love one another, because love is 
       from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

       (1 John 4:8 NRSV)  Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is 
       love.

       (1 John 4:9 NRSV)  God's love was revealed among us in this way: God 
       sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him.

       (1 John 4:10 NRSV)  In this is love, not that we loved God but that he 
       loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.






       (1 John 4:11 NRSV)  Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought 
       to love one another.

       (1 John 4:12 NRSV)  No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, 
       God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

       (1 John 4:13 NRSV)  By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, 
       because he has given us of his Spirit.

       (1 John 4:14 NRSV)  And we have seen and do testify that the Father 
       has sent his Son as the Savior of the world.

       (1 John 4:15 NRSV)  God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the 
       Son of God, and they abide in God.

       (1 John 4:16 NRSV)  So we have known and believe the love that God has 
       for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God 
       abides in them.

       (1 John 4:17 NRSV)  Love has been perfected among us in this: that we 
       may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we 
       in this world.

       (1 John 4:18 NRSV)  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts 
       out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has 
       not reached perfection in love.

       (1 John 4:19 NRSV)  We love because he first loved us.

       (1 John 4:20 NRSV)  Those who say, "I love God," and hate their 
       brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or 
       sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.

       (1 John 4:21 NRSV)  The commandment we have from him is this: those 
       who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

       (1 John 5:1 NRSV)  Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has 
       been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child.

       (1 John 5:2 NRSV)  By this we know that we love the children of God, 
       when we love God and obey his commandments.

       (1 John 5:3 NRSV)  For the love of God is this, that we obey his 
       commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome,

       (1 John 5:4 NRSV)  for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And 
       this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith.

       (1 John 5:5 NRSV)  Who is it that conquers the world but the one who 
       believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

       (1 John 5:6 NRSV)  This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus 
       Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And 
       the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth.





       (1 John 5:7 NRSV)  There are three that testify:

       (1 John 5:8 NRSV)  the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these 
       three agree.

       (1 John 5:9 NRSV)  If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God 
       is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to 
       his Son.

       (1 John 5:10 NRSV)  Those who believe in the Son of God have the 
       testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made 
       him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given 
       concerning his Son.

       (1 John 5:11 NRSV)  And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal 
       life, and this life is in his Son.

       (1 John 5:12 NRSV)  Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not 
       have the Son of God does not have life.

       (1 John 5:13 NRSV)  I write these things to you who believe in the 
       name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal 
       life.

       (1 John 5:14 NRSV)  And this is the boldness we have in him, that if 
       we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

       (1 John 5:15 NRSV)  And if we know that he hears us in whatever we 
       ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him.

       (1 John 5:16 NRSV)  If you see your brother or sister committing what 
       is not a mortal sin, you will ask, and God will give life to such a 
       one--to those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin that is mortal; I 
       do not say that you should pray about that.

       (1 John 5:17 NRSV)  All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is 
       not mortal.

       (1 John 5:18 NRSV)  We know that those who are born of God do not sin, 
       but the one who was born of God protects them, and the evil one does 
       not touch them.

       (1 John 5:19 NRSV)  We know that we are God's children, and that the 
       whole world lies under the power of the evil one.

       (1 John 5:20 NRSV)  And we know that the Son of God has come and has 
       given us understanding so that we may know him who is true; and we are 
       in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and 
       eternal life.

       (1 John 5:21 NRSV)  Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

       (2 John 1:1 NRSV)  The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom 
       I love in the truth, and not only I but also all who know the truth,

       (2 John 1:2 NRSV)  because of the truth that abides in us and will be 





       with us forever:

       (2 John 1:3 NRSV)  Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God 
       the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, in truth and love.

       (2 John 1:4 NRSV)  I was overjoyed to find some of your children 
       walking in the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father.

       (2 John 1:5 NRSV)  But now, dear lady, I ask you, not as though I were 
       writing you a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning, 
       let us love one another.

       (2 John 1:6 NRSV)  And this is love, that we walk according to his 
       commandments; this is the commandment just as you have heard it from 
       the beginning--you must walk in it.

       (2 John 1:7 NRSV)  Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those 
       who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; any such 
       person is the deceiver and the antichrist!

       (2 John 1:8 NRSV)  Be on your guard, so that you do not lose what we 
       have worked for, but may receive a full reward.

       (2 John 1:9 NRSV)  Everyone who does not abide in the teaching of 
       Christ, but goes beyond it, does not have God; whoever abides in the 
       teaching has both the Father and the Son.

       (2 John 1:10 NRSV)  Do not receive into the house or welcome anyone 
       who comes to you and does not bring this teaching;

       (2 John 1:11 NRSV)  for to welcome is to participate in the evil deeds 
       of such a person.

       (2 John 1:12 NRSV)  Although I have much to write to you, I would 
       rather not use paper and ink; instead I hope to come to you and talk 
       with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

       (2 John 1:13 NRSV)  The children of your elect sister send you their 
       greetings.

       (3 John 1:1 NRSV)  The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in 
       truth.

       (3 John 1:2 NRSV)  Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and 
       that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul.

       (3 John 1:3 NRSV)  I was overjoyed when some of the friends arrived 
       and testified to your faithfulness to the truth, namely how you walk 
       in the truth.

       (3 John 1:4 NRSV)  I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my 
       children are walking in the truth.

       (3 John 1:5 NRSV)  Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the 
       friends, even though they are strangers to you;





       (3 John 1:6 NRSV)  they have testified to your love before the church. 
       You will do well to send them on in a manner worthy of God;

       (3 John 1:7 NRSV)  for they began their journey for the sake of 
       Christ, accepting no support from non-believers.

       (3 John 1:8 NRSV)  Therefore we ought to support such people, so that 
       we may become co-workers with the truth.

       (3 John 1:9 NRSV)  I have written something to the church; but 
       Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our 
       authority.

       (3 John 1:10 NRSV)  So if I come, I will call attention to what he is 
       doing in spreading false charges against us. And not content with 
       those charges, he refuses to welcome the friends, and even prevents 
       those who want to do so and expels them from the church.

       (3 John 1:11 NRSV)  Beloved, do not imitate what is evil but imitate 
       what is good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not 
       seen God.

       (3 John 1:12 NRSV)  Everyone has testified favorably about Demetrius, 
       and so has the truth itself. We also testify for him, and you know 
       that our testimony is true.

       (3 John 1:13 NRSV)  I have much to write to you, but I would rather 
       not write with pen and ink;

       (3 John 1:14 NRSV)  instead I hope to see you soon, and we will talk 
       together face to face.

       (3 John 1:15 NRSV)  Peace to you. The friends send you their 
       greetings. Greet the friends there, each by name.

       (Jude 1:1 NRSV)  Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, 
       To those who are called, who are beloved in God the Father and kept 
       safe for Jesus Christ:

       (Jude 1:2 NRSV)  May mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance.

       (Jude 1:3 NRSV)  Beloved, while eagerly preparing to write to you 
       about the salvation we share, I find it necessary to write and appeal 
       to you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the 
       saints.

       (Jude 1:4 NRSV)  For certain intruders have stolen in among you, 
       people who long ago were designated for this condemnation as ungodly, 
       who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only 
       Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

       (Jude 1:5 NRSV)  Now I desire to remind you, though you are fully 
       informed, that the Lord, who once for all saved a people out of the 
       land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

       (Jude 1:6 NRSV)  And the angels who did not keep their own position, 





       but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains in 
       deepest darkness for the judgment of the great Day.

       (Jude 1:7 NRSV)  Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding 
       cities, which, in the same manner as they, indulged in sexual 
       immorality and pursued unnatural lust, serve as an example by 
       undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

       (Jude 1:8 NRSV)  Yet in the same way these dreamers also defile the 
       flesh, reject authority, and slander the glorious ones.

       (Jude 1:9 NRSV)  But when the archangel Michael contended with the 
       devil and disputed about the body of Moses, he did not dare to bring a 
       condemnation of slander against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"

       (Jude 1:10 NRSV)  But these people slander whatever they do not 
       understand, and they are destroyed by those things that, like 
       irrational animals, they know by instinct.

       (Jude 1:11 NRSV)  Woe to them! For they go the way of Cain, and 
       abandon themselves to Balaam's error for the sake of gain, and perish 
       in Korah's rebellion.

       (Jude 1:12 NRSV)  These are blemishes on your love-feasts, while they 
       feast with you without fear, feeding themselves. They are waterless 
       clouds carried along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit, twice 
       dead, uprooted;

       (Jude 1:13 NRSV)  wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their 
       own shame; wandering stars, for whom the deepest darkness has been 
       reserved forever.

       (Jude 1:14 NRSV)  It was also about these that Enoch, in the seventh 
       generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "See, the Lord is coming 
       with ten thousands of his holy ones,

       (Jude 1:15 NRSV)  to execute judgment on all, and to convict everyone 
       of all the deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an 
       ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have 
       spoken against him."

       (Jude 1:16 NRSV)  These are grumblers and malcontents; they indulge 
       their own lusts; they are bombastic in speech, flattering people to 
       their own advantage.

       (Jude 1:17 NRSV)  But you, beloved, must remember the predictions of 
       the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

       (Jude 1:18 NRSV)  for they said to you, "In the last time there will 
       be scoffers, indulging their own ungodly lusts."

       (Jude 1:19 NRSV)  It is these worldly people, devoid of the Spirit, 
       who are causing divisions.

       (Jude 1:20 NRSV)  But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most 
       holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit;






       (Jude 1:21 NRSV)  keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to 
       the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

       (Jude 1:22 NRSV)  And have mercy on some who are wavering;

       (Jude 1:23 NRSV)  save others by snatching them out of the fire; and 
       have mercy on still others with fear, hating even the tunic defiled by 
       their bodies.

       (Jude 1:24 NRSV)  Now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and 
       to make you stand without blemish in the presence of his glory with 
       rejoicing,

       (Jude 1:25 NRSV)  to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our 
       Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now 
       and forever. Amen.

       (Rev 1:1 NRSV)  The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to 
       show his servants what must soon take place; he made it known by 
       sending his angel to his servant John,

       (Rev 1:2 NRSV)  who testified to the word of God and to the testimony 
       of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

       (Rev 1:3 NRSV)  Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the 
       prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written 
       in it; for the time is near.

       (Rev 1:4 NRSV)  John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to 
       you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from 
       the seven spirits who are before his throne,

       (Rev 1:5 NRSV)  and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the 
       firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him 
       who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood,

       (Rev 1:6 NRSV)  and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God 
       and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

       (Rev 1:7 NRSV)  Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see 
       him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of 
       the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen.

       (Rev 1:8 NRSV)  "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who 
       is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

       (Rev 1:9 NRSV)  I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the 
       persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the 
       island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of 
       Jesus.

       (Rev 1:10 NRSV)  I was in the spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard 
       behind me a loud voice like a trumpet

       (Rev 1:11 NRSV)  saying, "Write in a book what you see and send it to 





       the seven churches, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamum, to Thyatira, 
       to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea."

       (Rev 1:12 NRSV)  Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to 
       me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,

       (Rev 1:13 NRSV)  and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the 
       Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his 
       chest.

       (Rev 1:14 NRSV)  His head and his hair were white as white wool, white 
       as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire,

       (Rev 1:15 NRSV)  his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a 
       furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters.

       (Rev 1:16 NRSV)  In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his 
       mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun 
       shining with full force.

       (Rev 1:17 NRSV)  When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. 
       But he placed his right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am 
       the first and the last,

       (Rev 1:18 NRSV)  and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive 
       forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades.

       (Rev 1:19 NRSV)  Now write what you have seen, what is, and what is to 
       take place after this.

       (Rev 1:20 NRSV)  As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in 
       my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are 
       the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the 
       seven churches.

       (Rev 2:1 NRSV)  "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These 
       are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who 
       walks among the seven golden lampstands:

       (Rev 2:2 NRSV)  "I know your works, your toil and your patient 
       endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate evildoers; you have tested 
       those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them to be 
       false.

       (Rev 2:3 NRSV)  I also know that you are enduring patiently and 
       bearing up for the sake of my name, and that you have not grown weary.

       (Rev 2:4 NRSV)  But I have this against you, that you have abandoned 
       the love you had at first.

       (Rev 2:5 NRSV)  Remember then from what you have fallen; repent, and 
       do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove 
       your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

       (Rev 2:6 NRSV)  Yet this is to your credit: you hate the works of the 
       Nicolaitans, which I also hate.






       (Rev 2:7 NRSV)  Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is 
       saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers, I will give 
       permission to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of 
       God.

       (Rev 2:8 NRSV)  "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These 
       are the words of the first and the last, who was dead and came to 
       life:

       (Rev 2:9 NRSV)  "I know your affliction and your poverty, even though 
       you are rich. I know the slander on the part of those who say that 
       they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

       (Rev 2:10 NRSV)  Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the 
       devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be 
       tested, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be faithful until 
       death, and I will give you the crown of life.

       (Rev 2:11 NRSV)  Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit 
       is saying to the churches. Whoever conquers will not be harmed by the 
       second death.

       (Rev 2:12 NRSV)  "And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: 
       These are the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword:

       (Rev 2:13 NRSV)  "I know where you are living, where Satan's throne 
       is. Yet you are holding fast to my name, and you did not deny your 
       faith in me even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, 
       who was killed among you, where Satan lives.

       (Rev 2:14 NRSV)  But I have a few things against you: you have some 
       there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a 
       stumbling block before the people of Israel, so that they would eat 
       food sacrificed to idols and practice fornication.

       (Rev 2:15 NRSV)  So you also have some who hold to the teaching of the 
       Nicolaitans.

       (Rev 2:16 NRSV)  Repent then. If not, I will come to you soon and make 
       war against them with the sword of my mouth.

       (Rev 2:17 NRSV)  Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit 
       is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers I will give some 
       of the hidden manna, and I will give a white stone, and on the white 
       stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one who 
       receives it.

       (Rev 2:18 NRSV)  "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: 
       These are the words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of 
       fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze:

       (Rev 2:19 NRSV)  "I know your works--your love, faith, service, and 
       patient endurance. I know that your last works are greater than the 
       first.





       (Rev 2:20 NRSV)  But I have this against you: you tolerate that woman 
       Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet and is teaching and beguiling my 
       servants to practice fornication and to eat food sacrificed to idols.

       (Rev 2:21 NRSV)  I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent 
       of her fornication.

       (Rev 2:22 NRSV)  Beware, I am throwing her on a bed, and those who 
       commit adultery with her I am throwing into great distress, unless 
       they repent of her doings;

       (Rev 2:23 NRSV)  and I will strike her children dead. And all the 
       churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts, 
       and I will give to each of you as your works deserve.

       (Rev 2:24 NRSV)  But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold 
       this teaching, who have not learned what some call 'the deep things of 
       Satan,' to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden;

       (Rev 2:25 NRSV)  only hold fast to what you have until I come.

       (Rev 2:26 NRSV)  To everyone who conquers and continues to do my works 
       to the end, I will give authority over the nations;

       (Rev 2:27 NRSV)  to rule them with an iron rod, as when clay pots are 
       shattered--

       (Rev 2:28 NRSV)  even as I also received authority from my Father. To 
       the one who conquers I will also give the morning star.

       (Rev 2:29 NRSV)  Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit 
       is saying to the churches.

       (Rev 3:1 NRSV)  "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These 
       are the words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven 
       stars: "I know your works; you have a name of being alive, but you are 
       dead.

       (Rev 3:2 NRSV)  Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is on the 
       point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight 
       of my God.

       (Rev 3:3 NRSV)  Remember then what you received and heard; obey it, 
       and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you 
       will not know at what hour I will come to you.

       (Rev 3:4 NRSV)  Yet you have still a few persons in Sardis who have 
       not soiled their clothes; they will walk with me, dressed in white, 
       for they are worthy.

       (Rev 3:5 NRSV)  If you conquer, you will be clothed like them in white 
       robes, and I will not blot your name out of the book of life; I will 
       confess your name before my Father and before his angels.

       (Rev 3:6 NRSV)  Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is 
       saying to the churches.






       (Rev 3:7 NRSV)  "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: 
       These are the words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of 
       David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens:

       (Rev 3:8 NRSV)  "I know your works. Look, I have set before you an 
       open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but 
       little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my 
       name.

       (Rev 3:9 NRSV)  I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say 
       that they are Jews and are not, but are lying--I will make them come 
       and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved 
       you.

       (Rev 3:10 NRSV)  Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I 
       will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world 
       to test the inhabitants of the earth.

       (Rev 3:11 NRSV)  I am coming soon; hold fast to what you have, so that 
       no one may seize your crown.

       (Rev 3:12 NRSV)  If you conquer, I will make you a pillar in the 
       temple of my God; you will never go out of it. I will write on you the 
       name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem 
       that comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.

       (Rev 3:13 NRSV)  Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit 
       is saying to the churches.

       (Rev 3:14 NRSV)  "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 
       The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the origin of 
       God's creation:

       (Rev 3:15 NRSV)  "I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I 
       wish that you were either cold or hot.

       (Rev 3:16 NRSV)  So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor 
       hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

       (Rev 3:17 NRSV)  For you say, 'I am rich, I have prospered, and I need 
       nothing.' You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, 
       blind, and naked.

       (Rev 3:18 NRSV)  Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined 
       by fire so that you may be rich; and white robes to clothe you and to 
       keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen; and salve to anoint 
       your eyes so that you may see.

       (Rev 3:19 NRSV)  I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Be 
       earnest, therefore, and repent.

       (Rev 3:20 NRSV)  Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you 
       hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with 
       you, and you with me.





       (Rev 3:21 NRSV)  To the one who conquers I will give a place with me 
       on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father 
       on his throne.

       (Rev 3:22 NRSV)  Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit 
       is saying to the churches."

       (Rev 4:1 NRSV)  After this I looked, and there in heaven a door stood 
       open! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a 
       trumpet, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place 
       after this."

       (Rev 4:2 NRSV)  At once I was in the spirit, and there in heaven stood 
       a throne, with one seated on the throne!

       (Rev 4:3 NRSV)  And the one seated there looks like jasper and 
       carnelian, and around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an 
       emerald.

       (Rev 4:4 NRSV)  Around the throne are twenty-four thrones, and seated 
       on the thrones are twenty-four elders, dressed in white robes, with 
       golden crowns on their heads.

       (Rev 4:5 NRSV)  Coming from the throne are flashes of lightning, and 
       rumblings and peals of thunder, and in front of the throne burn seven 
       flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God;

       (Rev 4:6 NRSV)  and in front of the throne there is something like a 
       sea of glass, like crystal. Around the throne, and on each side of the 
       throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind:

       (Rev 4:7 NRSV)  the first living creature like a lion, the second 
       living creature like an ox, the third living creature with a face like 
       a human face, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle.

       (Rev 4:8 NRSV)  And the four living creatures, each of them with six 
       wings, are full of eyes all around and inside. Day and night without 
       ceasing they sing, "Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who 
       was and is and is to come."

       (Rev 4:9 NRSV)  And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor 
       and thanks to the one who is seated on the throne, who lives forever 
       and ever,

       (Rev 4:10 NRSV)  the twenty-four elders fall before the one who is 
       seated on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever; 
       they cast their crowns before the throne, singing,

       (Rev 4:11 NRSV)  "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory 
       and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they 
       existed and were created."

       (Rev 5:1 NRSV)  Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the 
       throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with 
       seven seals;





       (Rev 5:2 NRSV)  and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud 
       voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?"

       (Rev 5:3 NRSV)  And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth 
       was able to open the scroll or to look into it.

       (Rev 5:4 NRSV)  And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found 
       worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.

       (Rev 5:5 NRSV)  Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. See, 
       the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so 
       that he can open the scroll and its seven seals."

       (Rev 5:6 NRSV)  Then I saw between the throne and the four living 
       creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been 
       slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven 
       spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

       (Rev 5:7 NRSV)  He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the 
       one who was seated on the throne.

       (Rev 5:8 NRSV)  When he had taken the scroll, the four living 
       creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each 
       holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers 
       of the saints.

       (Rev 5:9 NRSV)  They sing a new song: "You are worthy to take the 
       scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your 
       blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and 
       people and nation;

       (Rev 5:10 NRSV)  you have made them to be a kingdom and priests 
       serving our God, and they will reign on earth."

       (Rev 5:11 NRSV)  Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels 
       surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they 
       numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,

       (Rev 5:12 NRSV)  singing with full voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was 
       slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor 
       and glory and blessing!"

       (Rev 5:13 NRSV)  Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth 
       and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, 
       "To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor 
       and glory and might forever and ever!"

       (Rev 5:14 NRSV)  And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the 
       elders fell down and worshiped.

       (Rev 6:1 NRSV)  Then I saw the Lamb open one of the seven seals, and I 
       heard one of the four living creatures call out, as with a voice of 
       thunder, "Come!"

       (Rev 6:2 NRSV)  I looked, and there was a white horse! Its rider had a 
       bow; a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering and to 





       conquer.

       (Rev 6:3 NRSV)  When he opened the second seal, I heard the second 
       living creature call out, "Come!"

       (Rev 6:4 NRSV)  And out came another horse, bright red; its rider was 
       permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter 
       one another; and he was given a great sword.

       (Rev 6:5 NRSV)  When he opened the third seal, I heard the third 
       living creature call out, "Come!" I looked, and there was a black 
       horse! Its rider held a pair of scales in his hand,

       (Rev 6:6 NRSV)  and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of 
       the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's pay, 
       and three quarts of barley for a day's pay, but do not damage the 
       olive oil and the wine!"

       (Rev 6:7 NRSV)  When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of 
       the fourth living creature call out, "Come!"

       (Rev 6:8 NRSV)  I looked and there was a pale green horse! Its rider's 
       name was Death, and Hades followed with him; they were given authority 
       over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and 
       pestilence, and by the wild animals of the earth.

       (Rev 6:9 NRSV)  When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar 
       the souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and 
       for the testimony they had given;

       (Rev 6:10 NRSV)  they cried out with a loud voice, "Sovereign Lord, 
       holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our 
       blood on the inhabitants of the earth?"

       (Rev 6:11 NRSV)  They were each given a white robe and told to rest a 
       little longer, until the number would be complete both of their fellow 
       servants and of their brothers and sisters, who were soon to be killed 
       as they themselves had been killed.

       (Rev 6:12 NRSV)  When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and there 
       came a great earthquake; the sun became black as sackcloth, the full 
       moon became like blood,

       (Rev 6:13 NRSV)  and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig 
       tree drops its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.

       (Rev 6:14 NRSV)  The sky vanished like a scroll rolling itself up, and 
       every mountain and island was removed from its place.

       (Rev 6:15 NRSV)  Then the kings of the earth and the magnates and the 
       generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, 
       hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,

       (Rev 6:16 NRSV)  calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and 
       hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the 
       wrath of the Lamb;






       (Rev 6:17 NRSV)  for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is 
       able to stand?"

       (Rev 7:1 NRSV)  After this I saw four angels standing at the four 
       corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that 
       no wind could blow on earth or sea or against any tree.

       (Rev 7:2 NRSV)  I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the 
       sun, having the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud 
       voice to the four angels who had been given power to damage earth and 
       sea,

       (Rev 7:3 NRSV)  saying, "Do not damage the earth or the sea or the 
       trees, until we have marked the servants of our God with a seal on 
       their foreheads."

       (Rev 7:4 NRSV)  And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one 
       hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the people 
       of Israel:

       (Rev 7:5 NRSV)  From the tribe of Judah twelve thousand sealed, from 
       the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve 
       thousand,

       (Rev 7:6 NRSV)  from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the 
       tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve 
       thousand,

       (Rev 7:7 NRSV)  from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the 
       tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve 
       thousand,

       (Rev 7:8 NRSV)  from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the 
       tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin twelve 
       thousand sealed.

       (Rev 7:9 NRSV)  After this I looked, and there was a great multitude 
       that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and 
       peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, 
       robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.

       (Rev 7:10 NRSV)  They cried out in a loud voice, saying, "Salvation 
       belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!"

       (Rev 7:11 NRSV)  And all the angels stood around the throne and around 
       the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces 
       before the throne and worshiped God,

       (Rev 7:12 NRSV)  singing, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and 
       thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and 
       ever! Amen."

       (Rev 7:13 NRSV)  Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are 
       these, robed in white, and where have they come from?"





       (Rev 7:14 NRSV)  I said to him, "Sir, you are the one that knows." 
       Then he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great 
       ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood 
       of the Lamb.

       (Rev 7:15 NRSV)  For this reason they are before the throne of God, 
       and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is 
       seated on the throne will shelter them.

       (Rev 7:16 NRSV)  They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun 
       will not strike them, nor any scorching heat;

       (Rev 7:17 NRSV)  for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be 
       their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of 
       life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

       (Rev 8:1 NRSV)  When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was 
       silence in heaven for about half an hour.

       (Rev 8:2 NRSV)  And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and 
       seven trumpets were given to them.

       (Rev 8:3 NRSV)  Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at 
       the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the 
       prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is before the 
       throne.

       (Rev 8:4 NRSV)  And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the 
       saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.

       (Rev 8:5 NRSV)  Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire 
       from the altar and threw it on the earth; and there were peals of 
       thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

       (Rev 8:6 NRSV)  Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets made 
       ready to blow them.

       (Rev 8:7 NRSV)  The first angel blew his trumpet, and there came hail 
       and fire, mixed with blood, and they were hurled to the earth; and a 
       third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned 
       up, and all green grass was burned up.

       (Rev 8:8 NRSV)  The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like 
       a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea.

       (Rev 8:9 NRSV)  A third of the sea became blood, a third of the living 
       creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

       (Rev 8:10 NRSV)  The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star 
       fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the 
       rivers and on the springs of water.

       (Rev 8:11 NRSV)  The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the 
       waters became wormwood, and many died from the water, because it was 
       made bitter.





       (Rev 8:12 NRSV)  The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the 
       sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so 
       that a third of their light was darkened; a third of the day was kept 
       from shining, and likewise the night.

       (Rev 8:13 NRSV)  Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a 
       loud voice as it flew in midheaven, "Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants 
       of the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three 
       angels are about to blow!"

       (Rev 9:1 NRSV)  And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star 
       that had fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the 
       shaft of the bottomless pit;

       (Rev 9:2 NRSV)  he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from 
       the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun 
       and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft.

       (Rev 9:3 NRSV)  Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and 
       they were given authority like the authority of scorpions of the 
       earth.

       (Rev 9:4 NRSV)  They were told not to damage the grass of the earth or 
       any green growth or any tree, but only those people who do not have 
       the seal of God on their foreheads.

       (Rev 9:5 NRSV)  They were allowed to torture them for five months, but 
       not to kill them, and their torture was like the torture of a scorpion 
       when it stings someone.

       (Rev 9:6 NRSV)  And in those days people will seek death but will not 
       find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.

       (Rev 9:7 NRSV)  In appearance the locusts were like horses equipped 
       for battle. On their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their 
       faces were like human faces,

       (Rev 9:8 NRSV)  their hair like women's hair, and their teeth like 
       lions' teeth;

       (Rev 9:9 NRSV)  they had scales like iron breastplates, and the noise 
       of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing 
       into battle.

       (Rev 9:10 NRSV)  They have tails like scorpions, with stingers, and in 
       their tails is their power to harm people for five months.

       (Rev 9:11 NRSV)  They have as king over them the angel of the 
       bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is 
       called Apollyon.

       (Rev 9:12 NRSV)  The first woe has passed. There are still two woes to 
       come.

       (Rev 9:13 NRSV)  Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a 
       voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God,






       (Rev 9:14 NRSV)  saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, 
       "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates."

       (Rev 9:15 NRSV)  So the four angels were released, who had been held 
       ready for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, to kill a third 
       of humankind.

       (Rev 9:16 NRSV)  The number of the troops of cavalry was two hundred 
       million; I heard their number.

       (Rev 9:17 NRSV)  And this was how I saw the horses in my vision: the 
       riders wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of 
       sulfur; the heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and fire and 
       smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths.

       (Rev 9:18 NRSV)  By these three plagues a third of humankind was 
       killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths.

       (Rev 9:19 NRSV)  For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in 
       their tails; their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with 
       them they inflict harm.

       (Rev 9:20 NRSV)  The rest of humankind, who were not killed by these 
       plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands or give up 
       worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone 
       and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.

       (Rev 9:21 NRSV)  And they did not repent of their murders or their 
       sorceries or their fornication or their thefts.

       (Rev 10:1 NRSV)  And I saw another mighty angel coming down from 
       heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head; his face was 
       like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire.

       (Rev 10:2 NRSV)  He held a little scroll open in his hand. Setting his 
       right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,

       (Rev 10:3 NRSV)  he gave a great shout, like a lion roaring. And when 
       he shouted, the seven thunders sounded.

       (Rev 10:4 NRSV)  And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about 
       to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Seal up what the 
       seven thunders have said, and do not write it down."

       (Rev 10:5 NRSV)  Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and the 
       land raised his right hand to heaven

       (Rev 10:6 NRSV)  and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who 
       created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the 
       sea and what is in it: "There will be no more delay,

       (Rev 10:7 NRSV)  but in the days when the seventh angel is to blow his 
       trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, as he announced to his 
       servants the prophets."





       (Rev 10:8 NRSV)  Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to 
       me again, saying, "Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the 
       angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."

       (Rev 10:9 NRSV)  So I went to the angel and told him to give me the 
       little scroll; and he said to me, "Take it, and eat; it will be bitter 
       to your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth."

       (Rev 10:10 NRSV)  So I took the little scroll from the hand of the 
       angel and ate it; it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had 
       eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.

       (Rev 10:11 NRSV)  Then they said to me, "You must prophesy again about 
       many peoples and nations and languages and kings."

       (Rev 11:1 NRSV)  Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I 
       was told, "Come and measure the temple of God and the altar and those 
       who worship there,

       (Rev 11:2 NRSV)  but do not measure the court outside the temple; 
       leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will 
       trample over the holy city for forty-two months.

       (Rev 11:3 NRSV)  And I will grant my two witnesses authority to 
       prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days, wearing sackcloth."

       (Rev 11:4 NRSV)  These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands 
       that stand before the Lord of the earth.

       (Rev 11:5 NRSV)  And if anyone wants to harm them, fire pours from 
       their mouth and consumes their foes; anyone who wants to harm them 
       must be killed in this manner.

       (Rev 11:6 NRSV)  They have authority to shut the sky, so that no rain 
       may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have authority 
       over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with 
       every kind of plague, as often as they desire.

       (Rev 11:7 NRSV)  When they have finished their testimony, the beast 
       that comes up from the bottomless pit will make war on them and 
       conquer them and kill them,

       (Rev 11:8 NRSV)  and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the 
       great city that is prophetically called Sodom and Egypt, where also 
       their Lord was crucified.

       (Rev 11:9 NRSV)  For three and a half days members of the peoples and 
       tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and 
       refuse to let them be placed in a tomb;

       (Rev 11:10 NRSV)  and the inhabitants of the earth will gloat over 
       them and celebrate and exchange presents, because these two prophets 
       had been a torment to the inhabitants of the earth.

       (Rev 11:11 NRSV)  But after the three and a half days, the breath of 
       life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and those 





       who saw them were terrified.

       (Rev 11:12 NRSV)  Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to 
       them, "Come up here!" And they went up to heaven in a cloud while 
       their enemies watched them.

       (Rev 11:13 NRSV)  At that moment there was a great earthquake, and a 
       tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the 
       earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of 
       heaven.

       (Rev 11:14 NRSV)  The second woe has passed. The third woe is coming 
       very soon.

       (Rev 11:15 NRSV)  Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there 
       were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has 
       become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign 
       forever and ever."

       (Rev 11:16 NRSV)  Then the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones 
       before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,

       (Rev 11:17 NRSV)  singing, "We give you thanks, Lord God Almighty, who 
       are and who were, for you have taken your great power and begun to 
       reign.

       (Rev 11:18 NRSV)  The nations raged, but your wrath has come, and the 
       time for judging the dead, for rewarding your servants, the prophets 
       and saints and all who fear your name, both small and great, and for 
       destroying those who destroy the earth."

       (Rev 11:19 NRSV)  Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark 
       of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of 
       lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

       (Rev 12:1 NRSV)  A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed 
       with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 
       twelve stars.

       (Rev 12:2 NRSV)  She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, 
       in the agony of giving birth.

       (Rev 12:3 NRSV)  Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red 
       dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his 
       heads.

       (Rev 12:4 NRSV)  His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven 
       and threw them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman 
       who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as 
       soon as it was born.

       (Rev 12:5 NRSV)  And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to 
       rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched 
       away and taken to God and to his throne;

       (Rev 12:6 NRSV)  and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has 





       a place prepared by God, so that there she can be nourished for one 
       thousand two hundred sixty days.

       (Rev 12:7 NRSV)  And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels 
       fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back,

       (Rev 12:8 NRSV)  but they were defeated, and there was no longer any 
       place for them in heaven.

       (Rev 12:9 NRSV)  The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient 
       serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole 
       world--he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown 
       down with him.

       (Rev 12:10 NRSV)  Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming, 
       "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God 
       and the authority of his Messiah, for the accuser of our comrades has 
       been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

       (Rev 12:11 NRSV)  But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb 
       and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to life 
       even in the face of death.

       (Rev 12:12 NRSV)  Rejoice then, you heavens and those who dwell in 
       them! But woe to the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to 
       you with great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!"

       (Rev 12:13 NRSV)  So when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down 
       to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male 
       child.

       (Rev 12:14 NRSV)  But the woman was given the two wings of the great 
       eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to 
       her place where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a 
       time.

       (Rev 12:15 NRSV)  Then from his mouth the serpent poured water like a 
       river after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood.

       (Rev 12:16 NRSV)  But the earth came to the help of the woman; it 
       opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured 
       from his mouth.

       (Rev 12:17 NRSV)  Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went 
       off to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep the 
       commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.

       (Rev 12:18 NRSV)  Then the dragon took his stand on the sand of the 
       seashore.

       (Rev 13:1 NRSV)  And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, having ten 
       horns and seven heads; and on its horns were ten diadems, and on its 
       heads were blasphemous names.

       (Rev 13:2 NRSV)  And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet 
       were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And the 





       dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority.

       (Rev 13:3 NRSV)  One of its heads seemed to have received a 
       death-blow, but its mortal wound had been healed. In amazement the 
       whole earth followed the beast.

       (Rev 13:4 NRSV)  They worshiped the dragon, for he had given his 
       authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is 
       like the beast, and who can fight against it?"

       (Rev 13:5 NRSV)  The beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and 
       blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for 
       forty-two months.

       (Rev 13:6 NRSV)  It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, 
       blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in 
       heaven.

       (Rev 13:7 NRSV)  Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to 
       conquer them. It was given authority over every tribe and people and 
       language and nation,

       (Rev 13:8 NRSV)  and all the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, 
       everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the 
       world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slaughtered.

       (Rev 13:9 NRSV)  Let anyone who has an ear listen:

       (Rev 13:10 NRSV)  If you are to be taken captive, into captivity you 
       go; if you kill with the sword, with the sword you must be killed. 
       Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

       (Rev 13:11 NRSV)  Then I saw another beast that rose out of the earth; 
       it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon.

       (Rev 13:12 NRSV)  It exercises all the authority of the first beast on 
       its behalf, and it makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the 
       first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed.

       (Rev 13:13 NRSV)  It performs great signs, even making fire come down 
       from heaven to earth in the sight of all;

       (Rev 13:14 NRSV)  and by the signs that it is allowed to perform on 
       behalf of the beast, it deceives the inhabitants of earth, telling 
       them to make an image for the beast that had been wounded by the sword 
       and yet lived;

       (Rev 13:15 NRSV)  and it was allowed to give breath to the image of 
       the beast so that the image of the beast could even speak and cause 
       those who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

       (Rev 13:16 NRSV)  Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich 
       and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the 
       forehead,

       (Rev 13:17 NRSV)  so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the 





       mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.

       (Rev 13:18 NRSV)  This calls for wisdom: let anyone with understanding 
       calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. 
       Its number is six hundred sixty-six.

       (Rev 14:1 NRSV)  Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on 
       Mount Zion! And with him were one hundred forty-four thousand who had 
       his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.

       (Rev 14:2 NRSV)  And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of 
       many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was 
       like the sound of harpists playing on their harps,

       (Rev 14:3 NRSV)  and they sing a new song before the throne and before 
       the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn 
       that song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who have been 
       redeemed from the earth.

       (Rev 14:4 NRSV)  It is these who have not defiled themselves with 
       women, for they are virgins; these follow the Lamb wherever he goes. 
       They have been redeemed from humankind as first fruits for God and the 
       Lamb,

       (Rev 14:5 NRSV)  and in their mouth no lie was found; they are 
       blameless.

       (Rev 14:6 NRSV)  Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an 
       eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth--to every 
       nation and tribe and language and people.

       (Rev 14:7 NRSV)  He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him 
       glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made 
       heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water."

       (Rev 14:8 NRSV)  Then another angel, a second, followed, saying, 
       "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has made all nations drink 
       of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."

       (Rev 14:9 NRSV)  Then another angel, a third, followed them, crying 
       with a loud voice, "Those who worship the beast and its image, and 
       receive a mark on their foreheads or on their hands,

       (Rev 14:10 NRSV)  they will also drink the wine of God's wrath, poured 
       unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they will be tormented with 
       fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence 
       of the Lamb.

       (Rev 14:11 NRSV)  And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and 
       ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast 
       and its image and for anyone who receives the mark of its name."

       (Rev 14:12 NRSV)  Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, 
       those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of 
       Jesus.





       (Rev 14:13 NRSV)  And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: 
       Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord." "Yes," says the 
       Spirit, "they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow 
       them."

       (Rev 14:14 NRSV)  Then I looked, and there was a white cloud, and 
       seated on the cloud was one like the Son of Man, with a golden crown 
       on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand!

       (Rev 14:15 NRSV)  Another angel came out of the temple, calling with a 
       loud voice to the one who sat on the cloud, "Use your sickle and reap, 
       for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is 
       fully ripe."

       (Rev 14:16 NRSV)  So the one who sat on the cloud swung his sickle 
       over the earth, and the earth was reaped.

       (Rev 14:17 NRSV)  Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, 
       and he too had a sharp sickle.

       (Rev 14:18 NRSV)  Then another angel came out from the altar, the 
       angel who has authority over fire, and he called with a loud voice to 
       him who had the sharp sickle, "Use your sharp sickle and gather the 
       clusters of the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe."

       (Rev 14:19 NRSV)  So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and 
       gathered the vintage of the earth, and he threw it into the great wine 
       press of the wrath of God.

       (Rev 14:20 NRSV)  And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and 
       blood flowed from the wine press, as high as a horse's bridle, for a 
       distance of about two hundred miles.

       (Rev 15:1 NRSV)  Then I saw another portent in heaven, great and 
       amazing: seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with 
       them the wrath of God is ended.

       (Rev 15:2 NRSV)  And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mixed 
       with fire, and those who had conquered the beast and its image and the 
       number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God 
       in their hands.

       (Rev 15:3 NRSV)  And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, 
       and the song of the Lamb: "Great and amazing are your deeds, Lord God 
       the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, King of the nations!

       (Rev 15:4 NRSV)  Lord, who will not fear and glorify your name? For 
       you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for 
       your judgments have been revealed."

       (Rev 15:5 NRSV)  After this I looked, and the temple of the tent of 
       witness in heaven was opened,

       (Rev 15:6 NRSV)  and out of the temple came the seven angels with the 
       seven plagues, robed in pure bright linen, with golden sashes across 
       their chests.






       (Rev 15:7 NRSV)  Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven 
       angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever 
       and ever;

       (Rev 15:8 NRSV)  and the temple was filled with smoke from the glory 
       of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the 
       seven plagues of the seven angels were ended.

       (Rev 16:1 NRSV)  Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the 
       seven angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the 
       wrath of God."

       (Rev 16:2 NRSV)  So the first angel went and poured his bowl on the 
       earth, and a foul and painful sore came on those who had the mark of 
       the beast and who worshiped its image.

       (Rev 16:3 NRSV)  The second angel poured his bowl into the sea, and it 
       became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing in the sea 
       died.

       (Rev 16:4 NRSV)  The third angel poured his bowl into the rivers and 
       the springs of water, and they became blood.

       (Rev 16:5 NRSV)  And I heard the angel of the waters say, "You are 
       just, O Holy One, who are and were, for you have judged these things;

       (Rev 16:6 NRSV)  because they shed the blood of saints and prophets, 
       you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!"

       (Rev 16:7 NRSV)  And I heard the altar respond, "Yes, O Lord God, the 
       Almighty, your judgments are true and just!"

       (Rev 16:8 NRSV)  The fourth angel poured his bowl on the sun, and it 
       was allowed to scorch them with fire;

       (Rev 16:9 NRSV)  they were scorched by the fierce heat, but they 
       cursed the name of God, who had authority over these plagues, and they 
       did not repent and give him glory.

       (Rev 16:10 NRSV)  The fifth angel poured his bowl on the throne of the 
       beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness; people gnawed their 
       tongues in agony,

       (Rev 16:11 NRSV)  and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains 
       and sores, and they did not repent of their deeds.

       (Rev 16:12 NRSV)  The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river 
       Euphrates, and its water was dried up in order to prepare the way for 
       the kings from the east.

       (Rev 16:13 NRSV)  And I saw three foul spirits like frogs coming from 
       the mouth of the dragon, from the mouth of the beast, and from the 
       mouth of the false prophet.

       (Rev 16:14 NRSV)  These are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go 





       abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on 
       the great day of God the Almighty.

       (Rev 16:15 NRSV)  ("See, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one 
       who stays awake and is clothed, not going about naked and exposed to 
       shame.")

       (Rev 16:16 NRSV)  And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew 
       is called Harmagedon.

       (Rev 16:17 NRSV)  The seventh angel poured his bowl into the air, and 
       a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, "It is 
       done!"

       (Rev 16:18 NRSV)  And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, 
       peals of thunder, and a violent earthquake, such as had not occurred 
       since people were upon the earth, so violent was that earthquake.

       (Rev 16:19 NRSV)  The great city was split into three parts, and the 
       cities of the nations fell. God remembered great Babylon and gave her 
       the wine-cup of the fury of his wrath.

       (Rev 16:20 NRSV)  And every island fled away, and no mountains were to 
       be found;

       (Rev 16:21 NRSV)  and huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred 
       pounds, dropped from heaven on people, until they cursed God for the 
       plague of the hail, so fearful was that plague.

       (Rev 17:1 NRSV)  Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls 
       came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great 
       whore who is seated on many waters,

       (Rev 17:2 NRSV)  with whom the kings of the earth have committed 
       fornication, and with the wine of whose fornication the inhabitants of 
       the earth have become drunk."

       (Rev 17:3 NRSV)  So he carried me away in the spirit into a 
       wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full 
       of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns.

       (Rev 17:4 NRSV)  The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and 
       adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden 
       cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication;

       (Rev 17:5 NRSV)  and on her forehead was written a name, a mystery: 
       "Babylon the great, mother of whores and of earth's abominations."

       (Rev 17:6 NRSV)  And I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of 
       the saints and the blood of the witnesses to Jesus. When I saw her, I 
       was greatly amazed.

       (Rev 17:7 NRSV)  But the angel said to me, "Why are you so amazed? I 
       will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven 
       heads and ten horns that carries her.





       (Rev 17:8 NRSV)  The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about 
       to ascend from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the 
       inhabitants of the earth, whose names have not been written in the 
       book of life from the foundation of the world, will be amazed when 
       they see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.

       (Rev 17:9 NRSV)  "This calls for a mind that has wisdom: the seven 
       heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; also, they are 
       seven kings,

       (Rev 17:10 NRSV)  of whom five have fallen, one is living, and the 
       other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain only a 
       little while.

       (Rev 17:11 NRSV)  As for the beast that was and is not, it is an 
       eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction.

       (Rev 17:12 NRSV)  And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who 
       have not yet received a kingdom, but they are to receive authority as 
       kings for one hour, together with the beast.

       (Rev 17:13 NRSV)  These are united in yielding their power and 
       authority to the beast;

       (Rev 17:14 NRSV)  they will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will 
       conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those 
       with him are called and chosen and faithful."

       (Rev 17:15 NRSV)  And he said to me, "The waters that you saw, where 
       the whore is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and 
       languages.

       (Rev 17:16 NRSV)  And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast 
       will hate the whore; they will make her desolate and naked; they will 
       devour her flesh and burn her up with fire.

       (Rev 17:17 NRSV)  For God has put it into their hearts to carry out 
       his purpose by agreeing to give their kingdom to the beast, until the 
       words of God will be fulfilled.

       (Rev 17:18 NRSV)  The woman you saw is the great city that rules over 
       the kings of the earth."

       (Rev 18:1 NRSV)  After this I saw another angel coming down from 
       heaven, having great authority; and the earth was made bright with his 
       splendor.

       (Rev 18:2 NRSV)  He called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is 
       Babylon the great! It has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt 
       of every foul spirit, a haunt of every foul bird, a haunt of every 
       foul and hateful beast.

       (Rev 18:3 NRSV)  For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the 
       wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed 
       fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich 
       from the power of her luxury."






       (Rev 18:4 NRSV)  Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come 
       out of her, my people, so that you do not take part in her sins, and 
       so that you do not share in her plagues;

       (Rev 18:5 NRSV)  for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has 
       remembered her iniquities.

       (Rev 18:6 NRSV)  Render to her as she herself has rendered, and repay 
       her double for her deeds; mix a double draught for her in the cup she 
       mixed.

       (Rev 18:7 NRSV)  As she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, so 
       give her a like measure of torment and grief. Since in her heart she 
       says, 'I rule as a queen; I am no widow, and I will never see grief,'

       (Rev 18:8 NRSV)  therefore her plagues will come in a single day-- 
       pestilence and mourning and famine-- and she will be burned with fire; 
       for mighty is the Lord God who judges her."

       (Rev 18:9 NRSV)  And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication 
       and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they 
       see the smoke of her burning;

       (Rev 18:10 NRSV)  they will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and 
       say, "Alas, alas, the great city, Babylon, the mighty city! For in one 
       hour your judgment has come."

       (Rev 18:11 NRSV)  And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for 
       her, since no one buys their cargo anymore,

       (Rev 18:12 NRSV)  cargo of gold, silver, jewels and pearls, fine 
       linen, purple, silk and scarlet, all kinds of scented wood, all 
       articles of ivory, all articles of costly wood, bronze, iron, and 
       marble,

       (Rev 18:13 NRSV)  cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, 
       olive oil, choice flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and 
       chariots, slaves--and human lives.

       (Rev 18:14 NRSV)  "The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from 
       you, and all your dainties and your splendor are lost to you, never to 
       be found again!"

       (Rev 18:15 NRSV)  The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from 
       her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning 
       aloud,

       (Rev 18:16 NRSV)  "Alas, alas, the great city, clothed in fine linen, 
       in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with 
       pearls!

       (Rev 18:17 NRSV)  For in one hour all this wealth has been laid 
       waste!" And all shipmasters and seafarers, sailors and all whose trade 
       is on the sea, stood far off





       (Rev 18:18 NRSV)  and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, 
       "What city was like the great city?"

       (Rev 18:19 NRSV)  And they threw dust on their heads, as they wept and 
       mourned, crying out, "Alas, alas, the great city, where all who had 
       ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in one hour she has been 
       laid waste.

       (Rev 18:20 NRSV)  Rejoice over her, O heaven, you saints and apostles 
       and prophets! For God has given judgment for you against her."

       (Rev 18:21 NRSV)  Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great 
       millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "With such violence 
       Babylon the great city will be thrown down, and will be found no more;

       (Rev 18:22 NRSV)  and the sound of harpists and minstrels and of 
       flutists and trumpeters will be heard in you no more; and an artisan 
       of any trade will be found in you no more; and the sound of the 
       millstone will be heard in you no more;

       (Rev 18:23 NRSV)  and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more; 
       and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more; 
       for your merchants were the magnates of the earth, and all nations 
       were deceived by your sorcery.

       (Rev 18:24 NRSV)  And in you was found the blood of prophets and of 
       saints, and of all who have been slaughtered on earth."

       (Rev 19:1 NRSV)  After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice 
       of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and 
       glory and power to our God,

       (Rev 19:2 NRSV)  for his judgments are true and just; he has judged 
       the great whore who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he 
       has avenged on her the blood of his servants."

       (Rev 19:3 NRSV)  Once more they said, "Hallelujah! The smoke goes up 
       from her forever and ever."

       (Rev 19:4 NRSV)  And the twenty-four elders and the four living 
       creatures fell down and worshiped God who is seated on the throne, 
       saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!"

       (Rev 19:5 NRSV)  And from the throne came a voice saying, "Praise our 
       God, all you his servants, and all who fear him, small and great."

       (Rev 19:6 NRSV)  Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great 
       multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty 
       thunderpeals, crying out, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the 
       Almighty reigns.

       (Rev 19:7 NRSV)  Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for 
       the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself 
       ready;

       (Rev 19:8 NRSV)  to her it has been granted to be clothed with fine 





       linen, bright and pure"-- for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of 
       the saints.

       (Rev 19:9 NRSV)  And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are 
       those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said 
       to me, "These are true words of God."

       (Rev 19:10 NRSV)  Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he 
       said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and 
       your comrades who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the 
       testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

       (Rev 19:11 NRSV)  Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white 
       horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he 
       judges and makes war.

       (Rev 19:12 NRSV)  His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head 
       are many diadems; and he has a name inscribed that no one knows but 
       himself.

       (Rev 19:13 NRSV)  He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and his 
       name is called The Word of God.

       (Rev 19:14 NRSV)  And the armies of heaven, wearing fine linen, white 
       and pure, were following him on white horses.

       (Rev 19:15 NRSV)  From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to 
       strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron; he 
       will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the 
       Almighty.

       (Rev 19:16 NRSV)  On his robe and on his thigh he has a name 
       inscribed, "King of kings and Lord of lords."

       (Rev 19:17 NRSV)  Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a 
       loud voice he called to all the birds that fly in midheaven, "Come, 
       gather for the great supper of God,

       (Rev 19:18 NRSV)  to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, 
       the flesh of the mighty, the flesh of horses and their riders--flesh 
       of all, both free and slave, both small and great."

       (Rev 19:19 NRSV)  Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with 
       their armies gathered to make war against the rider on the horse and 
       against his army.

       (Rev 19:20 NRSV)  And the beast was captured, and with it the false 
       prophet who had performed in its presence the signs by which he 
       deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who 
       worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire 
       that burns with sulfur.

       (Rev 19:21 NRSV)  And the rest were killed by the sword of the rider 
       on the horse, the sword that came from his mouth; and all the birds 
       were gorged with their flesh.





       (Rev 20:1 NRSV)  Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding 
       in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain.

       (Rev 20:2 NRSV)  He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is 
       the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,

       (Rev 20:3 NRSV)  and threw him into the pit, and locked and sealed it 
       over him, so that he would deceive the nations no more, until the 
       thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little 
       while.

       (Rev 20:4 NRSV)  Then I saw thrones, and those seated on them were 
       given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been 
       beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God. They 
       had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark 
       on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with 
       Christ a thousand years.

       (Rev 20:5 NRSV)  (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 
       thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection.

       (Rev 20:6 NRSV)  Blessed and holy are those who share in the first 
       resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but they will 
       be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a 
       thousand years.

       (Rev 20:7 NRSV)  When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be 
       released from his prison

       (Rev 20:8 NRSV)  and will come out to deceive the nations at the four 
       corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, in order to gather them for 
       battle; they are as numerous as the sands of the sea.

       (Rev 20:9 NRSV)  They marched up over the breadth of the earth and 
       surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came 
       down from heaven and consumed them.

       (Rev 20:10 NRSV)  And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into 
       the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet 
       were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

       (Rev 20:11 NRSV)  Then I saw a great white throne and the one who sat 
       on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place 
       was found for them.

       (Rev 20:12 NRSV)  And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before 
       the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, the 
       book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, as 
       recorded in the books.

       (Rev 20:13 NRSV)  And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, Death 
       and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and all were judged 
       according to what they had done.

       (Rev 20:14 NRSV)  Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of 
       fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire;






       (Rev 20:15 NRSV)  and anyone whose name was not found written in the 
       book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

       (Rev 21:1 NRSV)  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the 
       first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no 
       more.

       (Rev 21:2 NRSV)  And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming 
       down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her 
       husband.

       (Rev 21:3 NRSV)  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 
       "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as 
       their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with 
       them;

       (Rev 21:4 NRSV)  he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will 
       be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the 
       first things have passed away."

       (Rev 21:5 NRSV)  And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, 
       I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these 
       words are trustworthy and true."

       (Rev 21:6 NRSV)  Then he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and 
       the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water 
       as a gift from the spring of the water of life.

       (Rev 21:7 NRSV)  Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I 
       will be their God and they will be my children.

       (Rev 21:8 NRSV)  But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, 
       the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all 
       liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and 
       sulfur, which is the second death."

       (Rev 21:9 NRSV)  Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls 
       full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show 
       you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."

       (Rev 21:10 NRSV)  And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, 
       high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of 
       heaven from God.

       (Rev 21:11 NRSV)  It has the glory of God and a radiance like a very 
       rare jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal.

       (Rev 21:12 NRSV)  It has a great, high wall with twelve gates, and at 
       the gates twelve angels, and on the gates are inscribed the names of 
       the twelve tribes of the Israelites;

       (Rev 21:13 NRSV)  on the east three gates, on the north three gates, 
       on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.

       (Rev 21:14 NRSV)  And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, and 





       on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

       (Rev 21:15 NRSV)  The angel who talked to me had a measuring rod of 
       gold to measure the city and its gates and walls.

       (Rev 21:16 NRSV)  The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its 
       width; and he measured the city with his rod, fifteen hundred miles; 
       its length and width and height are equal.

       (Rev 21:17 NRSV)  He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four 
       cubits by human measurement, which the angel was using.

       (Rev 21:18 NRSV)  The wall is built of jasper, while the city is pure 
       gold, clear as glass.

       (Rev 21:19 NRSV)  The foundations of the wall of the city are adorned 
       with every jewel; the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third 
       agate, the fourth emerald,

       (Rev 21:20 NRSV)  the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh 
       chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, 
       the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.

       (Rev 21:21 NRSV)  And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, each of the 
       gates is a single pearl, and the street of the city is pure gold, 
       transparent as glass.

       (Rev 21:22 NRSV)  I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the 
       Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.

       (Rev 21:23 NRSV)  And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on 
       it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

       (Rev 21:24 NRSV)  The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of 
       the earth will bring their glory into it.

       (Rev 21:25 NRSV)  Its gates will never be shut by day--and there will 
       be no night there.

       (Rev 21:26 NRSV)  People will bring into it the glory and the honor of 
       the nations.

       (Rev 21:27 NRSV)  But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who 
       practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in 
       the Lamb's book of life.

       (Rev 22:1 NRSV)  Then the angel showed me the river of the water of 
       life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the 
       Lamb

       (Rev 22:2 NRSV)  through the middle of the street of the city. On 
       either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of 
       fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are 
       for the healing of the nations.

       (Rev 22:3 NRSV)  Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But 





       the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will 
       worship him;

       (Rev 22:4 NRSV)  they will see his face, and his name will be on their 
       foreheads.

       (Rev 22:5 NRSV)  And there will be no more night; they need no light 
       of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will 
       reign forever and ever.

       (Rev 22:6 NRSV)  And he said to me, "These words are trustworthy and 
       true, for the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent 
       his angel to show his servants what must soon take place."

       (Rev 22:7 NRSV)  "See, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps 
       the words of the prophecy of this book."

       (Rev 22:8 NRSV)  I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. 
       And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of 
       the angel who showed them to me;

       (Rev 22:9 NRSV)  but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a 
       fellow servant with you and your comrades the prophets, and with those 
       who keep the words of this book. Worship God!"

       (Rev 22:10 NRSV)  And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the 
       prophecy of this book, for the time is near.

       (Rev 22:11 NRSV)  Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still 
       be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be 
       holy."

       (Rev 22:12 NRSV)  "See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to 
       repay according to everyone's work.

       (Rev 22:13 NRSV)  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the 
       last, the beginning and the end."

       (Rev 22:14 NRSV)  Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they 
       will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the 
       gates.

       (Rev 22:15 NRSV)  Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators 
       and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices 
       falsehood.

       (Rev 22:16 NRSV)  "It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this 
       testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, 
       the bright morning star."

       (Rev 22:17 NRSV)  The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let 
       everyone who hears say, "Come." And let everyone who is thirsty come. 
       Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

       (Rev 22:18 NRSV)  I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy 
       of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the 





       plagues described in this book;

       (Rev 22:19 NRSV)  if anyone takes away from the words of the book of 
       this prophecy, God will take away that person's share in the tree of 
       life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

       (Rev 22:20 NRSV)  The one who testifies to these things says, "Surely 
       I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

       (Rev 22:21 NRSV)  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. 
       Amen.